Heroin and Fentanyl Claim the Life of a 13-Year-Old in New Jersey
Opiate overdoses aren’t just reserved for adults. They can affect anyone, at any time. Addiction isn’t a prejudicial thing. It doesn’t care who you are, how you were raised, or what your occupation is. A lot of stigma has been placed by society on addiction and those who use drugs. Addicts were thought of as uneducated, impoverished and immoral people who lurked in the shadows and under bridges. They broke into your car, held you at gunpoint and robbed your house so they could get drugs. Many middle and upper-class families thought:
“My child would never use drugs. I raised them better than that.”
Or
“People don’t do drugs in our neighborhood.”
The fact of the matter is anyone can wind up using drugs and become addicted and drugs are absolutely everywhere. Yes, they’re in the inner cities but they’re also in every city and town across the country. Take an addict out of his neighborhood and plop him down somewhere he’s never been and I bet he will find drugs within the hour. That’s the state of affairs today. More now than ever, our kids are hooked on drugs. And it’s not just pot and Jack Daniels.
One of the most recent and saddest overdose stories is that of a 13-year-old child from New Jersey. His name was Vincent and he was found dead in his mother’s house on June 4th of this year. After taking a deadly combination of heroin and fentanyl, he appeared to have passed away during the night and was found dead in his bed the next morning. Jamie Lund, Vincent’s mother, was devastated by her son’s sudden passing and had no idea that he had been using drugs. She said,
“If he had been using, it was unknown by all of us…
there were no signs of anything.”
Vincent was described as a “happy and goofy” child but had recently been the victim of bullying at school. Apparently, 2 weeks before overdosing, he began acting strangely at school and was found to be cutting himself.
What’s even more sickening is that last week in Camden, New Jersey, 16 people overdosed on opiates after local drug dealers had a “free drug give away.”
This is complete and utter insanity. A free drug give away? Unbelievable. I think we’ve reached an all-new low here people. A 13-year-old child, who was the victim of bullying, began using drugs, more than likely to deal with the emotional or physical abuse he may have been experiencing. His drug use went unnoticed by those around him and the result was devastating. A mother had to bury her child. And not her grown child, her child that was only a few years from having been a baby.
Vincent had his whole life ahead of him, filled with endless possibilities. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to go to prom, graduate high school, go to college, get a good job and have a family. He fell victim to the norms of our society. Take something if you don’t feel good. Snort something to help you deal. Shoot something to numb everything away. His death is our responsibility. We created this.
So, what are we going to do about it?
