HEY EVERYONE, MARK WAHLBERG HERE.
THE MARK WAHLBERG YOUTH FOUNDATION DEA 360 CAMPAIGN AND WALMART ARE PROUD TO PARTNER WITH WBAL-TV ON THIS IMPORTANT
SPECIAL FOR THE NEXT HOUR.
WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC AND ITS IMPACT ON THE GREATER BALTIMORE AREA MORE IMPORTANTLY WE WILL BE PROVIDING INFORMATION AND RESOURCES THAT CAN HELP ANYONE
DEALING WITH ANY FORM OF SUBSTANCE.
MISUSE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR PART TO KEEP YOUR COMMUNITY HEALTHY REMEMBER TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE NOW.
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE OUR HOST.
THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF 11 TV HILL WHAT EVERY FAMILY NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT OPIOIDS MINDY BASARA AND JASON NEWTON?
THANKS, MARK.
I’M MINDY BASARA AND I’M JASON NEWTONS AND NIGHT AS PART OF OUR ONGOING STATE OF ADDICTION SERIES WILL BE EXAMINING THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC AND ITS IMPACT ON THE GREATER BALTIMORE AREA
ACCORDING TO A 20-18 STUDY BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DRUG ABUSE ON AVERAGE 128.
AMERICAN’S DIE EVERY DAY OVERDOSING ON OPIOIDS.
WE’LL BE TALKING WITH EXPERTS AND ADVOCATES AS WE LEARN ABOUT THE DANGERS OF OPIOID MISUSE AND ADDICTION AND FIND OUT ABOUT LOCAL RESOURCES WE CAN TAP INTO TO HELP THOSE DEALING WITH ANY
FORM.
I’M SUBSTANCE.
MISUSE ALSO.
BE SURE TO JOIN US AND SOME OF OUR GUESTS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS PROGRAM FOR A REAL TIME LIVE DISCUSSION ON THE WBAL-TV FACEBOOK PAGE OUR ISSUE EXPERTS WILL BE RESPONDING TO YOUR
QUESTIONS AS MARK WAHLBERG JUST MENTIONED WBAL-TV 11 IS PROUD TO BRING YOU THE SPECIAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DEA 360 STRATEGY CAMPAIGN AND THE MARK WAHLBERG YOUTH FOUNDATION.
SO LET’S GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED WITH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MARK YOUTH FOUNDATION AND MARKS OLDER BROTHER.
TIM WALBERG JIM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHINING A LIGHT ON SUCH A HUGE PROBLEM.
IT REALLY IS IMPORTANT AND WHY IMPORTANT TO THE WAHLBERG FOUNDATION?
WELL, I MEAN WE’RE FROM THE INNER CITY OF BOSTON.
WE HAVE LOST MANY MANY FRIENDS TO THIS EPIDEMIC AND NEIGHBORS CHILDREN.
I MEAN YOU NAME IT, SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO EVERY AMERICAN REALLY IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
AND THE COVID PANDEMIC IS REALLY MAKING IT HARD FOR PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER.
SO DO YOU THINK THIS IS GOING TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON PEOPLE AS IT RELATES TO SUBSTANCE MISUSE DISORDER?
ABSOLUTELY.
WE’RE ALREADY SEEING A TREND.
SO JUST PRIOR TO COVID WE WERE SEEING A DOWNWARD TREND IN FATAL OVERDOSES AND NON-FATAL OVERDOSES AND NOW WE’RE SEEING A HUGE INCREASE IN BOTH AND THAT’S IT IS RELATED RELATED DIRECTLY
TO ISOLATION RIGHT RECOVERY.
IS CONNECTION IT’S LOVE IT’S FRIENDSHIP ITS EYE TO EYE IT’S HUGGING PEOPLE AND AN ADDICTION IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THAT ITS LONELINESS AND SO WE’RE BEING TOLD YOU HAVE TO BE ALONE
YOU HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM PEOPLE YOU HAVE TO SO I MEAN THE NUMBERS HAVE INCREASED CONSIDERABLY YEAH PARTICULARLY I WOULD IMAGINE FOR PEOPLE IN EARLY RECOVERY THEY’RE PROBABLY
THE MOST VULNERABLE ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW IN THE BEGINNING THAT’S LIKE THE KEY ELEMENT IS CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE RIGHT?
I REMEMBER.
IN MY EARLY RECOVERY, WE USED TO ALMOST KIDNAP PEOPLE RIGHT?
LIKE THEY WOULD SAY I WANT TO GET CLEAN.
I WANT TO GET MY LIFE TOGETHER WOULD SAY OKAY COME WITH ME.
WE’D SPEND ALL DAY WITH A PICK EM UP IN THE MORNING AND THEN DROP THEM OFF AT HOME AT NIGHT TO GO TO BED AND WE WOULD SPEND THERE ANYBODY, YOU KNOW, AND SO YES, THEY’RE ISOLATED THERE
ALONE IN THIS IS THIS IS THE WORST ENE OF SOMEBODY IN EARLY RECOVERY IS THIS PROCESS AND THAT’S WHAT OLDER PEOPLE IN RECOVERY ARE TRYING TO TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE INTERRUPT THAT
PROCESS OF BEING STUCK HERE.
HMM AND AS SOMEONE IN LONG-TERM RECOVERY AS YOU MENTIONED, WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO A PERSON WHO’S FEELING LIKE THEY’RE READY GET HELP NOW?
WELL, I MEAN THAT’S IT.
THAT’S THE NUMBER ONE THING RIGHT IS I’M READY, RIGHT?
THAT’S THE FIRST DECISION.
SO PICK UP THE PHONE, RIGHT?
WE WILL PROVIDE PHONE NUMBERS FOR YOU IN THIS IN THIS IN THIS PIECE THAT WE’RE DOING TOGETHER, RIGHT THIS OPIOID EPIDEMIC THIS OPIOID YOUTH SUMMIT WILL PROVIDE NUMBERS WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION
AND YOU CAN JUST GO ON TO YOU KNOW, THE CDC HAS INFORMATION WHERE YOU CAN GO THE ANYONE OF YOUR POLICE IN INFORMATION NOW ONE OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT IS IS THAT
THEY HAVE TAKEN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT VIEW OF ADDICTION PARTICULARLY THIS OPIOID EPIDEMIC, YOU KNOW, IT WAS LOCKED THEM UP GET THEM.
WE GOT IT.
NOW.
EVERYBODY KNOWS SOMEBODY WHO’S LOST SOMEBODY NOW PEOPLE REALIZE THAT A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED.
BY NOT ONLY ILLEGAL DRUG DEALERS, BUT THEIR OWN DOCTORS HAVE VICTIMIZED THEM ALL FOR PROFIT AND THAT’S A BIG PROBLEM.
AND SO THERE’S HELP AVAILABLE.
BUT WE GOTTA YOU KNOW, THE FIRST STEP IS SAYING I WANT HELP AND THEN TAKING NOW YEAH, YOU KNOW PARENTS WORRY ABOUT THIS I HAVE KIDS JASON HAS KIDS WHAT DOES ONE SPECIFIC THING THAT
GROWN-UPS CAN DO TO PREVENT THEIR KIDS AND THEIR HOMES FROM BEING EXPOSED TO OPIOIDS.
BUT THE NUMBER-ONE SIMPLEST THING YOU CAN DO IS GET THAT MEDICATION OUT OF YOUR HOUSE RIGHT THE THING ABOUT US AS CONSUMERS AS AMERICANS WELL IF WE PAY FOR SOMETHING WE DON’T WE
WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET OUR MONEY’S WORTH RIGHT TO GET AN INJURY GO TO THE DOCTOR.
THEY PRESCRIBE YOU THIS THIS MEDICATION THAT YOU THINK OKAY.
I’M GOING TO TAKE THIS MEDICATION AS PRESCRIBED PAIN GOES AWAY.
I DON’T TAKE IT ANYMORE, BUT I’M GONNA HOLD ON TO IT IN CASE IN CASE I GET INJURED AGAIN AND PEOPLE KIDS YOUR KIDS AND MAYBE IT’S NOT YOUR KIDS.
MAYBE IT’S THEIR FRIENDS.
MAYBE IT’S A NIECE OR A NEPHEW.
I’M GOING INTO YOUR MEDICINE CABINET AND THEY GET MY HANDS ON THIS DEADLY MEDICATION AND THE SELLING IT TO SOMEBODY ELSE WHO’S GOING TO CONSUME IT AND POTENTIALLY DIE.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH LEFTOVER MEDICATION?
YOU DON’T WANT IN YOUR HOUSE.
YA DON’T FLUSH IT DOWN THE TOILET RIGHT TAKE IT TO THE POLICE STATION.
TAKE IT TO CVS.
I MEAN, THERE’S A LIMITED AMOUNT OF PLACES THAT WERE GOING.
RIGHT BUT WHEN YOU GO TO PICK UP YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS AT CVS YOU CAN DROP THAT OFF AND THEY WILL GET RID OF IT FOR YOU IF YOU CAN GO TO THE LOCAL POLICE STATION YOU CAN GO TO A LOCAL EMERGENCY
ROOM AND THEY’LL TAKE CARE OF IT FOR YOU BUT GET RID OF IT GET IT OUT OF THE HOUSE BEFORE IT ENDS UP IN THE WRONG HANDS ALL RIGHT I’LL LOCK IT UP YEAH ALL LOCK IT UP TIM WALBERG SUCH GREAT
ADVICE.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR VERY SPECIFIC AND PERSONAL INSIGHT ON THIS SUBJECT AND WE PART OF OUR REAL TIME LIVE DISCUSSION FOLLOWING THIS PROGRAM.
SO BE CERTAIN TO LOG ONTO THE WBAL-TV FACEBOOK PAGE IF THEY’RE QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK JIM JIM YOURSELF.
THANKS SO MUCH.
THANK YOU.
COMING UP WE’LL TALK WITH BALTIMORE’S HEALTH COMMISSIONER ABOUT THE GROWING OPIOID EPIDEMIC WIRE OPIOIDS SO ADDICTIVE AND WHAT SHOULD PARENTS DO WHEN A DOCTOR
PRESCRIBES THEM TO THEIR CHILDREN WILL GET INTO THAT AND MORE WHEN OUR SPECIAL EDITION OF OF 11 TV HILL CONT