How the Drug Companies and the Government Caused the Fentanyl Crisis

They say that everything happens for a reason. As a society, it is quite typical for a crisis or major event to direct change. Perhaps the fentanyl crisis was necessary to open a dialogue about a national drug policy that can educate, help and treat addicts rather than simply shaming and incarcerating them. Perhaps it is time to examine the policies that we have put in place and take responsibility for our part in this crisis. The narrow minded policies of governments and a war on drugs that has proven to be nothing more than an inefficient waste of taxpayers money and a propaganda tool to turn society against addicts of all walks of life. It is time for a change. The insanity has gone on long enough and is proving now to be nothing more than a genocide of the subculture of addicts.

It was in fact the policies of the drug companies and the North American governments that have actually brought us to this breaking point and crisis. The continued ignorance of mental health and addictions and biases towards addicts by law makers and law enforcers has resulted in national drug policies that do little to curb addiction but rather effectively shame and isolate the addict. It is a system that would rather incarcerate the addict rather than rehabilitate. Provincial health care programs offer very limited access to treatment and education while the system directs the addicts to an overloaded penal system. We will quickly pay to house an addict once they break the law by incarcerating them for months on end while they await trial and then once they are convicted. Even given that there is a great opportunity for an intervention while they are in jail, most addicts are unable to access the very limited addiction counseling while incarcerated. Once released from remand or jail, the system handcuffs the addict with red tape and bureaucracy limiting their chances of accessing any addiction help never mind residential treatment. While we as a society are willing to pay up to $80,000 a year to incarcerate the addict, most provincial income assistance programs offer only $40/day to half way house or sober living houses up to a maximum of 3 months. As well, residential treatment programs receive very limited funding from provincial governments and are forced to limit their access for funded beds as provincial funding barely covers enough to keep the lights on never mind actual counseling or psychotherapy. We have a policy of incarceration rather than rehabilitation and we continue to criminalize the addict with the insane belief that some day jail will actually deter addicts from using. I think we have enough evidence now to the contrary.

The war on drugs has driven the cost of traditional drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine through the roof. This has forced dealers and criminal organizations to be resourceful and mitigate these losses with more effective and profitable products. With the discontinuation of crush-able Oxycontin and a move to OxyNeo in an effort to curb opiate prescription abuse, there was a huge market opened up as addicts prefer an immediate or instant rush rather than a time released and controlled high and OxyNeo did not offer this alternative. As such there was an overnight need for a crushable opiate pill that could be snorted or injected. Fentanyl was the perfect solution to fill this market void. Dealers quickly devised a plan to press fentanyl into pills and pass them off as Oxycontin. The pills mimicked the original prescription pills in every way except content. As most of these concoctions were made in a bathtub or barrel, they lacked any quality control or consistency of strength. One pill may be close to delivering the proper dose while the next may have virtually no active opiate at all and then the next may have a near fatal dose for even the most active addict. Regardless of loss of customers and the bad reputation of the product (commonly known as shady 80's) dealers and criminal organizations were immediately drawn to the huge profit margins and ease of product incorporation. Fentanyl is highly addictive, odorless and tasteless and it can be handled and blended in virtually any location. Given the low costs, ease of blending and distributing and the limited nature of the other product lines such as heroin and cocaine, fentanyl distribution has exploded into what it is today. Unfortunately greed and addiction have lead to the crisis we now face as there is virtually no regulation of the industry. Addicts no longer have any other alternative but to purchase black market products and roll the dice with every use. As society has effectively given up on addicts, there is little hope and even less compassion so rolling the dice is almost a welcomed event. The darkness of an opiate addiction leaves an addict to nearly welcome death as it is much easier than facing ones demons or the associated torture of withdrawal. If our past experiences is any indication of future events, we would already recognize that the outlawing of ingredients and the attempted elimination of it all together will only result in dealers and organizations sourcing even more deadly and profitable replacements such as Carfentanil and W-18. I know that we are even remotely ready to deal with the death and carnage widespread distribution of these drugs brings with them. Perhaps we should think and respond rather than simply react as we have in the past.

So where are we as a society going to go now? Now that addiction is affecting nearly all of us and the news is covering it daily, is it not time for a change? Perhaps we can admit defeat and explore a new and effective drug policy. Perhaps we will look at actual rehabilitation and treatment as an option to addiction rather than repeated incarceration. Do we not want to curb crime? Do we not want to keep our children safe from overdose? Do we not want to take care of our most vulnerable people in our society, addicts and those suffering from mental health issues? Do we not want to stop throwing our money away fighting a war that we cannot win? It is time we stand up for change and direct our federal and provincial governments to put more funding into treatment of addictions and mental health issues. This time has come to an end for us to pay $80,000 a year to incarcerate an addict but only $20,000 a year to rehabilitate them. The insanity must stop now, rehabilitation not incarceration.