A New Strategy for the Drug Crisis in America by Desmond Last
Note: This is an on-line ongoing work. Therefore, at times the editing and writing may be out of synch and not completed.
FACT: In 2016 every 24 hours 175 Americans who were a son, daughter, mother, father, nephew, niece or neighbour died to make up the 64,000 who died of a drug overdose. That is 64,000~ more than died because of North Korea, Iran, ISIS and Al Qaeda America you are at war – with drugs.
FACT: Opioid withdrawal, which causes aches, vomiting, and restless anxiety, is a gruesome process to experience as an adult. It’s considerably worse for the twenty thousand or so American babies who emerge each year from opioid-soaked wombs. Every 25 minutes a baby in America is born addicted to drugs. Click here for details.
FACT: Between 2009 and 2015, the average cost of care per opioid admission in the U.S increased from $58,500 to $92,400. $,000’s are not available for your son or daughter’s cancer research and treatment because of America’s Drug Crisis.
FACT: At the Middletown, Ohio, fire department, calls for actual fires are rare. These days the station responds to more calls for drug overdoses — four to five a day on average. When your house burns to the Ground because the Middleton Fire Department are dealing with another drug overdose then you may no longer say ‘it’s not my problem’. Like it or not it is every American’s problem.
FACT: For the period 1988-2014 7.4% of the U.S population took 5 or more prescription drugs. For 2013-2014 it was 20.2%. For those aged 64 over it rose from 13.8% to 42.2%.
U.S Drug Crisis Latest News
16.10.17 President Trump says to the People of America and the 20,000 American Babies born every year with Opioid Drug Addiction “This country and, frankly, the world has a drug problem … and we’re going to something about it. Click Here for Full Story.
26.10.17. President Trump’s Declaration of a Nationwide Public Health Emergency to address the opioids crisis.
16.11.17. The Redline of Rebellion. Lil Peep, a New York-born 21-year-old rapper died this week of a suspected overdose. Drug-taking is for some a symbol of rebellion. A rebellion against the hypocrisy of the Establishment. Those who seek to judge others by the standards of moral behaviour they themselves so blatantly ignore are too a causal factor in the Drug Crisis of America.
21.11.17 Drugs, alcohol and suicide could lead to the deaths of more than 1.6 million people over the next 10 years, according to a report released Tuesday that signals a troubling trend in mental health in the U.S.A.
10.1.18 Washington has asked the UN to help declare fentanyl illegal in US and China, as White House works with Mexico to address the drug’s spread. Read more.
01.02.18 Senate Democrats demand answers on opioid crisis efforts. Saying the Trump administration has yet to offer any new funds to fight the growing opioid epidemic, some Senate Democrats are demanding answers about what the White House is doing to address the problem. CNN Wayne Drash.
08.04.18Surgeon General Releases Advisory on Naloxone, an Opioid Overdose-Reversing Drug. Click Here for more details.
25.07.18 The U.S. Justice Department is pressing charges against 601 people including doctors for taking part in healthcare frauds that resulted in over $2 billion in losses and contributed to the nation’s opioid epidemic in some cases. Reuters
16.10.19 The opioid crisis cost the U.S. economy $631 billion from 2015 through last year — and it may keep getting more expensive, according to a study released Tuesday by the Society of Actuaries. The biggest driver of the cost over the four-year period is unrealized lifetime earnings of those who died from the drugs, followed by health care costs. https://www.wuky.org/post/new-study-opioid-crisis-cost-americans-billions#stream/0
Introduction: I decided to begin this Strategy to ‘Slow, Stop and Reverse’ the accelerating rate of Drug Addiction’ in America -‘The Drug Crisis’ after I received a Letter from the White House on behalf of President Trump thanking me for my discussion of President Trump’s Made in America Campaign which I am using in Partnership with this Strategy.
The Purpose of this Strategy is to Control the Demand and Supply of both Legal and Illegal Drugs by regulatory measures and with the cooperation and participation of all the People of the Nation of the United States of America. It is only an outline.
The Devastation. For America to reduce the devastation, destruction and misery caused by illegal drugs and the addiction caused by the oversupply of prescription drugs then it must adopt a system which ‘controls both supply and demand’ – that is the intended outcome of this Strategy. There can be no half-measures. You cannot reverse the increasing rate of drug addiction of both legal and illegal drugs in America without doing so. Unless the Demand is brought under Control then there is no possibility of reducing the supply of drugs.
That means that the demand must be controlled and become part of a system which ends drug addiction not prolongs it.
Drug Addiction is not a choice but the decison to give up being an addict is. It is a choice only the addict can make. Nobody wants to become a drug addict and Nobody has to remain an addict.To read more cost detail click The Drug Clock
Strategy Statement. America’s efforts to end drug addiction have to become iconic; a statement of America’s ability to act as one Nation and a redline to those who profit from the death and misery caused by illegal drug addiction as well as a clear signal to those whose bottom line is profit with no responsibility.
How I ask of President Trump will America become ‘Great Again’ when in front of the World America has become a:
‘System which produces and maintains Drug Addiction’
The People and the Strategy. The Strategy is not about developing even more costly programs. It is about allowing People to be Proud when they have been ashamed, useful when they have been unable to participate, productive when they have been a cost and most of all able to enjoy being part of a Nation who like me ‘will never give up’. It is a Strategy of Direction and Self-Help. This Strategy also has a commercial revenue stream.
Young Americans. The only way that rate of drug addiction in America can be reversed is with the support of the Young People of America. Unlike the U.K where young people have ‘lost the will’ to do anything about a failed Nation State the young people of America are defiant in the protection of their democracy and their Nation. Recreational drugs in the U.S are taken by the minority of America’s Young People not the majority. Young Americans as a majority do not want recreational drugs.This Strategy harnesses the Pride they have in ensuring their voices are heard and involves young American adults by ensuring they are part of its management and delivery. Through the evolvement of a ‘New Street Culture’ to combat Drug Abuse and the affinity young Americans have to dance and song this Strategy will partner their enthusiasm for all that is Youth and their ability to harness change. Inner City Youth community is about Gangs who protect each other’s cultures and environment – drugs do not protect anybody. President Trump does not have to breakdance but he does have to show that he cares that the Youth of America have moral leadership and support in America’s Home Turf War – the Drug Crisis.
Scope of the Strategy. By addressing the ‘Drug Crisis many other problems will be effected by reducing its effect; Corruption, Crime, Government inefficiency through duplication, Financial Fraud, Criminal Third-Party infiltration of Local, State and Federal Government, cyber-crime, Unemployment and America’s Loss of Domestic Manufacturing, Money Laundering and Corporate Fraud. It will also help to bring back moral leadership to America -something which is needed everywhere in the World.
The Heart of this Strategy. This Strategy brings together President Trump’s efforts to increase the labour value of Americans and their participation in the American Economy with his declaration that the U.S Drug Crisis will be declared a National Emergency. To that I have added my own new Economic Theory (Evolved Economic Theory) and my new system(s) for addressing the Drug Crisis.
Why involve ‘Made in America’? To ensure the solutions to the Drug Crisis are effective and do become yet another costly and ‘run out of steam’ program to be put into a corner where it will slowly gather dust. There are many communities in America where the rusting machinery has become a toxic flood of becalmed desperation. If America wants to its Citizens to reach for the hard hat and not the syringe then the jobs must be there for them.
‘Buy American for Americans to Create Jobs not Drugs’
‘America United with Common Purpose will Never be a Nation Defeated’
The Principle of the Strategy. The Strategy is a ‘Purpose of Self-Help’ and a revival of moral leadership. It also addresses Unemployment and Underemployment, which for many are the foundation of despair and the tools of the illegal drug trade. Pride is vanquished and Community cohesion is destroyed by drugs and unemployment. This Strategy addresses unemployment by getting rid of it at the individual level and promoting a ‘Community at Work’ as a business to bring together skills and empowerment. There are other areas which will benefit from the adoption of this strategy not the least being a reduction in crime.
How it will work. I am also using the symptoms of ‘chronic pain’ which lead to opioid drug addiction and illegal drug abuse to create a new method of providing non-drug solutions. At the same time I will be providing a ‘new market’ for American Industries and a new revenue(s) stream for the Health Care System. The Pilot Schemes will all have their own version(s) of ‘Universal HealthCare’.
It would be too ambitious of me to say that my Strategy could immediately stop drug addiction for all people for all time as the rate of the increase is out of control. By allowing the Strategy to achieve benchmarks that are realistic it will enable its progress to be quantified.
Therefore, it makes sense to first slow then halt the accelerating rate of the increase in the effects of the Drug Crisis, then stop the increase and finally reverse its increase. Each is a separate part of this Strategy and each requires variations of this Strategy. If America is to benefit from President Trump’s Economic and Drug Policies and lives are going to be saved and improved then the Drug Crisis in all its forms has to end as a ‘Crisis’.
A Crisis is critical mass. It does not allow for a clear rational application of resources and certainly cannot be allocated a forecasted budget and manpower resources whilst a state of chaos exists. So the first goal of this Strategy will to reduce the manageable critical mass to one in which each of its component parts is able to be recognised, quantified, allocated available resources, made systematic and controlled. That is the first element of this Strategy – to bring the Crisis under Control.
Drug Addiction is a medical problem, a physiological symptom, an output of a commercial system and an exploitation by those who seek to profit from addiction. For some it is the result of difficulties in dealing with the complexities of our modern world and for many the need to deal with chronic pain. The System must be able to provide the ‘New Alternatives to Opioids and Illegal Drugs’ that must be available if the rate of drug addiction is to be reversed.
However, this is no nice and cosy Strategy. It is a self-help Program. A partnership between those who are addicted and those who want to help them. You cannot make people want to end their addiction. They have to want to help themselves.
Will this Strategy work? Yes. Why? Because it will involve those who are most affected; the People laid to waste by continual Government failure to deal with crime, corruption and a deadly addiction. It gives those affected purpose, meaning and support but it does not wrap them in nappies (diapers). It also addresses all aspects of Criminal methods of the Illegal Drug Trade and includes a new system of control for the supply of prescription drugs and a ‘common purpose’ for Government Agencies such as the DEA. The Strategy also through Congress and the Senate redefines the term ‘legal responsibility’.
The changes I intend to propose to the interaction of the systems it encompasses will ensure that the many different systems involved will all work together and in the same direction – which is what this Strategy is all about.
The Strategy is a new Industry. It is also Community driven. That is why it must be developed with the People and not just from Washington. This is a unique opportunity to harness new ideas and evolve new digital platforms to provide the People of America with new alternatives to the existing solutions to Pain and Despair.
The Subjects covered by this Strategy may appear wide-ranging. However, if President Trump and America want to reverse the increasing trend of Drug Addiction and make America ‘great again’ then they must be prepared to address all the factors that contribute to what has become a symbol of America decay. You cannot stop a bucket leaking water unless you plug all the holes.This Strategy does just that. It may appear ambitious but you cannot address America’s Drug Crisis without including all the components of a system which cause Drug Addiction.
The Pilot Schemes. As this is a ‘ground up’ system and one which is dynamic and self-learning it will begin with Pilot Schemes. The Pilots will establish the Procedures for a more comprehensive, documented and quality controlled system which can then be adopted and modified to suit those communities who want zero drugs. Although it may appear that the subject base is too all-encompassing it should be pointed out that initially the subjects listed will only be micro-applied to the Pilot Schemes. Thus for instance where the subject is Economic Reform of Countries that manufacture and supply illegal Drugs only the effect of the reform will be used in the ‘Pilot’. I have written an outline of how this will succeed in practise. Quality Control will become an essential part of the application of the Strategy. The Pilot Schemes are intended to show America and the World that it is possible to reduce the dependence on Opioid Drugs and stop the use of illegal Drugs. President Trump’s current Committees on the Drug Crisis will be attempting to apply a Nationwide solution. I hope to be able to present this Outline to them.
The problem is too big to solve with a top down approach. This Strategy begins as a seed and grows into a tree. It is simply not possible to sit round a table and produce a solution. The problem is too big and too diverse. This is a ‘sleeves rolled up’ approach which will allow the many dedicated Professionals involved in the Drug Crisis to watch and participate in the ‘growth’ of the solution. In effect it is a new ‘dynamic approach’ but one that will allow mistakes to be made but people not harmed. Urgent action is needed today but simply adding $ is not going to stop the increasing rate of drug addiction. What will is a Strategy that becomes part of the Community and a comment of America’s Economic revival.
The Media. The Media have an important role in this Strategy. But not as an advertisement inducing imbedded free ride. The People of America who have been blighted by drugs and desperation must regain their pride in private. Voyeuristic apathy is a destruction that is a part of America’s Drug Crisis. The Media will become a constructive part of this Strategy and a contributor to its revenue stream.
Social Media: Whilst the ‘Conventional’ Media will be involved in order to ensure both critique and constructive commentary is aired it will be Social Media that will evolve through the implementation of this Strategy. From this Strategy will be developed a new Platform for Social Media; one which ensures the People are both involved and aired.
How To Measure the Success of this Strategy. The Methodology I have described will ensure there is a measurement not only of success but also of permanence and effectiveness. The whole Strategy has to ensure that it begins with one person as an individual and ends with the individual as part of the Community. Reference points will evolve as benchmark indicators provided by each success. Evolved persons who have benefited from the Strategy who will become community mentors and leaders. Control groups will include everybody in the Pilots and will encompass typical demographics. The Pilots will begin with one person. As the Strategy Process evolves and so too its process then the size of the Pilots will increase. This will ensure that Failure does not become part of the System – only success. The Strategy will not be a ‘World View’ which will need the Federal Reserve to bankroll it. It will start small so that Congress and the Senate can see and measure it results in order to support its expansion.
A new Platform will be developed to evolve the Strategy in order that is retains ‘new lessons’ and does not ignore them.
Commercial Application. This Strategy will have its own commercial revenue stream.
This is not a Strategy for the faint-hearted. It is one of self-help and confrontation with the true facts of the Drug Crisis – Personal or otherwise. The Strategy has only one solution – An end to addiction of both illegal and Opioid Drugs and a comprehensive control of both the Supply and Demand for all Drugs be it Personal, Industry or Government. The evolvement of Strategy Pilots to a National Program must obtain the approval of both the Congress and the Senate in all their entirety. Every objection must be countered and every assistance sought. Drug Addiction is a common enemy and it requires Unilateral Leadership if it is to be beaten. President Trump has displayed his ability to blend Party lines into a common purpose and that is how the Drug Crisis must be countered – with a Common Purpose.
The Communities taking part must know that they have the support of their Governments regardless of Party if they are to succeed. The eyes of America and the World will be upon them as they seek to become the very first Communities to ensure that Drugs in any form do not control their lives.
There are no free rides in the Strategy. Any person who is helped by the Strategy will have to use his or value to the Community to return his or her negative value as a Positive.
This Strategy is a New Business – The Business of Self-respect and Community Empowerment. It is not a Big Daddy approach. Nobody is forced to take part. That will be part of its reason for its sucess – it encompases the People’s of America desire to ‘Get the Job Done’.
It has to be this way. As a Nation America must live ‘Zero Drugs’. There can be no ‘Great’ in America until America’s modern day version of the bubonic plague is eradicated.
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