More readers chime in on the death of Carlie Coulter. In reference to one reader who says the increasing deaths are due to "generational decline", this reader agrees:
I've taken these prescription pain killers before (and even blogged while on them!)- once when I broke a leg in 2007 and again in 2010 when I crashed my bike, got concussed and broke a few ribs. Let me just say that I'm glad these are prescription and hard to get, because they make me feel so good.
Look at what Cary Quashen said about the high yesterday because it's important. The high is no lie:
A local librarian writes in remembering Carlie:
It's really awful.
-----------------
Another young person dies of heroin, ctd
Yes there is a generational decline. As you probably know, more than 15,000 Americans die annually after overdosing on prescription painkillers (oxycodine & methodone) - more than heroin, cocaine and all other illegal drugs combined.Couldn't one say then the actual problem is with physicians who over-prescribe these powerful narcotic painkillers? Or with the FDA? Or with the Big Pharma itself? It's always easy to scapegoat the generation that comes after your own, after all. But someone is selling these drugs and pushing them, and it's not just street dealers.
I've taken these prescription pain killers before (and even blogged while on them!)- once when I broke a leg in 2007 and again in 2010 when I crashed my bike, got concussed and broke a few ribs. Let me just say that I'm glad these are prescription and hard to get, because they make me feel so good.
Look at what Cary Quashen said about the high yesterday because it's important. The high is no lie:
They just put something in their body, and I want people to hear this, that made them feel different and better than anything they have ever felt before in their life.How do you tell someone who is 14 or 16 that that’s bad? That’s what we’re fighting.Another reader on why the Coulter death may be different from the rest:
The reader asked "Was there just a sea change in media coverage of opiate deaths in the SCV? It seems that everyone is rushing out to describe this tragedy in great detail rather than the secretive, oblique media reports (if any) without any followup that have been the norm."
Yes, the "sea change" is because the victim is a pretty blonde female. Most other overdose deaths in recent years have happened to young SCV males. It seems that if you're a late teen/20 something male in the SCV, we're only going to read about you if 1) if you got a ride out of town by being successful in sports, 2) die in a motorcycle accident, or 3) die of an opiate overdose.
But this was a young, blond pretty woman. She's different than the rest. Usually girls are more sensible than guys and less reckless. She could have been anyone's daughter.Sort of the missing white woman syndrome of drug overdoses then?
A local librarian writes in remembering Carlie:
Carlie was one of my Peachland library kids, Jeff. She spent many of her recesses and lunch hours reading and asking for recommendations of great books to read. Her little sister, seen on the video, also went to Peachland. She graduated in the past few years and moved on to Placerita. A sweet, sweet, quiet girl that always seemed to be worrying about life.
Such a shame............
It's really awful.
-----------------