Drug abuse Archives - Granite Grok

Rate of Non-Fatal Teen Overdoses Increasing

December 31, 2024 Michael Bielawski

A new report by the state’s Department of Health indicates that for young Vermonters age 25 and under non-fatal overdose visits to emergency departments have generally risen over recent years. Teenagers may be seeing the most concerning rate of increase. The 9-page report can be read here. Key findings include, “Between 2018 and 2022, unintentional nonfatal overdose … Read more

Let’s Use the ‘Pardon’ To Start a Conversation and Raise Some Awareness

December 8, 2024 Celeste Clark

Many people are talking about the president pardoning his son. In the field of substance misuse prevention, we call this an opportunity to raise awareness that substance misuse addiction is a heartbreaking disease. It is important to know that it is also completely preventable. Sadly, far too many people in our country are impacted by … Read more

Safe Injection Sites

October 23, 2024 John Klar

Do they increase drug use? A Vermont bill proposes to create safe injection sites around the state for substance abusers (aka drug addicts) who inject opioids and other drugs. This has understandably proved controversial, and I feel compelled to chime in. I ask readers to hear me out — I may not be very popular … Read more

Did Mass General Brigham Hospital Mean to Imply That a Lot of Black People Use Drugs

April 6, 2024April 5, 2024 Steve MacDonald

In a world where the overpaid diversity officers of large outfits drive policy based on some perception of social justice, it’s easy to trip over both left feet. Take Mass General Brigham Hospital. They just announced that they will no longer “report babies who are born with drugs in their system to child welfare.”

House Democrats Pass BYOD State Supported Drug Dens

January 14, 2024 Rob Roper

Democrats in the Vermont House voted on Wednesday to spend $2 million to set up a pilot program establishing “safe injection sites” for addicts (H.72) – a misnomer, as it turns out as floor testimony revealed there are multiple ways users ingest their drugs at these facilities.

Two Years Later: Oregon Legalized Hard Drugs and It Went About as Well as You’d Expect

November 30, 2023November 25, 2023 Steve MacDonald

Democrats would never allow just anyone to have access to firearms under the pretense that those inclined to commit suicide would instead ask for help. Nor would they presume that the manic or psychotic would call a helpline instead of shooting up the nearest gun-free zone. But when it comes to drugs?

If Violent Crime is an Issue in the 2022 Mid Terms (It Is!) Can Dems Survive That?

April 15, 2022 Steve MacDonald

Rassmussen says Americans think violent crime will be an issue in the 2022 elections, with 61% saying violent crime is worse. What does that mean for the political landscape?

Mental health anxiety depression Image by Josh Clifford from Pixabay

How Schools Can Harm the Mental Health of Children Even with the Best Intentions

November 11, 2021 Ann Marie Banfield

Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, and even suicide are some of the most serious mental health issues school-aged children may face. It’s a problem that parents, community members, legislators, and school officials have been trying to deal with for a long time.

People Living in Irrational Fear of This Virus Have Their Representatives: The Rest of Us Have Almost No One

November 18, 2020 Steve MacDonald

I’m going to give this a name. It’s Tom Woods Anti-Panic Porn. The rational look at the world of COVID from the other side. Yes, we’ve been doing that all year. No, we’re not the only ones’ but Tom Woods’ words, the title of this post, are as true as ever.

“COVID19” is Taking a Toll on High Schoolers But It’s Not the Virus

August 4, 2020 Steve MacDonald

COVID19 is taking a toll on high schoolers but is not as a result of the actual virus. The CDC’s Dr. Robert Redfield notes that we’ve seen more suicides and more drug overdoses among high schoolers than deaths from the coronavirus. This is significant so what is the message here?

The Push For More Taxes On Adult Beverages Continues…

September 26, 2018January 25, 2013 Steve MacDonald

Tym Rourke, the person most likely to coordinate the spending of the tax money, is advocating for more revenue, so that he might–we can only assume–help spend it. Rourke is the Chairman of the Governors Commission on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment in New Hampshire, and he insists that because New Hampshire sells so much damn alcohol, even profiting from its aggressive promotion, that the state has a moral obligation to offset any downsides here in New Hampshire.

What’s next, a tax on hammers to cover time lost to thumb related injuries, or taxing shower curtains to defer lost productivity due to bathing accidents?