• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Nature, Environment, History & Politics

The Valley Citizen

  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About
  • RSS Icon

Homeless: Why We Need Casey’s Law

September 12, 2017 By Eric Caine 4 Comments

Though still little-publicized, more and more young people are falling victim to the demons of addiction, especially opioids. Law enforcement officials in Oakdale noticed a surge in heroin use among young people in 2013, and attributed it to the availability of cheap “black tar” heroin that has caught a rising number of teen-agers and young adults in the cruel trap of an addiction that drives a host of crimes ranging from prostitution, petty theft, auto theft, and upward.

Many young people become homeless when their parents can no longer deal with their drug use. Once homeless, they enter the endless—and mindless—cycle of addiction, arrest, release, arrest and release again that is society’s default answer to drug use—unless, of course, the child has wealthy or powerful parents.

In those cases, public sympathy can transform the addicted youngster from a common criminal to a sick victim in need of help and the best medical science available. That was the case when Jeb Bush’s daughter became one of the most celebrated examples of recovery after a court-ordered stay at an addiction-recovery center.

After experiencing first-hand the piercing agony of a loved one’s addiction, Bush became a believer in court-ordered treatment and promised as a presidential candidate to support a holistic approach to addiction, featuring, “multi-disciplinary coordination, including the judiciary, the prosecution, mental health specialists, social services and treatment professionals.”

Unfortunately, Bush’s personal experience and the successful recovery of his daughter Noelle haven’t translated into a broader understanding of drug use and addiction nation-wide. Despite overwhelming evidence that the arrest and imprison cycle doesn’t work, it’s still our first and often our only response to addiction.

Bush wasn’t the only presidential candidate with a family connection to the agony of addiction. Carly Fiorina’s stepdaughter died of drug addiction and the experience led to Fiorina’s conviction that, “If you’re criminalizing drug abuse and addiction, you’re not treating it—and you’re part of the problem.”

Nonetheless, most regions of our nation, including the San Joaquin Valley, remain, “part of the problem.” In fact, even the mention of homelessness itself often brings on a chorus of, “It’s the drugs,” and even louder rants about, “The needles, the needles!” The problem with these responses is they offer only condemnation and disgust, when what we really need are comprehension and  treatment.

Nodding off

Every day, more people are willing to examine statistics about the causes of homelessness, including such things as the lack of affordable housing, deinstitutionalizing the mentally ill, and wage stagnation. So far, there still hasn’t been a comparable understanding of the physiology of addiction and its role in homelessness. Instead, homeless addicts are routinely demonized as deserving of their fate because of their “choice” to use drugs.

But advances in brain science and physiology have shown that drugs actually destroy and re-route the brain’s neural circuits; addiction tricks the brain into thinking drugs are necessary for survival. Choice becomes irrelevant when the brain perceives drugs as essential as food or water. Moreover, new research has shown that some people, especially those diagnosed with mental illnesses like Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder and schizophrenia, are far more susceptible to addictive behavior than most.

Widespread local support for Laura’s Law, which enables court-ordered treatment for people with serious mental illness, needs to be followed by support for Casey’s Law, which would facilitate court-ordered treatment for people in danger of death from drug use and overdose. Over thirty-three thousand United States’ residents died from opioid overdoses in 2015, and the numbers will only get worse unless we begin effective treatment as soon as possible.

Some will argue that medical approaches to addiction are far too costly and that addicts aren’t worth the expense. In fact, the cycle of hospitalization, crime, incarceration, and costs to businesses and residents are far greater than those of treatment. Failure to treat drug addiction as a health problem has resulted in what amounts to a regressive tax for those who must pay for enforcement and incarceration while experiencing ongoing losses in business and property values.

Like mental illness, addiction afflicts people from all social classes and levels of achievement, and more and more young people all the time—especially young and homeless people. Arguments that addicts aren’t worth the expense of treatment are arguments against humanity itself. A wealthy nation that calls itself Christian can do much, much better.

 

 

Filed Under: Featured, History Tagged With: Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rachel Bruzee says

    September 12, 2017 at 3:56 am

    This is a wonderful article and I have been diligently advocating for Casey’s Law in New York State legislation. Aside from being a fierce advocate for families and communities regarding the opioid prescription pill heroin crisis health epidemic that our nation is currently facing, I am a counselor in both mental health and addiction treatment services and a parent who sits on both sides of the fence. I have great respect and regard for the initiator of this law Casey’s mom Charlotte Wethington. In many times I have reached out to her in the process of getting this law recognized and thanked her for her courage and strength to carry on, keeping Casey’s Law in motion and educating the public and advocates like myself to continue pushing for this invaluable crisis intervention tool. More information about Casey’s Law should be available and this is one of the things I continue to do for my community as well as offer information and referrals, support and other things that families need assistance with. Please visit my FB causepage called Endure Outreach Network. This is where you can find many other informative things and if you would like to sign my petition for Casey’s Law in New York State go to change.org and read more about how you can help. In meeting with our New York State Senator Pam Helming I hope to move forward with this goal for our state. It’s been a couple of years to continue pushing for Casey’s Law here in New York State but many states have followed suit. You can also find “A Guide to Casey’s Law ” for families. Thank you again for sharing .

    Reply
  2. Eric Caine says

    September 12, 2017 at 4:03 am

    Thank you Rachel. Enacting Casey’s Law will require grassroots and ground-up pressure. Too many of our political leaders lack the courage to lead on this critical issue, so the people are going to have to lead for themselves. Fortunately, we have leaders like you among us, with more to come.

    Reply
  3. Eric Caine says

    September 12, 2017 at 12:29 pm

    Frank Damrell got hung up in the spam blocker, so sent his comments to our email address below. That’s what you should do when you have trouble posting a comment. I can then post the comment. Here are Frank Damrell’s remarks:
    “Very thoughtful and well written. Civil commitment (like Casey’s Law) would help broken families and save lives. The lives of addicts should not be ignored and disregarded like feral cats. But it should be noted, the state legislature passed Laura’s Law. I am not aware that they have adopted anything like Casey’s Law. There would have to be safe guards against abuse by an estranged spouse, or a disgruntled family member. I believe Casey’s Law requires the petitioning family to pay for treatment with the courts providing the leverage. Call or write your legislators and let them know this should be a priority.”

    Reply
  4. nancy forrest says

    September 14, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    I wish we had know about this years ago, my nephew nodded off and never woke up.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Eric Caine Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

WATCH: The Moment When The ?2,000 Mules? Folks Admit Their Supposed Evidence Is Nonsense
WATCH: The Moment When The “2,000 Mules” Folks Admit Their Supposed Evidence Is Nonsense
True believers in Donald Trump?s lies about the 2020 election gathered in…
talkingpointsmemo.com
Four things to know about Colorado River water in California
Four things to know about Colorado River water in California
As California and six other western states scramble to reach a deal to cut use of Colorado River water, what will the federal government do?
calmatters.org
A disastrous 'megaflood' flood in sunny and dry California? It's happened before
A disastrous ‘megaflood’ flood in sunny and dry California? It’s happened before
Scientists say climate change increases the likelihood of the recurrence of a ‘megaflood’ like the Great Flood of 1862.
www.usatoday.com
'He Was a Crook'
‘He Was a Crook’
www.theatlantic.com
Opinion | When America Joined the Cult of the Confederacy
Opinion | When America Joined the Cult of the Confederacy
By renaming military bases, the Defense Department dismantles an enduring legacy of the Lost Cause.
www.nytimes.com
What?s driving the massive, destructive rainfalls around the country
What’s driving the massive, destructive rainfalls around the country
“The infrastructure we have is really built for a climate we are not living in anymore,” said one scientist who studies extreme precipitation.
www.washingtonpost.com
How California stands to gain from historic new climate and energy bill
How California stands to gain from historic new climate and energy bill
Billions for electric cars, solar and wind power are expected to boost state’s clean energy efforts and industries
www.mercurynews.com
Inside the War Between Trump and His Generals
Inside the War Between Trump and His Generals
www.newyorker.com
Water wars in a drying California: New money vs. old power in San Joaquin Valley
Water wars in a drying California: New money vs. old power in San Joaquin Valley
www.mercurynews.com
History of DDT ocean dumping off L.A. coast even worse than expected, EPA finds
History of DDT ocean dumping off L.A. coast even worse than expected, EPA finds
Barrels of DDT waste, along with other chemicals, were likely poured directly into the ocean near Catalina Island, according to federal regulators.
www.latimes.com
The Tiny Bird Ruining East Coast Beach Vacations
The Tiny Bird Ruining East Coast Beach Vacations
Meet the piping plover, an adorable little bird whose tenuous existence shuts down roads and beaches right in the peak of summer.
www.thedailybeast.com
Will the last person to leave Phoenix please turn off the sun?
Will the last person to leave Phoenix please turn off the sun?
Asking when Phoenix will become uninhabitable means asking who has the resources to survive — and eventually, the rich might be the only ones left
www.salon.com
California drought official quits, blasting Newsom for 'gut wrenching' inaction
California drought official quits, blasting Newsom for ‘gut wrenching’ inaction
A state water board official has resigned, claiming the Newsom administration has “nearly eviscerated” the board’s ability to confront drought.
www.latimes.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design