• Approximately 105,000 people died from drug overdose in 2023 and nearly 80,000 of those deaths involved opioids (about 76%).
  - source: https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/about/understanding-the-opioid-overdose-epidemic.html

• In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates.

  Increased prescription of opioid medications led to widespread misuse of both prescription and non-prescription opioids before it became clear that these medications could indeed be highly addictive.

  In 2017 HHS declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency.

  HHS is deeply committed to improving the physical and mental health and well-being of every American as we work to address the evolving crisis. HHS continues to support science- and community-based efforts to combat the opioid crisis.

             - source: https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/statistics/index.html#:~:text=In%202017%20HHS%20declared%20the%20opioid%20crisis%20a,and%20community-based%20efforts%20to%20combat%20the%20opioid%20crisis.

In my opinion, it’s up to the people controlling the production that determine what ends up on the streets. People love to blame addicts for not being able to stop their usage, but the people selling don’t seem to have any control over whether or not they will agree to accept money for certain items over others. You always can make a different decision and another choice, don’t let the money blind you. This is coming from someone who enjoys ganj a lot, but years have gone by and some of my friends that I came up with don’t move the same, look the same, or have any of the same values I used to share with them and it’s really sad. Do better.