Gov. Tom Wolf declares 'state of emergency' in Pa. opioid epidemic

[lardmonkey2]

Bucks County is basically "Opiod" Central.....Living there, and seeing many deaths amongst young people.. The vast majority that I've seen locally have been recreational users not those who "started with a back injury." The "Opiod Epidemic" narrative is just that, "A narrative."

100% of those OD victims I have seen, or my 5 children have seen, or went to school with, were long time drug users starting as teens, not started with an oxycodone prescription.

Yes, Doctors are absolutely prescribing this shit like candy, and that part is demonic greed and they should be hammered. However, the SOE does NOTHING to address any of it...and yes the effect on gun owners is a major reason for this...Pure pandering to Wolfies base.....there is an election coming.

This is pretty true I graduated HighSchool 8 1/2" years and there are several people from that class that died from ODs. It was a know thing when I was in highschool that there were a number of kids did all sort s of drugs in school.

I also work in an office/Machine shop and virtually of the people that work there that are my age or younger are on something almost all the time. From pot to opiods to meth.

[God's Country]

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^^^. THIS. I can tell you from the local LEO side, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING has come down the chain via email, memo, or directive. When there's a snow emergency, or other true disaster-related SOE, we know immediately, if not beforehand, when its issued, and what changes we have to make. There has been absolutely zero talk about this. We are not changing anything regarding those 3 open carriers we have in the county.

I was wondering under what circumstances a genuine SOE could be issued, and whether this constitutes a legitimate use.
Which proves there is no SOE. Just a headline that Wolf has declared one on the heroine "crisis". As fictitious as his governorship.

[Parrisk]

Scranton / Wilkes-Barre area is having multiple Opioid Overdoses EVERY day.
There are multiple gangs in the Wyoming valley that split up drugs coming West from Patterson NJ and NYC then send it North and South on I-81
during 3 yrs while working there I personally knew 2 who didn't make it and 3 who were treated with NARCAN

[Emptymag]

I was wondering under what circumstances a genuine SOE could be issued, and whether this constitutes a legitimate use.
Which proves there is no SOE. Just a headline that Wolf has declared one on the heroine "crisis". As fictitious as his governorship.

I was wondering the same thing from the start.

Is this an official, legitimate, "per law", state of emergency, or is it simply him calling it that to make it sound "dramatic"?

[markshere2]

Some of this opiod problem is due to doctors over prescribeing and losing accountablity.

So what does the medical field do? Over comansate and not give pain meds when needed. I actually had my primary refuse to give me pain meds with several gerniated disck and could barely walk. She told me that if you take pain pills for more that yhree days you are an addict.

So if that is the current stance how over inflared is the problem?

Compassion from .gov is a trainwreck in the making.

.Gov "help" for your problem never ever helps.

Rebuilding New Orleans Post-Katrina was done with your taxes. And what's gonna happen in the coming decades? Hurricanes gonna flood that city again and again. and nobody's gonna fill in that sewer to rebuild it ABOVE sea level.

"Welfare" as it exists now (Pick a program or lump them all together) does nothing more than breed more useless welfare recipients.

Junkies overdose again and again. Why is it our duty to bring them back?

We're circling the drain, folks.

[qmcorps]

How exactly does this declaration benefit the state's legions of heroin junkies?

[Williamsmith]

Compassion from .gov is a trainwreck in the making.

.Gov "help" for your problem never ever helps.

Rebuilding New Orleans Post-Katrina was done with your taxes. And what's gonna happen in the coming decades? Hurricanes gonna flood that city again and again. and nobody's gonna fill in that sewer to rebuild it ABOVE sea level.

"Welfare" as it exists now (Pick a program or lump them all together) does nothing more than breed more useless welfare recipients.

Junkies overdose again and again. Why is it our duty to bring them back?

We're circling the drain, folks.

I think a reasonable society makes a reasonable attempt to help narcotics addicted fellow citizens. The ones that can be rehabilitated can then not be a “drain” on society. What constitutes reasonable is up for debate. But I’m all for heroin addicts dying as long as it’s not me, my sons or my daughter, or any of my extended family or my friends or people I respect or.......see how that goes?

As long as there are people, there will be heroin to supply them. If you sit smugly in your recliner and say, “Thank God I’m not like those heroin addicts.....well you are a hypocrite if you drink alcohol, take a daily aspirin, Tylenol or Advil, or a prescription blood pressure medicine or cholesterol pill because you can over dose on those as well. When you take that pill you rely on the pharmaceutical company to get it right. And judging from some of the comments about big pharma...why do you trust them?

On the point on the OP....it would be nice for someone who is a lawyer to chime in on the questions that have be asked thus far. All we have heard thus far is the ...hey beware the worst could happen.

[KCJones]

There is truth is the above statement, and the situation is not so cut and dry. Most opioid addicts didn't just decide one day to stick a needle in their arms. They had a legitimate injury and were prescribed painkillers. As they healed, the pain may or may not have gone away. There's something in the brain that makes you feel the pain even though medically it's gone. So they get a few more prescriptions. Then they have to go to other doctors to stretch it out. When no more doctors will write scrips, they beg, borrow, steal from friends and acquaintances who have leftovers. The last step is either illegal acquisition of pills, or the desperate heroin injection.

I've been prescribed opioids several times. I get why they're abused. Pop a pill and instant "Happy!"

Typically when the meds ran out, I was fine and done. But if someone had said "hey, how about another weeks's worth?" I'd have likely said "yeah sure".

I do recall a tooth extraction where I ended up with a 'dry socket'... Very painful and extends the time period of the pain.

Asked the Doc to extend my prescription. I was still in true pain.

He said "no" and told me to suck it up and take ibuprofen. He was right and that's how it should be. I didn't go shopping for another doc to gimme some pills. Had I done so, the appropriate response would have been "If your Oral Surgeon won't give you more, neither will I."

I agree most opioid addicts didn't just decide one day to stick a needle their arms. OTOH, I have had it probably half a dozen times and didn't become a junkie. OTOH, had that one doctor said "yeah sure" who knows? I still doubt I'd have gone junkie, but the slippery slope and all.

To me there are two things needed to stop the 'epidemic'...

1) Doctors saying "no"

2) Patients not being pussies and accepting a few days of pain (brain-induced or not)

FWIW, I think 1 would lead to 2 and all would be well. I'm pretty sure the rate of 'addiction' would be dramatically lower if the doc gave you your 7 days worth (or whatever actually appropriate) and that was it. It's the "getting a few more renewals, then getting a few other doctors to write 'scrips etc." that leads to being on them for a month or two legally and then truly being hooked and seeking illegal methods after that.

As to the true 'recreational' junkies... That's never been an emergency or epidemic, and that's where I agree with the previous 'Darwin-esque' statements. Clear the gene pool of the weak.

[God's Country]

There's always an emergency from government. If they didn't have emergencies to make people feel as if they (the gov) were needed, people might just begin to think they can live with less government. Both parties do it all the time.

AFAIC the only emergency is enough addicts aren't over dosing. I know I'm a mean, rude, inconsiderate bastard. I'm good with that. I will never feel sad for an addict that OD's.
I will feel bad for every life they trashed and ruined along the way, and for every person that died because a FR was too busy trying to save and addict instead of someone that wants to live.

No one gives a shit for the drunkard killing himself, or driving drunk killing others (other wanting to hang them high), but for some reason junkies need compassion. Cry me a river.

[Statkowski]

I was wondering under what circumstances a genuine SOE could be issued, and whether this constitutes a legitimate use.

The way the law is currently written, "It's Tuesday, therefore I'm declaring a State of Emergency" should suffice.