06-28-2017, 12:07 AM
(06-27-2017, 09:57 PM)Millhouse Wrote: I dont blame the ACA for the heroin epidemic raging across the country. I blame the government for the last few decades that centered more on tobacco and marijuana as heroin slowly grew to be the monster it is today without much being done about it. Then throw in the fact that I also believe certain elements of the government actually allowed (or allowing) it to happen with cartels, drug lords and other foreign entities by turning a blind eye to shipments of it into our country as part of deals made.
I will say this though. Trump should have said we need to build the wall to keep drugs and guns out with more vigilant security towards our neighbor to the south, with illegals as a secondary reason. Maybe he would have got more support on it, because I would be all for more security on our southern border if that was the actual reason for it.
The opiod crisis is something so complex that blaming the ACA, or any one thing for that matter, is just lazy. You can point the finger at the big Pharma companies like Purdue that aggressively marketed and misrepresented the potential dangers of opiod addiction. You could blame the lack of time that doctors have to consult with some patients. The lack of alternative pain management options that should be but aren't readily available in many areas affected by the epidemic. The lack of resources when it comes to education and treatment for addiction certainly plays a role in it. It's a huge problem that will take a great amount of effort, resources, and investment to help curb, and it is hard to see any real change coming anytime soon.
The border crossers and illegal drugs sometimes go hand in hand. Some people crossing the border illegally are so desperate to get here that they end up paying the people with drugs and guns to help smuggle them here. A surprise price of passage can be to act as mules carrying drugs for them. If you refuse, you'll either be abandoned, or killed.
A wall will do little to slow the drugs coming in however. The most popular method of transportation is still just hiding it away in vehicles and going through an official checkpoint. Not to mention cannons, ladders, ultralight low-flying aircraft, tunnels, hell a fricking trebuchet would probably get the job done.
And sure, a wall will make foot traffic tougher, but again, necessity is the mother of all invention. The Coyotes will find ways to get people here. The added obstacle of a wall just makes the price go up. Can't afford the price? Better strap this coke/heroin to your waist.
It's all a gigantic problem. And trying to point the finger at the ACA, or using tens of billions of dollars on a wall instead of investing it in more effective ways to combat opioid abuse and addiction is just lazy and irresponsible, IMO.
