‘She Was Like You and Me’: A Death and Life in the Bronx Opioid Crisis

On the corner in front of a drugstore, there are a rotating group of people who are on drugs, nodding out and asking for money. If you are a human being the sight of these Americans requesting help breaks your heart. A few days ago we watched the horrors of a mass shooting of Mexicans, families being rounded up from there children. I state the horrors of a few days ago because, we all need to sit, be quiet and think. How can we address all of these issues that show a break down in society. An internet, where so many people buy drugs and are bullied by fellow Americans. Privacy is stolen by Facebook, google, Can we no longer create a safe environment for everyone. Many comments spoke about a wall once again. Lets have discussions with solutions not sound bite. We are drowning in issues, and when death comes calling it doesn't ask for your political affiliation. Life is precious and let us listen to Pope Francis we have seen these threats before so lets learn from the past and et smart. Leave your party status at the door.

Thank you for such strong reporting.

"Some form of fentanyl is found in about 90 percent of drugs.." We have to thank China - which has refused to stop producing fentanyl for American consumption, and Mexican gangsters who all too easily slip into the country and are sheltered by accomplices. Fentanyl was part of the bargain Trump struck with Xi, that the Chinese reneged on. So here we are.

The police may be part of the problem. I used to live in Washington Heights, an area with open-air drug markets all over. The whole place is divided up among the dealers so that the violent drug wars of the 1980's are avoided. The police in the 33rd and 34th precinct act in concert with the dealers. Dealing is quite open. For example: In the 33rd Precinct, you can see dealers at 157 St and Broadway near the uptown subway stop out in the open during the day. They hang around a beauty salon on the east side of Broadway. In the 34th precinct, you can see dealers within a block of the two schools on Ellwood St. at Nagle and at Bogardus in Fort George. Sometimes, the dealers are right on Bogardus close to the schools. These dealers sometimes have prescription drugs in their hands right out in the open. The CompStat categories of crimes do not include drug-related arrests. As long as the precinct keeps murder, rape, and larceny numbers low, it looks good. The officers can simply continue working with the dealers to help the business run smoothly without violence. The ODs are just collateral damage.

" just a day’s work for the police: no evidence collected, no investigation, another drug death." If this is NYPD protocol the department is more corrupt and bereft than I previously imagined

Remember ,Communist China is not our friend.Mexico is not our friend . China and Mexico could stop deadly Fentanyl from getting here ,yet it's almost as if they like the results. Americans dropping out of the labor force and dying ,just leaves more opportunity for them to destroy our social structure and norms.

On this morning's front page there two articles on drugs, one speaks about Carlos Santana getting high on mescaline at Woodstock--how "cool" it was. This one is about the opioid crisis killing people. Is anyone else struck by the contradiction here? In the face of so much tragedy, why is a rock musician's drug use considered cool, and why is it front page material in what is supposed to be a great newspaper?

So young, so sad. Drug abuse is the Devil.

El Chapo's in Supermax but the Sackler family has its name on university buildings...hum.

It is a fentanyl crisis coming daily from China not a hydrocodone one, and until we understand the true beast here, we lose the fight. People are shooting themselves up with fentanyl and other similar synthetic substances. We have made those in pain who depend upon hydrocodone tablets/pills for relief, go through heinous restrictions while testing companies make millions having elders 70, 80 years old urinate in a cup once a month for what dubious reason?

As long as we have a culture that tells people that any sort of problem or discomfort can be fixed by buying something, we'll have culture that has rampant substance and process addictions.

Legalize and save countless lives, including addicts, drug dealers, manufacturers, cartel workers, and most importantly innocent bystanders during cartel battles.

Horribly sad story. Part of the whodunit trail will lead to fat-shamers (both individuals and media) who drive obese people to risky measures with deadly side effects. Along the way are the doctors who overprescribe. In my experience dentists are the worst. My husband had an implant done and was offered a TWO WEEK supply of opiates. He declined. In fact he never used any - as we both know too many stories of dental pain relief gone wrong. We need to be exploring alternative pain relief as well. Why is it easier to find drugs than acupuncture? Why is massage therapy not covered by insurance but oxy-CS are?

Perhaps the wall at the broader would help keep the flow of illegal drugs from coming into the country from Mexico, it’s worth a shot as I hear in every argument about gun control “if saves just one life it’s worth it”

Her history of weight loss surgery jumped out at me. I practice psychiatry and have treated countless people who developed significant compulsive/addictive disorders after bariatric surgery. I am not for or against this surgery. I'm simply stating a fact. We don't fully understand all the contributing factors, but it is an open secret in the field that people who have dramatic weight loss after surgery have alarmingly high rates of alcohol and other drug problems, compulsive spending, problematic gambling, compulsive sexual activity, infidelity and compulsive exercise. In some cases it seems they lost their usual coping strategy (constant or otherwise problematic eating) without having learned new, healthier ways to deal with stress. Add to that the new-found attention many receive and are unprepared for and the person is especially vulnerable. Because weight loss surgery is such a cash cow for hospitals and providers, I have seen the psychological risks glossed over or dismissed by some who have a vested interest in promoting bariatric surgery.

This is very sad. But the War on Drugs is the definition of insanity? Can we just admit the following? 1. People will find a way to get drugs. 2. Taking out dealers is pointless because another one will replace him/her because as long as customers exist. 3. People sometimes overdose because the dosage of pills bought on the street is unpredictable. One pill might be 6 times more potent than the next. 4. A criminal record for non-violent drug offenders ruins their life and keeps them on a criminal path. Can we please try something different? Legalize drugs. Manage dosing. Treat drug addiction as a health condition that needs to be managed. Don’t leave vulnerable people to fend for themselves on the streets.

Does it ever come down to the person who is willingly injesting, injecting, smoking the drug? Is the addict ever considered to be responsible for their horrible outcomes. Do they ever need to take responsibility at least in part for their situation? The families and especially the children of the addicts are the true victims here, as I see it. The "helpless victim" culture, endless Naloxone rescues, stealing from those who love them, and others...it doesn't end. Is the addict ever expected to make different choices, maybe not start to begin with, since they are surrounded with the consequences of this path...from an early age, in most cases.

I was in NYC midtown yesterday - had not been there for a while - maybe 2 years. Was struck by the sights of addicts shooting up in broad daylight around Port Authority. In the many years I commuted there, I had never saw that done so openly. Young people too. What a shame - what a waste of a life.

We spend so much money on reducing the supply of drugs instead of reducing the demand for drugs.

If you can't get the kingpins, go after the smaller dealers, the runners, anyone who is involved. Harass them with arrests, jail, deportation, everything. If they get out of jail arrest them again. Go after them the way you would the mob. And stop lamenting the "mass incarceration" of people for "non violent drug crimes". This is what "non violent drug crime" looks like. Anyone involved in selling this woman drugs is guilty of murder. There is a reason the african American community called for stricter crime laws in the 70s.

And the Sackers are worth billions and billions...

I can save the squad some work: the trail leads to the Sackler family. They are responsible for this monstrous crime.

As someone who has serious longtime addicts in the family, I believe we should legalize heroin, giving registered addicts access to the drug at safe-injection sites. This, of course, is not a perfect solution, but I believe it would save lives. Dealers don’t care what’s in the drug; drugs administered by the city would be presumably “clean.”

Drugs in cities need more awareness. Overdose and opioids are no joke. They are continuing to spread throughout our country and thr number of drug related deaths are getting higher and higher. Deaths are getting more common and this situation really needs to be adressed.

Many years ago the comedian and social activist Dick Gregory said he could go to any city in America and within an hour could find someone willing to sell him illegal drugs and he wondered how he could manage this but the police in those cities somehow couldn't find them. We're never going to solve this problem through law enforcement. We might have a better impact by dealing with it as a public health issue. Of course, we would need to start providing adequate funding for drug treatment but good luck with that. Remember how the country mobilized when there were a couple of cases of Ebola? We can't even come close to that for millions suffering from drug addiction including tens of thousands who die. Yeah, I know, Ebola is a real disease while drug addiction is just human weakness.

In this country, they are being carried and hidden on trucks. Trucks should be periodically stopped. Watch carefully the trucks that speed on highways and roads. They are racing for a reason.

Very sad these young people died unnecessarily and that she left behind a young son. But, she made a series of bad choices and they led to her untimely death. It's time as a society we stopped trying to ignore the logical outcome of obviously bad choices. This wasn't "done to her," she did it to herself.

Prevention on the consequences of drug taking in schools would be somewhere to start. Educate the public on how drug dealing is a business and that people who sell or give you drugs are not your friends. Tell people not to take them in the first place as it will only leave you craving for more and make you addicted. Show photos of the humiliating side of drug addiction and it's social consequences and how lots of scheming humans will want to get you addicted so they can control you for whatever reason. And publish a free phone number people and family can phone to dob in a drug dealer. Also publish the truth about what these ignorant greedy people put in the drugs on the street, such as horse tranquiliser etc in the name of profit and they don't care if you die or not as long as they get their money. There were some drug dealers caught in the city I live in, dealing drugs out of an internet café in the city, according to what I read last week. Drug dealers and the consequences of their drugs causes lots of grief in societies and costs the government mega bucks in social issues drug addiction causes. All drug advertisement should be banned on TV as drugs are not food and are toxic. More emphasis on dangers of drug taking and learning to say no to your doctor if they want to prescribe painkillers. Or at least check out the addictive and negative side effects of the drug and get a second opinion.

Nothing will stop a drug until its users, and those who are tempted to use it, decide to stop using. The crack epidemic ended only when its repulsive side effects, including missing teeth and hollowed faces, deterred people from getting addicted. Drug rehabilitation does not work - the typical addict who tries to quit tries dozens of times and fails. Naloxone often seems to just encourage more risky behavior, as it increases confidence of being rescued - and so we have cases of addicts being revived dozens of times. Unfortunately, sadly, only tough love eventually works.

Instead of spending billions to cage poor people at the border we should send more judges, process their cases faster and use the money we save to secure our ports of entry and staff them more heavily and inspect more shipments What a concept!

It's interesting: There's an article today in the Times about a Filipino family in Houston. It talks about what it means to assimilate, the family's progress and some of the difficulties they encountered along the way. My interpretation was that of a success story. Now I've come to this article and read about Mexicans attached to a Mexican drug cartel who smuggled dangerous illegal drugs which kill people. So what can we take away from these divergent articles? Like everything else, there's always good and bad. There is no policy, ideology, system etc. which doesn't create winners and losers. The only hope possible is to have situations where winning is optimized and losing contained.

I saw an TV episode rerun-a medical show- where an actor mentioned fentanyl as a good thing for the patient. It struck me as curious at the time that it was the only drug if ever heard mentioned by name on the show- and the only other time I see fentanyl mentioned is in tragic articles like this one. That's no mistake- the conjunction of the irresponsible advetising and the mountain of deaths connected to this scourge of a 'drug'. Commenters-stop blaming the victim -they're being targeted by experts.

Sad, but now an all too common scenario. There is evidence that addiction can follow gastric bypass (alcohol frequently but other “drugs” too). https://www.obesityaction.org/community/news/bariatric-surgery/transfer-addiction-following-bariatric-surgery/

Looking for the dealers? Purdue Pharma is a big one. No need to go after the low hanging fruit.

The idea that people who are suffering mental health issues are simply those who can’t handle, or don’t learn to deal with normal emotional suffering or life problems is an old trope. It is also a lie. I try and explain to people that mood disorders are brain chemistry hamstringing their victims. Emotional regulation issues (ER), which are ubiquitous in addiction: You go out to your car to go to work, but it won’t start. Someone with ER will feel the same way as someone who just saw their long-time childhood pet killed by a car. Most people who are feeling a little depressed can take a walk, get some exercise, eat better, get some sun, use some sleep hygiene, and see a positive difference in their overall mood. Someone with a mental health issue are generally not helped by these methods, not appreciably. Addiction remains poorly understood and poorly treated with low long-term success rates. ER issues aren’t even mentioned in most addiction clinical literature (despite that the “AA Big Book” can be conceptualized, at least in part, as a treatment plan for ER issues). Nearly all addicts also have a history of Developmental Trauma (also called Complex Trauma) which is trauma chronically inflicted on a child by a primary caregiver. The ACES study demonstrated the relationship that exists between Adverse Childhood Experiences and later physical and mental health issues. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_Childhood_Experiences_Study

Very complicated. And the big question is what happens to people who don't have jobs, who can't sleep (that one I really relate to and Ambien is of the slightest help), who is probably clinically depressed, who has hormones (find a mate). Personally, I was terrified of addiction in my early 20s -- then when I finally tried MJ -- geez what was the fuss/fear -- did nothing for me; ditto the opioids -post surgery altho there was a pleasant buzz (made me sleepy) along with the pain relief (ibuprofen was just as effective-- no buzz).. so I can see how people become addicted. I hope the various addiction genes can be discovered (and CRISPR out). But meantime the big question is how do we help people live happy/productive lives. It's not easy. Frankly, IMO we need something to fill the role that churches did say 100 + years ago for many: creating a somewhat caring community something most of us need.

At 74 years old I have taken Oxycodone for severe arthritic pain before having a hip replacement. The side effects are terrible and dangerous. Withdrawing or tapering off from Oxycodone is a painful experience. My heart goes out to all the Americans that have fallen pray to opiates.

Grew up in The Bronx. Although it was way back, drugs were around (although not to the extent they are today). I can’t remember anyone I knew being forced to take them. Nor did any of my friends become addicts. Wonder what the difference is.

This is how some European countries invest in citizens health: "Parents of both sexes, are entitled to 480 days (16 months) of paid parental leave, at about 80% of their salary, plus bonus days for twins Dads must take at least some of those 16 months The days don't expire until the child is 8 years old"

I have a working theory that there are underlying mental health problems that are feeding the so-called opioid crisis. This story is just one of a hundred that have been well documented in the media, possibly thousands more exist and all start with emotional and/or mental pain. They all have Xanax, Zoloft, Adderall and other anti-depressant/ADHD medications in their history. These medications permanently change brain chemistry and can be prescribed by people who do not have psychological training. A history of these ultra addicting drugs can start as early as age 5 or 6. Also many people confuse clinical depression, where meds can help, with being sad/depressed over conditions in your life. The meds do not work on these cases because the root cause cannot be treated by the medication. There needs to be a crackdown on prescribing these medications and limited to trained psychologists and only for clinical diagnoses and not because some teacher or GP said. People and parents need to take more control to remove the root cause of normal emotional pain without medications. The comment that this woman was normal until a few years ago was a bald faced lie told to make the mother feel better. People do not think it is bad to go to a dentist for a tooth ache, they should not think it is bad or they are crazy to go to a mental health professional because of emotional/mental pain. I feel sympathy for the son. I know what it is like to live with a parent who has a mental illness.

Heartbreaking and well-reported. It’s long overdue to look at the addiction crisis through human eyes, and not just statistics. The police challenge is daunting. As are the health and social challenges. We really have no parallels in history to guide us on this one.

These poor people and their families. It makes sense that they don’t want her labeled only as an addict. She and the others who OD are humans with promise. They take the wrong turn after turn, only to fall through a deep, dark hole.

All is fair in Drugs & War and you best believe there will be casualties.

Re: "What happened to Jerlanne Rojas?" ...The drug war happened...to Jerlanne Rojas / the rest of us! I am a retired EMS paramedic, and I've dispensed enough narcan to refloat RMS Titanic / HMS Hood / Bismark... simultaneously, (1983-1994)! We've had a, (so, called...), war on drugs, since the 30's, and...what do we have to show, for all these trillion's, squandered?

Methadone and Buprenorphine should be able to be prescribed by all primary care providers. You can’t force someone to change their life and stop using drugs, but there needs to be more treatment options open to these users. If they leave one program, there should be another one available that doesn’t involve months of waiting and a high price tag. Everyone should get more than one chance to live.