Recently letters have been submitted to The Daily World expounding on the abandonment and lack of compassion shown by Grays Harbor County and its edict to no longer provide clean needles for drug users. But let us consider this: Over a year ago, millions of tax-paying citizens of all ages were told “no more opiates, nada, none, no reasons, no excuses. It is done. Just get over yourselves. It is for your own good.”
At this point, many but not all street people, addicts and convicts have made a conscious choice to live this life and are now being treated with far more compassion than the folks who foot the bills.
Helping others? Heck yes. Absolutely. Being made to feel guilty for not wanting to continue to enable and reward those who continue opting a drugged, homeless and sexually irresponsible life while on state assistance? Uh, no.
Sadly we are seeing stoic cancer patients bravely fighting for their lives enduring constant tests, surgeries and horrific treatments with no reasonable medication to relieve their pain. Many people, especially the elderly, have been so frightened by the hype that they refuse any pain meds offered them. Eighty- and 90-year-olds are living in pain, afraid of becoming addicted!
Folks who have suffered grave injuries, many surgeries, debilitating diseases, each compounding the other, are being made to suffer insurmountable daily pain. Some are slowly losing any capability to function in the constancy of their circumstances. Many are turning to illegal drugs, some just wasting away in bed, some staying stoned, some are now becoming alcoholics, some suicidal.
We personally live on a fixed income and have spent hundreds of dollars on cannabis pain relief drops since last February. This helps some with inflammation but does not stop the pain, thus the muscles tighten more, the pain continues to grow, robbing more of my daily living. After nine years of using hydrocodone, I am blessed with no symptoms of withdrawal. My last scrip of 30 tablets lasted 40 days. We are now hearing the horror stories of the thousands who have been thrown into life-threatening withdrawal symptoms and suicides. Many suffer because of the thoughtlessness of certified pain clinics.
Are we so politically suppressed in this “Land of the Free” that doctors cannot keep their pledge to “do no harm”? Those who have shown ourselves to be responsible are being profiled and lumped together with addicts and drug abusers.
Who, pray tell, will carry the banner of compassion for our suffering, our rights for this carte blanche discrimination? Shame upon every layer of politicians and the physicians in our nation who are consenting to, and enforcing, this travesty. So very many good doctors, individual citizens and whole families’ lives have been irretrievably ruined. We pay your wages, and we are worth more than this. Fixing it has to begin somewhere. Why not here?
Thank you, (County Commissioners Vickie) Raines and (Wes) Cormier, for taking a stand.
Del and Karen Boshear
Aberdeen
