Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
there is a serious epidemic that is killing our young people here. it's prescription drug abuse. i don't know the exact count of deaths in this county in the past few years but it is high!!! if i were to sit down with a pen and paper and start writing the names (just the ones i know of) of the young people that we've lost that you can contribute to this epidemic, i believe i could fill up the whole sheet of paper. Then there are those who are still roaming that are affected with this disease. go to the local market and you'll more than likely see some extremely thin young guy or girl come in with their eyes glazed over and their head held down hoping that no one notices.
I know it's not just our young people it's just that my heart aches for this part of our society.
What is the answer? My opinion is that it is not the methadone clinics that have sprung up everywhere claiming to help addicts. Surely some clients go there for the right reasons, but i think that if we truly knew, the majority are either using the clinics for a way to get their drugs cheaper, or selling the drugs they get to take home for an extra form of income, putting more of this particular narcotic in the hands of our young people.
so i ask again, what is the answer? I don't think that it is for the police departments to use a large part of the budget to put helicopters in the air complete with optical devices and specially trained officers to spot marijuanna crops growing in the mountains. Or to purchase 4 wheel drives to help in the erradication of these plants. I am not one of those radicals out to leagalize cannabis I'm just saying how many deaths have we had in this county from smoking a joint. Did someone get the munchies and eat till they exploded. It may sound like i'm trivializing this drug but I do feel that compared to the deadly narcotics that are out there now then pot is trivial in comparison.
For some time I have felt the need (a "calling" if you will) to lead our young people in the right direction. But how do you fulfill a desire when you don't know which way to turn. I have dedicated my life to things like participating in youth programs to schools and sports, hoping that in some way I can make a difference. But it doesn't seem to be enough. I need to take this further.
If you too are from Boone County West Virginia and see the same problems or have a solution i would love to hear from you. If you are not but have an idea please respond.
I, too, am interested in finding information to help the residents of Boone County as well as the young people in Cambria County, PA. I am a graduate student at IUP and am working on an intervention plan that could address a health problem in a community. I have read much about the plight of prescribed drug misuse in Boone County and would like to look into a plan that could help both your young people as well as those in my own home area. I know of the deaths of many young people who have recently passed away and it does not seem to be getting any better.
If you have any info. that you think would be of assistance to me in the planning stages, I would be thankful.
I don't hold out much hope.
Can tell you a story though.
Have a boyhood friend who returned from Vietnam in the 70's addicted to Heroin. The Army in it's infinite wisdom 'fixed' this by addicting him to Methadone, this seemed to work until they pronounced him cured of the Heroin addiction and kicked him to the street... where Methadone was not available! (at the time) Wasn't 2 months before he was strung out again! A group of his friends locked him up for 3 months and thought we broke that habit! He married, had a son, owned his home, good job, etc. Everything seemed good for at least 15 years.
However, the last time I went home, he was divorced, homeless, sleeping in a car, stealing from his friends, suspected of stripping copper, and into crack! A 63 year old crackhead!
I often wonder if I had remained in the area if there wasn't something I could have done to help him when he started up with the drugs again, but others including his ex told me they'd tried to no avail. Said he was hellbent on self destruction.
I wonder how many folks have heard of Pond Fork !! I grew up near Madison on Spruce.
I know that the drug problem is getting worse everywhere & it doesn't surprise me that Boon County is one of the worse.
Just reading where druggiest are being killed for Hydrocodone. I hope I am wrong but I think this is more indication that our society is real trouble.
I certainly hope you come up with something that will work.
Mountaintop removal. The additional changes have been devastating in the last 5-10 years alone. I have been through most areas of the county. Also, look at google maps aerial photo images.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Big Problem, What is the Solution?
