Heroin use in U.S. at epidemic levels

[ßringer]

Thank you for that info.

Only thing I'd add is that the studies may have to be more long term as opposed to short term in order to have more data and thus tell a more complete story. Of course as you said, they also need to be conducted with open minds as opposed to an agenda being behind them.

One positive effect seen already is that Colorado is no longer imprisoning folks for simply having/using weed. That's a good thing.

The other positive effect I've heard is that the tax revenues from the weed are much higher than the government there estimated. Do you know if that is actually true though?

You're definitely right about the studies needing to be more long term. People on either side of the issue immediately rushed to start doing studies on everything from crime to usage levels even before it had been a year since legalization passed. You're not going to really learn anything from studies like that that operate in such a small time window.

I know for a fact that the tax revenue is through the roof. Nobody is disputing that even on the anti-legalization side of the argument.

http://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/can...-end-2016.html

What I'm really curious about is what the state government is going to start doing with all of the revenue. If they used the opportunity to pay down debts and invest in things like education, infrastructure, and business loans then they could parlay that economic boom in to another one and quickly become a major player in the domestic economy.

[ßringer]

I'm assuming it's because they aren't sent home with a bottle of percocets. It takes a few weeks to get addicted.

I got addicted to morphine within 2 days during my hospitalization in 2012 for a lung abscess.

I don't think a lot of people understand how addictive that stuff really is, and I was on a relatively small dosage of 2 milligrams every 4 hours. There's a reason they give that **** to people who are dying to help ease them out of this life - It's the best ****ing high I ever had in my entire life, and I spent the next week and a half withdrawing from it severely at my house after I was released from the hospital.

Night sweats, inability to eat, stomach cramps, shaking hands, constantly thinking about the drug, etc... It was an ugly experience.

That said, it's incredible medicine and really helped me through the pain I had from a collapsed lung and having to have the abscess in that lung popped with a meat skewer and drained with a chest tube.

I probably would've scored some heroin during that withdrawl if I had known anybody who could've hooked me up. It was honestly that bad.

[Zaroku]

Thank you for that info.

Only thing I'd add is that the studies may have to be more long term as opposed to short term in order to have more data and thus tell a more complete story. Of course as you said, they also need to be conducted with open minds as opposed to an agenda being behind them.

One positive effect seen already is that Colorado is no longer imprisoning folks for simply having/using weed. That's a good thing.

The other positive effect I've heard is that the tax revenues from the weed are much higher than the government there estimated. Do you know if that is actually true though?

Johnny keeps pressing me to buy more herb.... Japanese people used to smoke weed for centuries.. Now it is both illegal and expensive. Gonna burn a few bowls with Jhonny!

[Zaroku]

I got addicted to morphine within 2 days during my hospitalization in 2012 for a lung abscess.

I don't think a lot of people understand how addictive that stuff really is, and I was on a relatively small dosage of 2 milligrams every 4 hours. There's a reason they give that **** to people who are dying to help ease them out of this life - It's the best ****ing high I ever had in my entire life, and I spent the next week and a half withdrawing from it severely at my house after I was released from the hospital.

Night sweats, inability to eat, stomach cramps, shaking hands, constantly thinking about the drug, etc... It was an ugly experience.

That said, it's incredible medicine and really helped me through the pain I had from a collapsed lung and having to have the abscess in that lung popped with a meat skewer and drained with a chest tube.

I probably would've scored some heroin during that withdrawl if I had known anybody who could've hooked me up. It was honestly that bad.

I love OxyContin, morphine nectar had me. My sister Linda, who passed fron cancer had these phytanyl patches... Thank God I never used one!

[1bad65]

I know for a fact that the tax revenue is through the roof. Nobody is disputing that even on the anti-legalization side of the argument.

Thanks for the link. I figured revenue would indeed go through the roof too, but I'm curious if you know if any official State Government predictions were made in terms of revenue/sales and how much they underestimated it by.

What I'm really curious about is what the state government is going to start doing with all of the revenue. If they used the opportunity to pay down debts and invest in things like education, infrastructure, and business loans then they could parlay that economic boom in to another one and quickly become a major player in the domestic economy.

We both know that aint gonna happen. They'll blow it. Every penny, and then demand more.

I remember in Texas around 1990 a State lottery was being debated here. The selling point was the money goes to education. Sounds great. We get the lottery, and it makes tons of money. Here in Texas we mostly fund education via local property taxes. So this State money was supposed to pour in, be doled out all over the State, and thus lower property taxes all over the State. Never happened. Property taxes keep rising up and up, and every election we hear we have to spend more on education from BOTH Rs and Ds.

But some folks made money. Our first Lottery Director was ousted after it was discovered that her boyfriend, who was under federal indictment at the time, landed a $30,000 lottery-related contract.

http://lubbockonline.com/news/010897/lottery.htm
http://lubbockonline.com/news/031697/ex.htm

[ßringer]

Thanks for the link. I figured revenue would indeed go through the roof too, but I'm curious if you know if any official State Government predictions were made in terms of revenue/sales and how much they underestimated it by.

Nobody in the State legislature made any predictions regarding the revenue, according to my friends who live there. I did some digging online and couldn't find anything about predictions either, unless you want to count paranoid "everybody's going to be high out of their minds, crashing their cars, and murdering each other!" type fear-mongering as a prediction.

I definitely don't think they expected it to double alcohol revenue.

We both know that aint gonna happen. They'll blow it. Every penny, and then demand more.

I remember in Texas around 1990 a State lottery was being debated here. The selling point was the money goes to education. Sounds great. We get the lottery, and it makes tons of money. Here in Texas we mostly fund education via local property taxes. So this State money was supposed to pour in, be doled out all over the State, and thus lower property taxes all over the State. Never happened. Property taxes keep rising up and up, and every election we hear we have to spend more on education from BOTH Rs and Ds.

But some folks made money. Our first Lottery Director was ousted after it was discovered that her boyfriend, who was under federal indictment at the time, landed a $30,000 lottery-related contract.

http://lubbockonline.com/news/010897/lottery.htm
http://lubbockonline.com/news/031697/ex.htm

Damn, that's the racket in Texas, too?

Seems like every state in the country is pushing the false "the lottery funds education" narrative these days as a cover to help drive ticket sales higher so people can feel good about wasting their money.

I'm not sure how you feel about notorious liberal pundit John Oliver, but he does occasionally put out great pieces that explore controversial topics in-depth. One such episode featured that very myth of the lottery and education.

[ßringer]

I love OxyContin, morphine nectar had me. My sister Linda, who passed fron cancer had these phytanyl patches... Thank God I never used one!

Goddamn, dude.

As somebody with a lot of personal experience with cancer over the last 4 years (including 2 deaths of family members), I'm really sorry for the loss of your sister.

[Zaroku]

Goddamn, dude.

As somebody with a lot of personal experience with cancer over the last 4 years (including 2 deaths of family members), I'm really sorry for the loss of your sister.

Thanks man... Appreciated!

[STEELHEAD]

I got addicted to morphine within 2 days during my hospitalization in 2012 for a lung abscess.

I don't think a lot of people understand how addictive that stuff really is, and I was on a relatively small dosage of 2 milligrams every 4 hours. There's a reason they give that **** to people who are dying to help ease them out of this life - It's the best ****ing high I ever had in my entire life, and I spent the next week and a half withdrawing from it severely at my house after I was released from the hospital.

Night sweats, inability to eat, stomach cramps, shaking hands, constantly thinking about the drug, etc... It was an ugly experience.

That said, it's incredible medicine and really helped me through the pain I had from a collapsed lung and having to have the abscess in that lung popped with a meat skewer and drained with a chest tube.

I probably would've scored some heroin during that withdrawl if I had known anybody who could've hooked me up. It was honestly that bad.

youre an idiot. youre the type that would think their an
alchy after drinking a six pack of beer. you are whats wrong with our sociaty.

[Rudyo]

NA groups can work really well, just in case anyone here is chasing Mr. Brownstone...

I'm going on almost a year and a half of sobriety from the H now...