Heroin in Huntington

[RoshawnMarkwees]

Lots of drugs are harmless. Its the abuse of drugs that is not harmless. Yes people should be free to use their drugs. However, this is not a political story. Its asking what mindset causes and entire city to be ravaged by drugs.

drugs like Heroin are making a huge impact in cities across the country right now. Its cheap, highly addictive.
as far as the deaths go, it has a great deal to do with the users, Lets say a shipment of black tar comes in, this shipment is heavily laced with fentanyl and someone dies from it. The addicts will actually look for that same batch because its obviously strong.
And if you really want to hear nasty, fentanyl is the opiate used in the patch for cancer patients. Fentanyl is an opiate 100 times stronger than heroin and if addicts know someone is using the patch, they will go through the garbage and pull out the used patches just to open them up and suck the fentanyl laced gel out of them.

Thats great but it doesnt answer the "why" question. Why does one person use and get addicted to drugs? Why does a large portion of a random city become addicted to drugs to the point it turns communities to shit? We have said a downturn in the economic prospects and hopelessness. Can you think of some other reasons?

availability is one thing. Something like heroin can grab ahold of you with only three consecutive uses. I deal with heroin addicts on a daily basis. The reasons? it feels good. someone talked me into it at a party, or, lets say someone was on pain medications for a time and got addicted, the prescription was not renewed. to buy that same drug on the street can be very expensive, heroin however is just 10 dollars a cap. for a new user, 10 bucks can last you 3 days or more. Don't forget to save the cotton for emergencies. Cotton shots will get you through a sickness.
but its interesting to note something I noticed in the Baltimore area. (consult a map if interested in the locations I mention)
When it was the blacks dying in Baltimore city, it was not a really big problem. It was basically over looked.
Now, when the ODs moved from Brooklyn Park and started showing up in Pasadena, and God forbid Severna Park (upper class white areas) the problem became an epidemic of major proportions. Suddenly there were town hall meetings on it, money allocated from the state to battle it, police set up new divisions just for the heroin problem. It was unreal.
This causes me to think that part of the problem is that the inner city areas are at greater risk because there is less concern when its only the blacks being affected

That's more a poor thing than a black thing.
Also, less of a sense of community where family structure is depleted.

not all the blacks affected are from the poor broken family areas.

The non-poor blacks don't tend to live in inner cities. But they still have the depleted family issue. That transcends socioeconomics. I live there.

 

[MikeK]

How many 25 year olds does obesity kill, dumbass?

Offhand, I don't know. But it shouldn't be too hard to research via Google.

But obesity is unhealthy at any age and you may rest assured there are 25 year-olds who die from illnesses which are related to their obesity. If you don't believe me, ask your doctor.

 

[Asclepias]

How many 25 year olds does obesity kill, dumbass?

Offhand, I don't know. But it shouldn't be too hard to research via Google.

But obesity is unhealthy at any age and you may rest assured there are 25 year-olds who die from illnesses which are related to their obesity. If you don't believe me, ask your doctor.

Diabetes and heart disease, which are probably the two most common conditions caused by obesity, takes decades to develop. So the question posed by weatherman is not very honest.

 

[MikeK]

I have never used any substance. I do not justify drug use, neither do I long to be able to use. I am not a drug addict. If you weren't afraid you would be using now. You want to use and that's the definition of a drug addict.

It's good that you don't use any drugs, because I perceive you to be adolescent and as such your brain will not be fully developed until you reach your early twenties. The problem that poses is any mind altering drug will have a negative effect on the developing brain with emphasis on the short-term memory -- which is critically important to learning.

 

[Maryland Patriot]

availability is one thing. Something like heroin can grab ahold of you with only three consecutive uses.

In the same way that some individuals can die from a bee sting or from eating just one peanut, the biochemistry of a very small number of people will make them susceptible to getting become hooked on smack after just, as you've indicated, three consecutive uses.

Conversely, when I lived in Brooklyn I had a friend who used (inhaled) small amounts of heroin from time to time. It seemed to have a relaxing, deeply thoughtful effect on him. He did this for at least the fifteen years I lived across the street from him. The last time I saw him, which was another ten or twelve years after I moved away, he hadn't changed much and was still the same healthy, interesting and funny fellow I'd known.

So the conclusion of everything I've observed and learned about addiction over the years holds that susceptibility depends on an individual's biochemistry and psychological predisposition.

Re: the rest of your message: Well said!

You know, I have been helping heroin addicts get clean and productive for a good amount of time now. I work at a place that deals with this problem and I do interventions.
To pinpoint one reason, even one reason that stands out beyond all others is almost impossible.
Let me say this though. Most of those that use heroin were introduced to it while at some place smoking pot. Pot being illegal tends to put people in situations that other illegal drugs are also being used. This brings them into original contact with heroin, and coke, meth etc....
Now, your average beer drinker is not going to end up in these places because there is no fear of being caught with beer.
Its possible that a strong defense against heroin could be as simple as making weed legal. If its brought out in the open, then there is less chance of someone having to find a place to hide to smoke it. Less chance of being introduced to other drugs. The marijuana is not a gateway drug on its own, but it is one of the keys that open the door to exposure to some of those other drugs.
and honestly, someone that does heroin for the first time, and does a small amount, is going to like it. there is no question.

 

[Katzndogz]

I have never used any substance. I do not justify drug use, neither do I long to be able to use. I am not a drug addict. If you weren't afraid you would be using now. You want to use and that's the definition of a drug addict.

It's good that you don't use any drugs, because I perceive you to be adolescent and as such your brain will not be fully developed until you reach your early twenties. The problem that poses is any mind altering drug will have a negative effect on the developing brain with emphasis on the short-term memory -- which is critically important to learning.

I am way long past adolescence. As you should know Marijuana use permanently impairs cognitive functioning. That's most of your problem right there.

I wish there was something to help you but the damage that the pot has done to you is irreversible.

 

[gipper]

No that has nothing to do with my point.

Government is not only ineffectual in the war on drugs, it is also corrupt.

It has everything to do with your point. You make it sound like the gov is responsible for drug use. The culture is.
Government doesn't generate the culture that uses. If you remove the culture, the gov and any war on drugs become moot.

Absurd. I did not make it sound like the government is responsible. Must be those voices in your head again.

Then explain the corruption you allege.

Oh brother... You mean you are unaware the deep state is a drug pusher... Really?

So you're saying the gov is responsible. Make up your mind.

You think my post means the government is responsible for people taking illegal drugs. That is illogical. The people who take illegal drugs are responsible. The government is responsible for committing illegal actions, much like a drug pusher.

See the difference?

 

[gipper]

availability is one thing. Something like heroin can grab ahold of you with only three consecutive uses.

In the same way that some individuals can die from a bee sting or from eating just one peanut, the biochemistry of a very small number of people will make them susceptible to getting become hooked on smack after just, as you've indicated, three consecutive uses.

Conversely, when I lived in Brooklyn I had a friend who used (inhaled) small amounts of heroin from time to time. It seemed to have a relaxing, deeply thoughtful effect on him. He did this for at least the fifteen years I lived across the street from him. The last time I saw him, which was another ten or twelve years after I moved away, he hadn't changed much and was still the same healthy, interesting and funny fellow I'd known.

So the conclusion of everything I've observed and learned about addiction over the years holds that susceptibility depends on an individual's biochemistry and psychological predisposition.

Re: the rest of your message: Well said!

You know, I have been helping heroin addicts get clean and productive for a good amount of time now. I work at a place that deals with this problem and I do interventions.
To pinpoint one reason, even one reason that stands out beyond all others is almost impossible.
Let me say this though. Most of those that use heroin were introduced to it while at some place smoking pot. Pot being illegal tends to put people in situations that other illegal drugs are also being used. This brings them into original contact with heroin, and coke, meth etc....
Now, your average beer drinker is not going to end up in these places because there is no fear of being caught with beer.
Its possible that a strong defense against heroin could be as simple as making weed legal. If its brought out in the open, then there is less chance of someone having to find a place to hide to smoke it. Less chance of being introduced to other drugs. The marijuana is not a gateway drug on its own, but it is one of the keys that open the door to exposure to some of those other drugs.
and honestly, someone that does heroin for the first time, and does a small amount, is going to like it. there is no question.

What about those who are given opiates by the medical establishment? I know of two people close to me who are addicted to opiates, but got that way one after back surgery and the other from depression. They got hooked on Oxycontin. I believe this is another "gateway" where many people become addicted. You agree?

 

[WillowTree]

availability is one thing. Something like heroin can grab ahold of you with only three consecutive uses.

In the same way that some individuals can die from a bee sting or from eating just one peanut, the biochemistry of a very small number of people will make them susceptible to getting become hooked on smack after just, as you've indicated, three consecutive uses.

Conversely, when I lived in Brooklyn I had a friend who used (inhaled) small amounts of heroin from time to time. It seemed to have a relaxing, deeply thoughtful effect on him. He did this for at least the fifteen years I lived across the street from him. The last time I saw him, which was another ten or twelve years after I moved away, he hadn't changed much and was still the same healthy, interesting and funny fellow I'd known.

So the conclusion of everything I've observed and learned about addiction over the years holds that susceptibility depends on an individual's biochemistry and psychological predisposition.

Re: the rest of your message: Well said!

You know, I have been helping heroin addicts get clean and productive for a good amount of time now. I work at a place that deals with this problem and I do interventions.
To pinpoint one reason, even one reason that stands out beyond all others is almost impossible.
Let me say this though. Most of those that use heroin were introduced to it while at some place smoking pot. Pot being illegal tends to put people in situations that other illegal drugs are also being used. This brings them into original contact with heroin, and coke, meth etc....
Now, your average beer drinker is not going to end up in these places because there is no fear of being caught with beer.
Its possible that a strong defense against heroin could be as simple as making weed legal. If its brought out in the open, then there is less chance of someone having to find a place to hide to smoke it. Less chance of being introduced to other drugs. The marijuana is not a gateway drug on its own, but it is one of the keys that open the door to exposure to some of those other drugs.
and honestly, someone that does heroin for the first time, and does a small amount, is going to like it. there is no question.

What about those who are given opiates by the medical establishment? I know of two people close to me who are addicted to opiates, but got that way one after back surgery and the other from depression. They got hooked on Oxycontin. I believe this is another "gateway" where many people become addicted. You agree?

Doctors don't prescribe OxyContin for depression.

 

[gipper]

availability is one thing. Something like heroin can grab ahold of you with only three consecutive uses.

In the same way that some individuals can die from a bee sting or from eating just one peanut, the biochemistry of a very small number of people will make them susceptible to getting become hooked on smack after just, as you've indicated, three consecutive uses.

Conversely, when I lived in Brooklyn I had a friend who used (inhaled) small amounts of heroin from time to time. It seemed to have a relaxing, deeply thoughtful effect on him. He did this for at least the fifteen years I lived across the street from him. The last time I saw him, which was another ten or twelve years after I moved away, he hadn't changed much and was still the same healthy, interesting and funny fellow I'd known.

So the conclusion of everything I've observed and learned about addiction over the years holds that susceptibility depends on an individual's biochemistry and psychological predisposition.

Re: the rest of your message: Well said!

You know, I have been helping heroin addicts get clean and productive for a good amount of time now. I work at a place that deals with this problem and I do interventions.
To pinpoint one reason, even one reason that stands out beyond all others is almost impossible.
Let me say this though. Most of those that use heroin were introduced to it while at some place smoking pot. Pot being illegal tends to put people in situations that other illegal drugs are also being used. This brings them into original contact with heroin, and coke, meth etc....
Now, your average beer drinker is not going to end up in these places because there is no fear of being caught with beer.
Its possible that a strong defense against heroin could be as simple as making weed legal. If its brought out in the open, then there is less chance of someone having to find a place to hide to smoke it. Less chance of being introduced to other drugs. The marijuana is not a gateway drug on its own, but it is one of the keys that open the door to exposure to some of those other drugs.
and honestly, someone that does heroin for the first time, and does a small amount, is going to like it. there is no question.

What about those who are given opiates by the medical establishment? I know of two people close to me who are addicted to opiates, but got that way one after back surgery and the other from depression. They got hooked on Oxycontin. I believe this is another "gateway" where many people become addicted. You agree?

Doctors don't prescribe OxyContin for depression.

they do when the patient claims they are in physical pain, when really they are merely depressed.

 

[WillowTree]

availability is one thing. Something like heroin can grab ahold of you with only three consecutive uses.

In the same way that some individuals can die from a bee sting or from eating just one peanut, the biochemistry of a very small number of people will make them susceptible to getting become hooked on smack after just, as you've indicated, three consecutive uses.

Conversely, when I lived in Brooklyn I had a friend who used (inhaled) small amounts of heroin from time to time. It seemed to have a relaxing, deeply thoughtful effect on him. He did this for at least the fifteen years I lived across the street from him. The last time I saw him, which was another ten or twelve years after I moved away, he hadn't changed much and was still the same healthy, interesting and funny fellow I'd known.

So the conclusion of everything I've observed and learned about addiction over the years holds that susceptibility depends on an individual's biochemistry and psychological predisposition.

Re: the rest of your message: Well said!

You know, I have been helping heroin addicts get clean and productive for a good amount of time now. I work at a place that deals with this problem and I do interventions.
To pinpoint one reason, even one reason that stands out beyond all others is almost impossible.
Let me say this though. Most of those that use heroin were introduced to it while at some place smoking pot. Pot being illegal tends to put people in situations that other illegal drugs are also being used. This brings them into original contact with heroin, and coke, meth etc....
Now, your average beer drinker is not going to end up in these places because there is no fear of being caught with beer.
Its possible that a strong defense against heroin could be as simple as making weed legal. If its brought out in the open, then there is less chance of someone having to find a place to hide to smoke it. Less chance of being introduced to other drugs. The marijuana is not a gateway drug on its own, but it is one of the keys that open the door to exposure to some of those other drugs.
and honestly, someone that does heroin for the first time, and does a small amount, is going to like it. there is no question.

What about those who are given opiates by the medical establishment? I know of two people close to me who are addicted to opiates, but got that way one after back surgery and the other from depression. They got hooked on Oxycontin. I believe this is another "gateway" where many people become addicted. You agree?

Doctors don't prescribe OxyContin for depression.

they do when the patient claims they are in physical pain, when really they are merely depressed.

Nope you can complain about physical pain all day long but unless a doctor can correlate that pain to an actual condition such as broken bones, car accident, bla boa you ain't getting no OxyContin prescribed. I think you addicts find your prescription drugs out on the streets just like your heroin. Grow up. Face the facts. You have a drug problem because you choose to abuse drugs. You did it.

 

[OldLady]

I live in a rural area that was in economic free fall well before the Recession hit. And arm in arm came an opiate epidemic well before it hit the rest of the state. People can't work, have no reason to get up in the morning, have no hope of things getting better, it's easy to stray off the path. It's human to want to feel better. It's very sad. Originally, a lot of our prescription opiates were coming from Canada. When that got shut down, they supplied locally for awhile from robberies and doctor shopping, and when THAT got shut down, the gangs started supplying heroin from southern New England. It's a lot cheaper, and more deadly because Fentanyl is getting cut in.

Okay. You've described what clearly is a problem and you've outlined what you believe is the cause. How about a solution? Any suggestions?

A massive early prevention program targeting kids, like the "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs" blitz that helped my son's generation believe that drugs were for losers. A lot more structured youth programs for all ages that give them healthy things to do in their free time. Many more treatment centers for addicts wishing to get clean. Different sentencing and disposition for nonviolent drug crimes. We need more of the deferred sentencing programs that allow an individual the opportunity to stay clean for one or two years on strict supervision. If they do, the conviction is erased from their record. And more focus on stopping the heroin entering our state. All these things at once. It will take at least a decade to see real results, which involves at least four elections....politics interferes with programs that need to be long term efforts. Our current governor is a rabid Republican who doesn't believe addicts can be rehabilitated and is doing his level best to shut down methadone programs while waiting lists for treatment can be many months long. He even tried to stop Naloxone from being available to family members of addicts, saying it only delays the inevitable and gives addicts more incentive to use, knowing they won't die.
Hiring more DEA agents was a good move on his part, but it takes a lot more than cops to stop this in its tracks. (no pun intended)

 

[OldLady]

Good question - here's an interesting article I found: WSAZ Investigates: The Detroit Connection

I've heard this city is a vast majority white and there is lots of racists. How do these guys from Detroit move in and get whites to buy from them?

There are no racial boundaries when it comes to drugs.



















....just when it comes to arrests and incarcerations...

That's mighty white of you to pimp that out you fucken peice of shit.

Look at the facts - arrest rates and incarceration rates for blacks are higher than for whites for the same drug crimes. It is what it is. When it comes to drug use - it crosses all lines.

True enough. I have a 39 year old that just went through a mandatory 6 month rehab and has since entered another facility, also rehab, that's a little closer to home and her kids. Her motivation is five years in prison. If she blows it. I hope she makes it.

I'm rooting for her.

 

[gipper]

In the same way that some individuals can die from a bee sting or from eating just one peanut, the biochemistry of a very small number of people will make them susceptible to getting become hooked on smack after just, as you've indicated, three consecutive uses.

Conversely, when I lived in Brooklyn I had a friend who used (inhaled) small amounts of heroin from time to time. It seemed to have a relaxing, deeply thoughtful effect on him. He did this for at least the fifteen years I lived across the street from him. The last time I saw him, which was another ten or twelve years after I moved away, he hadn't changed much and was still the same healthy, interesting and funny fellow I'd known.

So the conclusion of everything I've observed and learned about addiction over the years holds that susceptibility depends on an individual's biochemistry and psychological predisposition.

Re: the rest of your message: Well said!

You know, I have been helping heroin addicts get clean and productive for a good amount of time now. I work at a place that deals with this problem and I do interventions.
To pinpoint one reason, even one reason that stands out beyond all others is almost impossible.
Let me say this though. Most of those that use heroin were introduced to it while at some place smoking pot. Pot being illegal tends to put people in situations that other illegal drugs are also being used. This brings them into original contact with heroin, and coke, meth etc....
Now, your average beer drinker is not going to end up in these places because there is no fear of being caught with beer.
Its possible that a strong defense against heroin could be as simple as making weed legal. If its brought out in the open, then there is less chance of someone having to find a place to hide to smoke it. Less chance of being introduced to other drugs. The marijuana is not a gateway drug on its own, but it is one of the keys that open the door to exposure to some of those other drugs.
and honestly, someone that does heroin for the first time, and does a small amount, is going to like it. there is no question.

What about those who are given opiates by the medical establishment? I know of two people close to me who are addicted to opiates, but got that way one after back surgery and the other from depression. They got hooked on Oxycontin. I believe this is another "gateway" where many people become addicted. You agree?

Doctors don't prescribe OxyContin for depression.

they do when the patient claims they are in physical pain, when really they are merely depressed.

Nope you can complain about physical pain all day long but unless a doctor can correlate that pain to an actual condition such as broken bones, car accident, bla boa you ain't getting no OxyContin prescribed. I think you addicts find your prescription drugs out on the streets just like your heroin. Grow up. Face the facts. You have a drug problem because you choose to abuse drugs. You did it.

Bull shit. You don't know what I know.

My friend got hooked on oxy then when the doctor would no longer prescribe, she sought other ways of getting an opiate drug. It is very common.

 

[OldLady]

There has been a pervasive myth that drugs are harmless. Those who speak up just don't want others to have fun. Don't tell me what I can put in my body. Drug use is an expression of freedom.

Oh yeah, vote Gary Johnson.

Lots of drugs are harmless. Its the abuse of drugs that is not harmless. Yes people should be free to use their drugs. However, this is not a political story. Its asking what mindset causes and entire city to be ravaged by drugs.

drugs like Heroin are making a huge impact in cities across the country right now. Its cheap, highly addictive.
as far as the deaths go, it has a great deal to do with the users, Lets say a shipment of black tar comes in, this shipment is heavily laced with fentanyl and someone dies from it. The addicts will actually look for that same batch because its obviously strong.
And if you really want to hear nasty, fentanyl is the opiate used in the patch for cancer patients. Fentanyl is an opiate 100 times stronger than heroin and if addicts know someone is using the patch, they will go through the garbage and pull out the used patches just to open them up and suck the fentanyl laced gel out of them.

Thats great but it doesnt answer the "why" question. Why does one person use and get addicted to drugs? Why does a large portion of a random city become addicted to drugs to the point it turns communities to shit? We have said a downturn in the economic prospects and hopelessness. Can you think of some other reasons?

availability is one thing. Something like heroin can grab ahold of you with only three consecutive uses. I deal with heroin addicts on a daily basis. The reasons? it feels good. someone talked me into it at a party, or, lets say someone was on pain medications for a time and got addicted, the prescription was not renewed. to buy that same drug on the street can be very expensive, heroin however is just 10 dollars a cap. for a new user, 10 bucks can last you 3 days or more. Don't forget to save the cotton for emergencies. Cotton shots will get you through a sickness.
but its interesting to note something I noticed in the Baltimore area. (consult a map if interested in the locations I mention)
When it was the blacks dying in Baltimore city, it was not a really big problem. It was basically over looked.
Now, when the ODs moved from Brooklyn Park and started showing up in Pasadena, and God forbid Severna Park (upper class white areas) the problem became an epidemic of major proportions. Suddenly there were town hall meetings on it, money allocated from the state to battle it, police set up new divisions just for the heroin problem. It was unreal.
This causes me to think that part of the problem is that the inner city areas are at greater risk because there is less concern when its only the blacks being affected

It's because they're poor and the policy makers didn't know them. It happened the same way in my area, and we're all white--just not upper middle class and connected to hot shots. It didn't become an issue until it hit our major cities in a big way,especially our capital. Now everyone knows about it.

 

[Weatherman2020]

How many 25 year olds does obesity kill, dumbass?

Offhand, I don't know. But it shouldn't be too hard to research via Google.

But obesity is unhealthy at any age and you may rest assured there are 25 year-olds who die from illnesses which are related to their obesity. If you don't believe me, ask your doctor.

Diabetes and heart disease, which are probably the two most common conditions caused by obesity, takes decades to develop. So the question posed by weatherman is not very honest.

Won't answer because you know you're a dumbass for connecting drug abuse with obesity. Dopers like you have your brains so fried you can't think.

 

[Asclepias]

How many 25 year olds does obesity kill, dumbass?

Offhand, I don't know. But it shouldn't be too hard to research via Google.

But obesity is unhealthy at any age and you may rest assured there are 25 year-olds who die from illnesses which are related to their obesity. If you don't believe me, ask your doctor.

Diabetes and heart disease, which are probably the two most common conditions caused by obesity, takes decades to develop. So the question posed by weatherman is not very honest.

Won't answer because you know you're a dumbass for connecting drug abuse with obesity. Dopers like you have your brains so fried you can't think.

I didnt connect drug abuse with obesity. Your silly ass did.

How many 25 year olds does obesity kill, dumbass?

 

[WillowTree]

Bottom line? Obesity? You choose to put that food in yer mouth. Heroin? You chose to put that needle in your arm. Now live with it.

 

[Skull Pilot]

This city has been decimated by heroin. There have been numerous overdoses and the next generation is going to be affected. What is going on in this city? Has the culture deteriorated? What are the reasons this place is the drug death capitol of the US?

Heroin in America: The scarring of the next generation - CNN.com

A father morns the loss of his son to a over dose.

Decimated?

Really?

One in ten have overdosed on heroin and died?

 

[Katzndogz]

availability is one thing. Something like heroin can grab ahold of you with only three consecutive uses.

In the same way that some individuals can die from a bee sting or from eating just one peanut, the biochemistry of a very small number of people will make them susceptible to getting become hooked on smack after just, as you've indicated, three consecutive uses.

Conversely, when I lived in Brooklyn I had a friend who used (inhaled) small amounts of heroin from time to time. It seemed to have a relaxing, deeply thoughtful effect on him. He did this for at least the fifteen years I lived across the street from him. The last time I saw him, which was another ten or twelve years after I moved away, he hadn't changed much and was still the same healthy, interesting and funny fellow I'd known.

So the conclusion of everything I've observed and learned about addiction over the years holds that susceptibility depends on an individual's biochemistry and psychological predisposition.

Re: the rest of your message: Well said!

You know, I have been helping heroin addicts get clean and productive for a good amount of time now. I work at a place that deals with this problem and I do interventions.
To pinpoint one reason, even one reason that stands out beyond all others is almost impossible.
Let me say this though. Most of those that use heroin were introduced to it while at some place smoking pot. Pot being illegal tends to put people in situations that other illegal drugs are also being used. This brings them into original contact with heroin, and coke, meth etc....
Now, your average beer drinker is not going to end up in these places because there is no fear of being caught with beer.
Its possible that a strong defense against heroin could be as simple as making weed legal. If its brought out in the open, then there is less chance of someone having to find a place to hide to smoke it. Less chance of being introduced to other drugs. The marijuana is not a gateway drug on its own, but it is one of the keys that open the door to exposure to some of those other drugs.
and honestly, someone that does heroin for the first time, and does a small amount, is going to like it. there is no question.

What about those who are given opiates by the medical establishment? I know of two people close to me who are addicted to opiates, but got that way one after back surgery and the other from depression. They got hooked on Oxycontin. I believe this is another "gateway" where many people become addicted. You agree?

Doctors don't prescribe OxyContin for depression.

they do when the patient claims they are in physical pain, when really they are merely depressed.

Blame the lawyers who won massive awards from doctors who refused to prescribe painkillers to those who aren't in pain.