THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC CONTINUES TO RAVAGE COMMUNITIES
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, AND OHIO HAS CERTAIN COMMUNITIES
THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM AT EPIC PROPORTIONS.
NOW, MIDDLETOWN, OHIO IS ONE AREA WHERE PEOPLE ARE DYING
OF OVERDOSES, AND OF COURSE THE COMMUNITY DOES HAVE TO
SPEND A TON OF MONEY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY REACT WITH
THE PROPER MEDICAL ATTENTION.
NOW, THERE IS ONE CITY COUNCILMEMBER FROM THIS
PART OF OHIO THAT DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY
THAT IS BEING SPENT TO SAVE THESE INDIVIDUALS LIVES.
DANIEL PICARD IS HIS NAME, AND ACCORDING TO HIM, OUT OF SHEER
FRUSTRATION HE CAME UP WITH A PROPOSAL THAT IS INHUMANE TO SAY
THE LEAST.
LET ME GIVE YOU THE DETAILS; HE HAS PROPOSED A THREE STRIKE
STYLE POLICY FOR PEOPLE WHO REPEATEDLY OVERDOSED: TOO
MANY OVERDOSES AND AUTHORITIES WOULD SEND AN AMBULANCE TO
RESUSCITATE THEM.
SO, LET'S HEAR FROM HIM, AND HIS EXACT WORDS.
HE SAYS, "IT'S NOT A PROPOSAL TO SOLVE THE DRUG PROBLEM.
MY PROPOSAL IS IN REGARD TO THE FINANCIAL ñ
TO THE FINANCIAL SURVIVABILITY OF OUR CITY.
IF WE'RE SPENDING $2 MILLION THIS YEAR, AND $4
MILLION NEXT YEAR, AND $6 MILLION AFTER THAT,
WE'RE IN TROUBLE.
WE GOING TO START LAYING OFF.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO START RAISING TAXES."
FIRST OF ALL, IF THIS IS YOUR REACTION, I FEEL BAD THAT
HE WAS EVER ELECTED.
I BELIEVE HE'S CRAZY.
LET ME GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS.
BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, AND HE HAS MORE GREAT QUOTES COMING UP,
MY FAVORITE IS COMING UP, BUT THINK ABOUT THAT, HE SAID LOOK,
IF WE HAVE TO GO TREAT THESE PEOPLE, AND WE SAVE THEIR
LIVES, WE MIGHT HAVE TO DO THINGS THAT ARE EVEN MORE
DRASTIC, LIKE RAISE TAXES.
LIKE, YOU HEARD THE QUOTE.
FOR HIM HE'S LIKE, WELL OF COURSE WE ARE GOING TO RAISE
TAXES, SO WE HAVE NO CHOICE, SO YOU WILL HAVE TO DIE IN THE
STREETS, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO PAY A LITTLE EXTRA IN TAXES.
MAN, HIS BROTHER JEAN-LUC MUST BE SO HARASSED.
BY THE WAY, JUST QUICKLY ADD TO THAT, IF YOU ARE GENUINELY
CONCERNED WITH THE COST OF THESE OVERDOSES, AND HOW MUCH IT
COSTS TO RESUSCITATE THESE INDIVIDUALS, WHY DON'T YOU
GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM AND TRY TO FIND SOLUTIONS THERE?
SO, INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON COMMERCIALIZING PEOPLE YOU COULD
FOCUS ON REHABILITATION, SO PEOPLE DON'T OVERDOSE, AND THEY
AREN'T REPEATEDLY OVERDOSING AND SEEKING MEDICAL ATTENTION.
I MEAN, THAT COULD BE A SOLUTION, BUT THAT IS NOT A
SOLUTION THAT LAWMAKERS IMMEDIATELY GO TO.
THEIR SOLUTION IS, HOW CAN I TURN MY BACK ON PEOPLE WHO
HAVE VOTED ME INTO OFFICE, AND HOW CAN I DO IT FASTER?
AND HIS WEIGHT IS LIKE, YEAH, JUST GO AHEAD AND DIE.
LET ME GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS.
HE SAYS, "AN ADDICT OBVIOUS DOESN'T CARE MUCH ABOUT HIS
LIFE, BUT HE'S EXPENDING A LOT OF RESOURCES AND WE CAN'T
AFFORD IT.
I WANT TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO
COME TO MIDDLETOWN TO OVERDOSE, BECAUSE SOMEONE MIGHT NOT COME
WITH NARCAN TO SAVE YOUR LIFE.
WE NEED TO PUT A FEAR ABOUT OVERDOSING IN MIDDLETOWN."
SO, AGAIN, I FEEL LIKE HIS COMMENTS STEM FROM A CERTAIN
LEVEL OF IGNORANCE, WHICH IS ñ VIDEO BUFFERING --
RIGHT NOW THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC IS A HUGE PROBLEM IN THE COUNTRY,
NOT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE LIKE, AWESOME, I'M GOING TO OVERDOSE
ON OPIOIDS, THEN MAYBE I'LL SHOOT UP SOME HEROIN, AND THEN
MAYBE I'LL DO SOME FENTANYL!
NO, THEY DO IT BECAUSE THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES HAVE
BEEN PUSHING THESE PAINKILLERS, THEY ARE DESPERATE.
IT TAKES ON THEIR BODIES AND THEIR MIND ñ
IT TAKES OVER THEIR BODIES AND THEIR MINDS.
IT TAKES ABSOLUTE CONTROL.
THEY ARE NOT IN THE RIGHT STATE OF MIND TO MAKE CHOICES
THAT MAKE SENSE, WHICH IS WHY THEY NEED REHABILITATION.
WE NEED LAWMAKERS WHO DON'T TURN THEIR BACKS ON THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, AND LET THEM DIE BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN TO BE ADDICTED
TO DRUGS.
SO, VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND YOU ARE ñ I'M GLAD YOU ARE RAGING
ABOUT IT, BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT BE AMUSED BY SOME OF HIS
COMMENTS.
WHO COMES TO MIDDLETOWN TO DIE?
HE'S LIKE, IF YOU COME TO MIDDLETOWN TO OVERDOSE,
DON'T DO IT.
IS THAT A THING?
PEOPLE IN OHIO ARE LIKE, LET'S TAKE A TRAIN TO MIDDLETOWN.
BUT HE CONTINUES, IF YOU HAVE A TOOTHACHE, AND YOU CALL
MIDDLETOWN, WE ARE COMING.
FOR A HEART ATTACK, WE ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR YOUR BYPASS.
IF YOU GOT A MEDICAL ISSUE, DON'T GO TO MIDDLETOWN.
WHO WOULD GO FOR, OH I'M PLANNING TO HAVE A HEART
ATTACK, LET'S GO TO MIDDLETOWN.
WHY IS HE NOT RESCUING PEOPLE WITH TOOTHACHES?
WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO DO WITH THE OPIOID ADDICTION?
THIS GUY JUST DOESN'T LIKE OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.
THIS IS THE MICRO PICTURE, RIGHT?
WE ARE FOCUSING ON THIS ONE CITY COUNCILMEMBER WHO OBVIOUSLY HAS
NO EMPATHY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE OBVIOUSLY ADDICTED TO DRUGS AND
WHO NEED HELP, BUT HE IS A SYMPTOM OF A BIGGER
PROBLEM, RIGHT?
THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF LAWMAKERS RIGHT NOW WHO HAVE
THAT SAME MINDSET, RIGHT?
THEY MIGHT NOT BE AS EXPLICIT ABOUT THEIR DISDAIN FOR
HUMANS WHO NEED HELP, BUT WE HAVE LAWMAKERS IN OFFICE
RIGHT NOW WHO ARE FIGHTING TOOTH AND NAIL TO ESSENTIALLY
TAKE AWAY WHAT LITTLE HEALTHCARE COVERAGE THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE HAVE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.
SO, YEAH, HE SEEMS ESPECIALLY DEPLORABLE BECAUSE HE IS
LITERALLY TELLING PEOPLE, WE DON'T WANT TO SAVE YOU IF YOU
ARE ADDICTED TO THESE DRUGS, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND DIE, BUT,
I MEAN, THERE ARE LAWMAKERS THAT BELIEVE THIS ON A LARGER SCALE.
YOU'RE RIGHT, AND HE'S ñ
HE'S NOT AS BRIGHT AS THEM, SO HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO PUT
IT IN THE POLITICALLY CORRECT LANGUAGE.
WE ARE DOING TAX REFORM.
WE ARE PROTECTING MEDICAID BY SLASHING IT, ETC.
HE JUST COMES OUT AND SAYS, YOU GOT A TWISTED ANKLE, DON'T
COME TO MIDDLETOWN.
YOU'VE GOT COLON CANCER, DON'T COME TO MIDDLETOWN.
THEIR NEW SLOGAN IS; MIDDLETOWN, WE WILL LET YOU DIE.
IT'S SO SAD.
I WANT TO GIVE YOU GUYS SOME QUICK NUMBERS ON THE OPIOID
EPIDEMIC IN OHIO.
APPARENTLY OPIOID -RELATED DEATHS IN OHIO JUMPED FROM
296 IN 2003 TO 2590 INTO THE 15, THAT IS A 775% JUMP.
THAT IS INSANE.
AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A CHOICE THAT PEOPLE MAKE.
OFTENTIMES PEOPLE GET PRESCRIBED DRUGS TO HELP DEAL WITH
PAIN LIMITED TO SURGERIES OR INJURIES, AND THEY GET ADDICTED.
THEY GET INSANELY ADDICTED, TO THE POINT WHERE THEY WILL
DO ANYTHING TO FEEL THAT HIGH.
WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT OUR DRUG POLICY THAT MAKES
SENSE, WE NEED TO BE SOMETHING ABOUT OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM SO THAT
WE DON'T TO MINIMIZE THESE PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP, WE JUST
NEED TO TREAT PEOPLE LIKE HUMANS.
WE TALK ABOUT AMERICA 1ST.
AMERICA FIRST SHOULD MEAN TAKING CARE OF OUR FELLOW AMERICANS.
BUT WE DON'T DO THAT.
WE THROW THEM UNDER THE BUS.
THERE IS NO COMPASSION, NO EMPATHY HERE WHATSOEVER,
AND I THINK THAT'S THE MOST DISAPPOINTING PART OF THAT.
YOU GOT A STOMACH FLU?
DON'T GO TO MIDDLETOWN.
YOU DISLOCATED YOUR SHOULDER?
DO NOT COME TO MIDDLETOWN.
YOU ARE IN A SILLY MOOD, OKAY?
AND YOU'VE GOT TO STOP THAT PARTY ATTITUDE.
LETTING IT SERIOUS FOR A 2ND.
THE 775% JUMP THAT ANA JUST MENTIONED, THAT IS UNREAL.
IN MILLTOWN ITSELF, DON'T MISTAKE MY PARTY ATTITUDE FOR
SAYING IT IS NOT AN ISSUE, AND JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A TERRIBLE
IDEA ON HOW TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD
MINIMIZE THAT ISSUE.
PARAMEDICS MADE 598 OVERDOSE RUNS IN 2017,
A 300% INCREASE FROM THIS POINT LAST YEAR.
600 PEOPLE HAVE OVERDOSED ALREADY THIS YEAR.
THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE, AND NO THEY ARE NOT GOING TO MIDDLETOWN
TO OVERDOSE, OKAY?
BESIDES WHICH, YOU SAY IF YOU CALL THREE TIMES.
THEY ARE CALLING FROM A HOUSE, HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?
WHY WOULD THEY BE COMING TO MIDDLETOWN AND ALREADY HAVE
A HOUSE?
ANYWAY, PUTTING ASIDE THE SAME THING FROM MIDDLETOWN, IT
IS A HUGE ISSUE.
WHEN THEY SAY IT IS AN EPIDEMIC, IT IS VERY REAL.
FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY, DEATH RATE WENT UP BY 8%
LAST YEAR, THAT IS UNREAL, THESE NUMBERS ARE OUT OF CONTROL.
AND THEN ONE LAST ONE FOR YOU GUYS, 33,000 PEOPLE DIED IN
2015 BECAUSE OF OPIOID OVERDOSE.
SO, THIS DIDN'T COME OUT OF NOWHERE.
IT WASN'T LIKE PEOPLE WOKE UP ONE MORNING, TO ANA'S POINT, AND
DECIDED HEROIN IS A HELL OF A DRUG, LET'S DECIDE ñ
LET'S TRY THAT AGAIN.
WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT GATEWAY DRUGS, WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT
MARIJUANA, THAT IS TOTALLY NOT TRUE.
THERE AREN'T STUDIES BACKING UP THAT MARIJUANA LEADS TO HEROIN.
THERE ARE A MILLION STUDIES ñ AND POLITIFACT, I DON'T MEAN
LITERALLY A MILLION -
THAT SHOW THAT YOU GO FROM PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TO HEROIN.
IT IS THE REAL GATEWAY DRUG, BUT PEOPLE MAKE BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS OFF OF IT, SO THEY ARE FINANCIALLY INCENTIVIZED TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
BY THE WAY, THE NUMBER ONE POLITICAL DONORS IN THE
COUNTRY ARE NOT THINKERS, THEY ARE NOT REAL COMPANIES, OR
DEFENSE CONTRACTORS; THEY ARE DRUG COMPANIES.
SO, THERE ARE REAL DRUG DEALERS IN THE COUNTRY.
SOME OF THOSE DRUGS ARE GREAT AND NECESSARY AND SAVE
LIVES, IT'S NOT A BLACK AND WHITE ISSUE, BUT THIS IS EXACTLY
WHY WE NEED GOVERNMENT; TO PROTECT US, TO HAVE REGULATIONS.
THE COPS PROTECT US, THE FIREMEN PROTECT US, AND REGULATIONS
ARE THERE TO PROTECT US SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE RAMPANT OVER
PRESCRIPTION OF THESE DRUGS, WHICH ARE VERY DANGEROUS.