Several years ago, when Bill Buckley was still alive, The National Review dedicated an entire issue on the War on Drugs. One of the bits that stood out in all of the articles that the magazine contained that month was about opioids. The gist of the article was the vast majority of people who took opioids for a particular reason, when that reason went away, nearly 100% of them stopped taking opioids. There will be addicts and addicts will be addicted. But it seems that the notion is that those who need a thing for a reason, should be denied that thing because a few will abuse it. I think that's stupidity and herd mentality of the highest order. I once had a fellow ask me if I had ever tried cocaine. I said no, but that I was curious about it. He said "Don't do it." I said "Why". He said "Because you'll like it." That, ladies and gentlemen, scared the crap out of me because I know me. If I like something, I tend to overindulge. I never tried it and I'm eternally grateful for the advice. Now chocolate....that's another matter.
I have been suspicious of this whole Opioid Epidemic since the day, all of a sudden, out of the blue, we were told we had an epidemic. I have never come to understand why this so called epidemic dropped out of the sky one day. There must be some reason. I sure don't know what.
I've come to the conclusion that nothing that is in the MSM, radio, print, TV, or even the internet is trustworthy. Maybe it's just because I'm 74 and have learned that being cynical and untrusting is more comforting and contentful than to be all caught up in each new phony catastrophe that presents itself each day. It seems that we are being fed nothing but negativism on a grand scale, so I've decided to not partake or participate.