Last week we had a call come in; it was a girlfriend looking to bail out her boyfriend. The bail amount was $255,000.00, she had $5,000.00 down and 2 signers. Our senior Agent looked up the charges and this is what he found:
- 2013 – Possession of a controlled substance and an opium pipe.
- 2014 – Counterfeit prescription and the use of another’s ID for personal gain.
- 2014 – Possession of opium pipe.
- 2014 – Forgery, burglary and possession of another’s ID for personal gain.
- 2015 – Possession of another’s ID for personal gain, possession of a controlled substance.
My first thought was “Wow! This guy had a bad 2014!” and then my second thought was “I just read an article about this… let me see what else I can find!”
This is now the second report I have seen about heroin over doses on the rise across the country, the first one stating that not only was heroin usage at peak levels since the 70’s but also the quality of the product has become much more potent in that time. Both articles said the same thing, which was the reason for the rise is the addiction that has been brought on by prescription drugs.
I personally have seen this in many different facets of my own life; my family has been affected by it just like many other families. When I was 10 years old, I had my oldest half-brother (From my dad’s previous marriage) commit suicide. Stating it was due to the fact he couldn’t get a grip on his addiction and didn’t want to live like that anymore. It was not till later I learned he had been blacklisted from hospitals and then switched to heroin, thanks to a “friend”. I didn’t get the whole story until I was much older, but apparently things got pretty bad for him. I instantly saw my brother in this guy whose girlfriend just wanted to help him. Someone struggling with a very serious addiction and without the proper help he will continue to fight a hard fight, a fight that a lot of people lose.
Also, years later, around the middle school/ high school years, I had watched several friends get caught up in the same way. I watched several of them get into a very bad space because the addiction had taken hold. I watched some of my friends bounce back and become better than ever and I see some still struggle to this day.
California has been the first state in the US to make all drugs for personal use a misdemeanor, which I think is great! Under Prop. 47, all drugs now are being treated in a medical way instead of a criminal way, which I think is a step in the right direction. Some say it is going to be a negative because now people will just be getting a slap on the wrist instead of receiving a punishment.
This is still new climate since Prop. 47 just was passed in November of last year, we will have to see how everything plays out to be sure if this is a valid solution to help people not hurt them.
If you know anyone struggling with addiction to pain killers, heroin or any kind of dangerous drug, please encourage them to seek the help they need before it is too late!
Here are some great resources to help:
- Mark
StepHouse Recovery http://www.stephouserecovery.com
Diversified Monitoring Systems www.DMSProgram.com
CornerStone Recovery http://www.cornerstonesocal.com
MentalHelp.net https://www.mentalhelp.net/care/substance-abuse/ca/