My thoughts on the “opioid epidemic”

First off let me start out by saying that I support help for anybody with any type of disease and/or addiction. They’re all equally a sickness, and those with these addictions need to be not only helped, but saved. I will be talking about my thoughts on many things, including health and mental health. Right now, I want to talk about this opioid epidemic and everything surrounding it. My post is not intended to discount those fighting this. It’s not to offend anybody who’s going through this. It’s a sickness and a ridiculously huge one; I’m very well aware of that. My heart goes out to those suffering with this terrible disease and to those who have lost their lives fighting this. My heart also goes out to their family members and friends who are going through this with them as well. For family and friends you’re faced with fear, hurt, worry, guilt and so many other emotions; so you’re going through this as well. This is an everyone issue. Drug addiction never has been  a problem solely specific to one race, sex, gender, etc. However, and let’s just keep it all the way real, but this didn’t become a huge issue until white people started struggling and dying from this issue. So yes this has become a race issue just like everything else. We have to be aware of that. Not only aware of it but we have to acknowledge it and realize that this is how this country has always operated. Before and during our generation; to this day and time, recently, it’s just the first time being thrown in our face. 

Let’s go back to a time that many of us, especially us black folks will clearly remember. In the black community drugs have been a catalyst that’s torn apart families and has destroyed many lives. Black families to this day are still reaping the effects all of these years later. Now it’s opioid’s, but when the drug game, especially crack hit the black communities was the highest in the late 70’s and the 80’s. Let’s think back to how much sympathy was given. Right…there was none. There was no help made available to addicts. There were no free prescriptions to save them from an overdose. There were no issues on the ballot and/or laws being made to protect black drug addicts. What did happen is that black people were thrown in jail for many years, or left out in the streets, being thrown away to most likely stay an addict. This led to criminal activity growing and it was fine as long as it stayed in the black neighborhoods. The punishments got more severe as soon as crime started happening outside of the black communities. Now I know many will say that not all white people got help either. This is true, however…statistics show that they didn’t get as harsh punishments. The jail time wasn’t as harsh as black people received. Let’s also not forget that they were given choices. Seek treatment while in jail, or to seek treatment instead of going to jail. So yes…white people were treated differently. Not all, but many were. Same as with everything else. 

To this day you can drive through any predominantly black neighborhood in any city and see what the drug epidemic back in the day did to our communities. You can still see the effects of communities that were once thriving and filled with pride to what they’ve become now. Truth be told, after all of these years it didn’t get any better. Even a generation or two later there’s a haunting reminder of the devastating it caused. You see it in the performance of students in public schools that are in these neighborhoods. You see when the neighborhoods that were destroyed attempt to make a comeback…it’s not in our favor; it becomes all about gentrification. Almost an attempt to erase any of our existence. It’s a slap in the face, because these neighborhoods that were destroyed, are not being rebuilt for our benefit.

I’m not saying that because of what happened to our people who no one should be able to get help now. I would never think that. I just can’t help but point out the obvious hypocrisy and racial bias this shows. Every drug addict is a victim. What I am saying is that the victimization of drug addicts shouldn’t have just started now. They’ve always been victims of this disease. That’s all I’m trying to say. We can all say that they know the risk when they first start taking drugs. However unless you’ve ever had an addiction or if you’ve never seen somebody suffer through an addiction; then you should realize it’s not that simple. You don’t know what someone was going through or what they were thinking that caused them to initially start taking drugs in the first place. It’s always easy for people who are on the outside looking in to pass those type of judgements. We’re very judge mental society, and for people who don’t understand or don’t want to understand something (and this could be anything), it’s so easy to say what you would NEVER do.

I wanted point out this obvious form of bias and hypocrisy. As I mentioned before, I do want people suffering through this to get help. I’m just trying to figure out where the help was before? Where was the help for everyone? Because drug addiction isn’t new. This is such a big issue…and frighteningly a common issue. Hell…they killed Roseanne’s crazy ass off of her own show by her death being the result of an opioid addiction. Look how many celebrities have died over the years due to drug and alcohol addiction. Look at how many people you know of in your own personal life that have this issue. I just wish that we would’ve dealt with this years ago…then maybe…just maybe the black community wouldn’t be as destroyed as it is now.