The news headlines in my area of California have been filled with the tragic death of baseball player Tyler Skaggs. The 27-year old L.A. Angels pitcher was found dead in his Texas hotel room on July 1.
When the medical examiner report was made public, it showed Skaggs died of a drug overdose. Not just a drug overdose, but what turns out to have been a massive mix of deadly opioids enhanced by alcohol. The report concluded he choked to death on his own vomit.
The drugs? Fentanyl, Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, plus alcohol. High levels of all of them … and the result was death.
What a tragic end for a young man who had his whole life before him. The question that is always asked in cases like this is “WHY?” What leads someone to take even one of these drugs, much less several? What kind of high was he seeking? What was he running from – or to?
An investigation is ongoing as to how he came to be in possession of these dangerous drugs and who might have supplied them to him. Inasmuch as the drugs are illegal, it does raise serious questions. But regardless, deaths resulting from these drugs are increasing across the country.
The CDC reports that there were 68,557 drug overdoses last year. Of them, 47,590 involved opioids and 31,897 involved synopioids – fentanyl and tramadol.
One question is: Why do people use them knowing they are so dangerous? Perhaps more importantly: How do these drugs get into the country and on the street to be so available for people to abuse them?
There are legal uses of the drugs, and one way – in addition to street access – is via prescriptions for animals. I know for a fact that veterinarian prescriptions for drugs such as tramadol for pet pain are used by their owners for whatever high they can get. And they do get high.
But more importantly, where do these drugs come from? For that, we can look to China.
Whether it’s the massive movement of Chinese drugs across our southern border, carried out by the drug cartels, or the movement of drugs into the country by other means – the source seems to be China every time.
Just last week there was a massive seizure of drugs in Virginia, called “Operation Cookout.” Åccording to police reports, 30 kilograms of fentanyl were seized along with 30 kilograms of heroin and 5 kilograms of cocaine. Police say it is the largest drug bust in Virginia in 15 years. The entire haul was valued in the millions and involved the arrest of 35 suspects. The whole deal spanned three states. According to officials, the fentanyl originated in Shanghai.
Supposedly, the illicit fentanyl shipments into this country from China were to have stopped as part of our trade negotiations with China. But according to President Trump, this has not happened. He calls the continuation of the illegal shipments “Outrageous.”
That’s probably an understatement considering that just the amount of fentanyl in this bust was enough to kill 14 million people!
Think about that for just a minute or two.
If China (and whomever else) is shipping massive amounts of illegal drugs into this country, it’s because there is a market for them. Someone is buying the drugs and using them, continuing the demand – and despite the fact that the OD deaths continue, so does the demand.
While it appears we cannot stop the demand in the country for drugs, we can and must put an end to the movement of these drugs across our borders. At this point, it appears the cartels are winning.
I’m not sure we are using all the means we have to put an end to it. A fence on the border? Yes, but how about armed protection of our country at that border? What’s wrong with that?
For some reason, too many people seem to think using the military to protect our southern border is wrong. It seems to me that protecting our country should be the primary reason for the military – and if that involves using that power at the border, then do it.
If China made promises it has broken, then we know where they stand, and they should suffer the consequences. The same goes for the cartels. They have brought us nothing but grief, to say nothing of the lives they have ruined.
It’s about time someone puts an end to it. It seems to me that “someone” is us – the United States. They’re invading us, and killing our people. Let’s stop it – and soon.
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