Opioid solutions
There’s been a lot in the news lately about the opioid “crisis.” Looking at it from the perspective of personal freedom, one of the basic principles upon which our country was founded, here’s the solution.
1. Legalize it. Ensure quality; compete with pushers; identify users; invest taxes in helping users recover.
2. Rehabilitate. Change funding focus from interdiction to rehabilitation; government completely finances rehabilitation effort for the first year; user contributes after that, if needed.
3. Let doctors be doctors. Reduce the paperwork and reporting; disbar and jail the enablers; get off the drug companies’ backs.
4. Pursue pushers. Significant jail time; capital punishment for chronic offenders.
5. Improve. Continue to change the law as necessary to facilitate the desired outcome.
If systemic changes are made as specified above, accidental deaths due to opiate overdose will decrease significantly. Isn’t that the real goal?
Fred Fogel
Volcano
Investigation needed
Like Yogi Berra reportedly said, “It’s deja vu all over again!”
In Syria, we have a single-source video (uncorroborated by anyone outside of the “White Helmets,” a sectarian group largely funded by U.S. and British money) that a poison gas attack on civilians had taken place. No independent confirmation, nor any credible material evidence, was offered. But immediately, the United States and several NATO countries blamed the Syrian government for such a purported atrocity.
Indeed, this is almost a virtual replay of a similar incident one year ago. And, not surprisingly, President Donald Trump quickly fired off some 58 cruise missiles against a Syrian airbase within 48 hours. All without even bothering to ascertain any objective facts or a thorough investigation!
Surely, does the American government think that the public already forgot the fake Iraqi weapons of mass destruction pretext that launched the illegal and genocidal invasion on that victimized nation back in 2003?
This time, can we dare to hope that the mainstream media won’t be cheerleading (again!) another illegal military aggression on another Mideast nation and her innocent civilians?
Danny H.C. Li
Keaau