A very serious epidemic in Eastern Kentucky

http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/995564.html

<snip>
The roundup was thought to be the largest in state history, with about 500 people to be charged. By late afternoon, police had arrested an estimated 200 people in more than a dozen counties, straining some jails.

"There is a large roundup going on in Eastern Kentucky, and every (state police) post in Eastern Kentucky is involved," said Capt. Kevin Payne, commander of the state police drug-enforcement unit for the eastern end of the state.

More arrests are expected Thursday. Most of the people are accused of being street-level dealers and will be charged in state courts, but some face federal prosecution.

One key focus of the investigation is the pill pipeline between Eastern Kentucky and South Florida clinics. Police say it has become routine in recent years for Eastern Kentucky residents to travel to Florida, sometimes by the vanload, to get pain pills.

Florida is a key source of what Rick Bartley, commonwealth's attorney in Pike County, called a "tsunami" of pills into Eastern Kentucky.

It isn't the only source of pills coming into Kentucky, however. Addicts and dealers have brought in hundreds of thousands of pills from Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Ohio, Michigan and other states in recent years, according to records in various cases.

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Here in Minnesota, not so much.

There's never been a lot of opportunity there for folks.

In any case, the drug war needs to end. Take the profit out and bust the violent gangs. Let people take charge of numbing their pain however they feel they need to do it.

And if you're going to howl about the kiddies, don't bother. The illegal drug pipeline is wide open to them. Legal drugs would be more restricted.

The DEA has a chopper in the air.

met Steve in August of '05. LOVE. THAT. MAN.

first around here any way..... First time I heard that I was transported in time & space... Later

called "Chopperhang Road". Nothing like hearing your baby singing about her 2 tours o'duty in Vietnam. And welcome to DU!

I have been to the twin cities and married a Minneapolis woman, I enjoyed it and was not judgmental. Kentucky needs jobs and education not slurs. I have lived all over but this is home. On a progressive web site there sure are a lot of liberals trying to keep a brother down. Generational theft of our resources has only helped the Wall Street bunch. But please keep stereotyping us, we're starting to get used to being treated like 3rd world Americans, not liking it just used to it. All KY is not like that. Hoping you may think about this.Thanks for your time RFL P.S. The country remembers us when there are shitty wars to be fought.

Trying being from Georgia....

I am always amazed at the attitude against the population of Southern states.

My Brother is a cop in Lexington and I LOVE visiting him. If things fall apart in DC, I would likely move to Kentucky or Indiana.

Born in the real deep south Panama Canal Zone moved to Georgia until '67 then to KY. Lexington is an oasis of sanity.

as one poster said...kentucky does`t have a health care system to help anyone let alone drug addicts. with in a few weeks there will be others that will be supplying kentucky

This is an important issues. BTW, have we heard any more about that census guy who was killed?

and need medical and rehab assistance.

They go to jail with minimal (bullshit) counseling available to some state prisoners but none for the county prisoners, the majority. I have employed so many people from half way houses and it is predictably a revolving door. A sense of hope may be leaving the mountains.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6874910&mesg_id=6874910

Edited to add link.

I seem to recall that either the NYT or the Washington Post ran a long article or series of articles about older miners using a lot of oxy to kill the pain of injuries so that they could continue to work.

Many of the miners do get addicted to Oxy for the constant abuse they subject themselves to in order to get by.

However, a lot is simply the same reason that Meth gets big in rural and more poor areas. People want to anesthetize themselves and making meth is cheaper and easier than going to East St. Louis or Chicago for cocaine etc.

As someone that has used a lot of drugs, I am VERY glad that Meth was not readily available on the East Coast when I was in full swing.

Not near as many people make a living in coal as there used to be. Deep mining is not near as profitable as strip mining and the work force is smaller. Not much else to do .Oxy for ennui.

Is it just poor people who get prosecuted??