Newsletter - April 2022

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_{THOUSANDS OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS INTO THE}

_{COUNTRY AFFECT ILLEGAL DRUG USE?}

Occasionally there is an article in the Press Democrat that just stops a person in their tracks.

Such an article appeared in the Sunday, April 10th edition of the paper.  The article, which was quoted from the Argus Courier, was about the death of a high school junior due to accidentally taking fentanyl in the fall of 2020.  That was truly a tragic event as his mother relates the whole story regarding her son taking a drug that had fentanyl in it. 

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, meaning it is made in a laboratory but acts on the same receptors in the brain that painkillers like oxycodone or morphine and heroin do. Fentanyl however, is   far more powerful. It’s 50-100 times stronger than heroin or morphine, meaning even a small dosage can be deadly.

Fentanyl’s potency also means that it is profitable for dealers as well as dangerous for those who use it, intentionally or unntentionally. Increasingly heroin is being mixed with fentanyl so someone who uses what they think is heroin may in fact be getting a mixture with — or even pure — fentanyl. More recently, pills made to look like the painkiller oxycodone or the anxiety medication Xanax are actually fentanyl. This deception is proving fatal. It would be like   ordering a glass of wine and instead getting a lethal dose of pure ethanol. While many people don’t know they are getting fentanyl, others might unfortunately seek it out as part of the way    the brain disease of addiction manifests itself into compulsively seeking the next powerful high.

What was striking about the newspaper article was the fact that apparently many young people now travel with a drug testing kit in order to make sure the recreational drugs they are taking  are not laced with fentanyl.  The victim’s mother stated that people should assume that everything you get on the street is laced with fentanyl. 

Why would you not assume that street drugs might be laced with something?  More importantly, why would you use anything you got on the street? 

Where is our culture that it is not unusual for students to go out for an evening planning to use street drugs?  They are going out with a drug testing kit.  This is what our young people and the next generation think that this is how you have a fun evening.  Have some heroin?  Oh, try another drug.  It will make you feel better.  These are not children living in slums with no family or food or basic necessities.  An evening’s recreation is going out and sampling the newest street drugs.  Just make sure you have a test kit so you don’t take fentanyl.  Apparently, many of our young people have no idea how to have a good time legally without using drugs.  That is a real tragedy.

Yes, we know.  Students in school are hearing about drugs and the dangers all the time.  What is missing in our culture that the message is so often ignored?  Could it be that the spiritual side of their life is weak or non-existent?  Could it be that the popular icons of our day all use drugs and brag about it?  Could it be that many of our children do not know the end results for so many people who used drugs?  After all, the news moves very quickly. On to the next thing.

Now, let’s review why there is so much fentanyl on our streets. 

Illegal drug manufacturers are always looking to increase their customer base.  The fentanyl that is coming into the country is primarily manufactured in China.  Besides being a huge money maker, killing or mentally disabling many Americans (especially our young people) is another way to weaken the United States from the inside. 

In addition to utilizing illegal immigration as a distraction, smuggling organizations often force migrants to carry drugs across the border as a means of payment.  They use their profits from human smuggling activities to finance more and more sophisticated drug smuggling techniques that involve tunnels, drones, ultra-light aircraft and maritime operations.

So far in one year, Customs and Broder Protection assets participated in the seizure of more than 600,000 pounds of drugs.  Fentanyl seizures skyrocketed in 2021 with more than

6,000 pounds being seized by Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection- a 300% increase over this time the previous year.  That is the amount that was seized.  Much, much more came in with people who were never stopped or arrested by the Border Patrol.  Because of the increase in fentanyl, teen fentanyl deaths have doubled since 2019.

So, what is to be done?  Much as some of our friends on the left might disagree, the incredible increase in illegal and dangerous drugs has taken a huge leap since the current administration came into office in 2021.  President Biden basically opened the southern border.  People are coming to the United States from all over the world.  This makes it so much easier for drug manufacturers and dealers to get their products into the country.  With an open border, the cartels are much freer to get their drugs into the country with little interference from border patrol and drug intervention agencies.  Thousands of people coming into the country are called getaways since they are never seen or documented by the border patrol.  Many of these people are bringing drugs into the country and will continue to traffic in drugs once they are in the country since it will be the major source of income for them.

We have elections for virtually all offices in November.  It is time for the intelligent, informed voter to determine where their representative stands on the issue of illegal immigration and drug usage.  One question:  How does allowing thousands and thousands illegal migrants into our community affect illegal drug use?  It is critical that a candidate can answer that question so that our children do not have to face the constant challenge of illegal drugs.  Our children deserve to have a childhood that is not facing the chance of dying after an evening out.