Are Government Disability Programs Responsible for America's Increased Heroin Use?
Recently, Rand Paul spoke about the growing number of heroin overdoses in the United States, which correlates with an increase in heroin use across all economic strata, predominantly in white America. Senator Paul has also brazenly spoken out about America's disability problem - a problem that isn't based on more citizens of this country getting hurt, but rather vastly more people going on disability payments and many of them for fraudulent or negligible issues.After reviewing the facts available regarding both heroin overdoses and usage and the nature of disability cases and how narcotics are prescribed, I can say with a strong amount of confidence that the U.S. government is the primary culprit driving America's new problem with heroin.I'll begin with the facts on America's increased love of heroin. From NBC via the CDC:
Heroin deaths nearly quadrupled in the decade between 2002 and 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Rates of abuse doubled among women and went up 50 percent among men during the same time period."Heroin use in the United States increased 63 percent from 2002 through 2013. This increase occurred among a broad range of demographics, including men and women, most age groups, and all income levels," the CDC says in its report, attributing much of the increase to users who started abusing prescription painkillers and then moved on to heroin.
This increase corresponds with all-time highs for Americans on disability...
According to the SSA’s latest report, in 2013 disability payments were made to 10,228,364 people and that’s up 139,625 from 2012 when there were 10,088,739 disabled beneficiaries. The numbers are staggering and have climbed particularly high under the Obama Administration. Disabled beneficiaries have increased 49.7 percent from a decade ago when there were 6,830,714 beneficiaries. From 2009 when President Obama took office until now, that number has jumped 14.3 percent alone (up from 8,945,376 beneficiaries).
Recent statistics show that 1 in 20 working age Americans are on government disability. Here are some other more current stats.30% of the claims made were for back injuries, which are prescribed narcotics regularly (I myself have a back injury and received narcotic drugs), and are very easy to fake (mine's not fake!) Almost every person has back issues at one point or another in their lives, many times chronic, and this makes it easy for anyone to cry "back injury" in order to get on disability.I'm not claiming that every case is fraud or unwarranted - there are legitimate injuries. Again, my own injury (a herniated disc) was, and still is, crippling and would have precluded me from any physical labor. However, the number of fraudulent injury claims or negligible claims are numerous.One of my good friends is a disability lawyer on the side of those claiming to be injured who has told me stories about his firsthand experiences. A shocking number of cases are without merit for people who have little to no actual medical problems, yet claim to be unable to work. Often he won't even have to argue the case to the judge presiding over it. In many cases the judge simply grants it without even bothering with a hearing, essentially rubber stamping thousands of dollars a year in medical payments based on a glance at a claim. He once told me of a case in which his client didn't bother showing up to the courtroom up because didn't think she had a chance at winning her claim. The judge gave it to her anyway, without even seeing or speaking with her.This is epidemic, and by accessing disability claims, Americans are also able to access the narcotic treatments that accompany their "injuries." From a study released in 2014:
Researchers found that between 2007 and 2011, about 44 percent of people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits were prescribed narcotic painkillers each year. And the percentage using the drugs long-term rose from 21 percent in 2007 to 23 percent in 2011.Experts said the trend is worrying because narcotic painkillers -- which include OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin -- can be addictive, or abused by people with existing drug problems.
They are very addictive, but as with any medication that's narcotic in nature, eventually the prescriptions do run out. Where is one to turn after being addicted to powerful drugs for so long? To the streets, of course, where Oxycontin and other narcotics are available, but at a hefty price that many can't afford...especially having been taking reduced income for disability payments for months or years.The cheaper alternative is heroin, which is abundant and easily accessed. The CDC even acknowledges the strong connection.
The reasons are complicated -- drug abuse overall is up, and more people are using prescription painkillers. Heroin is a cheap and more easily available alternative to these prescription drugs for people who become addicted to them."They are addicted to prescription opiates because they are essentially the same chemical with the same effect on the brain as heroin," Frieden told a news conference. "Heroin costs roughly 5 times less than prescription opiates on the street."
There is no way to ignore the facts:
- Vastly more Americans are on disability than ever before.
- 44% of those people are using narcotic painkillers.
- Prescription painkiller addiction leads some to heroin as an alternative.
- Heroin use rates have increased 63% since 2002.
Our government is the driving factor in the increase in heroin use, and subsequent increase in overdoses. The answer isn't a crackdown and an increased War on Drugs, as the DEA would put forth as the solution (ignoring the hypocrisy of the FDA making some opiates legal, while the DEA wages battle against other opiates). It's a crackdown on disability claims and a deeper vetting of who is getting benefits and narcotics, as paid for by the taxpayers of this nation.The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Check out our YouTube Channel!Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!Join our Facebook Group: The Lions of Liberty Forum
