Australian Broadcasting Corporation Article: ‘Hillbilly heroin’ makes its mark on Australian streets
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Readers of this blog already know my opinion on this ridiculous “Hillbilly Heroin” moniker—so I’ll ignore that for now. The real story here is that the illegal use and sale of painkillers like OxyContin in Australia has exploded from practically non-existent, to representing nearly half of the users at some safe injection sites*—just within the past 2 years.
I really don’t need to elaborate further as the original ABC article is excellent—except to point out that this painkiller epidemic, though already rampant in the U.S., is becoming a truly global problem. As the worldwide “War on Drugs” remains steeped in constant failure, we must find new solutions to combat what is truly a new form of deadly addiction.
- View other Painkiller Epidemic Updates
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*Safe injection sites or “supervised injecting centers” are clinical facilities where illicit drug use is permitted; often clean needles and other injection equipment is supplied.
Image courtesy Wikipedia
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