unz | All over America, I’ve seen posters warning against drug addictions. In Cheyenne, it’s “METHAMPHETAMINE / Don’t live this tragic story.” A few blocks away, I stepped over used needles on the sidewalk. In Buffalo, it’s an image of a beer bottle and a pill bottle, with “HEROIN
addiction starts here…” Appended to it was a homemade sign, “SHOOT YOUR
LOCAL HEROIN DEALER.” Also in Buffalo, it’s a photo of a seemingly dead
man on the floor, with “Learn how to recognize OPIOID OVERDOSE and SAVE A LIFE.”
In Cleveland, it’s a tagged toe in a morgue, with “DEATH BY HEROIN
OVERDOSE IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY HAS QUADRUPLED,” and this was in 2014,
before the prevalence of fentanyl.
In
2016, Philly had 277 murders and 907 fatal drug overdoses. For 2017,
murders are up 21% and drug deaths, 33%. What’s your town’s drug toll?
A
33-year-old friend admits to popping street-bought Xanax every now and
then to help her sleep. I suspect she’s on various pills, if not heroin,
for she’s always broke and borrowing money. She has a spotty memory,
sporadic hygiene and pinpoint pupils.
At
Friendly, I sat next to my buddy Jeff, who’s in his late 40’s and HIV
positive. Each day, Jeff pops a dozen pills, including Klonopin, a
benzodiazepine that can trigger paranoid or suicidal thoughts, as well
as degrade your memory, judgment and coordination. Mixed with other
substances, particularly alcohol, it can slow your breathing or even
kill you. Jeff is always drinking.
“Jeff, man, you’re always so outgoing, so gregarious, I can’t imagine you having anxieties!”
“That’s
because of the Klonopin, dude. Without it, I’d be a mess. Without it,
I’d be up all night pissed off, you know, about some stupid argument I
had 15 years ago, some fight with a hot dog vendor who gave me ketchup
instead of mustard!”
“That’s serious.”
“Here’s what it looks like,” Jeff showed me some innocent white pills in a yellow bottle. “You want one?”
“No, thanks.”
Jeff took one out anyway and gave it to the bartender, 42-years-old Lisa. She stashed it away for later.
