Jason Rantz: Do not simply blame COVID for surge in overdose deaths, Dems’ dangerous insurance policies are accountable, too

The New York Occasions framed the 2020 spike round COVID, making an already severe concern worse. The AP spoke with consultants noting it was tougher to get in-person remedy due to COVID restriction. The Washington Submit implied COVID-related stress pushed folks in the direction of medicine. 

There may be little doubt COVID exacerbated the disaster however misplaced within the protection had been the precise insurance policies that allowed habit to skyrocket.

From Portland and Seattle to Chicago and Boston, Democrat-run cities have refused to prosecute most drug crimes. As a substitute, these cities have stated they’d give addicts remedy whereas focusing on drug sellers for arrest and prosecution. 

US OVERDOSE DEATHS HIT RECORD 93,000 AMID CORONAVIRUS LAST YEAR

However many felony addicts seldom observe via with remedy orders as a result of there aren’t any significant penalties when ignoring the courts. Criminals knew that regardless of how usually they re-offended, they knew they wouldn’t see jail time.

And the outcomes? The Chicago space witnessed a 20% enhance in overdose deaths, fueled by opioid habit. Oregon, led by a Portland-area surge, noticed a 40% enhance.

In the meantime, drug sellers keep away from jail by simply exploiting drug decriminalization insurance policies favored by the Left.

IN PANDEMIC, DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS SOAR AMONG BLACK AMERICANS

Check out Seattle, the place I’ve lined the devastating toll medicine have taken on our communities during the last a number of years. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterburg introduced his workplace would forgo prices towards suspects caught with “private possession” quantities of illicit medicine. This was already an unofficial coverage however he codified it in 2018. And it successfully legalized no matter an addict may get ahold of.

A dramatic enhance in overdose deaths adopted. 

From the yr earlier than the official coverage change via 2020, King County noticed a virtually 40% bounce in deadly overdoses, with 2021 on tempo to exceed final yr’s file. Fentanyl, meth and heroin are the main causes of overdoses. 

AMERICANS DRANK MORE TO RELIEVE STRESS AMID PANDEMIC

You wouldn’t know that Seattle is within the midst of an O.D. disaster as a result of ideologues domestically ignore the outcomes of their social experiment whereas liberal media shops current the Emerald Metropolis as a case examine in the fitting technique to method the conflict on medicine. New York Occasions opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof as soon as even boasted, “Seattle has found out tips on how to finish the conflict on medicine.” Possibly he ought to go to or at the least have a look at the stats?

Suffolk County, Mass. District Lawyer Rachael Rollins is incomes the identical remedy. The Boston-area ideologue stopped prosecuting misdemeanor drug crimes. It was declared a hit, although opioid-related deaths hit a ten-year file final yr. 

SAN DIEGO FENTANYL OVERDOSES TRIPLED AMID COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS

After which there are sellers who overtly promote medicine throughout the cities the place they reside. The criminals carry much less product so that they solely have private possession quantities on them within the uncommon occasion they’re arrested. They find yourself resupplying extra usually all through the day, but it surely saves them the trouble of going to jail for a couple of hours. 

For different sellers, they know if charged, they’ll possible get a beneficiant plea deal that sees little to no jail time. And plenty of occasions, they illegally possess handguns and different weapons. With much less policing towards drug sellers, these weapons keep on the streets and contribute to the rise in gun violence. 

Mexican drug cartels have taken discover. With President Joe Biden’s open-border insurance policies, they’re flooding American cities with illicit medicine.

“The Pacific Northwest of america is underneath siege by the Mexican based mostly CJNG [Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación] cartel, who’s flooding the area with clandestine produced artificial opioids within the type of prescription tablets,” the Drug Enforcement Company stated in a report launched this March.

The cartels focused Washington State most instantly. CJNG has reportedly laced medicine with fentanyl, sending the contaminated medicine statewide. Small quantities of fentanyl may be lethal. In Oregon and California, the cartels are working unlawful marijuana operations.

Nonetheless, reasonably than handle the basis causes of the habit disaster, left-wing cities undertake the drug-permissive insurance policies already answerable for a lot loss of life.

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Louisiana skilled one of many highest statewide surges in drug overdoses in 2020. But, the District Lawyer Jason Williams’ workplace introduced in April it should refuse to prosecute prices possessing small quantities of all medicine, aside from heroin and fentanyl. That exception is hardly significant, given how lethal prescription opioids, meth, and cocaine may be. It additionally contributes to a drug tradition that claims it’s OK to get excessive regardless of the results.

With out leaders specializing in the place the disaster is made worse, 2021 will possible see one other file excessive yr of overdose deaths. 

So why received’t Democrats change their methods? Chalk it as much as blind, cussed adherence to an ideology. 

There’s a progressive push to decriminalize and legalize medicine. They argue that the justice system is racist and drug crimes disproportionately punish folks of colour. Although that commentary is lazy and disingenuous, for the reason that crimes are nonetheless occurring and aren’t the results of a conspiracy to plant medicine on harmless folks, it results in lethal penalties. 

Not prosecuting drug crimes could hold folks out of jail, but it surely doesn’t hold them from an early overdose loss of life. And the momentum behind these insurance policies continues. 

All of our communities are worse off due to it. 

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Jason Rantz is a Seattle-based discuss present host on KTTH Radio (weekdays 3 – 6 p.m. PDT).