Overdose Deaths PLUMMET: NOBODY Knows Why

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Krystal and Saagar discuss overdose deaths plunging in the US.
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#news #politics #youtube

[@Stranger_In_The_Alps]

Can’t even afford hard drugs in this economy

[@haze_the_alchemist1123]

😂

[@GrandSekiza]

Bruh this....

[@TIMMYSIPRANO]

Hey Doosh! Feti cost a dollar thats why there is an Epedemic.

[@l.h.tnguyen4916]

Pick yourself up by your bootstrap and take some personal responsibility.

[@mountainmanmike1014]

@@l.h.tnguyen4916 a good pair a boots cost how much now?

[@tinosmo1]

Drug dealers finally realizing they need drug users to support the market lol

[@mountainmanmike1014]

or the government has stopped spiking products

[@lunarvvolf9606]

@@mountainmanmike1014 that or made in the good ol US of A a safer dope for the druggies MADGA MAKE AMERICAN DRUGS GREAT AGAIN!

[@Andrew-pv8oz]

Exactly they realized they need repeat customers so they changed the recipe 😂

[@jamesmurphy9426]

​@@mountainmanmike1014Fed Dope is the best

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

They always knew that. I wouldn't be surprised if part of it is realizing how much they can reduce the active ingredients and still get people coming back for more.

[@AFR0PR1NC3]

Saagar, it’s hard to force someone into rehab when you’re in one of the few developed countries without free healthcare.

[@branchingoutnurseries4403]

no such thing as free healthcare. and ask yourself this question, when you spend other people's money on services for other people, how careful are you on getting the most value for the cost?

[@NikeonaBike]

@@branchingoutnurseries4403 do you libertarians have like a document where you copy paste the same dopey responses everytime someone uses certain keywords? I mean do you even think you're making a good point? Do you think countries with socialized medicine get more or less value than us per money spent?

[@cs7623]

Are you dumb? I work in healthcare, it’s all free healthcare for the poor. The middle class is the only people who suffer because they are forced to pay for the poor

[@benzobenji2698]

@@branchingoutnurseries4403do you know how private insurance works? You’re literally paying for the healthcare of someone who is sicker than you. You ppl are so dumb and have no idea how private healthcare works

[@azure4100]

Ask Israel. They have free healthcare.

[@dipp1511]

I love BP comment sections. Either people are eating up saagar or eating up Krystal 😂

[@peterthegreat996]

Give me some Krystal

[@hexicdragon3094]

Saagar would be the gym teacher who teaches abstinence-only education for 20 years and wonder why teen pregnancy rates grow every year at his school lol.

[@makari8884]

Honestly

[@saraamin5494]

The literal teacher from Mean Girls

[@DD-qo1tw]

Saagar saying he supports the Portuguese model but then revealing he's against the parts of it that make things safer for current addicts (and therefore only likes the parts that punish individuals) really shows how his personal bias against users/addicts poisons his views. When people get safer drugs and places to use them from the state that leads them to being repeatedly exposed to a system and people that can get them out of addiction and makes them more likely to consider it since it's not some alien far off thing. People respond way better to compassion and encouragement rather than punishment. Sometimes only gradualism works rather than instant forced intervention. People like to feel they came to decisions on their own. Doing the Portuguese system without the aspect that helps keep currently addicted people safe would greatly decrease it's effectiveness and ability to get people into a rehab voluntarily.

[@markfitzpatrick7186]

I usually have to fast forward as soon as he opens his mouth through most episodes. I always have time for Ryan and Emily but Sagaar so much hot air.

[@mr.pritchard67]

For real

[@420tv2]

Ohio and Missouri just legalized weed. Saagar will love that explanation.

[@jamiemcnamie4234]

You don't quit a fent habit with some trees and Ohio has been medical for years.

[@rafes8206]

@@jamiemcnamie4234 You can literally avoid a fent habit by using weed instead of opiods

[@Optimistic_Fool]

There are plenty of studies showing a positive correlation between cannabis use and lower opaite dosages, pain perception, and easier withdrawals from opaites... yes, the withdrawls are still going to suck but it can be made easier.

[@shanechilson3717]

Missouri has been legalized for awhile

[@juanwilliams3423]

​@@jamiemcnamie4234thank God it's being diluted to many mental nuts folks putting it everywhere ect

[@chrissinclair4442]

This should be paired with the Taliban drug war win story.

[@traderboi2662]

That would amount to disinformation from the Taliban, so it wouldn’t fly with our narrative! 🤷🏽

[@brenna5349]

That’s an interesting idea. Sounds worthy of investigation.

[@poindextertunes]

wait do they not mention that at all? then how can this channel be a credible news source??

[@joshg5122]

@@poindextertunes they had an entire story about it

[@the_Analogist4011]

​@@joshg5122different story though. He has a point

[@peterkovach8655]

I'm at an Airbnb in rural Michigan on a fishing trip (caught nothing) and today in this very small town I found a box on main street that basically had free Narcan that you could administer. It was like one of those newspaper boxes you just open the glass slide and I guess it's free for anyone and entirely open to the public. As an addict myself, it's a testament to how serious the problem is, but also at least people are trying.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Yes, and one of the major things that drives drug abuse is being effectively kicked out of society for using and then being kicked out of whatever circle of users you're hanging out with if you do try to quit. I only have one friend from before I quit drinking and we never drank together.

[@peterkovach8655]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade I'm happy to hear you've quit drinking, good job.

[@rebelseer3691]

Mostly everyone I've seen use narcan on the streets here have passers by. I've seen the people they were using with leave them.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@peterkovach8655 Everybody that isn't using wants people off drugs, a significant problem though is that a large number of people don't want to associate with people that did manage to kick the habit. Alcohol and tobacco can be particular hard as those are often socially acceptable parts of socializing. Whether 100% abstention is enough really depends on what we're talking. Nothing bad ever happened from one beer, but a ton can happen from a bad hit of heroine

[@r.a.zekauskas8109]

I will be happy to explain the reason guys. I am a recovering drug addict of 30 years. Probably 20 years, or so, of those years was as an opioid addict. I lived through this entire period of America's 3rd opioid crisis. I was in my mid 20's when Oxy hit the scene, I then operated amongst the first groups to bring black-tar H to the midwest, then I began to get clean as fent took over the scene. Recovery is a long process. You are totally wrong Saagar, all small time drug possession is legal in Spain and Portugal and their death and crime rates have totally plummeted. Prohibition is always a failure and always leads to organized crime, brutality by the state and ever more adulterated and dangerous drugs on the street. Here is the proof. At the turn of the 20th Century, something like 90+% of the American population used some form of tobacco. Now less than 10% of the population uses tobacco. Nicotine is the most addictive substance known to man. This incredible feat was accomplished solely through education and taxation. Tobacco/nicotine was never made illegal. No one was put into prison for years, doors kicked in, families destroyed and generational poverty created by a draconian criminalization of a mental health disorder. Why with this incredible model of success would the government just not repeat what they already works and is a proven success? This is why you are 100% totally ignorant on this issue Saagar. The modern mafia was built on alcohol prohibition, as well as all the murders, pain, imprisonments and the millions maimed by the government "denaturing" alcohol in the stupid belief that people would not drink it. If drugs were not illegal the prisons would be empty, except for chomo's and wife and abusers, organized crime, gangs and cartels would have no reason to exist, and their would be almost no deaths due to a tainted and unregulated drug supply. No brainer right? You would have to be an idiot not to follow the proven, incredible, track record of tobacco regulation, right? Well the reason this is not done is because of the segment you did yesterday. The intelligence agencies rely on all that drug money to fund their black sites and illegal activities. Starting in WWII the US made a deal with Lucky Luciano to guard the docks of New York and help with the invasion of Sicily. This lead to the CIA's participation in the French Connection, the smuggling of O. and H. to support Chang Ki Sheck in China, Air America smuggling of O. and H. in Laos and Cambodia for illegal operations there, the smuggling of H. back in the coffins of dead service members out of Vietnam, the support of the Contras and the crack epidemic, followed by the story you just covered in Afghanistan. Nixon's chief of staff said something like, "If we could associate the Hippie's w/ Chronic and the Black's w/ H., then we could arrest their leaders, disrupt their meetings and turn the population against them. Did we know that we were lying about the drugs, yes, but these goals were more important." So the war on drugs has nothing to do with public health or helping anyone. It is a tool for the police state to make illegal profits off selling the drugs to finance god knows what brutality around the world and here in the US, to arrest and kill citizens and non-citizens they do not like, and to suppress political dissent in the country and aboard. You really need to pull your head out of your ass Sagaar, because you sound like an ignorant authoritarian A-hole every time the drug issue comes up. You have no understanding of the issue whatsoever. It is a mental health disorder that has been co-opted by the government for every undemocratic and unAmerican activity the engage in. All those things you said about the fate of drug users is either totally false, lacks the proper context or displays your total ignorance of the issues outlined above. Now, the reason for the plummeting overdose numbers is simple. First they have already killed off the majority of addicts by forcing opioid users, who were already addicted to Oxy, to use fent due to prohibition. Opioid addicts hate sent, it sucks. Oxy and H. are preferred by users at any opportunity over fent. It is hardly enjoyable or not enjoyable at all, lasts 2 seconds, your sick and need to redose in four hours and is just crap. So those users who are not already dead are quitting because no one likes it. If they brought back H., everyone would start using again. This is your answer guys, Cheers!

[@ppjourneys3496]

Well said; Sagaar needs to start by reading Chasing The Scream but I feel like he doesn’t actually care about the issues and just has a very immature, unbecoming superiority complex and a very childish & petty form of contempt for people in his personal out-group of “does drugs I don’t like”

[@psychonaut3024]

your main point is correct i've seen long term H users quit because of the risk which is wild to see.

[@seyersusej8329]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, we’re happy to have your insights! And I’m glad your recovery journey has allowed you to share your experiences!

[@four_20hitman___97]

I am also 8 years clean after a 20 year opiate addiction. Last time I used in 2016 it was all fentanyl around Boston. It was a relapse after being on suboxone for 2 years already. I did it for a week and didn’t enjoy a minute of it. Wasn’t the same. Not just because I had been clean for a few years but the high. No rush and no legs. Only reason it went a week was because I wanted to make sure it wasn’t the suboxone still lingering. If it was some good brown dope I might be dead at this point. Cuz I wouldn’t have stopped. Now I’m good either way. Long over it. Happy with my weed

[@Spookykabooky]

Comparing tobacco to opiates is wild.

[@nderitos]

You can tell Saagar has never really known a real drug addict. He has this cartoonish picture of people on hard drugs... when the reality is you probably know one in your circle. Most are normal people with jobs, family (they may even support them) and live pretty normal lives... even though its usually not the most ideal of situations. Not all of them are homeless beggars who use every cent they get on drugs... and throwing people in rehab forcefully? Seriously think that's going to work? They lose their livelihood and get a record... how's that encouraging them to stop using?? They have to decide for themselves and will need years of support (from family and rehab, but not in locked up in another version of prison) Till then, people not ODing as often is a win

[@ankanchoudhury8433]

He knows quite a few drug addicts, but for the fancy expensive ones like cocaine.

[@jeannagai5290]

In the elite dc world he inhabits it more likely he knows people who are regular c@caine users, and due to their job connections or family eventually go to rehab instead of ODing

[@shanesprecher8290]

I remember them chasing me down the street, they can’t run very fast.

[@ChiliSkwertz]

You can tell you dont know drug addicts if you are painting the majority as everyday people lol. If you are deep in a fentanyl addiction, you cant stay awake long enough to hold a job, Mother Teresa. You go ahead and keep petting dopefiends heads and telling them they’re the victim, that’s definitely gonna make them want to seek rehab. Maybe you should read stuff shellenberger has put out about this topic and the people who were glad they were forced into a rehab.

[@peters4115]

@@ChiliSkwertzwho tf is purely a fent addict?? They were talking about blow lol

[@djangokill65]

Krystal: "You can have a little cocaine as a treat"

[@stillcovalent]

just a bump 😂

[@driderk6722]

just a little ittle tootski

[@makaloo95]

I had disliked this comment until I heard Krystal say "Cocaine isn't that bad" at the end of the video. Wild. LMAO

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@makaloo95 Like anything else, it's relative, but yeah, the stuff that's been processed into cocaine from the leaves is very different than what is commonly used in South America. In general though, things that need to be snorted or mainlined are probably not a good idea without a specific medical reason for doing so.

[@1surfpickle]

Sure Sagaar, let's stress the penal system even more with non-violent offenders...🤦‍♂

[@Ipraytopesci]

I'm with Krystal on 90% of things, but Saagar is right on this one. I pass by people strung out and nodding off on the side of the road every day. Offering rehab is the right choice, but you need to have some kind of consequence if they turn it down.

[@anthonytwohill9726]

But weed smells bad!!!!!! - Saagar

[@chrisfleming701]

@@Ipraytopesciit’s not a choice if you’re forced to do something. You’re just as delusional as Saagar.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@Ipraytopesci You don't think that things taking their natural course without treatment isn't a consequence?

[@Gobbldeegoo1]

@@Ipraytopescilol as if the consequences of an addiction like that aren’t enough. Humble yourself…

[@luckywright7285]

I go to my therapists office once a week. They have Narcan just lying around for free. They have drug test strips just lying around for free. This wasnt the case just 4 years ago. Its more easily available now. I always keep some on me just in case i see something happen.

[@valkyrie1066]

I wish I had some when I as homeless during the early pandemic; I saw a lot of people how did'nt get help fast enough. It wasn't free then, and nobody had the money to carry it around. I'm glad they are doing that now.

[@akakizz]

Saagar we already did the war on drugs, we already did mass incarceration of drug users, we did the 3 strikes rule, it did nothing to curb drug use. It just put massive amounts of people in jail.

[@vidbig]

Shit is different now, these people don’t want help and refuse to go anywhere else. The chaos that they cause to normal society is ridiculous. I live in downtown Portland OR, those lax drug laws has caused the city to crumble, small businesses can’t survive because of the crime around the drug addict culture. People’s cars are constantly being broken into, violence everywhere, people so far gone they walk around like zombies talking to themselves. Open your eyes and tell me you don’t see it. People need to be forced to get help or detox.

[@anthonyfranqui9233]

​​@@vidbigUnfortunately, that was the narrative to the war on drugs....and it was wildly ineffective. I grew up through the 80s and 90s in NYC so I've seen worse to be honest.

[@stevsteve0694]

​@@vidbigWhat does forced help look like?

[@joeb134]

​@@vidbigThats not due to laxed drug laws. Look at the differnce between Portland and Seattle. Portland is shocking. Idk whats going on there but its not due to lax drug laws

[@joeb134]

​@@vidbigAlso I live in Memphis. The three states surrounding me have some of if not the toughest drug laws in the country. Drug use is rampant

[@smoschettieri]

Saagar annoys me every time he gets on his soapbox. I’m like dude, so you don’t understand the human condition? People aren’t robots dude. Stop trying to police people’s bad habits and focus on helping them. I remember the argument against sex education and teaching teenagers about condoms. Not everyone comes from an affluent, conservative, Indian household.

[@McVoidDragon]

saager- drugs are terrible for you also saager- nicotine and caffeine are amazing

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I wish there'd be a more nuanced view, there are a lot of things that are more or less drugs. They have varying degrees of impact on the person and society as a whole. Arguably, sugar is a bigger scourge than fentanyl is, but it's also a natural component of many foods and there's a massive lobby behind it.

[@BajatheChickenMan]

Spoken like a true capitalist!

[@1xayekim]

Are you really conflating cocaine and fentanyl with coffee and cigarettes? Coffee is going to just harm you and mostly long term use has minimal impacts. Yeah, cigarettes are a problem with 2nd hand smoke but there are less people dying on the streets from coffee and cigarettes than fentanyl and meth.

[@LukeLunn]

Nicotine and Caffeine are amazing 🤩

[@rhiannon7163]

Caffeine is amazing though

[@Photoshoplilli]

Something about what Sagaar said just doesn't sit right. Left a bad taste in my mouth. It was contemptuous and lacking empathy. Maybe he hasn't dealt with addiction personally 🤷‍♀

[@charlottehammond8975]

Saagar's main issue on many topics is a lack of empathy. It's striking.

[@badabing191919]

Void of empathy. It's a conservative thing. They think it makes them look tougher and more reasonable than their liberal counterparts. In all reality, they end up looking exactly like the demons they believe in

[@SansDrachmae]

Eh, I beat an addiction to meth and heroin/fentanyl and basically agree with his position.

[@davisladd6473]

@@charlottehammond8975empathy has no place in this discussion

[@somethingginterestingg4275]

Reminds me of the old republicans

[@keely_cn8924]

I think Narcan being allowed over the counter helps

[@arongilbert5828]

It just prolongs it.

[@anthonytwohill9726]

It's also now available all over the place, even in boxes on city streets.

[@falalalala385]

@@arongilbert5828that’s a generalization based on no experience. I have friends who used narcan and were able to sober up afterwards! Not immediately, but I’m glad they’re still here and now have jobs.

[@mmafyasco]

@@arongilbert5828 prolong what exactly? Overdose. Not as long as you got another Narcan nearby. And are you suggesting this sudden drop, will turn into a giant spike? Is that the eventual you were talking about?

[@szahmad2416]

@@mmafyasco some people need to think things through a bit. "Prolonging" life is kind of the whole point of safe dispensing, whether the person is an addict or not.

[@jdortiz86]

So Krystal parties ⛄️

[@makaloo95]

She didn't even explain the comment. Absolutely crazy.

[@becorations1]

I’m almost 100% Team Sagar on this show, but Krystal has me on this one. Sagar is so angry and that solves nothing.

[@jon07crz]

How is that? I think his point about just leaving them in addiction limbo is counterproductive. Especially how that would sour people’s opinion so fast (as in I can see a subset of the voting population vote for the draconian laws of the past). Especially If they see more and more addicts in their neighborhoods. Nobody wants to see them die but if there is no encouragement or push to get better you’re doing them a disservice. In a family that is called being an enabler. I guess my question to you is why do you think the Portuguese model of legal/tolerated only if there are steps by the addicts to get better worse than the American model of tolerated but don’t actively push them to get clean ? That is the whole point he was making in the video. Or do you think drugs should just be legalized and damn the societal consequences?

[@zebontheweb]

Sagaar loves joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson (who gave him his break), and he continues to be a skewed pundit because of that.

[@seanipher]

Facts

[@danielnorman8208]

Same for me. This is one thing I’m left wing on. I think we need to clean up ghettos streets but the rehab has to be better funded. And also the ease of access is a bit of a problem, no clear answer for that one other than like war on the cartel and enforced anti smuggling

[@quartertwenty484]

@@zebontheweb Joe Rogan is a juicer who does drugs during his podcast. It's pretty hilarious that Sagaar is such a square straightedge.

[@zufalllx]

Spoken like a true know it all who knows nothing about the topic. "Uhh, drugs are bad, mkay?"

[@info1449]

Krystal!! 😂😂 I want to go to one of your parties! My Girl said, Cocaine is not always bad!?!🎉

[@michaelodell2732]

lol

[@keithworthing7038]

She's done a few bumps in her life.

[@annudada27]

Had to do a double take when I heard that lol blunts for Saagar bumps for Krystal

[@tommyanderson014]

Damn, Saagar didn’t like this story 😂😂

[@Anthony-oo7vs]

I know right!😂

[@Hashtagcris]

Hahahahah he seemed angry

[@TurdFurgeson571]

I think he was trying to showcase what a half measure this all is. "Harm reduction" has become an entire industry in the healthcare system that we have. It takes advantage of the fact that there are no options for people, aside from simply not dying during this particular round of data collection. It masks the problem, it doesn't fix it. Pointing that out does not mean Saagar doesn't like this story. He expressly says, "I'm glad this is happening and people are not dying." He's not happy that this is where the solutions seem to end, are you?

[@carrot6286]

I love how krystal keeps checking him

[@Sataka23clips]

Or just like crime they are not recording the deaths. Honestly the fact we still trust statistics is insane

[@binarystar300]

"I LOVE crime statistics!" - Not a weirdo

[@michaelantoun9353]

​@@Sataka23clips skepticism is good but lumping all "statistics" together as untrustworthy sounds like an unwillingness to do the research required to vet sources. We can't just throw our hands in the air and say it's all fucked

[@Eric06410]

What the fuck is Sagar saying?

[@cromemako83]

Well I suppose given how many have died from OD, there are just less heavy drug users (as thousands have died)

[@jamesbennettmusic2154]

The MAGA spin 😂

[@cromemako83]

@@jamesbennettmusic2154 I didn't say this was a good thing dude; I have lost friends and family to addiction. But dead people dont use drugs - its just reality

[@cromemako83]

@@jamesbennettmusic2154 Interesting I cant reply to you but have tried twice; Dead people is never a good thing. I have no idea what spin you are seeing - Peace and Hope to you and yours ♥

[@1donniekak]

“Dead people are never a good thing” does that go for Russians and babies in the whom?

[@toms7114]

Hundreds of thousands since 2020, and the Covid Lockdowns.

[@User53857]

If we had free healthcare, we would have help for those struggling with addiction who can’t afford to get help. That’s a huge part of the problem that no one is talking about. No one can afford the treatment. It cost thousands of dollars for just a single week of treatment. By the time you’re an active addiction usually most of your money is going to drugs. You may have lost your home lost your job and you’re on the streets. How are those people supposed to be able to afford treatment? Sending them to jail doesn’t help because then they have a criminal record and they feel like screw it. My life is ruined already. I might as well just use drugs and commit crimes because I can’t get a job anyway.

[@becorations1]

I really don’t think it would make a difference. There is are resources for people with addiction issues, and you have to want to be helped. Many do not. Also, Look at all the rich folks dying from overdosing on these drugs. They go to rehab repeatedly and then come out and start all over again.

[@booskie4316]

Beyond free healthcare, there needs to be some type of transitional school whose aim is to convert non-productive Americans into productive ones. So they'd need healthcare, psych care, job training and resocialization. As it is, the onus is on cities to take care of all this and the people they're trying to help can freely leave and go back to their addictions (as they often do). If we had these transitional colleges, we could ban public camping/sleeping and force people on the street to either go to jail, some type of permanent housing for the too far gone, or to the transitional colleges where they can be converted into productive members of society. Homelessness already costs American cities billions of dollars every year in damages, benefits and criminal litigation.

[@jonn8508]

half the rehab places that people go to who can afford it are just pimping insurance companies. Look into Florida's rehab industry

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

It's not even just about the coverage, there's a lack of facilities and programs that are capable of providing competent treatment for addiction.

[@zombieboy937]

​@@booskie4316I agree with everything you said except the ban on public sleeping and camping. Sleeping outside should not be a crime.

[@Choppermv17]

Saugers solution criminilize drugs brilliant LOL

[@letsbuildasnowman7058]

In reality the increased cannabis legalization probably has something to do with it.

[@paulpeterson4216]

Saagar & other conservative's solution for anything economic is to criminalize poverty. They truly believe that being poor is an intentional lifestyle choice made exclusively to inconvenience wealthy conservative elites.

[@spamfilter32]

Saagar, "damn 40 years of hard evidence. More of the same! Argh! How dare people try to solve this problem! Argh!"

[@Libbathegreat]

Why didn't we think of that before? 😆

[@tiffanyking4114]

Krystal: Hey everyone! I’ve got a positive story to share with you. 😃☀️ Saagar: Not on my watch! 🌧️ 😠☔️

[@scottspa74]

So, saager is a conservative, yet believes the state should be able to force you into treatment. Weird. Seems contradictory.

[@HesGotaGun505]

I wonder if the newer drugs are causing death by means other than acute overdose. Intravenous Xylazine (aka Tranq) can cause gangrene and necrosis which would mean death by infectious disease rather than OD.

[@Whited007]

More people have access to Narcan and testing for fentanyl

[@p1r8z0r]

There' might be a connection to Afghanistan's 99% heroin production decline. I'd also be interested in seeing how the number of overall ODs has or hasn't changed.

[@JavierGonzalez-ss1sg]

Also widely available Suboxone treatment programs across community health centers

[@CreepyChris_66]

I agree it’s so easy to test your stuff now. Anytime I go partying I test all my stuff. Trying to have fun not die lol

[@BoiseLou]

​@@p1r8z0rThe reduction in poppy production in Afghanistan has also, unfortunately, led to an increase in deadlier synthetic drugs replacing heroin.

[@Nikoricci]

@@p1r8z0rI’ve also heard the cartels were pissed that their product was killing too many of their customers and retaliated on some of the fetnal labs.

[@AlexS-dv6mu]

Saggar is such a hack. If these numbers were under Trump he’d be talking about how great this was.

[@skoonimadooner464]

Saagar is so up his own ass sometimes. He starts from the conclusion drugs are bad never do them, its that simple! And works back from that picking and choosing evidence

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I wish it were as simple as drugs are always bad or drugs are always OK. The reality is typically a lot more nuanced. The "drugs" that are never OK are usually labeled as poison. Most drugs aren't that bad as the dealers need some degree of repeat business for it to be economically viable.

[@RobBates]

So overdose deaths were at record highs, and now they are down. The most probably statistical explanation is that most things at record high's sag because the thing was saturated. So if you have 100 addicts, and 50 die in 2023, and you only get 40 new drug users to replace the 50 that died, then if odds stay the same, you'd only expect 45 deaths of the current 90 addicts. So even though the per-addict number didn't change, it LOOKS like a 10% reduction in deaths from 50 down to 45.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

That would explain that it hasn't continued to climb, that doesn't explain the drop. Things can remain saturated for quite a while if nothing changes to disturb the equilibrium.

[@RobBates]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade it does explain the drop. Look at my numbers. I gave an exact example with a 10% reduction. The same phenomenon happens with deaths in retirement homes, or even sales numbers when stock is limited. I'm not saying it necessarily explains it (I'd need more data), but it is entirely plausible. I've done data-science for years. People don't understand statistics, and it leads to confused reporting.

[@threeofeight197]

lol. Saager and his strawman of the harm reduction/decriminalize movement is disappointing. No one says narcan and reducing death is the end goal.

[@cjcman87]

Exactly. No one wants there to be drug attics lining the streets. Let's incentivize being drug free for once instead of the war on drugs approach we have been taking for decades.

[@stevsteve0694]

Yeah Sagar's ignorance on this topic is quite frustrating

[@Boosted97GTP]

Wonder if any of it could be contributed to the 99% drop of poppy production in Afghanistan since the US left.

[@kalynkratz5899]

Fentanyl is synthetic you don't need poppy to make it.

[@Boosted97GTP]

@@kalynkratz5899did they say specifically that Fentanyl overdoses dropped? Sounds like it just said overall OD deaths.

[@goobah6072]

Can still be connected ​@@kalynkratz5899

[@petebondurant58]

You don't need poppies to make fentanyl, genius.

[@BobNob-dk7wy]

Thats what caused the drug supply to get so dirty because heroin disapeared

[@itsjoeycaleb]

Idk why Sagaar has so much disdain for these people behind his words. It’s not so much what he’s saying but his tone.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

TBH, I tend to assume that people like that either have a problem of their own or were badly hurt by somebody that did. There are other options, but that's what I assume.

[@amypowell6495]

Saagar needs to chill....maybe eat an edible lol

[@JaksIRL]

Throwing someone into forced rehab when they're not ready to quit is tantamount to burning money. It has a success rate of around 0%

[@poindextertunes]

burning SO much money

[@somethingginterestingg4275]

May be different if it was long term rehab. Although thats stupid expensive too

[@JaksIRL]

@@somethingginterestingg4275 Other than their first few times, people don't do hard drugs like opiates because they're awesome. One detoxed, most of them go back on are self medicating a mental health issue or because their lives are so miserable that it's an escape. Drug addiction is by and large a social problem, not a chemical problem. You can flush heroin out of your body in less than a week and then your body won't chemically crave it anymore. It's getting around to addressing why the rest of you wants to get high. Until you solve or at least address that issue, the cycle of addiction continues.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

In all fairness, that assumes that the program works, and most of them are about hoovering as much money from insurance companies as possible.

[@Stranger_In_The_Alps]

something similar happened with crack. Eventually almost everyone who is going to OD has already OD'ed, has gotten clean or is in prison. And there are fewer new addicts coming down the pipeline, because people have seen the consequences of use and have become wary.

[@tomcruisenukedmyaccount5388]

Prison is the best rehab.

[@IAmNumber4000]

@@tomcruisenukedmyaccount5388 uhhhh, no. No it is not.

[@dreamshakejunya]

@@tomcruisenukedmyaccount5388lol

[@JKnksrsly]

this is absolutely bonkers you believe this

[@letsomethingshine]

This is only part of it, stricter oversight and more informed/helping healthcare sector also had to do with it. Had it just been crack allowed to take its course, much more money would have been capitalisticslly made and much more people would have died for much longer

[@ChrisPierreBacon]

Why does Saagar always turn into a 65 year old white women when discussing drugs?

[@HST33]

Unless it's nicotine, which he loves, then it's a rational discussion. Yea him & Tucker are little puritan bit*&s

[@WokeOne75]

Because that is who he wants to be.

[@HST33]

@@ChrisPierreBacon Unless it's nicotine, then there are "good" drugs. The kind he uses.

[@stratvids]

Not like he better on anything else except maybe unions

[@conuropsis]

"Most addiction results from attempts to self-medicate isolation, social disconnection, psychiatric disorders, trauma and severe economic distress. It’s not coincidental that the exponential rise in overdose deaths has occurred in tandem with a profound increase in income inequality. Punishing people for trying to feel better in a world that doesn’t seem to want them doesn’t help." -- Maia Szalavitz in today's NY Times (09-27-24)

[@nathanfalcone]

Saagar is insufferable. Maybe have Dr. Carl Hart, the psychology chair at Colombia, on as a guest. Nobody understands the risk of drugs more than him, and he is a regular heroin user.

[@gooeygaster30]

idk how krystal can even manage to listen to saager ramble on😭

[@kingocowata]

It’s a give and take. She rants about Trump like she has a personal vendetta against him.

[@1Mutton1]

She rants and rambles about everything. No sympathy.

[@stratvids]

​@@kingocowatabut she is correct and informed, while he is incorrect and ignorant

[@Harry_Tick]

They figured out how to cut the fetty better. They were losing too many customers. Cutting things as potent as fetty can be tricky. They found a better way.

[@johnbozick4055]

I love that “drug use rates have skyrocketed in this country” and “we had a punitive regime that we reformed” have no correlation to each other according to Krystal

[@vorbis4860]

I think Krystal is wrong that Saagar is not happy about the data. He just wants there to be balance with infrastructure. I disagree with him on the steucture of it, but highly agree with the sentiment and not just treating it as "good news only." As a progressive.

[@sands7811]

Government: stops tracking data Also the government: everything is amazing look at the data

[@lam6572]

Harm reduction does serve as a stop gap measure. However, a truly effective addiction treatment solution would require a federal program providing consistent, longterm treatment. Again, as with other CHRONIC medical conditions, addiction requires a treatment model of longterm treatment (1-4 years) and a careful tracking of patients…hence, the need for RESIDENTIAL communities (such as colleges provide). Essentially, “rehab” is a process of relearning out of the addiction mindset. In the past, before a vaccine, the US approach to managing TB worked to contain this also deadly CHRONIC disease and to even cure patients. The more fortunate survivors of TB received long term treatment in residential retreats. Italy’s San Patrignano (rehab) Community has been successful even though it lacks adequate medical oversight and still adheres to an abstinence only approach (no suboxone assisted taper). Apparently, the US has only two free or affordable communities that emulate the San Patrignano model.

[@Young_Pacino]

This is the most coherent and reasoned comment I’ve seen. Thank you for bringing this point up. Along the lines of what I wanted to say. Up front, I’m an independent / progressive. I don’t support the “War on drugs,” and I’ve never voted Republican, but Saagar is right here across the board. Everyone is just trashing Saagar as lacking empathy, and saying “we tried the war on drugs it failed / was BS.” Saagar throat cleared 20 times that he empathizes with the plight of addicts, and that this news story is a positive one. And he isn’t advocating for a resumption of “the war on drugs” system of straight hardline criminalization of addicts. Krystal was being dismissive of the substance of his points because of his tone. The “Portuguese model” Saagar is advocating for will likely never be implemented in the US given how godawful the “War on Drugs” model was. But it would be better than the “Harm Reduction” model, and the “War on Drugs” model in keeping addicts alive AND getting people off hard drugs in the longterm / no longer using in public (which is a major societal issue). In the “Portuguese model,” drug possession is legal, but if you use in public, law enforcement gives you the option of jail (the punitive path) or longterm mandatory rehabilitation (the non-punitive path). (Saagar didn’t articulate this dichotomy the best here, but he has in past videos on the subject). Why it likely will never be implemented is because our local, state, and federal governments refuse to properly fund and set up the longterm rehabilitation infrastructure necessary to pursue this model, as Portugal and like countries have. But that doesn’t mean people like Saagar can’t still voice an opinion that proper implementation of this model would be best. I agree with that sentiment, and I think most people who have lived in cities like Portland, OR (as I have), or have loved ones who have OD’d, do too. Where the “War on Drugs” model truly failed was/is that it was nothing but cruelty and punishing the addict. No recognition that addiction is a disease and addicts need help and rehabilitation. However, the reaction to that, the “harm reduction” model, is also clearly a failure, based on what implementation of it over the last decade plus in many major cities (primarily those run by Democratic administrations) has shown. Instead of giving addicts who use in public the choice between punishment and rehabilitation, “harm reduction” makes rehabilitation optional, has a lax alternative punitive path (generally slap on the wrist fines and no jail time) that doesn’t incentivize addicts choosing rehabilitation instead, or doesn’t have a punitive path at all (law enforcement simply doesn’t police or prosecute public hard drug use by and large in many liberal cities). So, the “harm reduction” model may help keep more addicts alive (which is great) by making narcan and the like more widely available, and creating safe drug use spaces and needle sharing programs, but it still permits addicts to continue using in public, which is still cruel to them because they’re living the life of a strung out addict who is suffering and has a high chance of death, and it’s a net negative for society, because non-addicts have to deal with the consequences of rampant public drug use and addiction, which are real and numerous. “Harm reduction” is incrementalist liberal BS that doesn’t tackle the core problem of addiction.

[@lostagain7292]

Nobody knows why? Didn’t you literally do a story on like monday about how the opium trade in Afghanistan is down by 99%? Pretty cut and dry not sure why you cant connect those very close dots…

[@hybridwafer]

Might seem that way but it's not. In 2022, 70% of OD related deaths involved fentanyl which isn't made from opium. Heroin, with co-use of fentanyl, was involved in 5% of cases. Heroin without co-use of fentanyl is only 1%. According to NIH statistics.

[@somethingginterestingg4275]

Fent is made in a lab . H isnt why people are dying

[@JamesSmith-sw3nk]

Drugs?.. In this economy?

[@HeavyHardDrive]

Fentynal has been so mass produced that 1 pill costs less than a dollar.

[@bmg7763]

Saagar has no clue about drug use and it’s users and has no clue how many people he works with are casuals

[@natalieroy4849]

He goes to bed by 7PM, so what do you expect? Dude's a 95 year old in a sub 30 body.

[@pixelfive1272]

Saagar, people often fall into these vicious cycles because there are other underlying difficulties in their lives that they can't cope with. Punitive measures won't fix things - providing a social net that helps people avoid poverty and homelessness begins to address root causes. Also, reign in big pharma and change the culture of prescribing painkillers for everything and anything in North America. Personal experience - following a series of surgeries, I was prescribed painkillers I didn't need; I stopped taking them when I realized I was becoming dependent on them to simply feel normal.

[@wallied3583]

Terrible take Sagar. What if people get repeatedly drunk? What about people doing drugs in their houses who can afford it? You really need to investigate what harm reduction actually entails. Bars are essentially supervised consumption sites but we allow them EVERYWHERE. Cops use steroids EVERYWHERE and that's ok despite the evidence of what steroids do to mental well being? Should any cop who does wrong while they test positive for steroids also go to jail or rehab and nothing else?

[@cleb5558]

Legal weed for the win?

[@CalicoBushBaby12]

Saagar, I get your busy, but can you please do some research on weed, drugs, and prohibition rather than just repeating the same boring talking points? And I know this would be a lot to ask because it takes a massive ego to be in your space in the first place, but maybe try to steelman the other side and do service to your self-applied label of pro-populist. I think your dim position on this subject literally puts you at odds with true populism in a large way.

[@shawnmartin1306]

We just are running out of junkies since they have been wiping themselves out.

[@iamski]

Sagaar clearly shows his lack of depth and understanding of this issue, it's so cringe worthy to watch which makes me question his understanding of anything really. It's so myopic and cynical it's borderline embarassing.

[@purplen33t17]

Krystal is having so much fun trolling Saager in drug segments.

[@lawerencestimpson2280]

Could be that dealers are wising up.Less product for the same amount of money.Lower dose keeps customers alive and more strung out.Everyone knows that the manufactures of liquid soap products are adding more water,Same principal.

[@christopher7824]

Because many of the addicts are already permanently gone.

[@shinzontheta]

This is probably the most likely explanation, it's Occam's razor. The people most likely to die are already gone and the rest are smart enough to know better or are capable of using recreationally.

[@JKnksrsly]

@@shinzonthetayou think this is the most likely explanation?? it's access to good unadulterated drugs lacking. it's a lull. methadone clinics aren't shrinking

[@shinzontheta]

@@JKnksrsly entirely possible now that I'm thinking about it. I was thinking of in terms of static numbers of population vs a ever changing thing.

[@treblecharged]

Orrr the drug suppliers cleaned up their product to keep the consumers alive... Not that complicated

[@donofdivisionstreet]

Hey guys, I'm a big fan but you don't have the right information on the Fentanyl thing. Fentanyl is being cut or replaced by new synthetic such as Xylazine that are even more potent than fentanyl. The PAWS(post acute withdrawls symptoms) from these are horrfiying, no less severe than fentanyl. There are way more people with NARCAN now everywhere that stop overdose and more and more organizations that are getting people onto suboxone(or similar) other than street drugs. Ibogaine is a way forward in all of these cases, now being used by VETS, and needs to be employed at a much greater rate! Ryan has had VETS on your program before to discuss Ibogaine and I would love to see you give it more air time. Thanks

[@elzee25]

Did Krystal just say that cocaine wasn’t that bad? Did I hear that correctly? It’s always the ones with children that I question the most. Bless

[@stratvids]

Educate yourself

[@D-Rekko]

@@stratvids I educated myself. Turns out cocaine is still terrible for your health and Saagar was right that it's worse than alcohol. Educate yourself lol

[@stratvids]

@@D-Rekko No one said that cocaine was better than alcohol. you didn't educate yourself you restated your dipshit opinion. cocaine is in fact not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be

[@KellyK-il2bk]

Our small town had a huge meth, fentynol issue. They have been arresting people, closing down the drug houses. If this is a national movement, the decrease makes sense.

[@talyahr3302]

That's probably not responsible for the huge change. What you're describing is just the same old war on drugs.

[@mmafyasco]

Did they supply people with Narcan in your small town? Has marijuana been legalized there? There must be other factors because what you described is what has been happening for the last three or four decades. So I don’t think that’s the reason.

[@avi8tor225]

Krystal doesn’t understand that judges are not enforcing the law. She lives a very sheltered life.

[@zombieboy937]

Good those laws were stupid and ineffective anyway.

[@iowastate358]

Because half of them are already dead

[@waynelangins11]

Here's my three main problems with Sagaar's highly punitive system. 1.) Conservatives have literally used the drug war specifically to target communities they don't like; the antiwar hippies and the people of color. And not for some hard drug like narcotics, but for weed. So frankly, at this point, you lot have burned the good will the public once had for you. I don't believe you'll use the power responsibly. I think you'll plant drugs on teenagers, get them started on the cycle, and ultimately exploit the slave labor in prisons. Prisons which are privately owned by the people buying our politicians by the way. 2.) These drug companies pushed opioids, got americans addicted to them, and then get to run out the backdoor with no punishment and all the money. You get millions of people addicted to your legal narcotics during their rehabs after surgery and injuries, then you cut their prescription and they get pushed into the arms of the street dealers. And then, we throw those victims in prison, and the people who are actually responsible for all this mess walk away rich and free. And then the conservatives tell me any attempt to stop this is an oppressive regulation, that kills business, and only the free market should decide. 3.) Once you have those drug charges in your background check, good luck getting anything besides a minimum wage job. The conservatives tell me minimum wage jobs are just jobs for teenagers after school. That people shouldn't be able to live off a minimum wage job, and therefore the minimum wage shouldn't be a living wage. Ok, well if a rehabilitated drug addict can't live off their only available legal career option, what do you think they are going to do? So to summarize, conservatives used the drug war to attack communities they didn't like, fight all regulations to prevent new addicts, and make it impossible for rehabilitated drug users to reintegrate into society. So no, I don't support conservatives who now want to throw those victims into jail. Sagaar might dress it up neat and clean, and say he wants rehab programs. But that isn't what his politicians actually implement once they're in power.

[@TreiberSeptim]

I love these Segments where Krystal makes Saagar look like a child 🥰

[@joehendershott2852]

Marijuana legalization have anything to do with it?

[@utah_koidragon7117]

No. Why would you think so?

[@talyahr3302]

If it did we'd see clear distinctions between states with different weed laws.

[@utah_koidragon7117]

@@talyahr3302 And overdose deaths would have been decreasing as more and more states legalized marijuana, which is something we definitely did not see.

[@jwiegraffe6290]

@@talyahr3302 MO and OH just legalized weed, and both states were mentioned in the video that have seen the numbers fall.

[@joehendershott2852]

Well if they can post traffic accident increases and blame that on legalization the same approach should be used here.

[@danimal6687]

Krystal dropping a subtle hint that she’s done blow😂

[@zufalllx]

I'll bet you she is fun as fuck when she gets high too. :D

[@poindextertunes]

I mean cocaine is still a schedule II drug which means it has a medical use

[@cyberiad]

I mean, she's with Kyle

[@MRSAUltraviolet]

Ever considered they are just not being reported because it just makes them look bad. They are clearly cheesing the statistics.

[@TheRockerX]

Who's "they" in this specific conspiracy?

[@MRSAUltraviolet]

@@TheRockerX when an issue is too big of a problem, more often than not, overdoses or deaths stop being reported. This is common knowledge my guy.

[@SacredAssault]

@@MRSAUltravioletcommon knowledge where? You can’t just say something is true and not have anything to back it up. You can have your theory on it but saying some unknown “they” is clearly doing something is just crazy.

[@MRSAUltraviolet]

@@SacredAssault you clearly dont understand how bad rhe drug epidemic is. Hospitals, Police or Healthcare providers stop or will not report deaths due to how bad the epidemic is. Read my friend, plenty of knowledge out there.

[@joshscheirer347]

@@MRSAUltraviolet If what you’re saying is true it still doesn’t explain why there’s a sudden large drop in deaths. You’re saying it’s common knowledge that this has been happening, meaning it would’ve been happening in previous years too. Are you saying that the under-reporting has suddenly gotten so much worse that it’s resulted in a decrease of overdoses to the tune of 10% to 20%?

[@redomega24]

Is this supposed to be a joke? I know two people who have OD'd in the last year alone. (Oh wait it's an NPR piece NVM)

[@TylerIsCoolBro]

Oh wow, you know two people who OD’d huh? I guess we can completely throw out national statistics on this right? I swear to god some of you say the dumbest shit. How do you dress yourself in the morning? Lmao

[@redomega24]

@@TylerIsCoolBro oh yeah because NPR is such a unbiased totally not gov't funded organization trying to make this clown administration look good. If they told told you the sky was green you'd believe it. Gtfoh.

[@somethingginterestingg4275]

My guy. Anecdotes vs statistics on the general population. Stay in school kids

[@mirbear72]

Narcan being over the counter!!!

[@31mbur]

“They’re not dying they’re managing it” sounds like Saagar would rather they die.

[@mmafyasco]

Definitely!

[@martytube821]

Well the number is down for one year cause they all died the years prior but up like 40% in 4-5 years. Violent crime isn't down its just more not being enforced and reported by police.

[@ronaldhernandez6866]

Just stop with all your conspiracy theories! Where are you getting your info? How do you know everyone has died and that crime is not being enforced?

[@tomcruisenukedmyaccount5388]

Who wants to be on CNN? Let the sick become forgotten statistics.

[@yourerightdawg]

We can thank Kamala and Biden for that

[@utah_koidragon7117]

I'm sure it has nothing to do with fraudulent reporting of statistics.

[@BrianSinai]

The saddest thing is that she thinks she comes across as "cool". Nothing could be further from the truth. Absolutely pathetic.

[@meowismeify]

agree

[@christiankerns9403]

What saager means by forced incarceration isn't prison, he means a place that forces the user over the course of probably a year or 2 to rehabilitate them and allow the individual to get off of drugs permanently so as to not fall back into the habits upon rejoining society. He uses the term incarceration to designate that the rehab is NOT optional and that you cannot leave until you are rehabilitated. Now ill admit, his explanation is an extremely slippery slope where the potential for widespread abuse can occur but the overall idea is that people on hard drugs aren't capable of making proper decisions on their own therefore they need to be put somewhere not as punishment, but as a way to separate them from the general public until they are fixed and able to rejoin society. Difference between this method and prison is that ideally it results in the individual not having a criminal record or being denied societal benefits such as gun ownership or the right to vote or being able to apply for certain jobs etc. whereas with prison, once your a felon your basically fucked and are considered a sub human part of society for basically life without the possibility of having a proper life.

[@Stranger_In_The_Alps]

Even with the drop, we’re still up 40% from 2019

[@IriaChannel]

"rare good news", there's tons of good news, it's just never reported by anyone including Breaking Points lol

[@rosshoyt2030]

I think the guy from the office (John K) has a podcast you should watch :p

[@Paulbost23]

Well the news would not make money if they reported good news. Much easier to give into fear and rage 24/7.

[@talyahr3302]

When it comes to high level, national politics there's not much good news. On the local level, there's lots of stories about kittens getting rescued.

[@TheRockerX]

Congrats on finding a negative way to spin their coverage of a positive topic

[@spamfilter32]

Saagar Strawmans the drug legalization/harm reduction arguments entirely.

[@kwatson4394]

Thank you Crystal. Saagar sounds so Red on this topic. #HurtPeopleHurt #DrugAbuseIsATraumaResponse #WeAreResponsibleForOurNeighbors

[@leonardmacaulay9833]

Cartel’s quality control after years of terrible experimentation has finally paid off ???? SECURE THR BORDER.

[@maxkeebs4425]

Krystal really said cocaine isn't as bad as alcohol🤣🤣🤣

[@HST33]

She's correct, look at Professor Nutt's drug harm study. Alcohol is #1

[@maxkeebs4425]

@@HST33 That isn't a widely accepted study as some researchers disagree with him. Also, a guy named Professor Nutt seems suspect 🤨

[@michaellee3903]

It does make me like her more.

[@HST33]

@maxkeebs4425 Coke users stay up till 3am coming up with business ideas, playing Madden & drinkers devolve into fighting/wrapping cars around trees around 3am. It's not even close.

[@maxkeebs4425]

@@HST33 Ok, go to a family cookout with kids and bring cocaine instead of beer and let me know how it works out for you.

[@CozyCardsQuest]

War on drugs has been one of the biggest failures and a gigantic waste of money and resources. Harm reduction is the way forward. Step by step we can reduce deaths and drug use.

[@christopher7824]

Anyone who believes the threat of incarceration isn't a deterrent has never been to jail.

[@mrt094]

Then why are recidivism rates so high?

[@custos3249]

​@@mrt094Not supposed to point that out, just like how capital punishment not only doesn't decrease rates, it increases rates and other crime when its the default sentence.

[@Quitchangingmy]

@@mrt094 because some ppl do not care and others have poor emotional control. what do you propose we do with ppl who are not bothered by going to jail? just leave them out in society to do as they please?

[@christopher7824]

@@mrt094 Define "so high." Also, you've obviously never been locked up.

[@warriorwaitress7690]

​@christopher7824 The US recidivism rate is around 70% of inmates are rearrested within 5 years of being released. We have one of the highest recidivism rates in the world. Norway, with one of the lowest, is consistently around 20%. They do this way better than we do. If you want to reduce crime, recidivism, addiction, dths of despair, etc., then reduce poverty.

[@cafemaco85]

-Saagar: cocaine is bad -Krystal: it's not always bad. A little glimpse at her inner party girl 🤫

[@macraevallery3797]

7-Hydroxymitragynine is still legal in the U.S. -- potent extract of kratom which also curbs cravings.

[@AndyofCT]

It’s almost like certain public health policies are saving lives… almost like one step forward

[@o0usf0o]

Exactly… maybe government action has actually helped solve a problem?!

[@luisclavero8886]

Grandpa sagar at it again.

[@DuncanC82]

I think Sanger is not very smart lots of days, but I never think he's more dumb than when he tries to talk about crime or drugs.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

There's certain things that the rightwing is just objectively wrong about. Fiscal policy, the military, drugs and anything related to crime. There's definitely more research needed, but we know that the way those things have been handled in the last few decades haven't been working.

[@darnell8897]

"After our working around the clock deploying myriad efforts, the 80-foot tall, fire breathing, soul sucking monster sucked 30% fewer souls this year than last! We must study this trend to further leverage our efforts and expand upon our success!" Saagar: My only concern is that hypothetically someone might claim that we've solved the 80-foot tall, fire breathing, soul sucking, monster problem.

[@scottspa74]

This guy has no clue. Using opioid substitutes (Suboxone, methadone, etc) is perfectly acceptable, - and he even uses the word 'management', which is what is accomplished with these. Take it from someone around opiate addiction for e decades. Harm reduction is where it's at. I wish I had 30 min to continue this response and challenge everything he said.

[@nathanaelj83]

If legal consequences worked there would never have been an opioid epidemic.

[@paulbevins1087]

People are using Meth now instead of fentanyl, which doesn't carry the same respiratory suppression risk. People are switching because it's more addictive and cheaper than heroin and fentanyl

[@talyahr3302]

Idk about the prices of hard drugs, but all of those drugs have been available for a while. If that were the case, they would've switched during the pandemic.

[@Nikoricci]

And it increases productivity. My old buddy stopped by last month. He said he’s gonna step outside for a cigarette. 10 minutes later I hear him start my weedwacker and he landscaped my entire yard. Meanwhile I’m inside smokin a doob not gettin a damn thing done 😂The junky sores make me sad, though 😢

[@letsbuildasnowman7058]

Missouri recently legalized Cannabis. They also outsold big weed states like Colorado. Coincidence? I think not.

[@macbaryum]

If you don't hate yourself, you can't become a Democrat. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@Jbomb312]

This clip shows how bullish and salty Saagar can be, and it's really off-putting. He shows no empathy for the suffering of others; there is a multitude of ways one can end up with an addiction. Horrors experienced before and during said addiction along with the drug can permanently alter how you perceive and respond to the world, and such changes can persist long after a person gets clean... The air he gives off is one of looking down his nose, a common tone from Saagar. This show has really gone downhill.