Comments on: Antigo Man Charged in Heroin Death

By: Kevin LaPage

Kevin LaPage — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:41:58 +0000

First off I think if you peddle anything that you know has the potential to kill another then you accept at least part of the responsibility for that. legalization is the key because then you can come at the problem from a purely treat the individual standpoint with hard drugs.

Although you may not come across them in our little town many active and former police, prosecutors, etc. are for ending prohibition and you can read many good articles and watch many good speakers on video talking about this very subject on their site L.E.A.P. or Law enforcement against prohibition.

http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php

I personally do not believe in using hard drugs, but will openly admit that I fully support the legalization of Cannabis for use by adults, (marijuana if you speak spanish) I speak english so it is Cannabis. I think any adult should be able to posses, grow, ingest Cannabis at their own discretion and it should be no concern of anyone else in society. If you are going to rail against it come with the facts and not the gibberish pumped by the likes of people like Dan Bauknecht about how bad Cannabis is…there are enough idiots without facts without adding yourself to the list.

Also to the people that seem afraid to use their own name. What are you afraid of exactly by using your name? Or is it your safety net so that you can say whatever without being accountable for your words. Personally I am willing to have a mature debate with anyone on here. But keep it civil and use your name or I won’t even bother. Hope everyone has a great week!!!

By: WOW.....

WOW..... — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:14:28 +0000

Maybe…..just maybe…..if the police officers in Antigo would follow through with ALL the reports about the drug dealers…and the comings and goings of said drug dealers….they could put them in jail…and keep them there. But instead…..they let these dealers out on bond….and back out on the streets to continue seeling drugs…….
Let’s see…..I know of one person…..Wilfredo Romero….aka. Pepe who is one of the bigger dealers in town…..he is out on a signature bond and within a month of that bond, got picked up for driving after revocation, and drug paraphanalia….which goes against his bond…..did they put him in jail? Nope….he is out on the streets….selling near the school, and walking around all powerful becasue some of Antigo’s finest officer buy their drugs from him. He has been reported weekly as to his where abouts, and his dealings…..but yet….NOTHING is ever done. So maybe we should help the addicted…..and throw the dealers in a place where they can no longer sell to the addicted. Stop it at the source…..

By: Heleen Krueger

Heleen Krueger — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:56:41 +0000

So, to recap … we blame Northern Wisconsin’s/Antigo’s drug problems on “kids” even though the people involved in this case (and most other cases) were adults over 30. We are shocked are surprized to learn that we have “drugs” in town, even though they have been here for decades. Then people who refused to use their real names on their community’s message board passed judgment on two people they know nothing about, other then the fact that they have used or sold “drugs.” The part I loved the most: The conversation being killed by facts.

By: H.S

H.S — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:43:36 +0000

DOES ANYONE KNOW NICOLE HEDGES ,THAT CAN TALK ABOUT HER CORECTLEY,NO , ONLY ME , CJ, OR HER MOTHER CAN. IF ANYONE IS PERFECT OR THINKS THAY ARE ,YOU MIGHT WANT TO NOW THE HOLE STORY. 5YEARS EARLYER NICOLE HAD A CAR AXIDENT ON THE WAY TO WORK ,A SNOWPLOW TRUCK DRIVER FROM RINDLANDER WAS REACHING UNDER THE SEAT HE SAID AND HIT NICOLE HEAD ON ,TOTALED THE CAR SPLIT HER HANDICAP ARM SO THE BOAN WAS STICKING OUT .THE DOCTORS THERE GAVE HER OXIECOTTON I THINK THAT IS HOW YOU SPELL IT ,I DONT SPELL VERY GOOD SORRY.NICOLE WAS A HIGHLEY ADICTIVE PERSON AND GOT HOOKED ,BUT THE DOCTORS KEEPED GIVEING IT TOO HER . TOTALEY HURT NICOLE AND CJ MERRIAGE .THAY RECEIVED NOTHING FOR THAT ,NOT EVEN ANOTHER CAR .THIS IS JUST PART OF THE STORY. SO BEFORE YOU JUGE SOMEONE KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT PLEASE. P.S. THANKS C.J FOUR YOUR COMENTS VERY WELL SAID.

By: enthusiorgasm

enthusiorgasm — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:09:55 +0000

First off, northern Wisconsin, and when I refer to that I mean anywhere north of Dane county, have absolutely no idea how to deal with opioid addiction, and how to de-stigmatize those who use it. Heroin is very prevalent in south-central Wisconsin, and is making it’s way up north. I-90/94 is a major gateway for the trafficking of all drugs, but particularly heroin, and cocaine. It’s funny that so many people in this area are so misinformed. Many act like heroin poses more risks that morphine, methadone, oxycodone/contin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, fentanyl, etc. These are all respiratory depressants, and they are all equally dangerous if not used with discretion. Heroin absolutely will become more prevalent in this area, and farther up north. Instead of acting like uneducated fools, and stigmatizing those who use heroin, and other opioids, you need to change your mindset. Drugs will not go away, and incarceration is not the answer. I do not agree with the current laws in regards to homicide charges related to deaths from drugs. The user chose to buy the drugs, and dosed themselves. They either were aware of the risks or should have been. A smart user would make sure to have Narcan (naloxone), which is an opioid antagonist, or reversal agent, used in the case of overdoses. Opioid addiction, as well as other drugs in general, doesn’t have a particular type of person it effects. The poor, rich, educated, uneducated, etc. are all equally at risk. Harm reduction is what is key. Providing a needle exchange program, and naloxone, free of charge is a monumental step forward. Yes, there are options for those who are addicted, inpatient and outpatient, particularly in the form of methadone, and Suboxone (burprenorphine/naloxone); however, these are both very expensive treatments. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) can only be provided by special clinics, and there are very few in Wisconsin (Wausau, Beloit, Madison, Milwaukee, Waukeshau). For the first 90 days, the patient must come in everyday, and if after this probationary period the patient as followed all guidelines, which mean meeting with counselor(s) once a week, attending clinic meetings, and not showing up for amphetamines, morphine based drugs (and depending on past opioid use, oxycodone, hydrocodone, etc), benzodiazapines, marijuana, and PCP, and after finding a proper dosage (which is quite hard because there is generally only one doctor at MMT clinics, who is there once a week, and is generally booked solid for weeks on end, and is the only one who can write an order to increase or decrease a dose), can qualify for phasing, which means a patient can get take home doses. In Wisconsin, it goes up to phase 5, which means a patient comes in every two weeks, takes a dose in front of a dosing nurse, and then gets two weeks worth of take homes; however, once a patient goes from phase four to phase five they have what’s called a callback, and the period changes from once every 90 days, to once a month. For those who don’t live in a town that has an MMT clinic, they may have to travel any distance, some people travel two hours daily, on top of the approximately $100 per week fee for the methadone. This is a very costly form of treatment; however, it can be very effective. Yet, until laws change in this state, and on a federal level, so that patients can go to a local pharmacy to get there doses, it becomes very hard for many to get treatment. Suboxone, or buprenorphine with naloxone, is also very costly and can only be prescribed by doctors with special training, and there is a very limited amount of them in this state. Almost all of these doctors are cash only doctors, have an initial intake fee which can be $300+, and a monthly (or more frequent) fee of $100+. The medication is only brand name as of this time, and most insurances don’t cover it. The cost of a single 8mg (8mg buprenorphine/2mg naloxone) tablet is around $7. Doses go up to 32mg, which is the ceiling dose (meaning even if you take more, it makes no difference). The problem with this medication, is approximately 10% of patients do not respond to this medication because buprenorphine is not a full opioid agonist like methadone, but a partial antagonist. This means some people, regardless of dosage, will not respond to this medication, and will make them feel like they are in constant withdrawals. Inpatient treatment is even more expensive, and impossible for some to afford. Furthermore, even though these services are available, albeit difficult to access, you cannot force a person into any form of treatment, it HAS to be there conscious decision. As previously stated, because of the difficulty accessing these services, many people may attempt to get help, but stop because of the hassle involved with these treatment methods. As far as legalization goes, it would be a step forward, and for those of you who think it would cause more problems, I urge you to look up HAT (heroin assisted treatment), which is available in Switzerland, Spain, Germany, and by trial basis, in Canada. Not only has it been very effective, but it has shown that pharmaceutical grade heroin treatment is more effective than methadone, Suboxone, and inpatient treatment. More people get off of it every year, and stay clean, than those on methadone, or Suboxone. Also, dosing with methadone in the US is problematic. The US uses what’s called racemic methadone, which contains two isomers (forms of methadone), dextro-methadone, and levo-methadone. Levo-methadone is really the only active isomer, and it is the only form used in the majority of Europe. Racemic methadone creates a problem when trying to determine proper dosage, because MMT clinics use an archaic, and disproven method of determining dosage known as a peak and trough. This is a blood test taken before you take your dose, and then again four hours after dosing. Because the methadone is racemic, the levels are doubled, and show a false reading, as l-methadone is the only truly helpful form. Therefor, if you were taking only l-methadone and you had a level of 200, the racemic methadone given in the US would show up as 400 do to the inactive d-methadone isomer. Furthermore, federally funded clinics are also problematic. For example, Chicago clinics only allow patients to go up to 100mg per day. This is not effective for many high tolerance users, and many are still “dopesick.” This causes many to drop out of the program because they have no reason to go in to a clinic, with inconvenient hours, to take a medication that doesn’t help them entirely. Not only that, but it’s possible to still use heroin, or other opioids, especially via intravenous use, at a dosage like this. There are patients who NEED dosages over 1000mg per day. I suggest reading a medical paper called, “When enough isn’t enough.” Which address this issue. Providing NEPs (needle exchange programs), help prevent the spread of HIV, and Hepatitis C. I urge all who don’t believe this to read about the current problem in Russia. They have use double the amount of heroin (Afghani, which is the purest heroin available) than the US and Canada combined, yet they do not offer public NEPs, methadone maintenance treatment, or Suboxone maintenance treatment. The number of HIV and Hepatitis C infections have spread monumentally, yet they refuse to do anything about it. Furthermore, people stigmatize users, particularly those who IV. Ironically, heroin (which I would like to remind is illegal), and opioid withdrawal cannot cause death, or seizures, yet, alcohol, and benzodiazapines, which are both legal not only can cause delirium tremens, tonic clonic seizures, but death. Also, alcohol is responsible for more deaths yearly than all illegal drugs combined, and that’s not just limited to the users of it, but innocent people due to auto accidents, and other things. However, because it’s legal, it’s socially acceptable. It’s time for many of you to do your research and have a mentality change. The only dangerous consequence of “white” heroin (which refers to powder based heroin that is white, off-white, or tan, and originates from either South East Asia, or South Africa), is the risk of overdose, leading to death. However, if a user knows his tolerance, this can be entirely avoided, and furthermore, if this happens can be reversed by naloxone, among other antagonists. Let’s move forward and destigmatize this drug, and the people who use it. Chances are, you don’t even realize how many people, and the fact that many people hold very good jobs, including but not limited to doctors, lawyers, etc. Also, if you think pharmaceutical opioids are safer, or less addictive, you’ve managed to fool yourself. Knowledge is power, and harm reduction saves lives. If you think heroin is a problem, then you obviously are not informed about methamphetamine, cocaine, and alcohol. All are neurotoxic, and meth in particular, completely changes your neuro chemistry permanently, not to mention it causes such horrible physical problems, including, but not limited to, tooth decay and loss (known as meth mouth), psychosis, and many other horrible problems. If not fully reacted, depending on the method, can cause free radicals from iodine to build up in your body, causing other horrible problems. Not to mention the improper disposal of chemicals can infect, soil, and ground water for years, and costs very much to properly clean up. Next time you have a few beers, and decide that it’s okay, and you think that you’re better than someone using heroin, or other opioids, realize that you’re not, and that is complete arrogance, and ignorance.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:57:27 +0000

Just a thought, how about giving the youth an alternative entertainment. There seems to be a lack of things for them to do.

By: got out years ago

got out years ago — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:28:09 +0000

I cant belive you all really think or thought that drugs arent apart of every day life in antigo its been going on for decades, its just most of the people want to play deaf dumb and stupid when it comes to the different drugs that filter through every day. Come off it I would bet my paycheck that atleast 1/2 the people under the age of 30 smoke weed on a daily to weekly basis and if their not getting high, there at a bar getting drunk to drown out the sorrow of having to live in a god forsaken place. to the people who think antigo is suppose to be this quite quaint town, well its not, its just a big black hole waiting to suck in its next victim!!! I agree with the last person, no one forced her to take the drugs. Its all about commen sense if you have ANY you know not to put that crap in your body, and if your week minded well into the black hole you will fall.

By: got out years ago

got out years ago — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:21:19 +0000

I cant belive you all really think or thought that drugs arent apart of every day life in antigo its been going on for decades, its just most of the people want to play deaf dumb and stupid when it comes to the different drugs that filter through every day. come off it I would bet my paycheck that atleast 1/2 the people under the age of 30 smoke weed on a daily to weekly basis and if their not getting high there at a bar getting drunk to drown out the sorrow of having to live in a god forsaken place. to the people who think antigo is suppose to be this quite quaint town, well its not, its just a big black hole waiting to suck in its next victim!!!

By: Really?

Really? — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:33:53 +0000

Hey nobody forced her to take the drug, that was a personal decision, its not only the dealers but the addicted that need to take responciblility for there actions……..

By: life as usual

life as usual — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:18:36 +0000

both of them they are both criminals and liars, they have no place in society