It’s surprisingly painless.
>> HE WAS A GOOD KID. HE JUST HAPPENED TO GET INVOLVED
WITH SOME ISSUES WITH DRUGS AS
HE GOT OLDER.
HE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT
AFTER HE GRADUATED FROM HIGH
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. HE BECAME INVOLVED WITH OPIOID
MEDICINE.
MEDICINE. PAIN KILLERS.
PAIN KILLERS. THAT LED TO HIM NOT BEING ABLE
TO GET THEM AND EVENTUALLY HE
WAS USING HEROIN AND KILLED BY
FENTANYL.
FENTANYL. YOU CAN’T ASSUME THESE PEOPLE
ARE JUST PEOPLE THAT ARE
HOMELESS AND PEOPLE THAT COME
FROM A CERTAIN SOCIOECONOMIC
BACK GROUND.
BACK GROUND. IF YOU CAN’T BELIEVE OR YOU
DON’T BELIEVE IT CAN HAPPEN TO
YOU, YOU BETTER THINK TWICE.
IT’S TEARING FAMILIES APART AND
BREAKING DOWN THE NEIGHBORHOODS
AND CRIME AND VIOLENCE.
>> HE WANTSWANTS -- LOST HIS SON
OPIOID ABUSE.
OPIOID ABUSE. HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THIS
AFFECTED BY OPIATE?
THIS IS THE UNTALKED ABOUT
STORY.
STORY. YOU ARE A NURSE.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE
WITH OPIOID ADDICTION.
>> I’M A NURSE AND I’M STILL A
NURSE.
NURSE. I WAS AN ER NURSE FOR 35 YEARS
AND OF COURSE WE CALL THIS THE
OPIATE CRISIS NOW.
THOSE OF US WHO WORK IN
HOSPITALS AND EMERGENCY ROOMS
KNOW IT HAS BEEN AROUND FOREVER
AND EVER.
AND EVER. OKAY?
OKAY? IT CERTAINLY HAS INCREASED IN
THE NUMBERS THAT WE SEE
OVERDOTESING.
OVERDOTESING. THE DRUGS ARE STRONGER AND NOT
AS PURE AND MIXED WITH OTHER
THINGS.
THINGS. >> HOW DOES A YOUNG PERSON GET
CAUGHT UP INTO IT?
DOES IT START WITH A
PRESCRIPTION?
PRESCRIPTION? >> IT CAN BE EITHER ON THE
STREET, YOU KNOW, WITH THEIR
PEERS OR GETTING MESSED UP WITH
THE WRONG TYPE OF PEOPLE.
TRYING THE DRUGS.
THESE DRUGS ARE VERY ADDICTIVE
AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOU’RE
HOOKED.
HOOKED. >> I HEAR HEROIN IS CHEAP.
>> I HAVEN’T BOUGHT ANY LATELY,
BUT I HEAR IT’S CHEAP COMPARED
TO OTHER STREET DRUGS LIKE THE
PILLS AND THINGS THEY BUY.
THAT’S THE THING.
THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE
GETTING.
GETTING. IT CAN BE MIXED WITH OTHER
THINGS.
THINGS. >> THAT’S WHAT I HEAR.
THAT’S WHAT KILLS THEM.
>> WITH THE FENTANYL.
>> LESS GO TO DOTTY.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
STAND UP, PLEASE.
>> I KNOW THE DRUG CRISIS IS AN
IMPORTANT ISSUE.
IMPORTANT ISSUE. BUT THE THING I’M CONCERNED
ABOUT IS HEALTH CARE.
MANY, MANY PEOPLE HAVE NO
COVERAGE AND THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT IS BEING DISMANTLED EVERY
DAY.
DAY. WE NEED EITHER THAT TO IMPROVE,
THAT PART OR WE NEED A NATIONAL
HEALTH CARE PROGRAM.
>> HOLD OFF THERE.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HERE THINK THE
SHORT-TERM SOLUTION THAT THE
DEMOCRATS GET BACK IN POWER IS
TO FIX OBAMACARE?
HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO
SEE IN ADDITION THAT, A PUBLIC
OPTION?
OPTION? HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO GO
ALL THE WAY, BERNIE SANDERS AND
A COUPLE OF OTHERS ARE SAYING A
NATIONAL HEALTH CARE PLAN CALLED
MEDICARE FOR ALL?
HOW MANY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT?
SOMEONE ELSE?
SOMEONE ELSE? GO AHEAD.
GO AHEAD. >> HI, CHRIS.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> I’LL GET BACK TO THE OPIOID
CRISIS.
CRISIS. I WORK IN A RECOVERY FIELD.
I HAVE BEEN IN THE FIELD FOR
OVER 20 YEARS.
I’M IN RECOVERY MYSELF FOR 34
YEARS.
YEARS. >> WHAT WERE YOU IN?
>> I ABUSED EVERYTHING THERE IS
TO USE.
TO USE. I USED EVERYTHING THERE IS TO
USE AND I HAVE BEEN IN RECOVERY
FOR 34 YEARS.
>> HOW DID YOU GET OUT?
>> I WENT TO -- I WENT TO A
REHAB AND I WENT TO A LONG-TERM
REHAB AND I BELONG TO ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS AND I HAVE BEEN DOING
IT FOR 34 YEARS.
>> YOU WERE IN A PROGRAM.
>> I AM.
>> I AM. I THINK THE ANSWER RIGHT NOW IS
THAT YOU HAVE TO GO AFTER BIG
PHARMA.
PHARMA. BIG PHARMA IS RUINING --
>>> THEY OVERPRESCRIBING?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. WE ARE SEEING KIDS, KIDS DON’T
START OFF WITH MARIJUANA AND
BEER ANYMORE.
BEER ANYMORE. THEY START WITH OPIATE.
KIDS ARE DYING.
WE HAD IN THE COUNTY, OVER 100
DEATHS LAST YEAR.
105 DEATHS, ALL OPIATE-RELATED.
FENTANYL IS COMING IN FROM
CHINA.
CHINA. YOU CAN’T JUST BUILD A WALL.
IT’S COMING FROM CHINA.
WE HAVE TO STOP WHAT’S COMING IN
TO THIS COUNTRY.
>> YOU KNOW ONE THING AND MANY
PEOPLE KNOW IT.
A KID COMES IN OR PERSON COMES
IN WITH A BROKEN LEG AND THEY
GIVE THEM A NARCOTIC.
THE PERSON LIKES IT.
THEY DON’T WANT TO REDUCE THE
DOSAGE.
DOSAGE. THEY FIND A WAY TO KEEP IT.
>> THEN YOU END UP IN THE
STREETS AND BUYING FROM THE
STREETS.
STREETS. THEY ARE PRESCRIBING OXYCONTIN
WHICH WAS DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE
TERMINALLY ILL WITH CANCER.
NOW THEY GIVE IT TO YOU FOR A
BROKEN ARM OR A SORE BACK.