By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
It appears there’s a bad batch of heroin on the streets, which has been responsible for at least one death in recent days in Centralia.
A 25-year-old man brought to the fire station overnight was revived and taken to the hospital, and fire department leaders want to get the word out.
“The fire chief wants us to let people know that do heroin, the stuff that’s out there that may be ‘hot’, a little bit strong,” Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Tim Adolphsen said this morning.
Crews from the North Pearl Street station have dealt with three cases in the last four days, Adolphsen said. One person didn’t survive, he said.
A male called 911 about 1:30 a.m. today saying he was driving toward Centralia from Tenino, and that his passenger wasn’t breathing very well, was pretty much out of it, Centralia Police Department Officer John Panco said.
Medics waiting outside the station administered Nar-Can and took the patient to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to responders. The driver left before police arrived, Panco said.
So far this year, the Lewis County Coroner’s Office has two confirmed heroin overdose deaths, which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, according to Chief Deputy Coroner Dawn Harris. Both individuals died in the Centralia area, she said, but they were not recent.
They do have the one new case in which the cause of death is not yet known, she said.
Fire departments in Chehalis, Rochester and Tenino said they aren’t aware of a specific current problem with heroin overdoses.
Tina Vanderhoof at Thurston County Fire District 12 which handles the Tenino area said this morning she has heard of issues going on “up north” but didn’t have further details.
On Saturday, a driver was found unconscious with a syringe in his hand after running into a fence and then the ditch in Chehalis, but it’s not clear yet what drug he may have been using, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
In Centralia, the fire department said further information about the issue should be obtained from the police department. Panco, a spokesperson for the police department, said he was only aware of the one case.
The Tenino man whose life was saved by Centralia firefighters was still alive this morning, and well enough that he was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Panco.
Panco said suspected heroin was found in his pocket, so Stephen C. Smith, 25, was arrested for possession.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Education is key.
The majority of people who become addicts are ignorant, either by accident or by design.
A person with the proper education concerning physiology and chemical dependency can much more easily avoid the pitfalls of addiction.
If I become addicted to pills my doctor gives me, even if I take only the recommended dose, who’s fault is it? It certainly can’t be the addicts fault, since the addict never made or sold the drugs. In good faith, they were just doing what the doctor prescribed.
While it is true that a person can circumvent the addiction by never picking up a “mood altering” chemical, which include many things including alcohol, how many actually know if they have a family pre disposition to those chemicals. Be it grandma, grandpa, old uncle Harry, siblings, even mom or dad, who had the predispositionj but stopped using prior to the childs birth out of legal, religious, marital or many other reasons. That gene is still there.
Then in addition, with alcohol (only) we have the effect of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders to myriad degree. We are not talking about “alcoholic” mothes, this occurs with “social or recreational” alcohol users.
The complexities of this disease is that it works in the opposite way of most diseases except a few such as diabetes, obesity.
We have a major cultural problem with “addiction” in our society, not just drug use, but a cultural attitude of entitlement. Most people respond to a scientific medical issue with a moral response straight out of religious attitudes. Addiction is one of the most researched conditions in existence, that people choose to have the least knowledge of.
Disease or not I am tired of all their excuses. It is a choice to do drugs , how those drugs affect you might be a different story. I am a green eyed , left handed , redhead . I was told my whole childhood that I never had to worry about anger management because as a redhead I was predisposed to a temper, not in those exact words but you get the drift. It was not my fault. It was a rude awakening when I hit 18 and found out that is not the case, and you can’t just reach out and clobber someone when you feel like it.Also I have a dominent gene and my kids are redhead too , I never let them get away with that shit. Today I meet people who very loudly let me know right off the bat that they are drug addicted, alcoholics, with ptsd, and they have personality disorders , so I am forever more to put up with their bad behavoir. That’s Shit and I tell them so. I excuse nothing, we are all responsible for our actions , except for the suspected alzheimers I feel creepin up , LOL, I forgot to say I am old too. People get away with murder because they are not forced to take responsibility anymore. Whatever you want do, it can just be explained away. I hate to say it but I agree with OLJ , to a certain extent, it is all a lifestyle choice. You choose to get on that bus . Some conditions are harder then others but YOU choose and I also agree with OLJ that Doctors pretty much just prescribe drugs.
“You are telling me that as a youth, you never tried alcohol – you are a rare bird, Old Long Johnson.”
I never said anything like that! Quit putting words in my mouth!!! I haven’t said anything to contradict your opinions that drug addiction is a disease.
You clearly have me confused with Free Air.
And Old Long JOhnson – did you read the part about 90% of youth try drugs and alcohol before age 25?
You are telling me that as a youth, you never tried alcohol – you are a rare bird, Old Long Johnson.
PS- the disease of addiction (including alcohol, which is also a drug) is not a disease of “substance” – it is a disease of an organ and the organ is the brain. Many addicts not only change substances, but move to non-substance addictions like video games, internet, gaming, gambling, exercise, food, relationships, shopping…. etc.
Not picking up is not a “lifestyle choice” at age 7, 8, 12…. those kids don’t have a lifetime frame of reference as you seem to have… they can’t even do critical thinking to weigh out options and figure out a course of action. They do often inherit a gene associated with risk-taking… and studies show they are often above average intelligence. So they are offered something that is promised to make their lives better, they accept the offer and the initial result is not bad, it is good… often, VERY good. The bad stuff doesn’t kick in until later – sometimes years later.
So go out and walk yourself into a 4th or 5th grade classroom and you just shout at those children that all they have to do is make a lifestyle choice. And then measure your results. Get back to us with those results in five years. I am certain the real cure for addiction lies in just “Telling” them how bad they are… that is almost certain to work. Indeed, I cannot imagine why someone hasn’t tried that approach before…
Thank you, Mr. Setting-the-Record-Straight … — Chief News Reporter, Sharyn Decker
Dawn Harris is a Chief Deputy, not a Deputy Chief. Elected Coroners, (and sheriffs, and prosecutors) have deputies, Usually, one is the Chief Deputy. A police department has a Chief, and if it is large enough, they have Deputy Chiefs, who are people who are in charge of whole divisions. I realize that this means little or nothing to the unwashed masses, but I abhor incorrectness.
My medicine cabinet is COMPLETELY FULL of DRUGS that have my doctor’s name on them ALL.
If I were to take all the pills and the doses my doctor recommends, I might become a junkie.
In order to avoid becoming a junkie, I must hide the fact I’m not taking my meds. I have to lie to my doctor and say I took the oxycodone but in reality I took something MUCH SAFER.
I’m not about to become an addict just so some pharmaceutical company can make more profit. My doctor would be more than happy to allow it too.
You might say I should find another doctor, but the reality of it is, my current MD is not doing anything every other doctor does, which is prescribe dope.
“Nobody ever became a junkie by not trying drugs.”
No, they just suffered in pain and agony! People do drugs because their DOCTORS TELL THEM TO.
Old Long Johnson says:
“Well, I heard someone say that being addicted to drugs is a “personal choice” and if that personal choice leads to prison and/or death, then that too is the choice of the “user”.”
Oh Clifford,Clifford,Clifford says:
“They say it is a genetic predisposition that you have from birth and that while if you never drink or use, you might not ever activate the addiction…”
BINGO!
You can’t get hooked on what you don’t do.
That’s a Lifestyle Choice boys and girls that may not have any second chance to undo. It’s like deciding to run a stop sign then getting hit by a truck. We each make those choices every day that affect the rest of our lives. The person who runs the stop sign did not do so hoping to get killed or maimed, but that choice they made, may just end up those consequences.
It’s not about setting out to be an addict.
It’s about making a choice to never expose yourself to becoming an addict in the first place and staying clean.
Nobody ever became a junkie by not trying drugs.
Well, I heard someone say that being addicted to drugs is a “personal choice” and if that personal choice leads to prison and/or death, then that too is the choice of the “user”.
I also heard that same person ask, “Why should tax money be used to help addicts?”
Well, I have never agreed with that person and I never will.
The drugs being used, with deadly consequences, are manufactured either legally by pharmaceutical companies or illegally by foreign criminal cartels. And, it’s ALL FOR PROFIT.
The real criminals don’t care. They just want to sell a product that keeps you coming back for more. Most people start at the high end with doctor prescriptions, but end up on the street buying “junk”.
Condemn addicts at your own risk. But remember, when you’re turning a blind eye to the cartels and manufacturers, don’t forget to pat yourself on the back for being such a perfect and outstanding mf’r.
Choice? Says who? Not anyone at the National Institute of Health (you know, the agency that actually promotes SCIENTIFIC study of the condition?). They say it is a genetic predisposition that you have from birth and that while if you never drink or use, you might not ever activate the addiction, that is far from likely. After all, other studies show that 90% of youth try drugs or alcohol before age 25. And what kid wants to think he is an addict if he is doing what all his friends are doing? But then it progresses… and soon we have us a junkie.
So… perhaps we kill anyone who uses at age 12 – after their first use? It is not a new idea – there are countries in the mid-east that promote that Islamic method even today! Or should we just identify all current addicts and kill their babies at birth? You, of course, could have the honor of eliminating the first addict child… or do you have a fetish for violence. If so, I am sure you could find a way to torture the kid first. Does that satisfy your desires?
DoneThat makes some very good points, and obviously speaks from experience. I was very much against Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) until I did an argumentative research paper on it for an English class in college. I stared out against it, and was for it by the time I finished. It is definitely a harm reduction program that can make a huge difference in the lives of opiate addicts AND the community around them because they don’t have to steal, use needles, etc.
Even better than Methadone, which is more addictive than heroin, is a drug called Suboxone. This medication not only removes the sickness caused by withdrawal, it contains an opiate blocker and another drug that reduces or eliminates cravings for heroin or other opiates altogether. Once on Suboxone, a user can’t get high on opiates. There is no point in using.
Unfortunately, the government has made Suboxone even harder to get than Methadone. Only a select few physicians with special education are allowed to prescribe it and the number of patents they are allowed to see is restricted and regulated. I don’t know that there are any doctors in Lewis County that can prescribe Suboxone, but if there are, I can assure you they are not accepting new patients. Suboxone is like a miracle drug for opiate users, why it isn’t more readily available to those who so desperately need it is a mystery to me.
cliff’s a dumb-ass!..’nuff said!
While you’re busy bashing these dead kids.. , just so it’s clear; Most heroin addicts started out using prescription painl pills, and their doctor was their first dealer… Just saying.
Every county should have a Methadone clinic. Since doctors only prescribe it to people in chronic pain and not addicts the only option is to go to a clinic and the closest one to here is Lacey and that would get to be difficult (not to mention expensive) to make that trip everyday. I promise you it would reduce the amount of heroin addicts around here if that is what people really want.
Yes, I am aware that in a number of ways you are just exchanging one drug for another, but methadone only needs to be taken once a day and clinics shut their doors by 11am no exception. It is also much cleaner than heroin and you are not using needles. Also, while on the clinic you are forbidden to use other drugs and are tested. A large majority of the heroin addicts around here also use meth whenever they can so this would eliminate them being able to do that.
I assure you most real junkies are no longer using heroin for entertainment or to get high. They use it because they get so sick without it that they literally cannot function. Having a methadone program where the addict comes in once a day and pays around $12 as opposed to having to steal and shoplift all day to get the $40 or more needed to stay well benefits everybody. Most importantly it keeps people from having a heroin charge on their record which almost guarantees that they will not be able to find employment or even a place to live therefore almost forcing them to continue down a criminal path.
Yes, choosing to do heroin is a terrible choice, but trust me, almost everybody who made that choice regrets it and would remember it as a lesson well learned. Nothing humbles a person like becoming a junkie.
Addiction is an illness, yes it is a choice but addiction isn’t always something you do purposely. There are lots of addicts that start out with getting addicted to prescription drugs and it esculates. Addicts need help not death. You shouldn’t judge what you don’t understand.
That’s “.1 percent sales tax increase.” One zero too many.
There IS money allocated for these people, Lisarae. Remember that .01% sales tax increase a couple years ago? The one where all those people who make a living in the drug treatment industry paraded to the County Courthouse to plead their case to the County Commissioners? That’s who the money is going to.
And the people who actually need help? Stage props for funding increases and job security.
A “bad batch” of heroin? Is there a good batch? Drug addiction, IMO, is a personal choice in todays society. There may have been a time when people really were not aware of the long term horrific effects of drugs, both street and prescription variations. That is not at all the case anymore, and those who choose to indulge….choose those long term consequences. That being said, they certainly shouldnt be left in the streets to die, that is just a sick and disturbing attitude. If Lewis County were actually a functional place, with a functional legal system, perhaps they would aggressively address the providers of this garbage, and maybe, oh I dont know, allocate some cash to get addicts serious treatment.
Jason, I cant help but wonder if that was your child or loved one if you would feel differently about “wasting” money to save them. Yes, it is a crappy thing, however as long as they are alive, there is hope! If they are dead all hope is now gone! Geesh people, wake up and relieze we have a huge problem and we need better ways to help them. Not shut down and say to hell with them because they made the choice.
Clifford i think you got it right about, “filtering out junkies”. It wouldn’t be the first time ‘the man’ put drugs on the street to fit their agenda.
Its sad but they did make that choice and now they must live with it. Do I feel sorry no not at all. Should they die no. Should we waist fire department money state money on them no way.
Yes they do need help, but this is not something you “catch” while shopping at Wal-Mart. It’s a life style choice that puts hooks deep into your soul and is very tough to shake.
Nothing works better for a long and happy life like staying clean!
what if it was ur kid or best friend doing the stuff, cliff?
Clifford, you are an idiot. What is wrong with you? These are someones children father mother aunt and so on. You should be locked up for being a fucking idiot! These people need help, and a wake up call but not death!!!!!
If there hooked on the Junk then let it kill them… maybe someone purposely sent out tainted drugs to filter out the junkies in this town