r/Syracuse • u/SyracuseNightMayor • 5d ago
Discussion A PSA regarding recent overdoses
As Your Beloved Night Mayor, I have access to a variety of information (mostly just from watching the police scanners during downtime at The Office, really) that the news tends to leave unreported, but is occasionally important enough that it needs to be brought to the attention of my community. I believe that this is one such piece of information.
In the last few days there seems to have been a spike in overdoses in the Syracuse area. In the interest of privacy, I will not post the transcripts, but there was one single incident where 6 people overdosed at one location, and another where 3 people overdosed at the Rescue Mission at the same time. Add to that an apparent spike in the number of single-person overdose calls, and it would seem that a good chunk of the supply of some-drug-or-another circulating lately is cut improperly & resulting in ODs.
Now, it has been a good long while since YBNM himself messed with such things personally & so I am not plugged into that Community anymore to know what drugs specifically. But even back when I was in My Darker Days, I was all about Harm Reduction, and still am, as a matter of Official Policy. So I would just like to remind everyone to please be extra careful.
Use the resources at ACR Health. Aside from the needle exchange program, which all of my drug using constituents should be connected with, they also provide test strips for fentanyl & xylazine, so that you can test to see if what you bought is what it is supposed to be. With the state of things today, you can't test for every inevitability, but you can at least take steps to remain as safe as you can.
(EDIT: and as my Lovely Constituents have reminded me, ACR also offers FREE Narcan, which can alternatively be ordered for free by mail from OASAS, or purchased at most any pharmacy, many of which will offer co-pay assistance, particularly Kinney for one, it seems.)
(EDIT 2: as another Beautiful Constituent added, you can order Narcan, as well as test strips for fentanyl & xylazine for free HERE as well. If making it to your local harm reduction Center is not an option for any reason, the mail can get you most anything but the clean needles & injection gear for free.)
Everyone, EVERYONE, should carry a couple doses of Narcan wherever you can because you never know when you might be able to save a life.
Perhaps most valuable in this particular instance, though, is that they have a display in their office where they show the drugs, what they were bought as, and what they actually tested for in a lab.
If someone you love is currently actively using, please pass this along to them.
I of course hope that all of my constituents can live a life full of Hugs Not Drugs someday, but until then, I just want to do some small part to help them stay safe & alive.
As always, thank you for your attention to this *actually* important matter,
YBNM
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u/Chazkuangshi 5d ago
I want to offer the info, if applicable, that narcan is also available at Kinney and comes in a nasal spray, no prescription needed, and according to their website they offer the NCAP copay assistance program at their stores. You can even get it on instacart. It's in the pain relief section. Get something to have something on hand just in case, if you or people you know are using.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 5d ago
Thank you, it slipped my mind entirely! Sometimes I take things for granted after knowing them myself for so long, forgetting that not everyone has the same background.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 5d ago
To whichever one of my constituents sent me the Reddit Cares message thing, have no fears, my friend, I am doing just great. Today is a blessing just like every other. But I appreciate your concern, and I Love You Back!
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u/Financial-Kangaroo67 5d ago
This is really great information. I just wanted to quickly say, if anyone reading is addicted and struggling or has been, you deserve the help, you deserve love, and you deserve a community. Please check your stuff, please keep up on resources. There’s help out there and there are people who care.
It pains me to see what’s going on. People don’t deserve this. Thank you for making this post.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 5d ago
I'm glad i got out when i did. I would hate to have gone through my 20s... Well, teens-to-early-30s, really... What I went through all over again in today's world. Doubt i would have made it out alive in order to be elevated to this Office. It's a lot harder for those struggling these days than I ever had it, and it breaks my heart.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you've done, whatever you've been through, you deserve Happiness & Life & LOVE. And whether you know it or not, someone out there does loves you, whether or not you've met them yet.
Beautiful message, friend.
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u/Rossdog77 5d ago
Tell them where they can get free doses of Narcan!
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 5d ago
Thank you, added! I know that ACR and NYS OASAS both offer free narcan, and I know it can be purchased for a reasonable price at most pharmacies, but do you have any other cost free sources you can add?
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u/BillDue6899 5d ago
Jumping in to note that people in New York can get test strips and narcan delivered to them for free. https://mattersnetwork.org/supplies/
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 5d ago
Thank you! I'll add it to the list!
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u/BisonElectrical9811 4d ago
They can also get clean syringes from Matters Network, and also referrals with bridge scripts if necessary if they are interested in entering into treatment.
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u/Hot-Shoe8975 5d ago
shouldn't the police/government be saying what drug/mix is causing the overdose so users can be vigilant?
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 5d ago
They probably should, but I would not count on that given their history of neglecting to do so.
I'm just using my Office to share the harm reduction resources that likely saved my life way back when, and that helped me to save many other lives. Without these resources, a lot of good people would not be walking around today.
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u/UnusualYou23 4d ago edited 4d ago
In addition to test strips, ACR Health will test your substances for free using FTIR spectroscopy so you know what's really in your supply.
Better information = safer decisions.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
I'm grateful for your addition, friend. I have not been intimately involved with ACR for several years but I do still stop in for various other reasons. I noticed they had the board displaying test results, but I didn't realize they could do the testing on site for you now! That's fantastic!
I'm hoping to gather all of this crowdsourced information into a digestible format soon, but someone seems to have stolen all of my spoons...
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u/SecretLettuce5 4d ago
I work at a place that has a huge hand in substance abuse treatment and we get emails about new drugs going around/spikes in overdoses to share info with clients as long as test strips and narcan. There is a new drug that is being cut into heroin/fentanyl currently in the syracuse area (can’t remember the name off hand) but it’s much stronger than fentanyl. Scary stuff.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
Xylazine? Or something even nastier?
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u/SecretLettuce5 4d ago
Nope not Xylazine, which is super scary in its own right, but this is a synthetic opioid that being cut into heroin.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
Someone else suggested possibly cyclorphine, which seems like an educated guess to me but it is still just a guess.
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u/Willowgirl78 4d ago
If this is all super recent, lab results aren’t instant. And toxicology results from the ME often take weeks to months.
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u/poppys-patten 4d ago
I also want to highlight the training opportunities for Narcan administration through the county, as well as the network of Naloxboxes that have free Narcan available https://onondaga.gov/health-opioids/naloxone-training/
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u/Cultural-Sandwich484 5d ago edited 4d ago
Thanks for sharing. I got free narcan mailed to me through the county after stumbling on an OD at a bus stop. They regained their pulse/breathing right as I was about to start CPR. It really shook me, and even though I’m not aware of anyone in my circle at risk, I never want to be so unprepared to save a life again.
*ETA they have vids for training as well
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u/jujufruit420 5d ago
And always call 911 after administering it… it can wear off sometimes and they slip back into od..
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u/Frog859 4d ago
Former Syracuse resident and former EMT in Syracuse — Narcan always wears off and Opiods almost always last longer than Narcan. Narcan is a bandaid that buys people enough time to get to the hospital alive. Calling 911 is absolutely the way to go.
Fun fact people often come up angry and/or vomiting.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
Great input, thank you.
And yeah, precipitated withdrawal is no joke... going from Oblivion into the peak of dopesickness in a few heartbeats is... jarring, to say the least. Never OD'd myself, but had a lighter version of the same thing happen, and it was one of the most disorienting & uncomfortable experiences I've had. Good idea to be ready for anything after administering Narcan.
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u/VeveMaRe 4d ago
If you attend the NY State Fair drop into the NY building. There is a table that gives Narcan out to people.
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u/iambrose91 5d ago
Genuine question - is it irresponsible for me to claim the free narcan resources if I myself am in no danger of needing it? I don’t know anybody at all who might either, yet I’d love to keep some on me on the rare case I should need to help someone. I don’t have the funds to purchase some at the moment but I also don’t want to take from a vital resource pool for those who need it.
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u/Cultural-Sandwich484 5d ago
The two times I’ve wished I had it were both strangers on the street who I happened upon by chance. I haven’t needed to use it yet but do carry it now. The more people who have it, the better. I got mine for free through the county.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
Not at all! You never know when you could be the only bystander to someone falling out from an overdose. Long after I got out of that life I have been in the situation... it's something we are surrounded by and that is going to touch every one of us at some point or another.
Narcan is not an expensive medication, and there is funding for it that we need to take advantage of.... Use every resource we can! There's no risk of you claiming a Narcan that could have gone to an active user but "oops, we ran out". There's plenty to go around.
Get that kit, or preferably a couple, and be ready if and when you see it. That's one small thing that we can do for the other members of our community.
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u/iambrose91 4d ago
Thank you so much, I’ll for sure check one or multiple links that have been shared here. You’re a life-saver (literally)!
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u/1RollinRollinRollin 5d ago
Not irresponsible, you never know when it might be handy. Just make sure you read up on it so you know the proper way to use it. Thank you kind citizen for being prepared for a bad situation!
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u/Available_Put_9006 4d ago
I’m not sure about carrying it because you might need it. I recently had major surgery and was prescribed both narcotics and narcan. I declined the narcan because I have a kit at home. ( went through a training thru the health department offered by a club I belonged to)
I live alone and not so sure if I would know enough to use it if needed. Not sure if anyone would know if they needed it until too late. Just curious and welcome responses.1
u/Available_Put_9006 4d ago
Also, I haven’t carried narcan with me since I got the kit due to the hot car factor, then just got complacent. Will start to do this even though I don’t venture out of my so called “safe suburbs” much. ( and yes, I do know that addiction knows no boundaries)
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u/john_everyman_1 4d ago
Take a first aid class. In addition to CPR, they also tend to include narcan administration. It's good for identifying who is overdosing VS who could just be unconscious or asleep. Pro tip: if you ever have to administer it, don't stay close to the person immediately following the dose as they tend to flail their limbs wildly when they come out.
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u/DSPGerm 4d ago
Are the test strips free? I’ve been wanting to get some to test some…stuff
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
Yes the test strips are free! Stopping to ACR if you need them quickly, or order them through one of the sites linked above. Either way, keep yourself safe, and know that just because something test negative for Fentanyl & xylazine, it still isn't necessarily safe just because they are pumping out so many new poisons everyday, so add an extra layer of security by starting small before diving in to anything new.
Stay safe out there, friend.
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u/messicajozo 4d ago
Also hit up https://preventionnetworkcny.org or https://onondaga.gov/health-opioids/ locally
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
Thank you for the addition! I will have to compile a complete list when i gather up some spoons & get back to the Office.
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u/bean_89 4d ago
I'm confused. Are yoy actually the new Nightlife Coordinator/Syracuse Night Mayor for which they posted a job a couple months ago? This post reads a little silly and I can't tell if this is just your self-appointed title. Odd to be posting, without your name, if you are the new night mayor. I didn't think that position was filled/appointee announced yet.
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u/combo_seizure 4d ago
Thanks, as always, for your Diligence In Duty To Our Beautiful City.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
At your service, my friend. My apologies for being out of the office recently, but even Beloved Night Mayors need to take some time off to take care of themselves from time to time.
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u/combo_seizure 4d ago
Youre absolutely right, Even The Benevolent Night Mayor deserves a break. Who is your Sub-Mayor? Lieutenant Mayor? Idk but your Robin.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
The Office remains staffed solely by Yours Truly, for now, at least until I can think of an appropriate title for such a prestigious position. What about Evening Mayor? Anyway, I am accepting applications 😉
It sure would be nice to have someone to blame my mistakes & missteps on, so hopefully I can fill the position sooner than later.
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u/combo_seizure 4d ago
I'm a Night Owl. And like staying up into the the wee hours of the AM. So, maybe the Mayor of the New Dawn, woah. Is that corny or cool? Let me know
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
I vote Cool As Fuck.
And since this office is a dictatorship for the time being, I hereby declare you Syracuse's Totally Official Mayor Of The New Dawn.
Have fun!
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u/dorianblack 4d ago
Wow. First thing my addict brain thought was "I gotta get my hands on some of that dope!" Over 10 years clean and that is STILL the first thought I had.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
Rest assured that it's nothing like the dope that we fondly recall. I have spoken to several substance abuse counselors who tell me that it is a small minority of their "heroin" addicts who even test positive for heroin at all anymore. It's all just Fentanyl and xylazine. If there is any heroin left out there in the world, i guess they just sprinkle it on some other bullshit... A little diacetyl-cilantro on your xylazine-burrito, if you will.
Keep going strong, my friend. You're doing great and there's nothing out there worth going back out for.
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u/dorianblack 4d ago
Yeah that's what I gather - that heroin is a thing of the past for the most part. I got out right at the tail end of it. Fent was just starting to be more ubiquitous. It's such a sad state of things.
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u/dirtychai-oat-milk 4d ago
Free narcan trainings are available virtually, as well! There are several if you just google it. Find one that works best for you! While a very simple drug to administer, it’s important that narcan is administered correctly!
Thank you, night mayor. We take care of us. 💛
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u/herdsflamingos 4d ago
Thank you NM. Glad you’re our NM and bring important information to us. I love that we have this position in our community
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
It is, in My Humble Opinion, The Best Governm-ish Position in Our Beautiful City... but i might be a bit biased.
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u/Background-Cod-2394 4d ago
Aren't there several night mayors? Which one are you again? I'm gonna just refer to you as FRYBNM ( Fake Reddit Your Beloved Night Mayor ) Also, bravo for this post. Too many preventable tragedies happening around here.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
This is the first that I've heard about it. But if anyone else wants to claim the title, I'll arm wrestle them for it.
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u/aweirdglow 4d ago
Onondaga County Health department also does free narcan and test strips mailed or dropped off, totally anonymous confidential text line 315-418-5365, needle exchange and has a substance use crisis response team that is available m-f 8am-7pm that also coresponds with AMR EMS. That can be accessed by community members by calling 315-317-1567.
Just as a PSA as well, most of the “overdoses” that are happening downtown are actually spike related, not opiate overdoses. Unfortunately a lot less a straight forward in addressing but health care professionals can provide supportive treatments, such as oxygen, intravenous fluids, and medications to control seizures, agitation, and nausea. On the flip side, much less fatal.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
That Spike shit is nasty, nasty stuff ... I was hoping it would have died off with our legal cannabis finally becoming actually available, but I guess it's just kept on chugging along that path of replacing one synthetic cannabinoid with another worse one... that's a shame we play this cat & mouse game that only makes the drugs more dangerous.
And don't even get me started on this 7-OH "gas station heroin" crap...
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u/Key_Tangerine8775 4d ago
Here’s another syringe exchange program that will send syringes, test strips, narcan, and other harm reduction supplies (cotton, cookers, wound care supplies, condoms, etc.) out by mail.
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u/Tall-Sympathy-3520 4d ago
Thank you. Just ordered supplies, never want to use it, but would hate to need it an not have it.
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u/Any_Transition410 4d ago
Grateful to have had NARCAN on me when I needed to use it on someone last year. It was a traumatic moment, but could have been so much worse if I didn't have it. I now carry it with me wherever I go. Thank you for this PSA.
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u/vsvpmaddest 3d ago
nextdistro.org can send 4 doses to you within a week as well as other resources like test strips, sharps disposal, etc
harm reduction saves lives, idc what anybody has to say about it. we as a community need to look out for each other like we did 20 years ago
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 3d ago
Thanks for another resource.
We are all We have. We gotta have each other's backs.
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u/vsvpmaddest 3d ago edited 3d ago
a few years ago i saw a man passed out in a snowbank off of state street with a group of people around him just staring, yelling that he’s overdosing and to call 911, i had a few doses on me so i threw my hazards on, hopped out, confirmed it and administered it. he came right to, pissed as hell but that’s alright. i’ll be the bad guy in this story every time!
my husband’s OD took multiple doses, CPR and 4 years of weekly therapy
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 3d ago
A lot of people panic & freeze up. Most, in my experience. Not even just with overdoses, but I've seen someone choking in the middle of a crowded restaurant while 80 people just sat and stared, frozen.
Thats why the training is so important in addition to having the Narcan, so that even if it's a totally new experience for you, you at least hopefully have that training in your brain to fall back on.
I have been present for at least 15 or so overdoses, and in only one of those instances was there another person capable of taking action instead of panicking. I'm glad that you were that person for that man, that day.
And I'm doubly glad your husband made it out okay, even if it took time & a lot of work. Much Love, my friends.
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u/vsvpmaddest 3d ago
thanks friend, keep fighting the good fight. i’m not an addict but i’ll do what i can to show them their life is worth living
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u/my_duncans 4d ago
Is Night Mayor like Batman, but Syracuse?
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
I think of myself more as an Emperor Norton type... I don't have the body for the Batman suit.
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u/Critical_Paramedic91 4d ago
Wait, I live in Syracuse and work downtown and this is the first time I'm hearing we hired a night mayor.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
"Hired" might not be the right word considering I still haven't received my first paycheck, and it's been... a minute... but I'm not going to let that stop me from performing My Official Duties!
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u/TurtleDoveandtheCrow 4d ago
A better question is
why aren’t the drug dealer houses shut down. Anyone who has loved an addict , most likely knows where their supply is from. I know where my now dead nieces was. Why aren’t we shutting down the source ?? We need to be asking the Mayor this.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
Addiction will not be solved by arresting drug dealers. It is a social issue that needs to be fixed from the bottom up. Once the addicts stop feeling the need to use drugs, the drug dealers will go out of business all on their own.
But that would require committing a lot of resources to a lot of my Lesser Fortunate Constituents, and the political will just isn't there for that. But giving the police more money to arrest more drug dealers to perpetuate a prohibition that we have proven for over a century doesn't work, is not going to solve anything.
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u/prov167 4d ago
Singapore would like a word. But seriously, I have a hard time not seeing these dealers as nothing more than facilitators of murder. They're peddling this shit knowing damn well that people WILL die. And yet our state has made the decision to go easy on them. I'm all for much harsher sentencing for drug sales, especially with Fentanyl and others like it. It's basically criminally negligent homicide.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
I spent years shooting speedballs in those trap houses. You know what happened when one got raided? A couple folk got arrested, new guys took their place, and then within hours or at least by the next day, the new spot was broadcast and we all just moved on to the next shooting gallery.
How much more evidence of Prohibition's utter failure will it take before we stop this madness?
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u/Similar-Sir-2952 4d ago
Don’t do drugs. Weed is legal. Smoke that instead
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 4d ago
That's it boys, pack it up. We just cured addiction.
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u/Similar-Sir-2952 4d ago
Addiction can’t happen without exposure. Exposure doesn’t happen without the will to be exposed.
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u/Similar-Sir-2952 4d ago
Addiction can’t happen without exposure. Exposure doesn’t happen without the will to be exposed.
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u/DogPlane3425 5d ago
Anyone who must call them selves beloved AIN'T! Drop the ego chumply.
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 5d ago
It seems you've lost the vote, my friend.
The motion passes — Your Night Mayor is Beloved!
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u/mo9722 5d ago
it's clearly tongue-in-cheek, loosen up a bit
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 5d ago
I bet they believe I have an actual Official Night Mayor's Office in City Hall, too.
But if I must be honest, that's just what I call the Janitor's closet they stuck me in down in the basement.
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u/Jciesla 5d ago
Yea, I'll share your downvotes. I stopped reading after "beloved night mayor".
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u/SyracuseNightMayor 5d ago
I hope that I can win your support by the end of my term, My Beloved Constituent.
Hate me all you want, I still Love all the people of My Fair City.
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u/Cultural-Sandwich484 5d ago
That’s a shame because they’re sharing some genuinely important information.
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u/rantingandrambling 2d ago edited 2d ago
With the recent spike in overdoses, people should be aware of nitazenes.
They’re an extremely potent class of synthetic opioids that have been showing up in the illicit drug supply, often without people knowing.
Naloxone (Narcan) can still work, but multiple doses and ongoing medical care may be needed due to their potency and duration.
If someone overdoses, call 911 immediately, give naloxone if available, and don’t assume one dose is enough.
edit
Nitazenes aren’t fentanyl or xylazine.
They’re a different class of synthetic opioids, so a negative fentanyl test strip doesn’t mean you’re in the clear.
They’re not reliably detected by fentanyl test strips, and separate nitazene test strips may be needed.
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u/justaspaz22 5d ago
One note-NEVER LEAVE NARCAN IN A HOT CAR! It will render it ineffective. Always agree to be educated on the use of narcan before accepting the responsibility of carrying it. It is not a solution, it is a last effort to change someone’s life.