Heroin injects Rock County
Read more
Click here to read more stories of the Gazette's series on heroin and its impact on Rock County.
Photo 
Robert Spoden
Photo
David J. O'Leary
Photo
Jimmy Holford
Photo
David Spakowicz
JANESVILLE — When heroin gripped Rock County, people started dying.
Six residents died of heroin overdoses in 2008, according to the Rock County Coroner’s Office, and five more have died this year.
“Heroin will kill you,” Janesville police Sgt. Jim Holford said. “It’s ruining people's lives. It’s ruining their families.”
Loved ones are dying of overdoses.
Paramedics are reviving people.
Addicts are committing burglaries and thefts to fund their fix.
Counselors are treating more heroin patients.
Drug units are ramping up investigations.
And prosecutors are trying to put traffickers in prison.
Heroin has become an “epidemic,” officials said.
“It’s in our middle schools; it’s in our high schools; it’s in rural parts of our county and metropolitan parts of our county,” District Attorney David O’Leary said. “It’s cheap, and it’s plentiful.”
The heroin pipeline
Heroin jumped on the county’s radar screen in early 2008, investigators said.
Heroin comes from South America, mostly Colombia, said David Spakowicz of the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation.
The drug also comes from Afghanistan, where poppy growth proliferated after the U.S. military reduced the Taliban’s control over the crop, Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden said.
The drug is smuggled into the country across the Mexican border, officials said, and it eventually lands in Chicago.
Heroin then follows the typical drug-dealing pipeline from Chicago to Rockford, Ill., to Beloit, to Janesville and beyond, officials said.
Interstate 90/39 and Interstate 43 make Rock County a popular drug-trafficking route, O’Leary said.
Rockford dealers have even done heroin giveaways to get people hooked.
“Heroin customers are very loyal,” Spakowicz said. “They need it every day.”
Heroin users
Heroin has swelled into all parts of the area.
“We’ve got cases in the county; we’ve got cases in Janesville, and we’ve got cases in Beloit,” O’Leary said. “We’ve got rich kids, poor kids, white kids, black kids.”
The most common heroin user is between 18 and 26 years old, Spakowicz said.
Younger teens used to experiment with alcohol and marijuana, he said. Their drug use sometimes escalated to cocaine or ecstasy.
It was a long road to heroin.
Not anymore.
“The most alarming trend that we’ve seen statewide is the decrease of the median age of a heroin abuser,” Spakowicz said. “We’re seeing a more affluent, younger user, unfortunately, abusing heroin.
“Once you hit heroin, you don’t go any higher” he said. “That is the top of the heap.”
Users often start with painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin, later switching to heroin because it’s cheaper and available.
People previously might not have injected heroin because of the fear of needles or HIV. But users now can snort heroin if they don’t want to inject it into their veins.
Heroin’s high
Heroin’s popularity has replaced crack cocaine, officials said.
“It’s more plentiful and it’s cheaper,” O’Leary said.
A bag of heroin is $10 to $20, officials said, and addicts often use several bags a day.
“Everybody wants that rush, that bang,” Spakowicz said.
People are drawn to heroin’s relaxing, hours-long high, giving them no cares in the world, he said. And they can still function while high.
“They start out thinking they can control it, but it eventually takes over their lives,” Spakowicz said.
Eventually, friends shoot each other up. Boyfriends shoot up their girlfriends. Women provide sex for the drug. Users steal and burglarize businesses for drug money.
People continue to get high to avoid withdrawal symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting, Spakowicz said.
“The withdrawals are so physically demanding on the body. They say it’s like the flu but 10 times worse,” he said. “If you start getting the ‘sick on,’ you’ve got to get some heroin.”
Fighting heroin
Janesville police focused on heroin investigations in 2008 after users died of overdoses, Holford said.
Investigations last several months while detectives use informants, surveillance, body wires and other covert methods to bust heroin traffickers, according to criminal complaints.
The investigations paid off this year when more than a half-dozen people were arrested on heroin charges ranging from possession to delivery, Holford said.
The department’s street crimes unit has ongoing heroin investigations, he said. Other drug units in Rock County, state and federal agencies also are combating the drug.
Officials share case details and cooperate on investigations.
“Heroin is in Rock County, and we need to address it now before it becomes a major epidemic,” Spoden said. “The lives that people have lost in the past six months are unacceptable.”
It’s hard to know whether investigators are curbing the problem, but they’re trying.
“Like any drug investigation, it’s not going to happen overnight,” Spoden said.
The sheriff’s office has added a deputy to help fight heroin, he said.
Two more deputies will join the special investigations unit, which includes investigators from the sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies outside Janesville and Beloit, Spoden said.
Officials also are educating the community about the drug, he said.
Law enforcement officials recently spoke to the Janesville School Board. They want to meet with other school boards, city councils or town boards in the future, Spoden said.
Meanwhile, the courts must issue harsh penalties in heroin-related cases to scare users and dealers, O’Leary said.
And the county needs to expand its treatment options for addicts, he said. Treatment is scarce and expensive.
In many cases, heroin offenders use again when they’re released from jail, O’Leary said, and the cycle between heroin abuse and jail continues.
Apr 22, 2009 at 12:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
From Sound Off - Wed. April 22, 2009
"If we think we have a heroin probem now, wait and see what happens when they put that bike tunnel in. The drug dealers are sitting with their fingers crossed hoping that tunnel gets in. If it happens, we'll see more heldlines like Sunday's paper where young people lose their lives to heroin."
Dumbest Sound off EVER! I had to post it because of the shock I find myself in. I understand not liking the tunnel but the Heroin addicts crossing their fingers for it to be built...Dumbest Sound Off EVER!
Apr 22, 2009 at 9 a.m.
Suggest removal
numbers: i have a girlfriend. she does have a mustache and a mullet tho. does that count??
Apr 22, 2009 at 8:50 a.m.
Suggest removal
Hehe. Morons.
Apr 22, 2009 at 8:44 a.m.
Suggest removal
THE'CHILD'
I think you need a boyfriend.
that might help you get rid of stalkers =P
Apr 22, 2009 at 8:15 a.m.
Suggest removal
getalife: you pick up the pipe cuz you cant grasp this point. so i shared my info on ANOTHER blog. why did you put it on this blog?? did someone ask for it?? did i dare you to post it?? no, my contact info WASNT EVEN IN THE DISCUSSION...you apparently have some sick fascination with me and like most 12 year olds rather than just telling me how you feel about me you do the complete opposite and try to make me mad. you know i changed something on my myspace?? are you a myspace stalker too?? am i on your favorites page?? sick. you give me the willies stalker. i. am. not. interested. in. making. out. with. you. COMPRENDE??
Apr 21, 2009 at 10:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
WOW I'm out a couple of days and this thing took off!! I probably won't go back and read all the posts I missed. I made my opinion clear and I won't be changing it anytime soon. So, I guess there wasn't much more to say anyway!! thekid.....I got your email and I just haven't had time to respond.
Apr 21, 2009 at 9:48 p.m.
Suggest removal
OMG!!! Try to follow.. You posted your myspace link...on your myspace is your name(you did remove your last name thank God).....public domain....Put the pipe away.....
Apr 21, 2009 at 9:38 p.m.
Suggest removal
ive never posted my name. YOU DID. and there is ABSOLUTELY no point in you posting it other than being childish. it didnt start as a pot rant. it started as me AND OTHERS posting the logic behind legalization of all drugs to make it safer for the addicts. and to answer your question. yes. yes i do.
Apr 21, 2009 at 9:28 p.m.
Suggest removal
thekid....I didn't cross any line by my post.Once you posted it became public domain.Call me what you want but just like I said to you before... Think what you are doing to your children.When there is a story that affects others lives we REALLY don't need your rants on "the pot issue".We all get how you feel about it.Do you really think in 5-10 years you or anyone else will have a legal hemp related whatever !!! Dear Lord put the pipe down !!!
Apr 21, 2009 at 8:48 p.m.
Suggest removal
schnckstac1: good post and point taken:)
getalife: i stand corrected but ive posted what?? like 1500 posts?? im glad you like me enough to remember my name but again...im not interested in a stalker right now thanx. i apologize for not remembering posting that info but the number of posts has a little more to do with it than my pot intake. but i dont expect you to start believing me now. either way...that doesnt change the fact that thats my info to post and for you to post it AGAIN is childish. ive made it more than clear on even just this thread that im happy to discuss this but for you to post my info without my consent crosses a line. ive got info from several peeps thru this site, including some big time anti-potters but i would never share that cuz a) its not mine to share and 2) im not 12. good day. i said good day.
Apr 21, 2009 at 6:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
thekid3477.... Please stop smoking now !!! If you can't remember what you did or didn't do a little over a year ago....
Swat Team takes four into custody.
Post Nov.27 @2:24pm
first of all when u make a wrong choice that IS A FREAKIN mistake. and second of all, i have no idea who any of the people in this story are, but whoever dartplayer is i feel for your family. you are ignorant. 'the family that smokes togethor stays togethor'. you got something against families staying togethor?? cuz otherwise i dont get yo point. and as long as were talkin about pot...if what you know about pot is from a sample in college or what you were 'taught', then shut the FU. alcohol kills 80+ thousand people every year and i can buy that on any f'n corner in this town. NO ONE HAS EVER DIED FROM POT. go to google u uneducated people. ask google. its all rite there. i dont have to know anyone in this story and i can just about promise the real demon is alcohol, not marijuana/cannabis/hemp. keep your mind open to the possibility of a reality other than what youve been told. im always willing to discuss and educate..
www.myspace.com/thekid3477
By the way I also left off your personal email that you posted !!!!!!
Apr 21, 2009 at 5:58 p.m.
Suggest removal
Ok, kid I am not going to insult you or call you names, BUT I will not agree with you that pot needs to be on the shelf next to cigarettes. My mother has smoked the stuff my whole life and it has had huge effects on her and her CHILDREN! It alters her mood, does not make her think clearly, and has been a priority over her children our whole life. Yes, I do understand there are medical reasons it is needed, but so are a lot of drugs. There is also a big difference between a social smoker and someone who puts so much into their habit that it overtakes their life. I have smoked PLENTY of pot myself(it was easy to start, mom had a big stash I could steal from and get it for free). After having children myself I know I cannot FUNCTION and be the mother I need and want to be for my children. I do agree that drinking can be worse and has way more effects on our community. But just because I can drive better while high doesn't mean it's safe for me or my family. Maybe pot smokers shouldn't be hauled off to jail, but pot addicts (ecspecially parents) need some sort of consequences. As far as other users not going to jail, that's a little different. Never when I smoked pot regularly did I steal for my habit. I have a neighbor who has been on and off crack for years. He is 50 yrs old and lives with his mother. When he is on the drug he runs around our neighborhood all hours of the night, steals, and has questionable people in and out all of the time. I am sorry, but he deserves jail time or something. When he does serve time, he is out quick. From talking with him when he is sober(he is a great guy then) he "rats" the dealers out and gets off for his crimes. The whole getting the user to "rat out" the dealer clearly does not work. Consequences for a lfe long addict should be a little more harsh.
I will also say maybe your opinion and posts would be respected a little more if you thought about what you were going to say and how the topics at hand might be a little touchy for some. Coming on an article about the children of our community dying from heroin overdoses might not be the place to wish people happy 420.
Apr 21, 2009 at 5:06 p.m.
Suggest removal
actually if its completely legal my goal is to have a hemp cafe where you will indeed be able to buy such things. if its just medical my goal is to be caregiver...which means ill be able to legally grow pot for anyone who has a medical marijuana card and registers me as their grower. we have to get prez obama to follow thru on what he said and stop using federal money arresting medical users. once he commits to that you will see state after state pass medical marijuana laws. once the majority of states pass medical laws the feds will have no logical choice but to take away their penalties. when they take away their penalties YOU WILL see state after state legalize it to collect some revenue. uncle sam OBVIOUSLY cares nothing about a deficit. the states do however and they WILL milk that cash cow for every cent they can. disagree with me if you want...but what i say makes sense and trust me...ive put some thought into this;)
Apr 21, 2009 at 4:55 p.m.
Suggest removal
i dont WANT heroin legalized. i just happen to have the time and i know the logic behind the legalization. its the same logic they used to end alcohol prohibition. and technically drugs shouldnt be legalized. they should be de-criminalized. de-crim basically means they wont arrest the user. arrest the people supplying the drugs. making the drugs. NOT THE PEOPLE WHO USE OR ABUSE. incarceration does nothing. alcohol prohibiton arrested the suppliers and not the users. leaving pot out of it, cuz that should be on the shelf next to tobacco in a liquor store...but heroin will never be accessible at a gas station or something like that. thats silly. but there should be clean, regulated government sources for those who CHOOSE to use heroin to obtain it from. heroin itself is not a safe drug. but like the logic or not we can make it SAFER for a heroin user to use. would you rather have a junky be able to go into a dr to get a script for heroin, even if its paid with our tax money, or have that heroin user rob from his family and businesses to support his habbit. all these personal stories, and stories about heroin use GROWING in our county(and im sure rock isnt alone) are PROOF that the current laws have failed. are legal(de-criminalized) drugs the answer?? maybe...maybe not...but i know what we are using now isnt working. at all.
Apr 21, 2009 at 4:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
Hopefully, Kid, you can sell that Hempz lotion somewhat cheaper than they do at the salons...that stuff is the best...but a bit pricey!
Apr 21, 2009 at 4:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
thank you rummage and jillian. i like this nic name so its NOT hard to find me but getalife is WRONG i did not ever put myspace up here. if someone else did thats lame o...but whatever. again getalife...i have nothing to hide...but i am not going to give everyone access to my personal info. that info is mine an mine only to pass out. yer a fool and i appreciate those on my side. im glad you remember my name. everyone who reads the gazette will know it within the next 5 to 10 years when i open up my hemp related business.
Apr 21, 2009 at 4:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
kid: exactly my point pot and heroin or any drug for that matter should never be put in the same category. I don't fault you for wanting pot legalized BUT heroin? not one reason in my mind why it should be legal, I realize the argument all or no drugs being legal but what good could ever come out of heroin being legal, you talk bad about alcohol and heroins even worse. That's why I call you out of your mind. Pot is good for many medical reasons cancer being number one but many more as well and that's why it should be legalized. One of the meanings for 'chemical' is 'made by' or a process, thc isn't a chemical because it's not made or mixed with anything of unnatural substance. I'm not even a smoker but I do know/knew some cancer patients and thats why it's so important.
Apr 21, 2009 at 3:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
There is one thing to say you have nothing to hide, opinionwise...
why don't YOU put YOUR name out there for everyone to see? You're so eager to 'out' people...
Apr 21, 2009 at 12:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
Sorry...But I miss the toothpaste mints !!
Apr 21, 2009 at 11:51 a.m.
Suggest removal
We don't all have to see eye to eye. But I do believe that respect is a valuable attribute.
Apr 21, 2009 at 10:52 a.m.
Suggest removal
We didn't see eye to eye before,so why would it be any different now ????
Apr 21, 2009 at 10:51 a.m.
Suggest removal
If I remember correctly, thekid did not put up his MySpace link, someone mentioned that they had found him on MySpace under his username here. So typical of Janesville's nosey roseys, they looked him up! LOL!
Apr 21, 2009 at 10:27 a.m.
Suggest removal
And that is fine IHAVEALIFE, but the best approach to that would be to not stoop to the level of immaturity. Right? If you were trusted with that information, then that is where is should have stayed. But, that is my way, and I realize not all are that way. But next time I would love to see you chose to keep mum about personal information. -no offense intended towards you, it just a little bit uncomfortable when a person cannot be trusted, that's all.
Apr 21, 2009 at 10:21 a.m.
Suggest removal
R-Srocks... Are you kidding me ?? He always saids he has nothing to hide. He is the one that put his myspace link on here.He said no one even knew his name ??? By the way I didn't forget his last name either!!!!
Apr 21, 2009 at 10:12 a.m.
Suggest removal
OMG! KID, I just started facebook last week. I tell you what, that is addicting! Like my big ole butt needed one more reason to sit in front of the puter! My poor flowers are being neglected. I have had to start giving myself good work privledges...lol. Seriously though, FB is so need for us 'older' kids. :)
IHAVEALIFE, what you did was really quite goofy. Why would you do something like that? Really made you look like a childish, below the belt, seeking attention jerk. I used to work with people like you in an office, and that was the most catty situation I have ever witnessed and would live in a box before going back to that environment. There is a better way to get attention....be nice.
Apr 21, 2009 at 9:44 a.m.
Suggest removal
getalife plz find me that post where i linked to myspace. i think you just have some kind of stalker fantasy about me coming into your life with my good herb and taking all your worries away. somebodys crushin huh getalife;) youre probably a good person but im already with someone. thanx tho:) an either way...its my info to share not yours. btw im a fb'er now...myspace is sooo last year;)
Apr 21, 2009 at 9:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
My comment gets removed because thekid put up a link to HIS myspace and I said his name after HE told us where to find it !! Whatever !!
thekid... NEVER email me again !!!!!!
Apr 21, 2009 at 8:48 a.m.
Suggest removal
ihavealife youre a chimp. i got nothin to hide. anyone wants to email me i will be happy to divulge as much info as you want. but to put my name on this board is childish and BEYOND ignorant.
worldlove your post starts out by saying the exact reason why pot and heroin dont belong in the same category. then you call ME out of my mind?? funny. so because i know the arguement for cancer patients i cant also know the logical argument behind all drugs being legalized?? that makes no sense.
let me make this clear. there is only ONE 'chemical' i put in my body. no alcohol. no nicotine. no caffeine. no aspirin. no prescriptions. JUST THC...and not being a scientist not even sure if that qualifies as a 'chemical'. whatever. im not arguing that heroin should be legal for my own benefit. ive never been enticed by the idea...ive never even seen the drug...and ive seen and done my share of dift drugs. i discuss the logic behind legalizing this drug because its the EXACT SAME LOGIC THEY ARGUED TO END ALCOHOL PROHIBITION. i dont care if they keep heroin illegal. at all. but if they want to keep some drugs illegal then they should make ALL DRUGS ILLEGAL. for uncle sam to pick and chose which drugs TAX PAYING ADULT CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES can consume is silly. the 'war on drugs' has been an utter failure and cost us BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. yet the two drugs that are COMPLETELY legal to anyone who reaches a certain age and KILL MORE THAN ALL OTHER DRUGS COMBINED REMAIN LEGAL. how do you blind not understand the hypocrisy in that?? its utterly ridiculous.
Apr 21, 2009 at 7:48 a.m.
Apr 21, 2009 at 12:45 a.m.
Suggest removal
Very well said Rummagesalesrock!!!!!! I agree, keep them coming!!!!
Apr 20, 2009 at 11:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
SANGUS and GAZETTE STAFF, I LOVE that you are placing these stories consistently in your paper. I would love to see them continue as long as the problems exsists. Often when the news quiets down, so does our memories. Please keep this in the forefront, and thank you for bringing the desire in my heart to be MORE proactive in my community and family.
Apr 20, 2009 at 8:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
Brixo.. you don't know how many people in my life time who smokes/smoked pot AND if they couldn't find it would NEVER think "hey I might as well go buy some heroin or another drug to get me by" stupid talk. thekid is out of his mind and kid, if you think your doing good by trying to legalize pot for these cancer patients, your doing them NO good by trying to legalize horrible chemical drugs that can kill you in a second way to go kid, good way to fight for them cancer patients! officerfriendly I sure hope you don't work for the system because your the exact oppisite of what we need, LOONEY.
Apr 20, 2009 at 8:34 p.m.
Suggest removal
flake?? idiot?? there are just as many on these blogs who support changing the current laws...but its our half that are flakes?? itiots?? of course you delete them. why would you want to take a minute to find out who i really am when its SOOOOO much easier to just use your IGNORANT pre-concieved judgements about me...when...you...dont...even...know...my...first...name. and as far as hijacking....ummmm these stories are ABOUT DRUGS. we are simply stating our beliefs on how to help the problem. im sorry i guess i must be partially blind too cuz all i can read in your posts are insults and no answers. thanx for adding to the discussion tho shop.
Apr 20, 2009 at 7:40 p.m.
Suggest removal
There obviously is a serious problem of heroin use in Rock County. Perhaps it could be called an epidemic. What is particularily troubling about it is the young age of the users and the number of and age of those who have been killed by it.
It is illegal and rightfully so. Yet the drug pushers and promoters and the flakes who think it should be legalized manage to hijack almost every discussion that is started on the subject to push their drug use. When are you morons going to accept that it is not legal and it will not become legal? Is your drug use clouding your thought processes that much? Of course it is. Don't bother e-mailing me, I delete them.
Apr 20, 2009 at 7:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
post...of...the...day...
Apr 20, 2009 at 6:41 p.m.
Suggest removal
"People think it's all about misery and desperation and death and all that ... , which is not to be ignored, but what they forget is the pleasure of it. Otherwise we wouldn't do it. After all, we're not ... stupid. At least, we're not that ... stupid. Take the best orgasm you ever had, multiply it by a thousand and you're still nowhere near it. When you're on junk you have only one worry: scoring. When you're off it you are suddenly obliged to worry about all sorts of other ... . Got no money: can't get pished. Got money: drinking too much. Can't get a bird: no chance of a ride. Got a bird: too much hassle. You have to worry about bills, about food, about some football team that never ... wins, about human relationships and all the things that really don't matter when you've got a sincere and truthful junk habit."
Mark "Rent-Boy" Renton (Trainspotting)
How much better could it be phrased? What need is there to say more to those on the outside who are trying to understand this problem? It's really just the weak, choosing to opt out of real life -- it's hard, after all, but people 100 or 1000 years didn't have TIME to think about how hard it was they had to "work" just to survive! -- and retreating into the clouded, "safe" interior landscape of their minds.
YOU WILL NEVER ELIMINATE HEROIN (or fill in the next trendy drug name here), and you will never successfully jail, counsel, or treat any significant portion of the users - PERIOD! Anyone who is willing to shoot junk into their veins is not going to worry about getting arrested. There is no counseling that can be court-ordered and applied from the outside that will work. IT HAS TO BE THEIR CHOICE TO STOP!
Best option -- make if legal, tax it, and dis-empower the gang violence and profit motives that area associated with it. And, hey, after all, look at the music jazz giant Charlie Parker was able to channel while flying on junk (even though he died in his 30s with what the medical examiner termed a body or a man in his 60s!). Occasionally one's demons are one's greatest creative source (unfortunately, sometimes paying the ultimate price of death in the bargain, of course!).
And by the way, if I was unable to wake my dog up some morning, I wouldn't carry him into the shade and leave him for four hours, I'd take him to the vet IMMEDIATELY, if you catch my drift!
Apr 20, 2009 at 5:24 p.m.
Suggest removal
Thank you, I will tell you some steps I have made within my family and friends circle. First, I was a juvenille deliquent so I have a little experience with bad choices. So, my cousins and brothers have never been scared to tell me things. I have made sure that door has been open without judgement. When I talk I talk from experience and I try to use "I" statements so they don't feel attacked. I try to find a way I can relate to them. I have been the one my cousins have come to for help with numerous things. First thing being birth control. Of course I talk of the dangers and tell them stories of some of my bad choices. I have also been called in the middle of the night to come get them from a party. I have always said I will come NO MATTER what as long as they promise me to be safe. I have been there to scare the crap put of the boy who put his hands on my cousin (her dad said she's a big girl). There has been numerous times I have been there to help with difficult situations. I will say it hasn't been easy when it comes to getting along with my family. I am the black sheep for sure. My opinion is not always valued. BUT I wouldn't change it a bit because I know my bad choices have helped my cousins and brothers from making them.
I know it will be different when it comes to my children. BUT I have asked those cousins and brothers I have been there for to please always be there for my kids and help them and give them the same understanding and time I did them. So, I pray my help will teach them to do the right thing and to help others when they get older.
Apr 20, 2009 at 4:08 p.m.
Suggest removal
schnckstac1....I couldn't of said it better !!! Sorry to say that the parents that need to read and understand your words the most will never get it.I'm talking about the ones that want all of the rest of us to think they have the perfect lives, homes, cars kids etc.I made a comment on here in late 2007 early 2008 about the drugs,gangs fights etc and a dad came at me like I had no idea what I was talking about.So he did ask his son about what I had said and of course the son told him it wasn't that bad.I don't have the need to be right, but when you try to tell some parents what is happening at the school their own children attend and they dismiss your heads-up what are you to do? That same dad came on here a few months later saying how that same son was at home on a saturday nights by himself because all of his friends were out drinking and partyin',does that dad really believe those kids didn't do that a few months before when they were still in high school ? He just couldn't believe that his sons friends drank and partied ?? Hello... their kids and they only tell parents what they want.Those are the parents that truly have their head in the sand and when this affects they family and it will one way or another they won't know what to do. Sad but true !
Apr 20, 2009 at 3:43 p.m.
Suggest removal
You all can debate all you want whether this or that should be legal, but at the end of the day the truth remains the same, lives are being ruined by drugs of all kinds. And we all should take notice to what we all individually can do to stop this. A really good start, I believe, would be to tell your children you love them every chance you get, as well as show them, from the day they are born, and encourage their self esteem to be high by making them KNOW they are important, and be a positive role model. If from this MOMENT on any perspective and current parent could take that oath, the future would hold a significantly less amount of drug abuse and suicides. I seriously think I could guarantee that!
Apr 20, 2009 at 3:39 p.m.
Suggest removal
It's funny because when I read this story and the numerous other ones the only thing I could think about is my children. As a mother this is a very scary reality! I started thinking about my choices as a parent and how that will effect my children. Legalized or not it is a drug that is killing our children!!!!!! That is scary!!!
Then I remembered the article that made me want to sign up on here and make a post.(it was about turning the feed store into a community center) I remember going back and forth with a few stuck up parents who stood by the "take care of your own" theory. They said kids have plenty to do and had awful judgements for "street kids". Well, here we are a few months later and this REALITY is out in the open. It is also not all about the "forth ward" families. It is hitting all classes!!!
I bring this up because I believe WE ALL have a responsibility to open our arrogant eyes to what is really happening around us. How many parents allow drinking these days? How many of us are too scared to invade our children's privacy? How many are too scared to tell another parent what they feel? How many of us tell others it isn't their business if a comment is made? How many of us ignore things we see with our children's friends? How many are completely blind because their child appears to have it all together? How many of us are too busy with our own lives that we don't take the time to talk to our kids? I think a lot of it comes down to all of those unwritten rules of society we all have ignored. When there is a problem the ony way to get to the root is by chipping away at the surface and refuse to stop digging!!
Apr 20, 2009 at 3:34 p.m.
Suggest removal
I seem to remember reading about people dying from Alcohol OVERDOSE - Legal
I know I heard of this disease, I believe it has been linked to tobacco use and is fairly deadly, CANCER - tobacco - legal
That said, I fear for the day other drugs are made legal because I was one of those idiots that pretty much tried every legal drug. I would have tried weed, heroin, etc... if they were legal. It scares me to death because I doubt I would be where I am today if I had done that.
Now, that said, locking people up for doing an illegal drug does not make sense to me. I don't know the answer but I don't think this is a war worth giving up on but we certainly need a new strategy. Life for dealing, $ for setting up the dealer, something to get rid of the dealers because it all starts with them.
I read most of the posts (including the ignorant comment about Mexico - IDIOT) and this is one of those issues I am unsure about.
The bottom line is we need to do EVERYTHING we can to prevent new users. Education, remove kids from the home, harsher penalties for dealing to kids, etc...
Legalize pot, age 21, stronger dealing penalties for all drugs...alcohol, tobacco, pot, etc...
Take one drug off the street.
Apr 20, 2009 at 2:56 p.m.
Suggest removal
What is wrong with you people ?? This is a story about people dying from drugs and all you care about is why you can't smoke pot !!Really do yourself a favor and stop smoking before all you brain cells are gone.
A story in todays paper is about 2 boys from Craig High Schhool that did herion 4 years ago.But yet this story from yesterday said herion didn't come on the radar until 2008.Can we all say "sugar coat "the problem or some just can't do math.Wake up before it's one of your love ones !!!
Apr 20, 2009 at 2:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
Shopiere I don't think the poster was trying to change the gist of the thread. He was just responding to your ignorant comment about Mexico. He's not the only one who found it offensive.
Apr 20, 2009 at 2:34 p.m.
Suggest removal
This is WAYYYYY off topic, but someone asked me this, and I can't remember at all...
Remember several years ago, a guy in Beloit murdered his girlfriend, stayed awhile in the house with her then went on a drug Binge? Anyone remember his name or the year or anything?
Apr 20, 2009 at 1:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
AgainwithThis--Please take the time to read "Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure"
by Mark Thornton
Mark Thornton is the O. P. Alford III Assistant Professor of Economics at Auburn University.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_...
It may help answer some of your questions
Apr 20, 2009 at 12:55 p.m.
Suggest removal
R.S.R. - Couldn't have said it better myself!
Apr 20, 2009 at 12:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
heres an INSTANT CLASSIC legalize weed video;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_fldwTQa...
Apr 20, 2009 at 11:47 a.m.
Suggest removal
kennedy im not sure where the 4:20 thing started. 110% sure its not hitler or columbine:) maybe garcia but i doubt.
Apr 20, 2009 at 11:38 a.m.
Suggest removal
for my poem??
My name is Uncle Sam,
And there's no need to fight.
Regardless of what you think,
I am always right.
I will raise your taxes,
And maybe raise them some more.
I will give myself a raise,
Like the year just before.
You voted pot as medicine,
How can that be??
Your vote aint worth crap,
When you're talkin to me.
At 21 my alcohol will murder,
At 18 my tobacco kills.
If your kid wakes up pissed,
Just give him these pills.
I am Ucle Sam,
My system will not fail.
But if you smoke that plant,
Im gonna throw your butt in jail.
Apr 20, 2009 at 11:27 a.m.
Apr 20, 2009 at 11:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
insult my clarity?? thats sooo unlike the blind. being legal and regulated is not why it kills more people againwiththis. it kills more people cuz people CHOSE to get in a car and drive after they consume it. if no one EVER got in a car to drive after they drink the biggest problems with legal alcohol would be domestic abuse. not ok to do...but certainly not death. will more problems arise with legal drugs. yes. but you will also elimaten numerous problems. if you want drugs to be illegal im ok with that. if that would REALLY help the drug problem id agree to it. but we most def need to add alcohol and nicotine to that list. either make all drugs legal or make them all illegal. to call me(a lifetime designated driver) a criminal because i smoke pot while you can chose to DRIVE to a bar and drink as much as you want is the pinnacle of hypocrisy.
Apr 20, 2009 at 10:58 a.m.
Suggest removal
Oh and BTW maybe the reason alcohol kills so many more than illegal drugs is because IT IS LEGAL and is more accesbile. You use this as your argument? Can you NOT SEE that by legalizing drugs the SAME thing will happen? It will be more accesbile and used MORE, therefore causing the rate of deaths, accidents etc to rise. Two wrongs do not make a right~~remember that saying?
Apr 20, 2009 at 10:53 a.m.
Suggest removal
Kid...I'm just wondering. Why is it pot smokers unite on 4/20? Is it because of Garcia's death? Because of Hitlers birthday? Because of the anniversary of Columbine? Just wondering why today of all days...
Apr 20, 2009 at 10:53 a.m.
Suggest removal
thekid~~no offense, but your argument is just as idiotic. You want something made legal just so you don't face arrest. How terribly silly of you~that is your argument?????? I'm sure there are many responsible people out there who would like many illegal things made legal just so they don't face arrest. And there we go again, spouting off the evils of alcohol to make the argument to legalize drugs. Simply makes no sense~~maybe you should lay off for a while so you can think clearly.
Apr 20, 2009 at 10:33 a.m.
Suggest removal
againwiththis that is the STUPIDEST most blind argument you could possibly make...no offense;) you are equating me and millions like me who use 'drugs' in a responsible manner to murderers?? silly. alcohol is LEGAL and it kills more people THAN ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS COMBINED. i guess since thats ALREADY legal...maybe we should have looked into legalizing murder long ago??
Apr 20, 2009 at 10:16 a.m.
Suggest removal
anotheropinion~~I agree and I think our society has completely lacked in education on the perils of drug use. There are things here and there, but let's face it nothing like the anti tobacco campaign.
Apr 20, 2009 at 10:12 a.m.
Suggest removal
officerfriendly~~I agree that counseling, rehab, etc are what work best. I do believe we need to still have the alternative of jail for those who do not cooperate with that. I don't believe legalizing drugs has anything to do with that.
Apr 20, 2009 at 10:09 a.m.
Suggest removal
thekid~~okay you want it legalized so you don't have to worry about arrest. Shall we legalize murder too? We wouldn't want our fellow American citizens who choose to murder someone have to worry about arrest.
Apr 20, 2009 at 9:47 a.m.
Suggest removal
anotheropinion: i may agree with you...if scaring the hell out of them about drinking and smoking had worked. what seems to have worked for smoking is it ultimately became 'uncool' to smoke. how that happened im not sure. how that could happen for alcohol im not sure. how that is suppose to happen for heroin and other drugs im not sure. what im sure of however is that scaring the hell out of them didnt work and wont work.
Apr 20, 2009 at 9:34 a.m.
Suggest removal
How can the younger generation not know how bad this stuff is? Have used so many dollars scaring the hell out of our kids about alcohol and tobacco, that we forgot to scare them about heroin? I think maybe so. Whatever happened to legitimate drug education? They need to be scared about the really bad drugs!! When you lump cigarettes and beer into the same catagory you water down the drug abuse message.
Let's start taking the same hard core approach we have taken with teenage drinking and smoking and apply it to the hard core drugs like heroin, in a few years we may see some changes.
Apr 20, 2009 at 8:53 a.m.
Suggest removal
and btw....HAPPY 4/20 TO ALL TOKERS!!:)
Apr 20, 2009 at 8:49 a.m.
Suggest removal
Would it be possible to "post" these heroin articles in the courthouse close to where people could read them before going into the intake courtroom?
Apr 20, 2009 at 8:47 a.m.
Suggest removal
againwiththis. slow down and think about what im saying. i dont want the gov't to legalize drugs and then let me do whatever i want. i want them to legalize drugs so i AS A REPSONSIBLE TAX PAYING CITIZEN IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ARREST. those who support legalization are more than willing to accept some rules and restraints regarding our consumption and possession. we just dont want to be criminals. the same as the people whose drug of choice is alcohol arent criminals.
Apr 20, 2009 at 8:21 a.m.
Suggest removal
OFFICER, too often anger and hostility fuels the desire to change current situations. I believe that if compassion for you fellow man would be that fuel, we would have a much higher sucess rate in being heard.
Apr 20, 2009 at 8:20 a.m.
Suggest removal
I do want to ad, that some times the police DO need to be involved in order to create a paper trail to help a person who is in denial of the need for help. But of course, that can only go so far, as I have stated, I have learned from experience. As far as incarceration for drugs, I also disagree with that. A jail is not the place for a person with a substance abuse problem because that problem evolved from some sort of issue to begin with, and incarcerating someone, I am guessing, would only make those issues larger. In my opinion I believe that the money that is spent to incarcerate 'moderate' drug offenders should be spent to send them to a treatment facility. It is far to difficult to get the help most of these people need for the lack of funds or insurance. Because my understanding is, when a true drug problems exsists, finances are pretty well directed towards that drug, and a dollar is far and few between for anything else. Therefore, I believe that instead of funding for new jails, there should be an alternative 'jail'. A rehabilitation jail. A place where they MUST stay just as a jail, but with an agenda to 'fix' a problem. Probably an "ideal" world philosophy, but in the end a much more economically positive one. Like a said, a person who has been hurt, continues to hurt, whether it be themselves or others....and until that hurt is stopped, the cycle will continue. Humanity should be the agenda.
Apr 20, 2009 at 8:11 a.m.
Suggest removal
Nah, I would much rather keep my earnings from the rummage sale I have. Good Idea though! :) This drug epidemic is very sad, but I think every few decades an 'epidemic' of some sort evolves, and pretty much runs it's course and it for a reason. I am not going to elaborate on my opinions of what the reasons are because those are just that, mine, but I believe everything happens at the precise time. We all can only do what we can do. And as long as I go to sleep every day with a clear conscience, I know that I did my part. You state all of these statistical 'facts' based on websites you have found, but in all actuality, it comes down to the humanity of your fellow man doesn't it?
Apr 20, 2009 at 8 a.m.
Suggest removal
You can check out the rest of "INCARCERATION VS SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT FOR NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS" at http://www.geocities.com/tear7506/Incarc....
Apr 20, 2009 at 7:56 a.m.
Suggest removal
II Criticisms of War on Drugs
A. Only about 10% of the major illicit drugs smuggled into the United States are interdicted.
B. Drug related emergency room visits and drug related arrests continue to increase.
C. Prison populations are exploding due to drug-related crime.
1. It is estimated that arrests for drug law violations in 2003 will exceed the 2000 number of 1,579,566.
a. An arrest every 20 seconds
2. Of the 1,579,566 arrested in 2000, 734,497 or 46.5% were for cannabis.
3. 646,042 of those were for possession alone.
4. Approximately 236,800 people will be incarcerated for drug law violations in 2003.
a. 648 per day
D. 2,071,686 people incarcerated in the United States at the end of 2000.
1. 330,000 incarcerated in prisons and jails in 1972, increased to over 2 million by 2003.
2. 76.8% increase in the percent of sentenced prisoners in state and federal systems, 1990-2000.
E. The country can no longer afford the costs of the war on drugs.
1. The costs of prison construction and housing now totals nearly $40 billion annually.
2. The United States federal government will spend over 19.2 billion dollars on the War on Drugs this year.
a. $609 per second
3. Present policies have dramatically increased the profits of drug dealers and created more economic burdens in the form of increased law enforcement.
C The War on Drugs has made drugs a criminal justice issue rather than a community or health issue. Current policy is punitive and costly. We are using valuable time, attention, and resources that could be invested in more constructive approaches to the drug abuse problem.
C Presently Federal drug control policy allocates two-thirds of funds for law enforcement and incarceration, and just one-third to prevention and treatment.
Apr 20, 2009 at 7:54 a.m.
Suggest removal
History of Drug Laws
A. 1st American Anti-drug law was an 1875 ordinance which outlawed opium dens - not the importation or use in other forms.
B. Before 1907, all drugs could be bought and sold like any other consumer good.
C. The Food and Drugs act of 1906 sought to prevent mislabeling or misbranding foods or drugs.
D. Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914, was passed as a record-keeping law and tax but quickly became a prohibition statute.
1. Required sellers to get a license if they were to handle opiates and cocaine.
2. Under the Treasury Department
E. Volstead Act or “Prohibition” went into effect January 16, 1921.
F. By 1935, 36 states had laws regulating the use, sale, or possession of marijuana.
G. 1937 Marijuana Tax Act taxed the growers, distributors, sellers and buyers.
1. State laws made it illegal.
H. 1965, Drug Abuse Control Amendments allowed Federal Drug Administration to recommend that the Department of Health Education and Welfare control the use of dangerous drugs (amphetamines, barbiturates, and LSD).
I. Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 specifically stated the drugs under this act were now under Federal jurisdiction. This act was to control drugs directly not just through taxes.
1. Alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine were excluded.
J. President Richard Nixon declared “War on Drugs” in 1971.
10. Introduced stronger criminal penalties for drug dealers.
11. Proposed a rapid expansion of drug treatment facilities.
K. 1982, President Reagan calls for escalation of war on drugs
L. Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 increases drug sentences and enacts mandatory sentencing guidelines.
Apr 20, 2009 at 7:49 a.m.
Suggest removal
Public health approaches towards drug offenders have gained national attention and public support. In a 2002 survey sponsored by the Open Society Institute, "Changing Public Attitudes Towards the Criminal Justice System," 63% of Americans considered drug abuse a problem that should be addressed primarily through counseling and treatment, rather than the criminal justice system. The tide is changing.
Apr 20, 2009 at 7:05 a.m.
Suggest removal
Maybe we can have county wide rummage sales to pay for the new jail that will be needed to incarcerate all the non-violent drug offenders who will be arrested because of this new heroin "epidemic". Legalize and regulate all drugs and spend the trillions of dollars we are already spending on a failed "drug war" on education and rehabilitation instead.
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:39 p.m.
Suggest removal
OFFICER, I know your question wasn't directed towards me, but my answer would be ALL OF THE ABOVE. If I felt the police needed to be involved, even if it was my own child, I would not hesitate to call them. Without a vendetta I might ad. Only love.
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:04 p.m.
Suggest removal
officerfriendly~~I'm sure whatever answer I give to your loaded question wouldn't satisfy you.
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
AGAIN...isn't is almost like a curse? Honestly, sometimes the worrying can make me almost go nuts! LOL :)
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:50 p.m.
Suggest removal
AgainwithThis, I hope your kids never "need something like drugs OR alcohol to make them feel good, relax or give them an escape" as well. You have done the right thing by trying to educate them on the harmful effects of heroin. But what if they do choose to use drugs? Will you call the police and have them arrested or will you choose education and rehabilitation?
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
rummagesalesrock~~I agree and as moms I think it's our very nature to worry about EVERYthing!! I hope my kids will always remember my telling them of a high school friend who died the very first time he used heroin. I've told them how terribly sad it was to go to his funeral. To this day I still think of him and how horribly his life ended. I point out to my kids those we know that have problems with different things such as drugs and as them 'is that how you want to live your life?' I can only hope that I've raised them to be strong confident people that don't need something like drugs OR alcohol to make them feel good, relax or give them an escape.
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:17 p.m.
Suggest removal
And I do want to clarify, this user I know, I have exhausted every avenue to try and help them. I have called the cops on them while they were high, and they have had to sit in detox, etc, but once they were deemed 'safe', they were released time and time again. Only to do it over and over. I finally had to detach my heart from taking on the sole responsibility of their wellness. I realized I couldn't do it, no matter how much I thought I could. Now, it is just common knowledge that if they decide to walk the straight and narrow, I will be here with a hand to help.
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
I just recently heard from a user, whom I pray everyday gets clean, that you can score heroin within 15 minutes in Rock County, without knowing how to. He lives in Milton, and said it is very easy there and in Janesville. Especially in the Hospital neighborhood. This is scary. I am terrified of drugs, so it seems only natural 'to me' that one wouldn't want to risk it, but common sense tells me that there are far to many people looking for band aids, and those band aids become the knife that slits their own throat. I just pray that my children never lose their fear of drugs that I have (hopefully) taught them. I am not nieve, I do know that anything could happen at anytime, but I make darn well certain I am proactive in keeping my children safe. I was just called a 'freak' by my teenage son this morning because I worry too much. And quite honestly, he is a very good boy, and I do worry A LOT, but I am a mother, and I claim that as my job! I pray for each and every person out there who knows someone or is someone with this monkey on their back. I pray that strength finds you all, and leads you to peace. (as well as myself, being I have many friends and family members who are involved with vices).
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
you're not going to get rid of drugs using the government, laws and wars, I guess you would if you used the we the people part of government, it's up to individuals to stop the use, it's up to the people to stop the trade, watch your friends and kids, help, not harp quit whining about govenment help, you forget who the govenment is I guess, just say no...be a example, do the right thing..
Apr 19, 2009 at 9:50 p.m.
Suggest removal
the reason so many young adults and teens are overdosing and using heroin is because its the easiest and cheapest thing to find lately. weed is becoming too expensive and too hard to find, so they've been going to harder drugs that are cheap and that are always available, like heroin. its ALWAYS out there and ALWAYS will be unless these officials start doing there job and going for the dealers not petty little things.
Apr 19, 2009 at 9:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
thekid~~so you want the gov't to legalize drugs and then let you do whatever you want~~hmmmmm, interesting.
And I asked for credentials and that's a bad thing? I did a search and all I came up with on Cowan was his article on a some conspiracy theory article. I'm still waiting for info on how the credentials he has in dealing with drug issues. Sorry but I could post a thousand articles and if the credentials aren't there then what use are they? If someone is going to post something, like an article, then they should be prepared to back it up.
I'm not blind, nor am I stupid. I will never believe that legalizing drugs will ever do any good for our society. Maybe one day when the haze clears for you, you can see the same.
Apr 19, 2009 at 9:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
Thread Jacking- Urban Dictionary
Taking over a thread on a message board by taking a part of the original posted topic, twisting it around and "hijacking" the thread itself. What happens is that the original content contained in the post becomes moot and whatever the "Thread Jacker" has manipulated the content to be becomes the new content thereby "hijacking" the original intent of post. People now respond to the "thread jacker's" input and the that becomes the focus of the tread.
Apr 19, 2009 at 8:26 p.m.
Suggest removal
yer not thinking clearly againwiththis. we dont want uncle sam to legalize and regulate drugs and to control how it is we take those drugs. we want to control how it is we take those drugs. we want uncle sam to legalize drugs so those of us who want to consume drugs, the same as those whose drug of choice is alcohol, can CHOSE to consume without having to fear the source, the quality, or arrest resulting in loss of freedoms.
and typcial discussion with the blind. ask for credentials. given credentials(nice job crafty) and then you doubt those credentials from a google search?? you are aware how a search engine works yes??
Apr 19, 2009 at 7:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
And.............what are his credentials on dealing with the drug issue? I only ask because I question anyone whose articles come up on google under a conspiracy theory newsletter.
Apr 19, 2009 at 7:56 p.m.
Suggest removal
Richard C. Cowan is a graduate of Yale and a co-founder of Young Americans for Freedom.
Apr 19, 2009 at 7:33 p.m.
Suggest removal
officerfriendly~~what credentials does Richard Cowan have?
Apr 19, 2009 at 7:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
partarcian1, No it doesn't. It is extremely easy to buy food that isn't from the craphole to the South.
I can't imagine that anyone would want to buy any food manufactured or grown in Mexico, the craphole to the South.
My household buys no food from Mexico, quite presumptuous of anyone to say so.
I thought this article was about heroin. Did you just fall out of a tree or something?
Apr 19, 2009 at 7:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
"HOW THE NARCS CREATED CRACK"
Richard C. Cowan
http://www.drugtext.org/library/articles...
Apr 19, 2009 at 6:49 p.m.
Suggest removal
Shopierehuh-The crap hole to the south feeds you during the cold months when food is out of season here, if you buy food from the grocery store.
Apr 19, 2009 at 6:46 p.m.
Suggest removal
thekid~~I have to laugh about the whole thing~~really. People who want to legalize drugs complain because the gov't is controlling and won't let 'the people' do what they want and do drugs. BUT, they want the gov't to legalize drugs and then control how it is they take those drugs. It really is quite funny!
Apr 19, 2009 at 6:41 p.m.
Suggest removal
You can't compare prohibition to drugs, now, etc. Alcohol was 'legal' then prohibited, then made legal again. It is a completely different scenario than what we face with the drugs of today. Sorry, I don't for one minute buy the fact that by legalizing drugs we'll be making it safer. We'll just be making it more accessible and okay for people to use.
Apr 19, 2009 at 6:36 p.m.
Suggest removal
From the CATO Institute article "Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure"
by Mark Thornton
Mark Thornton is the O. P. Alford III Assistant Professor of Economics at Auburn University.
"Alcohol became more dangerous to consume; crime increased and became "organized"; the court and prison systems were stretched to the breaking point; and corruption of public officials was rampant."
Sound familiar people?
Apr 19, 2009 at 5:58 p.m.
Suggest removal
no it doesnt make you wonder againwiththis. you dont think the alcohol that people consume today is safer than the alcohol made during prohibition?? people still drank during prohibition. we would have had the same problem with alcohol during prohibition that we do now...IF PEOPLE HAD CARS. we know there will be problems with legalized drugs...but again theres numerous problems with illegalized drugs that as all the storys are pointing outl...ARE GETTING WORSE. the 'war on drugs' HAS FAILED. its time to rethink our strategy. take the blinders off people...
Apr 19, 2009 at 4:39 p.m.
Suggest removal
klick~~I don't think we have much to worry about. Those who cry for legalization of drugs can't keep their own argument straight. They say to legalize the drugs so they can be better controlled. Then they turn around and tell us to look at alcohol and how much worse that is than drugs. They will tell you to look at all the horrible things alcohol does, how it ruins lives, causes accidents, etc. Oh but WAIT, alcohol is legal~~~if legalization is the answer then why do we have such a problem with alcohol?? Huh? Makes you wonder doesn't it?? Maybe legalization isn't the answer then!
Apr 19, 2009 at 3:42 p.m.
Suggest removal
They are illegal now. How wonderful that is working. Good point Klick.
Apr 19, 2009 at 3:07 p.m.
Suggest removal
I can't believe some of you posters want to legalize drugs .what few brain cells you have left are disappearing .
Apr 19, 2009 at 2:57 p.m.
Suggest removal
We can increase enforcement. We can make new laws. The fact remains that some citizens of this country will still get high on whatever they can find legal or illegal. We CANNOT keep throwing tax dollars at a "drug war" that is not working. LEAP (http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php)
Apr 19, 2009 at 1:18 p.m.
Suggest removal
The big city drug for the low income people has arrived in force. my brother worked at a drug rehab center in the 90's and every single Heroine addict that he got to know died after going through the program. They would take the same dose they used to do and it would kill them. They were warned about this but they would do it anyway's.
Apr 19, 2009 at 1:13 p.m.
Suggest removal
Legalizing drugs would lower the price. The dealers would not make the huge profits they do now and would go out of business. But then again the US government would lose money so that wouldn't work. Remember the CIA was the one that brought crack into the poor communities. So much for the war on drugs.
Apr 19, 2009 at 12:46 p.m.
Suggest removal
"He signed executive orders to shut down...Guantanamo Bay"
-
Orders can always be changed. Until then it STILL remains open; opposite of closed.
Apr 19, 2009 at 12:41 p.m.
Suggest removal
The authorities have made it so hard and risky to have marijuana, that heroin is easier and cheaper to score. If marijuana was decriminalized, there would be a drop in heroin use. Not an answer but a good question.
----
---
Lately we have seen "prostitution" stings, all sorts of marijuana busts, undercover operations, growing fields burned and investigated, all to eradicate the existence of a plant.
Meanwhile heroin is tearing up families all over the country.
WHY ARE WE WASTING RESOURCES? Pull out of all marijuana, prostitution, and other VICTIMLESS investigations, and BUST THESE JUNK DEALERS!
Apr 19, 2009 at 12:33 p.m.
Suggest removal
Obama orders Guantanamo Bay closed, bans torture
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor January 22, 2009 11:47 AM
With a few strokes of a pen, President Obama this morning reversed linchpins of the Bush administration's war on terror.
He signed executive orders to shut down the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention center within a year and to ban harsh interrogations -
Apr 19, 2009 at 12:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
ljs64: I never thought I would see the day in which you and I agree on anything ... but today is exactly that day. You are right on target with your posting: To really stop the drug use, one must first learn why he/she is using. Ask any addict ... stopping is the easy part; STAYING STOPPED is another story.
Apr 19, 2009 at 12:08 p.m.
Suggest removal
ljs64...Guantanamo is NOT closed yet.
Apr 19, 2009 at 12:07 p.m.
Suggest removal
Legal or illegal, if you don't do the drug, you don't mess up your life and others...seems pretty simple.
Apr 19, 2009 at 12:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
We live our lives with the Freedom of Choice.
When are you simpletons going to understand this? No laws or rules are going to have an impact if the person in question chooses to drink, drink and drive or take drugs or abuse drugs. Education is the key all the worlds evil.
This country has toughened up the DUI/OWI laws and there are more DUI/OWI arrests than ever. This country has been "fighting the war on drugs" and the drug epidemic is worse than ever.
For you uneducated folks that will jump on the education comment, any rehab a person goes through to overcome their addiction is EDUCATING them on why they are involved in whatever they are involved with. (drugs, alcohol etc.)
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:59 a.m.
Suggest removal
"HELLO........Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp is CLOSED."
-
Someone is living under a rock!
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:51 a.m.
Suggest removal
I agree with thekid. We need to start rethinking our current drug policies. I'd add that we need to stop trying to drum up fear over this and that. Relatedly, we need to stop these endless wars, especially the war against drugs. It's a really good idea, I understand, to justify increased spending on police and prisons, but it does nothing to improve our quality of life. I, for one, am sick of being in a constant state of fear.
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:39 a.m.
Suggest removal
im with 12dreams. whoever markmontgomery is or where he lives is irrelevant. having drugs illegal OBVIOUSLY IS NOT WORKING. let me repeat that. read the story again. having drugs illegal OBVIOUSLY IS NOT WORKING. what markmontgomery speaks of may not be the answer...but what we have now OBVIOUSLY IS NOT WORKING. rather than blasting him and calling him names why dont you come up with some answers cuz the laws we have now OBVIOUSLY ARE NOT WORKING.
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:39 a.m.
Suggest removal
i pray for whoever is addicted and for their families,for heroin addiction is a rough battle that has to be won or it costs lives. it is the hardest thing someone can overcome. *god bless*
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:35 a.m.
Suggest removal
These drugs are too easy for individuals to mass produce (grass, coke, heroin, etc.). That's the only reason they aren't legal. If the gov't could find a way to get their cut they'd be fine with it.
I love how everyone attacks this Montgomery guy. “Oh no…someone made a post with good points and relevant arguments…I’ve got nothing to counter with… I’ll call him the village idiot!” Come on people. You're the same ones who were saying booze should be outlawed in the early 1900s. You realize that, right? I guess we’ll never know why some known addictive drugs (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine) be legal but others can’t (answer – the government needs a way to get their cut).
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:33 a.m.
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:26 a.m.
Suggest removal
"The drug is smuggled into the country across the Mexican border, officials said..."
Yet another reason to seal the border between the USA and the craphole to the South.
Apr 19, 2009 at 11:22 a.m.
Suggest removal
Well said MarkMontgomery.
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:52 a.m.
Suggest removal
this crap has been around for a long time not just from 2000 it has been in janesville since -70-80- and now janesville is all up in arms about it,Wake up people this crap will kill.
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:46 a.m.
Suggest removal
Dear Yokels, Even if you don't agree with MarkMontgomery, at least he presents a well articulated argument for the legalization of drugs. Replying with insults and shocked disbelief is not a very interesting counter-argument. Flame On!
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:40 a.m.
Suggest removal
regarding markmontgomery, i googled the email address he uses in all of his posts (boboberg@nyc.rr.com).
whoever he is, he must be searching google news for any drug related stories. he then posts the same inane pro-drug message wherever the website may be or serve.
he is from nyc and must have a lot of time on his hands -- he has posted at thousands of sites.
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:38 a.m.
Suggest removal
HELLO........Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp is CLOSED.
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:32 a.m.
Suggest removal
I'm sure meth is out there too. I still say to hit the drug industry where it hurt's you need to bust the users, dealers, and suppliers. Deport illegals immediately to Quantanamo (spelling is wrong I know).
Apr 19, 2009 at 10:24 a.m.
Suggest removal
Proof that the war on drugs isn't working.
Apr 19, 2009 at 9:47 a.m.
Suggest removal
every village has an idiot, i believe mark montgomery is the city of janesvilles idiot.
Apr 19, 2009 at 9:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
Hopefully these heroin stories will shed light on users, potential users and families who suspect someone is a user. Dealers don't discriminate when peddling their wares to get users hooked. To me informing readers of the existing heroin problem here with the intention of ending its popularity and use is far more important than all the squabbling that happened on whether beer sales should be allowed at the Ice Arena. There's no comparison between heroin use and buying a beer at sporting event.
Apr 19, 2009 at 8:44 a.m.
Suggest removal
"Heroin jumped on the county's radar screen in early 2008" ???? Give me a break !!
Did someone forget about the wife that let her husband die from a heroin overdose in the early part of the 2000's.Then her daughter died in 2007 from a heroin overdose.I'm sure the heroin use was not just in this one family. I don't get it when we have something that has gone on in Janesville for a very long time and we have people sugar coating the truth.Is that what's wrong with this community,when there is a problem don't do anything about it until it's out of control ????? This just makes me sick !!
Apr 19, 2009 at 8:17 a.m.
Suggest removal
sannio - financial equity? What are you a red commie?
Apr 19, 2009 at 7:34 a.m.
Suggest removal
MarkMontgomery- You're joking, right? Well, it's not funny.
Apr 19, 2009 at 7:01 a.m.
Suggest removal
The failing war in Afghanistan has produced record poppy crops, and the war on drugs has utterly failed in every respect. It's time to rethink our strategy now. The reason the war on drugs has failed is because it violates a person's basic right to self ownership. Putting more energy into things like equal rights, financial equity, and treating everyone with respect, especially within the family unit, would be a better solution.
Apr 19, 2009 at 5:39 a.m.
Suggest removal
Well said MarkMontgomery, well said. Now let's see if you can understand this...You are a complete moron. I hope Mark Montgomery is your real name because everyone needs to know what an idiot you are. Make ALL drugs legal Marky? Wow. You should run for city council.
Apr 19, 2009 at 3:44 a.m.
Suggest removal
The reason these peole are dying from using heroin is that they can't be sure of the drug's actual strength because it is illegal and they buy it in powdered form. If heroin were legal then the majority of the overdoses would end and folks wouldn't be forced to pull burglaries to feed their habit because they could buy it cheaply and legally at a local pharmacy. Heroin should be legal. A group of 20,000 very serious policemen, prosecutors and attorneys have formed a group to legalize ALL drugs, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (http://leap.cc ) They see what happened when we legalized alcohol in 1932 as a good example of how drug legalization would work. We can't stop drugs. They're sick of chasing drug users and sending innocent people to prison for decades just because they like to get high. This foolish war on drugs has lasted 37 years and cost us over a TRILLION dollars and we are not an inch closer to stopping drugs. How many millions of Americans are we going to lock up in prison for decades? Legalize ALL drugs now. Mark Montgomery boboberg@nyc.rr.com
Apr 19, 2009 at 12:53 a.m.
Suggest removal
“Heroin is in Rock County, and we need to address it now before it becomes a major epidemic,” Spoden said
------------
Pathetic! Herion has been in Janesville since early 2000! Obviously we already have a "major epidemic". But hey better late than never I guess!
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.