And for another "point-of-view..."
.
My little brother is 44 years old. He has been drug addicted since he was 20. I feel NOTHING for him! He has destroyed my parents, who are in their 70's. He has shown up at my doorstep, and scared the crap outta my kids. He has been in multiple rehabs - but is soooo good at scamming people, he's bilked us of 1,000's of dollars.
.
On one of his "clean" months, he bragged about his panhandling experiences, of which he was quite proud of how GOOD he was at it.
.
Some are NOT EVER going to TRULY rehabilitate. They simply play the game, stay on the fringe of prison and work the family.
.
My focus now, is on my parents, my children, my grandchildren and my husband (in no particular order). He doesn't exist to me... Until you have been on the receiving end of the deception of an addict for decades... you just don't know how devastating it is.
.
I've written him off... with no regrets!

Beachsexton,
I am happy to hear you are one of the open minded people that will say you see things from another point of view. If the world had more people that worked (and it is work) to understand their is ALWAYS aother point of view in any situation we would be a much better place. I would like to say to Thehero THANK YOU for being there and doing what you did. The world is not a black and white place and every every situation has it grey areas and in this instance the middle ground most likley saved this kid and everyone that knows him from the horrible fate of dealing with a needless death.
I have a personal issue with subjecting people who use pot to the same criminal charges and prison time as the crack/junk/meth supplier. Yes I wish there were no problems with street drugs of any kind however, I have many friends who have used pot for over 20 years and they hold jobs, raise good kids, go to church and are pillars of their community but they are forced to have this dark side of their lives. and just like beer and booze there is a small percent of people that fall off the edge and ruin their lives with some substance abuse it should not cause us to write laws that ensnare a HUGE segment of otherwise well balanced productive members of our socity into the depths of crimal labeling that does FAR GREATER damage than the simple act of smoking a few hits of pot evey now and then. I worry much more about the millions of people that are addicted to and stoned out of their minds on completely legal meds perscribed by their doctor for "pain management" yet they are allowed to operate cars, trucks, busses and make management level decisions affecting the lives of others and that is completely legal and accepted. Sorry for the rant but this is a biggie for me!

Thank you for clarifying yourself beachsexton, That would be awesome if Hero would step up to the plate and advocate to the kids of Milton, if he isn't already.

Techno, I agree with the others. You make me think about this from another angle. Hero presents another side too. I would not consider someone in treatment, that has not used in some time like you stated, to be a "user". From the story it sounds like Hero could have been an active user. I think it is safe to say the Hero, not actively using heroin, has nothing to be arrested for. If you do not buy it, and you do not use it, then you do not possess it. I understand an addict is always an addict, just as an alcoholic is always and alcoholic. Congrats ‘former user’ on your new title: Hero. Regardless of means, you got the job done. I read the Van Man article when it came out. I am not 100% against the approach, but certainly not for it as the only option. That is another debate.

A Rx for his use maybe, not for playing Dr. I think the end result is good. The details around it are troubling. There need to be some clarification regarding the statements I made. I am not trying to be cold or cruel. I simply said it is disturbing the direction the kid took. To the Hero, you are nothing short of a Hero here regardless how I feel about the means. To BrowniesYum, Milton's fine EMS has the needed drugs available. Also, the law you speak of does not apply to the illegal distribution of Rx drugs. What if he misdiagnosed the overdose? There is a reason only certain people can administer or distribute prescriptions.

My comments about letting the kids die was in response to the notion that we should supplement, but not treat, the addicts. The model does not work because we do not keep pressure on law enforcement to relentlessly pursue the suppliers. The model does not work because we allow our politicians to push prisons, which train criminals, over real treatment options that have the potential to create future Heros, or other responsible citizens. The model does not work because we enable close friends and relatives to use certain drugs, known to be precursors, as if it is “just” weed. It does not work because when we see a problem, it is easier to look the other way, or keep to your self than get involved.

I am done on this. I do not want any kid to die. I do not want any adult to die from this drug or any other. I have one suggestion to Hero, the Gazette, and the Milton PD. Why not consider having Hero step up to the frontline and describe in a public forum what his experience has been. Detail the lows, and show everyone where you have come. Bring it to the kids front and center. I would line up to donate toward your treatment costs, or join to enact a change in drug policy so that treatment like yours is covered just as jail time would be. Hardcore, mandated treatment in lieu of jail or prison.

beachsexton - i think you need to read the article on this website about the Van Man/clean needle guy! They're not pressing charges against the "user" because for all they know, HE SAVED THE KIDS LIFE, i was there when this happened, I asked the police if anything was going to happen to the "user"!! They want to get down to the nitty gritty - the bigger picture - the big dope dealers and they know who the big guys are, it's just a matter of time before they get taken down! How long did they watch the big mobsters from the mid 1900s before they finally caught them on something to arrest them?!?!?! They watched them for a while before they took them down.

technoguy, your blog about the whole addiction process is amazing... that's exactly how I feel, i do say that people who aren't affected by something like this are very judgemental!

It doesn't say that he got it from the clean needle guy, i know he got it from the him, they call him the Van Man by the way. I have a business card of his that I got from one of my friends... At first I thought he was crazy, handing out clean needles and narcan, turnekits, narcan needles and all that crap but hearing the reason he does this is amazing. I'm glad someone cares enough about the them to help them out in a neutral way.

excellent post technoguy

BrownieYumm-Didn't you read that the person who admisistered got it from the clean needle guy?

THE VAN MAN, I'm pretty sure wrote a prescription of Narcan to the "user" so that when things like this happen, it can be used. Thats right a prescription of it! I'm pretty sure he shows them how to use it too!

Like the technoguy said, It's so entirely easy to say we need this and to let the addicts die of their own addiction or more treatment programs but you don't know what it's like until it affects you personally HOW HARD OF A STRUGGLE ADDICTION CAN BE!

First of all they need to want to beat it, they need family and friends and support, not someone that says LET THEM DIE, ITS THEIR OWN FAULT, or stupid comments like that! That's just being heartless. Put your own kid, brother, sister, dad, mom, best friend, whoever into an addicts shoes and try to visualize how good of a person they are but covered by a demon that does anything to get it's high, that's what addiction is like for someone. You don't know until you've gotten to experience someone close to you or even yourself fall to the hands of addiction.

It's not so much that the kids decided to contact another known user to help with these kids overdosing that's so disturbing.. It's that the mother of one of the kids, LORI, knew these kids were high and DIDNT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT! She definitely deserves the felony of not rendering aid to these kids that obviously needed it!! YOU DONT LET THE WORTHLESS KIDS DIE beachsexton, you go after the BIGGER picture, the dope dealers in Rock County.

Anybody know anything about FIRST AID? Theres a good law, GOOD SEMARITAN LAW, that protects people from the liabilities of giving first aid. The "user" was given consent and saved the kids life! If the user didn't know a thing or two about Narcan or how/when to administer it, this kid probably would have died. You think an ambulance would carry narcan in it? probably not. Because MILTON is such a small town, the EMT's are called into action. Meaning that if this kid had to wait another 10 minutes for the EMT's to arrive and then the 10 minute drive to Mercy hospital, there's no doubt in my mind that he would've died if it weren't for this TheHero

I Think u made an excellent point.. Ive experienced much of what u just stated and im sure others have to.. The steps that help u to be succsesful just arent in place...

Beachsexton,
I am not disagreeing with a treatment program approach. Have you ever tried to get someone into one of these programs in this area? I have and it's only available as an outpatient daily program and you have to drive to Madison or Rockford each day to attend. Most of the junkies I know are not able to get themselves out of bed in the morning let alone own a car or make it to any organized meetings for the weeks it takes to get a true foothold on changing the lifestyle/friends/urges.
My comment was not about letting kids die it was about the futility of the CURRENT efforts to stop them from getting started down the road to killing themselves. We sit in the whitebread living rooms and try to understand what a teen or a junkie was thinking and why they did something like call a "user" for help is like teaching a 4 year old how to drive a car. you just do not have the information you need to "solve" these problems and the people who do are not invited to your rountable discussions.
What we are doing is not working!!!
Perfect example is the No Tolerance policy in the schools. Kid get busted holding some pot and they are kicked out of school for 2 years. Great move! Now the kid will be shunned by all of the other kids due to parential pressure and have no peer group to identify with so the next group they find themselves identifying with is the other "peers" who have no job have no future have nothing except the party to look forward to each day. No reason to get up in the morning so why worry about going to bed and the cycle begins. I am basing this on true facts happening in the last 2 years in Rock County culminating with a 19 year old in heroin detox after 14 months in a stupor induced by anything that would get her high and living with some scumbag 5 years her senior just because he "takes care of her".

To start this off I would like to state that I am the so called "hero " that administrated the narcon. Between the poor media coverage and the ignorant bloggers id like to set a few things straight. First of all the 15 year old kid that i hit with narcon did not have 15 minutes to wait for paramedics. He was dying. he had saliva in his lungs and was falling unconcience. I gave him the life saving drug and then immediately dialed 911. Many bloggers and concerned parents are furious i didnt get invetigated or arrested. I have done nothing wrong. Without me nobody would of even heard of the overdoses and the kid most likely would of died. That sure would be a terrible way to hear about it. "3 kids died this morning do to acute heroin poisoning". So whether its ignorance or bad press coverage please dont judge. And as for my addiction problem i have been recieving treatment from a clinic in madison for several months now and am finally doing good and staying clean. I found that a good family structure and an excellent support group is a must. Not to mention what a full time job has done for me.. Soo What i ask is that some of you judge a little less and reach out your hands a little more. Do you know How much rehab costs? about $1,000 dollars a day at mercy anyways. No addict has that kind of money and they probably dont have the insurance. We all need to band together to tackle this epidemic so our youth still has a shot at life. Id also like to mention that its not just kids.. Many of the dealers are older people in their 30's and 40's. It is Sad but its real!!

I Would also like to state that yes narcon is prescribed to anyone who is willing to learn how to properly administrate it. The same guy that gives out clean needles and safe sex items is also the one who hands out the narcon. Disturbing? I dont think so. This guy lost a son to HIV and Hepititis and is doing everything in his power to prevent disease from spreading and stop overdoses. Ask yourself if your kid was an addict would you want them using dirty needles? Or how about your kid overdoses and everyone is so scared to get arrested nobody calls the paramedics. That is when Narcon can be quite useful. That overdose victim gets a second shot at life and nobody thinks twice.

-The Hero

I think a lot of what happened was "curiosity". I don't know any of the people involved in this case, but it appears that when they "found" the drugs in the adult woman's home, curiosity got the best of them. We can preach, inform, discuss and talk to teens till we are blue in the face. That doesn't mean they will make the right choice when the time to decide is right there. Not only do teens have the "it won't happen to me" attitude (addiction/overdosing/arrests, etc), but also the "crowd psychology" http://www.umed.pl/anestezja/panic.pdf, and/or "peer pressure" that teens (especially boys) are unable/uncertain how to make good choices and regret those choices later in life but have sort of "paved their path" to a life of crime, sadness and/or regret.

On a brighter note, I think in small towns where this sort of thing happens to people that students know personally (and it's not just a "familiar name") there is a better chance of others not wanting to have similar experiences or those students have a better audience to go into schools and tell their story and impact others' in a positive way.

Really? That is your response? If that is the case, then let the worthless kids die. If they are not getting the message now, and you think they are so sophisticated, taking them to see the "real thing" will not do it any more than it would be to take a kid to the birthing center to teach them abstinence. Obviously the kid had already seen the "real video" play out in his young life to recognize a heroin overdose in the first place. I am willing to bet nearly 99% of the people reading this post have never seen the "real thing" in person. How this kid knew what he was looking at is frightening. Your narc theory is possible, but I think is is a lot closer to the kid was scared for the kids to not only die, but more importantly the trouble they would be in if they survived. If you grow up with thinking so warped that you turn to a known user for assistance, then you live in a world that thinks heroin is ok as long as you are not caught.

Short of the rehab option I offer up, there is only 2 other paths for the growing number of users. Death is one, and the other is a one that resembles a leach attached to a fish. The fish is the taxpaying public. The leach represents the user. Money, resources, assistance, jail space, and crime that will be sucked out will far outweigh any real social benefits a user will ever have.

So far THIS YEAR we have spent over 21 BILLION dollars on the WAR on drugs and kids are still over dosing in MILTON.

http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm

Thats money well spent!!!

technoguy
.
You are exactly right.
.
We need to be blunt with kids and not be afraid to show them real video or take them on real trips to see what this crap does.
.
We can't play nice anymore, too many lives are involved.

I really think most of you who are so outraged by this whole incident need to wake up and smell the roses. The kids called the "user" because they wanted to render assistance without being labeled as "NARCS" and being shunned by half of the student population in their schools.
Come on if a "user" can get any illegal drug they can afford to lay the cash out ($10 -$20) for why in the world would it be hard to get any controlled substance on the planet including the drug used to save this kids life?
So far as "getting the dealers" we have been trying that appoach since the early 60's with the war on drugs and it has not done one thing in "breaking the chain" or lowering the amount of drugs available on the streets of this country.
It's all very well to be outraged and throw more tax money at the problem and have meetings and have a "zero tolerance policy" but,
WHAT HAS IT ACCOMPLISHED?
Kids are still overdosing in parks in MILTON!
Time to start real education for our children as to the REAL facts about recreational drug use.
How about a trip to a jail or a rehab clinic to see other 14 and 15 year olds puking, screaming and shaking as they spend 3 days trying to emerge from recreational drug use.
WHAT WE ARE DOING IS NOT WORKING!!!

badger1-I agree.

How dumb is that? I understand the logic in the needle program, but this is exactly why I do not agree with it. Why subsidize the habit, but balk at any treatment programs? Should we use the spread of Swine Flu as reasoning to hand out pipes to people smoking crack or weed? We don't want them to share more than just the pipe with their buddies you know. Heck, why not pass out Methadone, Epi-pens, and any of the other drugs historically left to a medically trained professional to use?

Isolated, what a joke, these kids are regular users, maybe not of herion, but of other drugs. Ask anyone at the Middle School, they all know who the users are and these kids are regular users.

Equally disturbing is the choice to choose another user over calling 911.
.
To call 911 is to "snitch" and for some kids today "snitching" even if it saves lives isn't allowed.
.
Scary situation.
May I suggest to all parents of teenagers find the HBO movie "REBOUND" (not the one with Martin Lawerance) and show it to your kids.
.
Yes, it is rated 'R' but it shows the real effects of Heroin use. It is based on the true story of Earl Manigault.
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Maniga...

about the question on where he got the narcan.doest that guy that was in paper a few weeks ago who was giving out needles and other stuff giving out the narcan also?

I look forward to hearing more on the "user" and their ability to get Narcan. I agree, I have never heard of it being used outside of a ambulatory setting. Can the drug be traced either by container, chemical make-up, or interrogation of "user"? If we have kids that have marginalized this drugs use to the extent they simply call on the known user to save the kids, then the message that this is one of the most dangerous drugs out there is not working! Put some fear in the kids. Press them for their sources, and then press those sources even harder. Take down the supply. We have heard how tough law enforcement is going to get on this, but over a year has gone by with user arrests that have led to nothing. What about the kids arrested last year on that farm up in Edgerton? They stole from the garages and vehicles to supply their heroin addiction. No info from that? Certainly no arrests. Does the narcotics team need more funding? I will gladly pay slightly higher taxes to see them have the tools to move more quickly.

Along with arrests up the food chain, why not give amnesty to those that are hooked after supply is removed? We know users will scramble to find a new source, and the price will skyrocket. Why not offer the needed treatment up front at taxpayer cost rather than take the chance of a crime spike any higher than it has to be? Not all users will accept the help, but if the deal is sweet enough it could save us all a lot more in the long run.

Lori Bone was being evicted and according to CCAP, she is supposed to be back in court:
.
Damage Hearing set for 6/26/09 at 8am in JAR
.
Bet she'll miss her little "appointment"!

What I want to know is how the heck someone off the streets gets Narcan? It is an intense drug even when used in hospitals, I have NEVER heard of it being prescribed or able to be provided to public. Shows how an intense drug problem is still looked at as a profitable problem to our lovely pharmaceutical companies.

I don't know any of these kids or their parents but that is the prime age of doing exactly what your parents have told you not to do. I agree with you about the kid calling the "user" vs. the police or his/her own parents but atleast he called someone. Again, the "user" should have made that phone call but poor choices aside, he most likely saved the kids life. He could have not responded to the call for help at all.
As for how they are getting the money to get this stuff-it's dirt cheap. My son is 14 years old. If he asks me for five dollars to get some snacks after school, and I give it to him, I could very well have just bought him a dose.
Kids aren't stupid. They know way more than we as their parents think they do or should. This is why we need to get over our own uncomfortableness and talk, talk, talk to them.

So, a teen knows of another drug user and rather than call the police on the user or the overdose incident, the teen turns to the drug user to play the role of a hero. A hero that person is, but it is odd to call a drug user that illegally doles out class II drugs to minors. It is equally disturbing that any teen knows what a heroin overdose looks like, let alone knows of an active user to turn to in a time of need. Equally disturbing is the choice to choose another user over calling 911. Is it just me, or is this entire case flat out disturbing? Where are the parents? How do they afford to buy this stuff, or where do they get it? How do they know how to even use it? Why are we not hearing about mid and upper level dealers being arrested? Is it that hard to get all of the 14, 15, 16 year old kids that have been overdosing to talk? How about the charges on the "hero"? Where is that person buying his supply? Let's hit the dealers to gain some headway on this drug's effects in our communities.