[belsarius]

Originally Posted by rubecube

https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrI...g1ZTM1OWFkYyJ9

The rates of death through the first nine months of 2024 are 8% lower than 2023, and less than the annual rates of death over the previous 3 years. We'll obviously need more data to prove that 2024 isn't an outlier, but that's still less people dead from overdoses, which is good.

Anyone who was expecting this to work right away had unreasonable expectations. These things take time.



Even if that were the case, and there's no evidence of widespread diversion, the net result is still safer drugs in circulation. If people are able to sell them, that means there's a market for them, which means people are still using them.



Again, even if this is the case, that's still less addicts being exposed to fentanyl overall, which will continue to decrease the amount of overdose deaths.



What about this do you think is going to "suck more people into it?"

The DTES has had a culture of drug use going back for almost three decades. Do you honestly think people walk by, see what's going on down there, and say to themselves "Boy, that looks like a great time?"

I'd wager having it more out in the open, where people can see the results of addiction, is a greater deterrent than anything D.A.R.E. ever came up with.

Man, I gots to get myself a set of those Meth teeth.

Seriously though, looking through those charts and the age spread stuck out to me. In 2014 50% of the drug deaths were people under 40. That has dropped 10% (mostly in the under 30 group) and over 60 has grown by 10%. I don't know the best way to read into that - old people are more susceptible to ODing? Young people are not doing as many drugs? Its hard to say without additional data but it was interesting to see.