When Heroin Takes Over Your Town
Last Tuesday, in a matter of hours, there were twenty-eight reported heroin overdoses in Louisville, Kentucky. All showing the telltale signs of a potent form of heroin known as, Pallbearer.
Given the name due to its high probability for overdose, the heroin users are “thirsting” for it. One user said, “It’s crazy that we think this way, but we want it. We want to find out where it came from because if it’s that good, then we want the best.”
According to Dr. Robert Couch, an Emergency room physician with Norton Hospital in Louisville, “This is not just regular heroin… this is something that has other opioids in it, either fentanyl or carfentanyl. Whatever it is, it’s very, very potent…it’s going to kill people.”
The telltale sign of Pallbearer overdose is the need for multiple injections of Naloxone to restart the respiratory system. One dose is usually sufficient in ‘normal’ heroin overdoses.
One of the overdoses cases was a woman who after 364 days of sobriety, used Pallbearer, on herion addiction she say, “It takes over your body. You are not yourself anymore. You’re a soulless body.”
By no means is Heroin addiction isolated to a demographic. Heroin does not discriminate. Many new users are children from every socioeconomic background. Three overdoses last week in Louisville were kids ranging from 15–17 years old.
FACT: A new survey conducted by Indiana Prevention Resource Center, found 2,265 kids in Indiana between 7th and 12th grades admitted to using heroin.
WHATTHEFUCKISHAPPENING????!!!!!
The neighborhood meetings have turned into heroin prevention discussions. The police give crime reports and warn about locking doors, looking out for your neighbors and the increase in panhandlers.
Where I live, the petty crime is through the roof, but in other areas fully saturated by the epidemic, it’s a much worse situation. The desperation for the next fix has been attributed to an exponential rise in muggings, burglary and people murdered over drug wars. No better example than last week when a fourteen-year-old was shot during a drug war fueled drive-by.
The shooter was his friend.
When a 16-year-old in the group being shot at returned fire on the car, he hit his fourteen-year-old friend standing next to him, instead. Both of their lives are over thanks to the drug war.
At this point, I’d do anything to restore the lives of addicts and the peace and safety in my community. One of my neighbors said she wanted to have the lifesaving Naloxone shot on hand “just in case a Walker OD’s on my property.”
What’s sad, is it’s totally possible.
Local high schools are stocking Naloxone, “just in case”. Classes are being held for children of addicts to teach them to administer Naloxone in the event their parent overdoses.
I’m infuriated. Disgusted. Devastated. Desperate for answers. What can I do? How does this stop? How can I ban together with my community to clap back at heroin?
How do I protect my child from the addicts and addiction itself?
I expect this Labor day weekend to be very telling of the true epidemic. As wrong as I hope I am, there’s no doubt in my mind, Louisville Kentucky will make headlines this weekend due to mass overdoses. I just hope there’s enough Naloxone available to save everyone…
