The Post-Journal, Thursday November 18, 2021 — Drug overdoses (over 100,000) now surpass deaths from guns, car crashes and even flu and pneumonia.
The Post-Journal, Thursday December 9, 2021–Jamestown City Council Will Not Opt Out (of marijuana dispensaries).
It was very disappointing to find out that City Council did not care to hear from residents. The boldness is disturbing. This is what happens when the majority is silent. Our city is decaying from the outskirts in. People must voice their opinions or it’s going to worsen. Drugs and crime go hand in hand.
The idea that Increased tax revenue will be generated is not true. Tax is a four letter word. No one wants to pay sales taxes. People will grow it, drive to the Reservation and purchase it, or buy on the black market and sell it. It will be more potent and probably will be laced with fentangle. Smoke it once and you are hooked or dead!
The argument that drug decriminalization or legalization, will generate net revenue is not supported by evidence. Evidence has demonstrated that both decriminalization and legalization of illicit drugs would increase their use, along with their associated health and social costs. So where is the net good for Jamestown? The consumption of drugs always poses the risk of adding burdens to the public funds. Alcohol alone is believed to cost society fifteen times more than the revenue gained by its taxation. Too bad we never got a chance to ask that question.
Here is a statement from the police department in East Long Meadow, Massachusetts.
” Some marijuana in our area has recently been found to be laced with fentangle. Fntangle is a very powerful synthetic opioid that can lead to severe health problems including overdoses”.
In June 2021 San Francisco police seized 15.4 pounds of fentangle. Enough lethal overdoses to wipe out San Francisco’s population four times. On November 18,2021 the DEA seized 12,000 pounds of fentangle, enough to give a lethal dose to the entire US population.
“We are in the midst of an overdose crisis that has reached a devastating new height,” Anne Milgram, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration said. Fntangle is here to stay. Thanks to the unsecured border. Deaths will surpass the 100,300 deaths already recorded. Some will be in Jamestown.
Mornings I patrol around my building and pick up hypodermic needles. Love school is close to me and I am concerned about the kids that walk and play on Main street. Another near by business does the same. In talking to the police I am told that our play grounds are littered with needles.
I have witnessed people driving under the influence and smoking marijuana with the wife and kids in the car. Individuals wanting to purchase firearms while high on marijuana. Hunters high on marijuana. Workers driving company vehicles while high on marijuana. Drug users overdosing on Main street. Kids under 16 high on marijuana with their mom in the car. People wanting to trade me heroin for a firearm, etc.,etc.
Robert L. DuPont, who was the president of the Institute for Behavior and Health of the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported “Marijuana use is positively correlated with alcohol use and cigarette use, as well as illegal drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. People who use marijuana are three times more likely to be addicted to heroin. According to Dr. Samuel T. Wilkinson at the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine there is a growing myth that marijuana is not an addictive substance. He has the data that clearly shows users of cannabis can become addicted.
In Australia a study found that pot smoking was responsible for 4.3 percent of driver fatalities. A study of postal workers who tested positive for weed had 55 percent more accidents, 85 percent more injuries and a 75 percent increase in being absent from work. Studies of students who use pot have lower grades.
If you have kids and are trying to raise a family and you don’t speak up then shame on you. This is not just a marijuana issue. It will get laced with fentanyl. That is a given. Be careful who you listen to. We seem to be going backwards as a community and country. Marijuana laced with fentanyl in all likelihood will not come from dispensaries. However, it certainly opens the door for those who want users to get hooked. Like pushers and possibly those who hate us. Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid. It is highly addictive and dangerous. It is more potent than opioids like heroin and morphine. You and your family are not immune. I hope you never feel it’s destruction but I know that some of you definitely will. Voice your concerns. I did my part now you do yours.
Bruce A. Piatz is a Jamestown resident.
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