tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post1252932299043245227..comments2024-03-29T04:54:50.435-05:00Comments on Bayou Renaissance Man: Drug abuse as an economic threatPeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10595089829300831372noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-65559502438933048972021-11-10T22:39:25.742-06:002021-11-10T22:39:25.742-06:00 Tom Bridgeland
Agree completely. I’m a MD, bot... Tom Bridgeland <br /><br />Agree completely. I’m a MD, both Emergency and Primary, working with a lot of “underinsured” (=no full time job). So many are smoking weed daily.<br />Actually saw a patient who didn’t start meth until 60. Guess they thought they’d have more energy to get stuff done.<br />Unfortunately for those on chronic daily narcotics, the amount of time to counsel you to accept the evidence that the narcotics made your pain worse and need to be cut back doesn’t fit into the 10 minutes allowed for your appointment by the clinic system CEO that is making more than all 2 doctors and 2 nurse practitioners and 2 PAs at the clinic you go to. So, now your insurance sweeps in and says you can’t get more than “X” pills per month. The modern medical system isn’t good for doctors, or patients, but the suits love it.Robin Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07119878278228516608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-49436007964621251232021-11-09T22:54:23.329-06:002021-11-09T22:54:23.329-06:00@Grumpy, while I would like to agree with you, Tom...@Grumpy, while I would like to agree with you, Tom points out another factor that is in play here, horrible management of prescription painkillers.<br /><br />I have a friend (for now) who was in horrible pain for years and prescribed ever increasing levels of painkillers, until the root problem was identified and surgery addressed it. At that point she had been prescribed so much that at one point the pharmacy refused to fill the prescription because it was a lethal dose.<br /><br />Instead of then weaning her off as part of her recovery, they told her one day that the rules had changed and those opiates were no longer being prescribed, no help, she was just on her own. She struggled for a while and then fell into going to the illegal drug dealers to try and get something to manage the addiction (and was successful and tapering off for a short while). But the quality control issues, and the problems with making your peers be part of the drug scene have left her headed down a very bad road.<br /><br />The mismanagement of prescriptions and opiates over the last decade have made the problem far worse than it should have been.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12084309137541367977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-37356698964783151962021-11-09T22:02:43.245-06:002021-11-09T22:02:43.245-06:00A problem not mentioned, that I've encountered...A problem not mentioned, that I've encountered, is that employers are not following the mandated procedures required by the Code of Federal Regulations concerning drug tests and, despite complaints, the FMCSA and DOT are letting them get by with it. If a driver doesn't go along he's labeled a user and fired.H Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14156532529167462820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-42307593614932389972021-11-09T18:35:59.463-06:002021-11-09T18:35:59.463-06:00I am a nurse. We do urine drug screens on anyone w...I am a nurse. We do urine drug screens on anyone who comes in confused or after an MVA. Lots come in with combos, coke/benzos/opiates with maybe alcohol and amphetamines, at the same time. Coke/amphetamines is usually the younger people, under 40. Older folks have a little bit different profile, with prescription meds and alcohol being common, often prescription opiates. THC across the board.<br /><br />We see the people in their 60s who fit this profile are on their ways out. They look much older than their age, and their bodies are just crapping out. It looks like an unpleasant way to go to me, but I guess they had fun while they lasted.<br /><br />Regarding what someone above said about prescription opiates, well, you will be in neverending pain as long as you keep taking opiates! You simply won't get better. Lots and lots of research has been done on chronic pain, and the upshot is that opiates are the worst thing you can do about it. Bluntly, Tylenol is the number one best long term pain med. It's sad, we have almost nothing that does much good for chronic pain. Yes, opiates give you a brief reduction in pain, but you simply never heal right as long as you keep going back to opiates. Tom Bridgelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13098048586042365606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-12838700515025100652021-11-09T18:05:45.373-06:002021-11-09T18:05:45.373-06:00From the over-the-water transport side:
We ... From the over-the-water transport side:<br /><br /> We are altering our recruiting efforts to account for the ability to pass a piss test. The US Coast Guard has doubled the required minimum amount of random testing as a result of more than 1% of all drug tests coming back positive industry-wide. We crossed the 1% threshold in 2020 for the first time, and 2021 saw the number increase. <br /> Some merchant mariners will ingest weed or THC/CBD in the early days of a months-long rotation home. post-Latency time for testing positive is shorter for piss testing than it is for hair samples, and hair samples are only used to confirm a positive piss test. <br /> My company lost 2 good officers this year to positive tests. One was a junior officer with real potential, who cited peer pressure from friends as the reason why he lost his license and is banned from the only industry he knows, with 70k in maritime college debt he will never be able to pay for using what he learned, a wife of only 2 years and a 3-month old. <br /> The other one was a tugboat captain who lost a 125k/yr job working only part time. Being a high school dropout and a generally unpleasant person, I can't see him bouncing back from that tax on his lack of self-control. <br /> The consensus is still that weed is a gateway drug, although it seems that the common opinion is that this is most accurate among people with addictive personalities. For me, a consummate caffeine junkie, it was exactly the reason I never tried cocaine even when I used to drink at the local biker bar. I supplied them with fresh lobster and cod, so I got to drink there for cheap. <br /><br /> I'm especially sympathetic to Linda G's point. I have a sibling who was given oxycontin after a spinal injury. 5 unsuccessful surgeries later, workers comp dried up, and the crackdown on medication meant that his dosage was reduced by 90% overnight and switched to an anti-inflammatory and utterly ineffective medication. Heroin in small doses cost only $12 a day. We all know what happens after that of course. <br /> Is there anyone who took oxycontin as part of a pain management regime who doesn't become a junkie? I don't know of any. He was very lucky to have had a 2nd stint at rehab get him sober and a subsequent surgery that reduced his chronic pain. <br /><br />Paul, Dammit!https://www.blogger.com/profile/02264872375942355609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-43269266704779912122021-11-09T16:50:12.063-06:002021-11-09T16:50:12.063-06:00I've lost out on engineering contracts because...I've lost out on engineering contracts because I'm diabetic. I don't have to take insulin, but a few years ago I was laid off from one client because "...our insurance doesn't protect us if you pass out..." from either high blood sugar or low blood sugar.Plague Monkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16095438016179061803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-42105269343081300082021-11-09T14:12:17.647-06:002021-11-09T14:12:17.647-06:00In statistics for homeless there seems to be a 10%...In statistics for homeless there seems to be a 10% death rate with a lot if it due to over doses.<br /><br />And China is exporting a lot of the Industrial ingredients to Mexico. Opium War 2?Ray - SoCalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293232996007277071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-28417766767633479302021-11-09T12:58:54.113-06:002021-11-09T12:58:54.113-06:00One other facet is low wages. This blog has discu...One other facet is low wages. This blog has discussed inflation numerous times. Many employers now only hire for 30 hours per week to avoid benefits and are still trying to pay the same wages as 2 years ago. Now you have to work 2 jobs to try and get by, and neither job wants to acknowledge the other so there are often conflicts. Trustworthy people with a work ethic have never been common and you always get what you pay for. The price of labor has been going up, the employers just don't seem to realize it.Xophhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12092036531046795583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-57549419205061024842021-11-09T12:56:06.777-06:002021-11-09T12:56:06.777-06:00And all these idiots are responsible for people wh...And all these idiots are responsible for people who have chronic severe pain not being able to get the meds they need because"everyone is an addict".LindaGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12203719919661519350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-63780610869127645152021-11-09T12:52:02.018-06:002021-11-09T12:52:02.018-06:00AgreedAgreedLindaGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12203719919661519350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-20587933951716721842021-11-09T12:51:17.072-06:002021-11-09T12:51:17.072-06:00+1+1LindaGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12203719919661519350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-43872272153460462082021-11-09T12:50:56.139-06:002021-11-09T12:50:56.139-06:00"The worse news: Meth is now really cheap bec..."The worse news: Meth is now really cheap because huge Mexican drug labs have replaced the old ephedrine-based meth with a high-volume recipe that Quinones calls P2P meth that can be made from common industrial chemicals without requiring any controlled substances like ephedrine."<br /><br />I think the real question about this is can we start buying Sudafed over the counter again please??Eaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06822829608903050895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-60618309069030040102021-11-09T12:25:56.029-06:002021-11-09T12:25:56.029-06:00Funny thing, asking health care workers about the ...Funny thing, asking health care workers about the level of illegal drug use among their patients. I retired after 25+ years in the health care business and the level of drug use among health care workers themselves is amazing. If your pain killer doesn't seem to be working, maybe your nurse needed it worse than you did.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05993938643115716912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-55972924864463947252021-11-09T12:23:16.756-06:002021-11-09T12:23:16.756-06:00Hey Peter;
Then you add the federal mandates...Hey Peter;<br /><br /> Then you add the federal mandates on "The Vaxx" then you exacerbate the labor shortage on top on the drug test.MrGarabaldihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05768774166065615995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-403722307684096502021-11-09T12:04:32.803-06:002021-11-09T12:04:32.803-06:00I'm with Grumpy: 100%. There are those of us w...I'm with Grumpy: 100%. There are those of us who look forward to praising G-d's name the minute we open our eyes every morning (not chanting it loudly to the heavens, not falling on our knees, not running off to church to show everyone how religious we are, but silently thanking G-d for the opportunity of this day every day as we're shaving or washing our face); we get high on life itself, we don't need any additives or stimulants (and mostly are unable to understand those who do: our failing).boronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05780356895910449471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-49811642077796841632021-11-09T11:52:50.330-06:002021-11-09T11:52:50.330-06:00Warehouses also drug test. IMHO that’s a major kin...Warehouses also drug test. IMHO that’s a major kink in the logistics chain. It’s “challenging” to find folks willing to work fast paced, detail oriented, physically demanding jobs with odd hours. When you add passing random UA tests and not so great pay the result is a labor shortage. Overwhelmed employees look for jobs in other fields which exacerbates the existing manpower crunchNoveske's Rockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12482561983567786170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-66822387163375388312021-11-09T11:38:41.112-06:002021-11-09T11:38:41.112-06:00When I was in the labor pool, I had a distinct adv...When I was in the labor pool, I had a distinct advantage in the ability to pass the 'p!ss test'. <br /><br />If you want to work, you stay sober. If not, well, reap what you sow.<br /><br />There are really good paying jobs out there and the primary sorting technique is the p!ss test. <br /><br />The libertarian in me says the screening should only be after an incident, and a positive should come with dire consequences, but the realist in me says that the addict doesn't just hurt themselves and it's unfair to the other victim to only wait until after.<br /><br />Like facial tats, and questionable social media history, society is going to have to come to some accommodation with the new reality of drug use.<br /><br />nNick Flandreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13019834912388638989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-29091944932762965072021-11-09T11:29:40.764-06:002021-11-09T11:29:40.764-06:00Drug dealers should be dealt the same penalties as...Drug dealers should be dealt the same penalties as "mass shooters." They're shooting into a crowd with no care as to who they hit and who dies. Hang 'em all!Peteforesterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00702888855868877243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-14592259449803797062021-11-09T10:55:18.665-06:002021-11-09T10:55:18.665-06:00Declaring drug use to be a national emergency allo...Declaring drug use to be a national emergency allows Congress to throw money at the problem and grow the business. New employees then contribute to the reelection of pliable politicians.Jerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09512155016462081947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-29126771337439989152021-11-09T10:43:56.908-06:002021-11-09T10:43:56.908-06:00OldVet does have a point... sighOldVet does have a point... sighOld NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-6089474718574889402021-11-09T09:33:16.899-06:002021-11-09T09:33:16.899-06:00I still cannot understand the fuss about drug use ...I still cannot understand the fuss about drug use in this country. Driving or endangering others with your use is one thing, but to declare it a national crisis is just nuts! Why do we want to save the worst society has to offer (narcan, etc.) Warning labels on everything that common sense should dictate. Let people die that want to die, the 'problem' will soon solve itself. I think the reason our country is in dire straits now is because we have saved the stupid people to the point they outnumber us.oldvet1950https://www.blogger.com/profile/17332788585533569757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-23058170683832777802021-11-09T09:28:51.571-06:002021-11-09T09:28:51.571-06:00Perhaps the emphasis on the drugs is like blaming ...Perhaps the emphasis on the drugs is like blaming the "gun" in wrongful shootings. The war on drugs, like the war on crime, fails to address the real issues.<br />Maybe the problem is a spiritual disease in the addict. The continuing decline of morals/ethics/character are further indication of the USA's declining spiritual health.<br />Look in you soul, Peter. You should know this.Grumpy Old Timerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15383737945222937046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-67150323449474460192021-11-09T09:15:40.960-06:002021-11-09T09:15:40.960-06:00I am sure one of the drugs adding to the problem o...I am sure one of the drugs adding to the problem of positive drug tests is marijuana. While it has been legalized in several states, it is still illegal at the federal level. I am sure a lot of those using it don't take that into consideration, and are probably surprised when they are fired for failing a drug test because of it.T Townhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14856489913761588837noreply@blogger.com