![](https://voteforjoeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/dare-mobile-1024x768.jpg)
…photo by Joe
Catching up on the last month… Fentanyl overdoses specifically, and illegal drug use in general, in America, are skyrocketing. We point fingers at the drug cartels south of the border, but, frankly, there are three fingers pointing back at us (read: U.S.) in this case. A number of years ago, we did an extensive, multi-state “Border Tour” looking at immigration issues, and such. In Las Cruces, New Mexico, I interviewed a sheriff’s deputy who had been in on a number of big shipment drug busts there. However, he said that’s just the half of it. That is, he continued, we are the ones “…creating the demand for the drugs on this side of the border.” So, besides his detective-oriented work, he also volunteered with a local DARE Program to help cut down on the “demand” in at least some youth… Rosalyn Carter recently died. She was quite a champion for increased mental health care help in our society. Our administration would, indeed, be in line with this — including much more help for those with substance abuse issues. (I was an addictionologist earlier in my career, and to cut down on relapse recidivism rates, we need to ramp up treatment options and length of stay in treatment.) Not only does drug addiction destroy individuals, but it creates a constellation of societal problems: domestic violence, crime, broken families, violence on our streets, increased drain on the healthcare system…