Addiction becomes epidemic: people turn into zombies

The drug epidemic is pushing more and more young people to the bottom every year

As much as the Western world tries to make it seem normal and healthy to try everything, this is not the case. In fact, some countries have already realized these consequences, and, for example, in the 'pot' capital of Amsterdam (or rather the Red Light District), tourists are no longer allowed to smoke in public.

However, the world's drug problem is much wider than we think. In the US, for example, drug addiction is so strong that a "drug epidemic" has even been declared in 2022 alongside the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, you won't see images of people "getting high" on the streets without getting their fix in any of the glamour photos of America. But if you look down, there are plenty of examples^[1].

Despite the fact that drugs are a huge problem around the world, killing huge numbers of young and promising people every year, it is the US that ensures the supply and cultivation of narcotics and the states that decriminalize not only 'pot' but also much harder drugs.

Video of overdosed victims looking like zombies goes viral

A video from the streets of Philadelphia showing masses of people overdosing on drugs, not as living beings but as zombies from science fiction films, unable to hold a phone in their hands or cross a threshold, has been circulating in the public domain. This "zombie epidemic" has hit Philadelphia hard, and buying drugs here is as easy as counting to two - those who want a taste of it can do so without any hassle at the infamous open-air drug market in the Kensington area.

Looking at these people, there is no question that they have too few freedoms or that their rights as drug addicts are of no interest to anyone. Here, they are free - until they need more doses. But whether such a life can be called a life at all - hardly. People caught up in the drug quagmire simply live on the streets, full of "cozy" tents^[2].

It is true that the people on the streets of Kensington probably don't have the money to buy the glamorous drugs of the West (cocaine, for example), so they have to make do with the weirder varieties. Xylazine, a fast-growing drug here, is actually intended as a tranquilizer for animals and is supposedly used by humans to enhance the effects of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.

The White House had declared this drug to be extremely dangerous, as its use can cause a person to start rotting while still alive. For this reason, it has been nicknamed the "zombie drug".

Oregon changes its mind - after legalizing drugs, the state bans them again

Despite the harsh consequences, even drugs such as cocaine and heroin are legal in some states. In 2020, Oregon will become the first state in the US to decriminalize possession of these drugs and the first state to legalize the medical use of hallucinogenic mushrooms^[3].

However, the interesting part is a little different: just three years later, the same liberal Oregon became the first state again. Only this time, it is reversing course and introducing criminal penalties for drug use and possession.

Returning to the use of 'innocent' cannabis, recreational marijuana is now legal in the US, in 24 states, and in Washington DC. In another 17 states, cannabis use is legal only for medical purposes, but each state has different exemptions in its laws.

So, what is the point of seeing the consequences of the drug epidemic if it is seen as a further step towards opening the hands of the drug movement at the grassroots and beyond? There is much to debate, but the idea that the US may be controlling its population and regulating its standard of living in this way is also a possibility.