Xylazine, also known as tranq, is now in 90% of street drugs tested in Philadelphia, causing new pain and wounds for its users. CNN's Elle Reeve reports. #CNN #News
See how animal drug has impacted users in Philadelphia
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Nice to see this on a larger network. Kensington has been a sad place for many years. The purple-haired woman is 100% right about focusing treatment on the pain rather than on the drugs.
@MicheleBella77 Spot on
Life isn’t about coddling people. Covering for the side effects to their addiction. (Free housing, drug courts, free medical care, no criminal records) Doesn’t really take their drug addiction away. It just makes them more codependent to their drug addiction.
Exactly!!
@William Benson systemic pain
@Troy Sierra addressing their trauma in a nonenabling way would be helpdul.
The drug dealers are never going away. We have to teach people how to deal with their pain besides taking drugs. They need to start teaching kids in school how to properly deal with their emotions.
@An Acc Portugal use to have one of the highest rates of drug related crimes in the world. They decriminalized and used that money to fund programs with great success.
For years all we have done is increase the penalty and the drug problem has only gotten worse. We need to change the way we address it
or making certain drugs legal and have them regulated and stop pharmaceutical companies from price gouging
@Dexter Morgan good point ! Who or what are we without purpose. Very good point thank you for sharing.
It would be interesting to know if these ppl had marketable skills prior to the addition. Addiction is a temporary escape from some medical or psychological pain. Suicide is a permanent escape. While I understand some may have had mental health issues which made it difficult to hold a job but I wonder what the % of seriously mentally ill ppl, prior to addiction, and the % of ppl who just don’t have the skills to make a decent living and found themselves giving up on life and turned to drugs to numb the pain. Bc for those who just lacked skills, it would be worth helping them through rehab and learning some skill. It also seems that once many leave rehab, go back to their old friends, they have a harder time staying clean w/out the support they had in rehab. I wonder if building a community for these ppl, where they can live long-term, w/others who have been through what they have, in an environment away from the one where many of their friends r still using where they know where the dealers r, an environment that focuses on health and well-being, where they have the support all around them, a decent place to live, some kind of job, r encouraged to get involved w/hobbies, where their community becomes their friends, their families, their support system, if that would help these ppl kick the habit and stay quit. The problem w/rehab is it’s expense and far too short for most to make lasting changes to their lives. As soon as they return home, temptation is all around them. They really need to a new environment, new friends, some may need new families at least for serval years to break the habit and form new, healthier habits. It would be worth it for taxpayers, at least some of the costs until they could work and contribute, the theft we experience to support their drug habit, the homeless sites no one wants in their communities, and the money which funds the drug cartels and dealers. For those w/serious mental health issues, seems like they would be better cared for in a group home w/the appropriate medical/psychological care and adult supervision or a long-term mental health hospital, some type of work they can do, even if just part-time and hobbies they can engage in. When we closed the most of mental institutions, we decided they had the right to fend for themselves and the right to fail. Once they have failed or maybe before, we need some kind of system to get them off the streets and provide the help they need.
It is a catch 22
I think it’s a good idea if your young enough to move to a new city, make new freinds. If your issue is with opiates or benzo’s see a doctor and get him to ween you off that medication. Ultimately society needs to start looking at the drug problem as a public health issue and not so much a criminal one.
And show more compassion and pass less judgement.
All your suggestions are workable and helpful!
There is no excuse for allowing streets to be like this.
It is a social failure on every level.
I have no judgement of people addicted to drugs but leaving bloody syringes all over the street really makes me angry.
We need to look at why people would choose to live like this on a societal level.
It’s called Progressivism
@KitCoWool I’m curious. Did you have the experience in the 90’s to detect drug users? I grew up in the 90’s as well and only recently realized that a lot of the people i was around had drug issues and i was just oblivious to it as I had had zero experiences pertaining to drugs, addicts, and abuse. Looking back now, I realize a lot of the people I interacted with were either drunk or high and i just had no clue. Friends and family members have a hell of a way to hide it if they want to.
I don’t think people choose this, I don’t think anyone truly wakes up one day and thinks “you know 5 or 10 years from now I want to be on the streets strung out on drugs. People fall through the cracks of life without support or love and they try to find at the bottom of a bottle or syringe. People don’t understand, they look at these people as a menice instead another human being that needs love, understanding and help.
@Rem Realm of course they don’t! But some are as simple as a night out after a bad break up wanting to let loose or have fun or a broken bone away from the path of addiction. It’s just not a situational thing… it literally can happen to anyone living a normal lifestyle, very apparently.
As a former homeless meth addict, I agree with this to a point. Yes, some want help and want to get sober and live a “normal” life. But many just enjoy being high and running the streets doing whatever they want. To those who want help, I hope they get it.
Hope things are going well for you man! Well done by the way! What dosen’t kill you makes you stronger, for those who want help, I hope they get it as well man. Addiction is a sickness that can be cured, it’s not a crime. I wish society would be a little more compationate and see it that way.
When people are high and running the streets, they’re actually not doing whatever they want.
It’s more like, they’re doing whatever they believe they CAN do, and that’s it, because if people could actually do whatever they wanted, we’d have people traveling through space, visiting different planets, and moving backwards and forwards in time.
I know that I personally would love to travel backwards and forwards in time and travel through deep space.
This may sound ridiculous to some non- addicts out there, but for those of us who strive for adventure, we understand perfectly well.
38 years ago i got caught up in the crack craze in Brooklyn NY like a lot of my friends,it was starting to fk me up ,I said to myself my one day” I’m just going to stop this “period”, because I love life and my body..I did..I wish people could find other ways to deal with life instead of dangerous drugs..I got to add,I drink two beers a day for a lil buzz and to keep me sane,but no cigarettes,weed or anything else..
Congrats to a better life!!!!😇🥰💫💥
@Soylent Green thank u…God bless
Good job!
Wow! I applaud you for your turnaround in life!
This was headlines about a month ago here in New England. It’s probably everywhere.
Sadly, no city wants to see homeless tent cities pop up, but it’s a terrible fact. Until we deal with the core issues at hand, this will always continue. There are MANY factors that cause drug addiction, and all of them are individual. One person could have been traumatized as a child, one person could have just “wanted to try it out”, one person could have lost their home, another person could have PTSD from the war. When politicians decide to help, this is when you will see progress in this area, and that costs money, so pay close attention to who wants to fund projects to help this population, and watch the group of politicians who refuse to fund programs. It is then left to the states, then the state has to decide how much money they want to spend on providing services to this community, or if they will spend any money at all. God bless the girls who have chosen to help……these are the angels in disguise……
SSC Said,….Sadly, no city wants to see homeless tent cities pop up, but it’s a terrible fact. Until we deal with the core issues at hand, this will always continue. There are MANY factors that cause drug addiction, and all of them are individual. One person could have been traumatized as a child, one person could have just “wanted to try it out”, one person could have lost their home, another person could have PTSD from the war. When politicians decide to help, this is when you will see progress in this area, and that costs money, so pay close attention to who wants to fund projects to help this population, and watch the group of politicians who refuse to fund programs. It is then left to the states, then the state has to decide how much money they want to spend on providing services to this community, or if they will spend any money at all. God bless the girls who have chosen to help……these are the angels in disguise……
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Open border and the federal gooberment allowing and many instances helping import and distribute the drugs for a cut I strongly suggest. Too well organized.
If we can teach our children the proper steps to dealing with pain and trauma it would immensely help. I lost my cousin to drugs , he would be 27 this year. They found him in a dumpster. He passed away sometime during the night. A combination of ADHD and Oxy cottons (at least that’s what I was told ) took his life. He was in so much pain, very emotional. When he would come over he would talk to me all night. In the end, he wanted to do what he wanted to do and no one was going to stop him. I didn’t even know he was doing drugs like that, he never told me. Yes, I agree it starts at home but it also starts in school. We have to make changes to the educational system to make these children understand that your pain doesn’t go away forever when you take drugs or alcohol. We are living in a time of crisis, specifically a mental health crisis. We need to teach children to be open and honest about how they feel and we as parents have to learn to listen , understand and give guidance that helps .
maybe build a society that doesn’t cause traumas to children all the time… there has been more school shootings in the US so far this year, than there has been EVER in all of Europe… and Europe has 60% more people.
Even the best teaching can’t prepare you for how you end up processing trauma mentally. Unfortunately I know from experience. Trauma therapy is very helpful though.
Every person you see that is addicted to this drug started out in this world as a defenceless little child. They had hopes and dreams. We failed them because we couldn’t do the simplest thing in the world which was care. We need to do more then type how we feel on YouTube, I need to do more for my cousins sake. He was funny stuff . It broke my heart when he passed. It still hurts . I miss the little guy.
Great post. Do what you can, keep that same energy you put in the post in your life, just make sure you keep yourself upright fighting the good fight
Sorry about your loss. It is a HUGE loss.
@Jorel Williams thank you, that was kind of you to say.
@Hula Mei thank you.
May all people stuck in the grips of addiction find healing.
So mote it be 🙏🏼❤️
Impossible…but its a nice thought.
as it is below let it be so above
Hilary is one of CNN’s best journalists I have ever encountered. Never scared to sit with anyone, and has the humanity that lets strangers tell her their truth. Philly’s Kensington is a hell-hole that should never exist — why it does is because the lives of these addicts are not valued. It’s true, we must separate the drug addiction (the drugs) from the core pain and loss, grief and hollowness of the these people stripped of any hope in their lives.
All people are worth saving. When we as a society can learn this, the better we all will be.
LOL thanks for a good laugh
@Banned Infinity I know, pipe dream, but hope runs eternal
This young woman, Elle Reeve, is an outstanding reporter. Every time I see one of her reports I learn something new and important. Thank you, Ms Reeve.
I live in the UK and was addicted to Speed for 4 years in the late 90’s (injecting) i got the help i needed from the probation service. Now i am planing on starting a Urban Farm to feed the people in need, some people need a helping hand every now and then and to be shown some love.
Awesome!
It’s a shame that we don’t have programs like that here in the United States because people have to pay out-of-pocket to get clean. Rehabs here in the United States cost money and most if not all of the addicts have absolutely no money to afford to get the help they need
Imagine being a homeowner in this neighborhood, and you happen to look up the value of your home on Zillow. What Stewie said comes to mind. “This is why Zillow estimates our house at $4”
Well done piece. Very grateful for you producing and airing it.
carfentanil is another scary one i saw before getting out of the game. the amount of research chemicals that are hundreds of times more potent than fentanyl. fent is going to be one of the least of our problems now honestly. that woman with the purple hair is a freaking rockstar and exactly right, we need to treat peoples pain and not stigmatize them, pain is the root. and people absolutely can recover given the right opportunities and information and care
Zombie land , I’m 30 Mins away from this area and it’s always sad seeing someone in addiction I’m glad it’s finally getting attention it’s been over due !!! God bless anyone who is their and God bless anyone is helping 🙏
This makes me really glad more and more that I left Philly 15 years ago. I have no desire to go back whatsoever. I’m still a die-hard Philly sports fan I separate my sports teams from the city and the people itself