There are many layers to the onion of this tragedy. Bad parenting, lack of parental discipline or boundaries, lack of a quality education or skills for good jobs in small and large cities which create a need for government entitlements of all kinds and way too many people with no moral code of conduct nor a belief in any form of a higher being. Drug addiction can consume anyone from any background but without these issues being honestly addressed people are more likely to fall prey to addiction.
Anyone that thinks pot legalization or lax laws for possession of other control substances are a good thing live in a bubble, are in denial and don’t consider the dark side of this crisis. Legalizing marijuana was the first small step into the rabbit hole. Legalization will have long-term effects on future generations, especially young children it’s a mathematical certainty. For people with addictive personalities, not all, of course, pot “is” a gateway drug.
The human costs are heartbreaking but the financial costs are just as staggering. One of the EMT’s said in the film, if left unchecked it could bankrupt the entire US.
Colorado, Oregon, and Washington may believe that the tax revenues created by the legalization of marijuana are a risk vs reward scenario but eventually that well with run dry with higher dropout rates, criminal activity, increased incarceration, drug rehab costs and sky-high entitlement spending.
There are no easy answers. Long jail sentences may not be the answer and of course, drug rehab funding must increase but enabling people and not having any consequences are no remedy either. We must begin to condemn drug use just as we have cigarettes or Astoria could follow in the same footsteps as Huntington.
I can't imagine the emotional toll it would take to be a Police Officer or an EMT in Huntington, WV. God bless the 3 exceptional women highlighted in this film. I admire their faith and public service, we need many more folks just like them.
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