Organ donations from Las Vegas victims may help those in need

[okarol]

This just seems too soon to me, or in bad form, to talk about the "silver lining" from the Las Vegas massacre - is it just me?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/10/07/organs-donated-vegas-victims-may-help-those-need/742477001/

[kickingandscreaming]

There's a similar "silver lining" in the case of the opioid epidemic.  One thing to acknowledge it and another to celebrate it.

[Simon Dog]

A murderee's body is evidence, and generally must be autopsied.  That does not preclude certain kinds of donations, but the time involved would almost certainly allow kidneys, livers and hearts to go stale.

Is there a procedure in place to get medical examiner clearance to take these vital organs for transplant if consent is given or do they go to waste?

The "opioid epidemic" is at least in part a Fentanyl epidemic.  We are losing people to Fentanyl poisioning because of the illegal status of drugs, and the fact that buyers are getting stuff goosed with this excessively powerful drug.  If opioids were not banned by a moralistic government, we would be having far less fatal overdoses.   












Sp mod Cas

[MooseMom]

What?  Opiods are not "banned".  There are some people who are drug addicts and are hell bent on killing themselves.  Let em  do it.  I don't care.  I don't want my tax dollars to go in treating these people.  If they can't control themselves, that's not supposed to be my problem.

[Simon Dog]

What?  Opiods are not "banned".  There are some people who are drug addicts and are hell bent on killing themselves.  Let em  do it.  I don't care.  I don't want my tax dollars to go in treating these people.  If they can't control themselves, that's not supposed to be my problem.

First off, my apologies for the accidental edit of MMs post (I think I undid it).  I hit "modify" instead of "quote" by mistake (I am an admin so I can do software maintenance). 

Back on topic ...

The people killing themselves with Fentanyl laced drugs are doing so because the drug laws prevent them from buying opiods of known composition and strength without an Rx.   If the govt did not meddle, these people could kill themselves slowly instead of quickly.

While addiction is real, there is always the "first time" someone make a decision to take a street drug or illegitimately obtained Rx.  People are losing the idea of "personal responsibility" and confusing "things that happen to them' with "things that are the results of their choices".

[iolaire]

What?  Opiods are not "banned".  There are some people who are drug addicts and are hell bent on killing themselves.  Let em  do it.  I don't care.  I don't want my tax dollars to go in treating these people.  If they can't control themselves, that's not supposed to be my problem.

...

While addiction is real, there is always the "first time" someone make a decision to take a street drug or illegitimately obtained Rx.  People are losing the idea of "personal responsibility" and confusing "things that happen to them' with "things that are the results of their choices".

I view drug addiction as sort of similar to people with weight issues, its easy to say "don't eat so much" or "don't do drugs," but really the issue seems to be far more complex than that and the medical community has accepted that both are something that should be treated.  Just as some people seem to have a propensity to gain weight others have a propensity to become dependent on drugs.

In the end it's best for our society to try to minimize the number of people who are affected by eighter. Weight issues manifests in society as increased medical and disability costs along with the usual stress on families etc...   Drug issues manifests itself as increased stress on families, the accompanying crime, increased medical costs, increased stress and costs dealing with dead people etc...

I don't believe most of this is NOT a simple choice for the person fighting their demons.  For others like me (luckily) it is a simple choice (on these examples).

Edit: I also feel our corporate pharmaceutical industry is mostly to blame for the most recent Opioid crisis which led to the growth in the Fentanyl crisis.  You could blame globalization on the Fentanyl crisis as well, we are in a phase were anyone can mail anything around the world and there seems to be no customs inspections.  I saw a story last week where someone ordered a yoga mat and instead received something like 90k Fentanyl pills! 

I graduated from a high school class of 42 people and my Facebook feeds are full of people who are celebrating their sobriety from whatever their drug of choice was (including alcohol), but still a few weeks ago a classmate died a drug related death, and then last week his roommate died for the same reason. 

On the flip side another highly obese person I know cut out alcohol completely from his life to decrease liver pain yet continues to eat bad and deal with diabetic leg issues with no visible change to his diet.










Sp mod Cas

[MooseMom]

Simon Dog, I don't entirely disagree with you, but the discussion of addiction always centers around the harm that addicts do to others.  I personally don't care if people smoke or shoot up or drink or do whatever they want, but do we as a society have a duty to protect those who may be affected by the addict?  I really don't know. 

What do other people here think?  Should opioids be available over the counter?  Should anyone be able to buy heroin or meth at their local Walgreens?  Something must have sparked the Feds' involvement in policing drugs.  Anyone know their history on this topic?  I don't and would like to learn more.

[MooseMom]

Thank you for your post, iolaire.  I will be the first to admit that I do not understand what happens in addiction, particularly to any substance that is in the least bit mind altering.

When I was 13, an aunt of mine (who only decades later I learned had been an alcoholic) offered me some "grape juice".  I drank the whole glass she offered.  Within a very short period of time, I was down, convinced that I was ill with a fever.

Years and years and years went by before I realized that she had purposely given me alcohol (Mogan David blackberry wine or some such thing).  That explains why I've never been drunk nor have ever taken anything that would make me feel squiffy.  The idea of ingesting something to purposely do my head in is anathema to me.  So, I truly do not understand the whole concept and would welcome an education on the topic if anyone would care to share their thoughts or experiences.

[MooseMom]

But to get back on topic, as an organ recipient, my answer is understandably skewed.  Now is as good a time as any to discuss organ donation as long as it is done respectfully and with a few of educating people, but I get it if someone else might feel that it is too soon.

[Rerun]

Wow...  that is how I feel about overdose drug addicts... who cares .It saves us money.

That sounds bad.  That is. Why
I was shocked when I read it.