Heroin Is Destroying Small Towns In America
It seems from my memory, heroin used to be an expensive drug. At least, it seemed that way from reports in the 80s. Of course I read Motley Crue's The Dirt and I read The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx. Both books talk extensively of Nikki's heroin addiction. He was burning through a ton of cash on the junk back then and does reference the cost of his habit. He's clean now and an advocate for addicts. He wants people to get clean.
A few days ago, the city of East Liverpool, Ohio made international news. That's because they posted a photo of a couple passed out from heroin. The couple was in their car and the woman's young grandchild was in the backseat. The photo is visceral. It's jarring: seeing two adults limp and they look dead. The city of East Liverpool was bold in posting the photo because people talk about drug abuse but they don't necessarily understand the impact or how it looks. It's ugly and it is destroying small towns in America. I'm from an Ohio small town. People I went to high school with are doing time for drug possession. The area I'm from is rural and it is basically working class. Many are poor.
Heroin isn't expensive anymore. Apparently it's dirt cheap and people use the junk for a quick fix to escape life. Maybe they are bored? Maybe they can't get a job? More likely they probably don't want a job. Every bar and restaurant I've been inside in the last two months has a help wanted sign on the door. You don't need a degree to be a dishwasher or a bar back. Hard work usually fixes most problems, but an addict's mind doesn't work that way. That's not the fault of the addict, it's brain chemistry. I don't judge. I want these people to get help.
Most people slag Nikki Sixx on here and I get it: he's money hungry and just as bad as Gene Simmons when it comes to merchandising his band's name and songs. He is, however, a passionate advocate for addicts. He recently spoke about the heroin crisis in this country on his radio show SIXX Sense. Everything he says in the conversation is true and it is worth a listen.
This country needs to put some real focus on the drug epidemic and it is especially bad in the Midwest and rural south. Mental health, drug addiction and suicide by gun all go hand in hand. We've got presidential election fever in America right now. Hillary Clinton has a comprehensive mental health proposal to combat some of these issues. She has directly taken on the drug epidemic too. Donald Trump has mentioned the drug crisis, but doesn't offer many solutions except to acknowledge "we've got to get tough." Well, the time for platitudes is over. The fact is this: the poor and uneducated in small towns are being left behind. This is the fault of both political parties. Manufacturing plants are, by and large, never coming back. Politicians will say they are bringing the manufacturing jobs back, but they aren't, and that is brass tacks. Instead, we should shift our focus to retraining and get creative on finding employment opportunities in small towns, especially for young males. We should also encourage doctors to stop prescribing heavy narcotics like candy. This becomes a gateway for people who otherwise wouldn't ever consider using illegal drugs. Heroin isn't something you play with once or twice and walk away from. You use it and you're an addict. Or worse, you die. But don't take my word for it, listen to Nikki.