State health officials say more than 1,000 people died as a result of opioid-related overdoses in Massachusetts last year — an increase of 33 percent from 2012 and part of an ongoing spike in deaths blamed on prescription drug and heroin abuse. Connecting Point Contributor Carolee McGrath visits the town of Montague and talks with Police Chief Charles “Chip” Dodge regarding the amount of used needles showing up on the streets. Dodge, who recently lost a close from to the heroin epidemic, used Facebook to ask the community to pick up the syringes and dispose of them when they’re able.
Heroin in Montague
by NEPM | May 18, 2015 | Health & Fitness, Opioid Crisis: A Community Dialogue Resources, Public Affairs | 3 comments
If the Montague Police were better at arresting dealers and catching real criminals then maybe we wouldn’t have such an epidemic in our community. I can’t believe the ignorance of Chief Dodge…saying that it’s the doctor’s fault for prescribing pain medication. Chief, where did you get your medical degree?
Wow! Way to shift the blame onto the very people who stand between you and a crazy drug addict with mal intent. Pain meds are heroin in pill form and very addictive. Proven that they do cause addiction and are first step into actual heroin usage! And I Do have a medical degree!
Dear Connie, My cousin was twenty seven years old when she died from a perscription opioid overdose! So tell us again why its your job to criticize people with way more expertise than you! Pain meds are developed by pharmaceutical companies to be stronger than the last generation of pills, because people with cronic disease ask their doctors to prescribe ‘better’ meds, And therefore pharmaceutical companies make more profits. Pain meds are opioids which are heroin synthetically made or extremely close to it. Ergo, if a person is addicted to a pain med, they are drug addicts, whether its prescribed legally or not. Do you understand better now?