How Have Drugs Affected Josephine County? by Hunter Loftis-Winkler

As a dog owner goes on a nice walk through the city with her chihuahuas she looks around and notices the amount of pollution and homelessness. 

Her dog leans down to sniff an odd object on the sidewalk. He licks it a bit out of interest.

The dog mom thinks it's just bark or something but little does she know it's fentanyl.

Within moments her dog is showing symptoms of lethargy and not wanting to ingest anything and seeming to be a “zombie”.

This is one story described by Emily Engelbright after a quick walk with her dog in Oregon. This is just the beginning of many stories. The reality is that as fentanyl has more ease of access for homeless people and they carelessly discard whatever is left it opens up more possibilities for innocent creatures or even children if they aren't careful to come into contact with it.

Grants Pass, Oregon, has many problems with drug use and homelessness. It's no surprise that many homeless people have a drug addiction or at least have some sort of drug problem.  A lot of downtown Grants Pass is full of drug-using homeless people that are in tents. A majority of these people are in parks or other public areas where they can camp without worrying about repercussions of trespassing.

Another prominent problem is that many drug users are either not careful or unaware of what is what they are using. “Overdose deaths involving fentanyl have quadrupled in recent years. Because of the War on Drugs and criminalization of people who use drugs, people often are unaware of the exact composition of the substances they’re using,” said the National Harm Reduction Correlation.

Due to this high amount of drug use and homelessness it's clear why there's so many overdoses and so much pollution in our public parks. It also doesn't help that instead of addressing the problem of drug use, officials like the National Harm Reduction Correlation are providing resources for drug users to use safer. Whether it be “clean needles to prevent HIV” or “test strips to make sure certain drugs aren’t laced with harsher ones” as stated on the National Harm Reduction Correlation website. 

These resources may make things safer but they also allow drug users to believe that what they are doing is supported.

“It’s now become a competition of 1000’s and 1000’s on who can get the highest the fastest which makes many situations worse,” said Craig Owen, who works for the juvenile justice program at North Valley High School. When a certain high isn't enough for an addict the producers show them even more potent substances to get them dragged in further which is a leading cause in drug overdoses since it doesn't ever seem to be enough for addicts. 

“By November 1, at least 43 people in Josephine County died due to drug overdoses and at least 12% of the population is currently addicted, which is around 5,000 people currently using,” said Owen. 

Many people notice and complain about pollution, drug use, and homelessness--but it doesn't take much to make a difference and help out those in need. If you notice needles lying around the best option is to call your local non emergency number but if you feel like you have to really need to pick it up you should take precautionary steps like getting gloves, tweezers, and a container so you can then transport the needle to your nearest needle disposal. 

If you are planning a walk in your favorite local park, maybe you could take some bags and a long grabber with you to help your community pick up trash. Nobody ever wants to but then again nobody likes the trash either and there is no point in just complaining about it when you can do something about it.

Last but not least if you feel like helping out the homeless there are many volunteer centers where you can help with many different things from temporary relief off the streets to rehab centers that then try to get those people into a more stable environment.

People Are Dying Around You From Drugs by Bailey VanMater

People are scared to walk in parks. The parks have changed over the years and more drug users have been in them. Craig Owens, a Juvenile Justice Officer, connects this to himself and his family as his wife is too scared to walk their dogs in the park on her own after the killing of a drug user over summer that refused to cooperate with the police. 

Helping others has always been important to Craig and he wants to “keep kids out of his situation,” as he didn’t go to college till the age of 40 after some different circumstances growing up. 

He brought with him Patrick Sorenson who is a Juvenile Probation Officer for the outlook on teens being put on probation for possession and use of drugs. Patrick says, “ the younger population has a chance to change.”

They both agree that education is the most important for teens and adults, really users in general. Craig talks about how peer pressure is the most common reason people try drugs the first time. As well as the fact that normally the first time is free to new users. 

Craig said, “it has always been a problem, measure 110 just made it worse.” While drugs are not completely legal, possessing small amounts of them is now due to measure 110 making kids in possession not face any charges when caught with it.

Education is the best thing for today’s society to help with this problem. Not everyone wants help but educating the people around them can help others to see the consequences of drug use and overdoses. Not everyone has had the opportunity to see first hand the short term and long term effects of drug use. Some would hope most people don’t want to see it that way, that is why there needs to be information readily available for others to learn about it.

A lot of people used to move to the Grants Pass area because it was a clean area and it was a safe place for kids. Over the years it has gotten to be a very different place and people have started to move away from the area now according to Craig.

Healthcare workers, even when not at work, have narcan on them. When they go on break outside they have it with them. Users know how easy it is to get and so they are not worried about almost dying every time they use drugs. Seemingly People are less and less scared to overdose for this reason. They know that there won’t be major consequences from them overdosing on drugs and most commonly they get the medication to save them in time so they won’t die. 

People in the community are also scared of their loved ones and others around them overdosing on drugs and they have started to carry narcan around with them all the time. People use drugs for thrill seeking. Sometimes narcan is used 3-4 times to bring someone back to life. 

Most find that peer pressure was the reason they tried it the first time according to Craig. They want to not feel emotions that they are struggling with right now, so they try drugs. It's kinda like when people find skydiving fun. They want the thrill of the experience even if it brings them close to death.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you can contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-4357 for free help.

Overdosage by Andrea Liles

I can remember when adults would bring their children to the parks that we have in town.  Now there are homeless people and drugs throughout the parks, and this causes adults to not want their kids to witness the horrible things the homeless are doing. The national parks that we have around our town of Grants Pass, Oregon, have homeless people staying in tents, doing drugs, and ruining our community.

On December 11th, 2023, reporters from our class asked Craig Owens, the juvenile justice counselor, and Partrick Sorenson, the juvenile probation officer, to come in and be interviewed. Mr. Owens says, "The hospitals have been overfilled with homeless people because there has been a lot more drug abuse and overdoses." Our kids have grown up in those parks, but ever since the homeless have taken over, they have ruined the chances for the future children of Grants Pass to have a nice park to play  in.

Owens expressed to the class why he became a juvenile justice counselor.  He was once walking down the street with his family and their dog to go down to the park. When they got there, they saw a bunch of homeless people. This caused them to not want to be there anymore.

They felt disappointed by how people were treating the parks that we pay taxes for. Owens was worried about the safety of his family. Consequently, he hasn’t been to the park since that day.

We talked about the overdoses that have been happening over the years. Mr. Owens brought up how important it is for us teenagers to not put substances into our bodies that could have an ill effect on us. I have done some of my own research on this subject.

According to research shown on pbs.org, the vast majority of adolescents are young males ranging from 10 to 19 years old. The rate of female overdoses is almost half that of male overdoses. The male percentage is around 69%, and the female percentage is around 31%.

With these numbers being shown, I think it is important that we try to stop overdosing from happening. I would do this by trying  to eliminate the accessibility that teens have.

Due to the immense amount of overdoses, it is nearly impossible to simply go into the doctor's office or ER and get your foot looked at. Studies have shown that throughout the years of 2019 to 2022, the overdose rate has gone up exponentially; it has gone up to nearly 520% since 2019. According to KTVL 10, they have given thousands of people Narcan in order to stay alive.

I think that everyone who has kids should not be allowed to grow, take, or make any substance. Everyone is talking and writing about how it is a great idea for those who have a medical problem to just have a card and get whatever the doctor prescribes them. Then how do we stop overdosing?

Well, according to Mr. Owens, “there is really nothing we can do to stop it, but even though it was illegalized once before, they would always go back to doing what they know." Peer pressure is the most common reason people and teens get involved with drugs and alcohol. If something has become legal, it doesn’t always mean it is safe for people to use or do.

According to UCLA, the rate of overdose deaths among U.S. teenagers nearly doubled in 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic, and rose another 20% in the first half of 2021 compared with the 10 years before the pandemic. Even as drug use remained generally stable during the same period.

According to NPR.org, “teens thought they were taking prescription pills for pain and relaxation, drugs like Valium or Percocet, that they bought from friends or from social media. But the pills they took were counterfeits; they hadn't come from a pharmacy, and it turned out they contained fentanyl, a potent, often deadly, synthetic opioid. Just 2 milligrams can kill you.”.

I personally think that it has gotten this bad because of peer pressure. When people see other people doing something bad, they want to follow along. For example, teenagers are following their peers to fit in.

I also believe that homeless people are getting the attention they want in the news. By glorifying their lifestyle and choices on the news it shows young viewers who watch that, it is a carefree way to live. However,  it is important that you educate your young teens that this is far from the truth.

Drug infiltration is certainly something we cannot let continue. Newswatch 12 reports that they have never seen something this bad before. Newswatch also report that they have talked to Curry County, Josephine County, and Klamath County police departments and have also not seen anything like this before.

Homelessness and How It Applies to You by Joseph Korczak

When looking back at my life, I find that I’ve had it pretty easy. I haven’t been given the best looks, or the coolest skills, the greatest parents, or the richest family, but it definitely hasn’t been a hard life.

There are people though that have had it a lot harder than I have, but do you think it’s because they take their life for granted, or maybe they just don’t care what happens to them.

You would think that most people go into homelessness because of going bankrupt, or because they can’t afford a house; however, it usually starts in high school.

According to the Arlington Life Shelter, “68% of U.S cities report that addiction is the largest cause of homelessness."

Now most people would think that’s a major stereotype, but it’s because it’s honestly the truth for most cases. There is another factor too, and that is mental or physical abuse or trauma.

The Arlington Life Shelter says that “50% of women and children are fleeing their homes because of domestic violence” and "20 to 25% of the homeless are mentally ill."

Now I don’t want to fill this too much with quotes, but just from what you could look up online and do your own research within an hour; you would probably find the same things I would, and that's that homelessness is increasing.

Well and a few other things of course, like for instance most homeless people are treated poorly because people think they are drug addicts, or because of mental illness.

Now if there is one thing I think everybody agrees on; it’s that everybody wants to be treated fairly, but that isn’t possible for most homeless people who are already struggling as is.

Now that isn’t always the case. Some homeless people are on the streets because of a very bad history of crime. “More than 25% of people experiencing homelessness report being arrested for activities that are a direct result of their homelessness," according to reentryandhousing.org.

Overall, what does that mean for you? Well that depends on where you live, and what kind of city you live in. The more populated cities have it worse because more crime is likely to happen there.

Now that may not be for every large city, but the facts point towards otherwise. This article about crime committed with the homeless is a great source to share about such things: https://www.crimeinamerica.net/the-homeless-are-far-more-likely-to-commit-crimes-and-to-be-victims/.

In the article it states a lot about the kinds of absurd behaviors that the homeless have been doing in our cities, and how a lot of hospitals cannot afford to house the crazy amount of mentally ill people; in fact a lot have closed down because they didn’t have enough money to afford to treat them.

Now I’m not trying to be hateful or anything, but I think the way people have been going around treating the homeless has only ended up in failure.

If it’s going to be solved who knows, but if it’s not then crime and the streets are only going to keep getting more horrible.

This leads me to think of the quote “You can spend all the time in the world, and all the treatment, and care, but it all means nothing if someone isn’t willing to work on themselves”.