It’s time to stop blaming the victims of drug overdose
Amy Winehouse
I’ve always winced when I’ve seen late night comedians and watercooler gossips poke their all-too-easy fun at very young and very gifted Amy Winehouse. To so many, her increasingly skeletal frame and bizarre behavior were public carnival. To those of us who have watched the disease of drug addiction take its toll on the people we love, there was no entertainment in what we saw, and I can guarantee you with 100 percent certainty that Amy Winehouse’s mother and father didn’t get the jokes.
And now she’s gone.She was only 27 years old.
When I heard the news of Amy Winehouse’s death on Saturday, my heart dropped and I wept. I might not have known Amy personally, but sadly, I know very, very personally how her mother and father have been hurting in the days since they got the phone call that every parent of a young addict dreads.
No cause of death has yet been given publicly for Amy’s death, but the odds are pretty good that she died of an overdose or some other complication of her disease. We likely won’t know for days or weeks what happened, but if it turns out that it was an overdose of illegal drugs that took Amy Winehouse’s life, I hope that the media will make note of the fact that while Amy Winehouse may have been a drug addict, it was a drug dealer who killed her. What I am saying is this: if Amy Winehouse died of an overdose of illegally distributed drugs, there is a criminal walking free today who actively preyed on and profited from the vulnerability that her addiction created for her. That drug dealer or dealers should be identified, arrested and held criminally liable for distributing the drugs involved in her overdose before he or she kills someone else’s beloved child.
Overdoses of illegal drugs are almost always deemed “accidental” by authorities, when in fact, there is really nothing accidental about them. It’s not an “accident” when a drug dealer knowingly targets someone whom he or she knows to be an addict as a customer, and then commits a felony in distributing drugs to that vulnerable customer. The fact that overdose victims might have asked for the drugs that killed them, and even paid money for them does not obviate the criminal liability of the drug dealers who distribute to them.
If Amy Winehouse had suffered from schizophrenia that created delusional thinking, and had as a direct result of her specific mental illness offered someone a great deal of money to provide a loaded gun to her and specifically show her how to put it in her mouth and pull the trigger, no one would excuse the shooter by saying, “well, she asked for him to do it, so she deserved what she got.” No, instead we would all be appalled that someone would be cruel enough to agree to take money from someone he knew very well to be mentally ill in exchange for providing her with the necessary materials and information to kill herself or someone else, something that he knew or should have known was likely to happen. Yet, when it comes to drug dealers who actively target, prey on, and profit from individuals struggling in the grip addiction we too often give these dangerous criminals a free pass, placing all the blame on the dead overdose victim herself.
Our cultural attitudes toward overdose deaths caused by the illegal distribution of drugs – prescription or illicit – absolutely must change. Both in Great Britain and here in the United States, it is not overstating the case to say that we are losing a generation to a specific type of profit-driven criminal activity that clearly and directly targets its victims. Yet, far too often, law enforcement, prosecutors, medical examiners and public health officials still refer to deaths resulting from the illegal distribution of drugs as “unintentional,” or “accidental.”
Think of it this way – most drunk drivers who end up killing someone certainly never intended to hurt anyone when they got behind the wheel while impaired, much less kill anybody. But if a drunk driver does kill someone as the direct result of his or her criminal behavior, we don’t write this off as a tragic “accident.” Instead, we arrest, charge, and prosecute drunk drivers who kill, even if in their own minds, the death they caused was unintentional and accidental.
In another example, perhaps a woman has chosen to return again and again to a husband who beats her badly. Each time she leaves, she packs up her children and goes to spend a few days at a local domestic violence shelter, where trained counselors work as hard as they can to help her break free of this obviously high-risk relationship. Her family reaches out repeatedly, begging her to break away from a man everyone but the victim herself can see is likely to ultimately kill her. But no matter what anyone tells her, she always gives him another chance. This cycle goes on for several years, until one day, just as everyone told her would happen if she stayed with him, the husband beats her to death.
In this scenario, do we blame the woman for her own death given that she repeatedly returned to the abuser, even when she was offered all the help she needed to break free? Does the fact that she willingly chose to be part of a relationship where the odds of her ending up dead were obviously high mean that she is not the victim of criminal homicide? Of course not. Her case will be and should be treated as a murder, and the man who beat her to death will be arrested and prosecuted. No one will suggest that the victim is to blame for her own death.
In the case of both drunk driving and domestic violence, it wasn’t so very long ago that our societal views were quite different than they are today. Drunk driving was largely ignored by law enforcement agencies, and cases in which an impaired driver hurt or killed someone were almost never prosecuted. Domestic violence victims were also mostly ignored by local enforcement and prosecutors, and men who beat their wives were rarely arrested or charged.
It took dedicated, outspoken activism to change the cultural conversation around both of these issues, and to insist that law enforcement leaders and prosecutors stop looking the other way when these two particular categories of criminal activity resulted in someone’s death. And now it’s time for those of us who have lost someone we love to drug overdose – and that’s A LOT of us – to get past our shame, be willing to take the public heat, step up, speak out, and strongly advocate on behalf of these voiceless, marginalized crime victims in the same way that early drunk driving and domestic violence activists spoke out.
If it’s determined that the distribution of illegal drugs played a role in Amy Winehouse’s death, then her death was not a mere tragic accident. It wasn’t unintentional. Her drug dealer did not “accidentally” take her money in exchange for drugs, and he (or she) certainly intended for Amy to use the drugs he provided to her – again and again and again. If it’s determined that Amy Winehouse’s death over the weekend was not due to drug overdose, that still leaves approximately 300 Americans and 15 citizens of the UK who DID die of drug overdose during that same 72 hour period.
It’s time to stop assuming that all deaths resulting from what we’ve already clearly designated to be a criminal activity – illegal, profit driven distribution of drugs – are mere accidents in which the dead victim is primarily to blame. And it’s time to stop treating those who die as a result of drug overdose as less worthy of the time, attention and interest that law enforcement and prosecutors give to victims of other types of homicide. When drug dealers kill someone – even if that someone was a drug addict – they must be held accountable.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Winehouse family this week. I hope that yours are as well.
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David, with all respect, I think both are core questions. I think people who do not understand addiction–not in the academic sense, but in the behavioral sense, the information that tells us what persons with addiction do when actively using, have trouble also understanding the complexity of options for dealing with it. I may not think that the criminal solutions are best, but decriminalization will most certainly not stop overdose. That’s because addictive substances are inherently dangerous, and people using them in increasing amounts to get high are at increasing risk. People OD *all the time* in the comforts of their own homes on substances they have obtained legally. Also, offering treatment only helps people who want treatment. Henry, and many others, do not want treatment. One useful question might be: why do some people with addiction NOT want treatment, assuming treatment is available?
I also think that while, yes, it is a disease, you can get clean if you really want to and you have the support. I was a cocaine addict for 3 years. I’ve been clean now for almost 7 years with no relapses. I did not have the money for rehab and I had almost no support, but I was still able to get clean. Was it easy? Hell no. It was painful, lonely and extremely hard, but I still managed to do it. Yes, part of the blame should go to drug dealers and such because addiction is a disease and a lot of them prey on people with that disease, but it’s also the addicts fault. AW had so many opportunities to get clean by going to rehab and had people who wanted to support her and she basically spit in their face when they offered their help. Hell, she even wrote a song about it. That is her fault. It’s very sad and unfortunate, and my heart goes out to her family and friends, but I personally feel like she got herself into this situation.
I feel different on this situation. For one, Amy wasn’t a victim of anything. I am a recovering addict that made the decision on my own to get clean and sober. I didn’t need rehab, I was in a 12 step program for years by choice, because my addiction was taking away my quality of life and I wanted to learn to live not die. I learned healthier ways to cope with my traumatic past. The addict has to take responsibility for their actions. Nobody chooses to become an addict, but you do choose to take the drugs or alcohol that puts you on that path. You cannot in any way help an addict unless they are willing to help themselves. You are wasting your time if they refuse help. Amy, being a celebrity, knew of all the ways she can get help out there, but didnt want it bad enough, because she continued her addiction until the effects killed her. During several years in the 12 step program, I have watched many addicts die, some I was close to. This is a fatal disease, most addicts that are that deep in addiction dont care about themselves or others, and they choose the drug over their families, lives, jobs, etc and romance the drug until they end up in jail or institutions if lucky, or death. They are only a shell of who they once were. The only “victims” in an addicts death are the family and friends left behind, searching for answers and many blaming themselves for “not helping the person.” Yes, drug dealers need to take responsibility, but the addict made the choice each time to call or visit their dealer. Nobody forced them to go buy the drugs and take them. Most addicts are so desperate for that next hit, or drink, etc, that they steal from those who love them most. So speaking as a former addict, I refuse to ever consider an addict a victim.
The only people who can end addictive behavior are the addicts themselves. My sister was diagnosed as an alcoholic and was addicted to numerous drugs. Rehab and interventions did nothing. Then she decided she was done hurting herself and just stopped.
The people who gave her drugs were enablers in an accidental suicide. That’s all.
Crying because an adult you never met who had money, fame, talent and a million second chances overdosed? Grow up.
It does not matter who we choose to blame. People die every minute. Some die in bed with loved ones by their side, many do not. Putting people in prisons is good for prison owners, not human beings. Pretending we know who to hate may make us feel righteous, but, never helps anyone, ever. Without compassion, we are all cheap late night comedians. Addiction needs no punch line. Do you?
Last time I checked drug dealers didn’t have to go knocking down people’s doors to sell them product, so the statement about “targeting” addicts seems silly to me. I don’t have any hard data to back this up, but based on my own personal experiences once the user decides they like a drug, they are the ones that seek out the dealers time and time again.
Any life lost to addiction is sad and a terrible waste. I see it as a senseless tragedy no matter if the addict has had multiple chances at rehabilitation, or none at all. Why does blame have to come into the equation?
To the blog writer I am sorry that you had to go through something so terrible. But as other people have pointed out, if you call the drug dealer the murderer you also have to put that label on people that sell liquor and cigarettes too, which seems extreme. Yes, the drug dealers broke the law by selling drugs. But then wouldn’t the addict be just as guilty for purchasing them?
Lets put some responsibility on the people that choose to purchase these poisons for themselves.
I was interested by the headline, so I opened this to read it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish reading it once it was suggested that drug dealers be held criminally liable for the fatal overdoses that occur from the products they sell. To me, that’s no different than suggesting anywhere with a liquor license should be liable for the actions of the people who buy alcohol. People have free will. Yes, it may be compromised by addiction, but in most cases, there is no one forcing someone else to take a drug. Legal or illegal drug.
I stumbled upon this site through an ad for ‘Babble’. Obviously I don’t know you and I’m very sorry about your son, and I understand your feelings, but…. I felt compelled to write because I’m just so amazed at your thinking. I so completely don’t understand. I firmly believe an addict is an addict because he doesn’t stop himself. Period. Be it drugs, liquor, food, smoking…stop if it is negatively affecting you.
A drug dealer is responsible for his own butt and no one else’s, in my opinion. YOU are responsible for you. God, doesn’t anyone take responsibility for anything anymore? Sure he should be arrested…for selling illegal drugs. A drug dealer could come to my door and pay me to take drugs and I would send him on his way. Now a girl scout trying to sell me cookies? Dunkin’ Donuts commercials over and over? That would be a crime to me since food is MY unhealthy addiction….since childhood. My sister is a raging alcoholic and makes my life and anyone who cares about hers, a misery. She has wrecked her life. SHE has. In my opinion, she doesn’t have a disease, she needs to stop drinking. My best friend fought cancer with every single solitary molecule she possessed–death took her kicking and screaming– for 2 years she fought and lost. SHE had a disease. My sister just needs to STOP DRINKING. My brother was a diabetic for his whole life and he died because he had low blood sugar while on his motorcycle and he went into the fuge state that happens then and he crashed and died. And I don’t mean to sound cold because that nearly did me in, nearly killed me to lose him, BUT…. I know him and he HAD to know how he was feeling–they were headed to get food because of this. But he should have had a sugar cube in his pocket like when we were kids. Now they sell glycerine tablets even. Hell, a handful of jellybeans would have saved his life. In my opinion, it is HIS fault that he died. He wished to be ‘normal’ but he wasn’t and it was HIS responsibility to take care of that. See how that works? No one can or can’t make you do something. Only you can. And lest you think I don’t live as I speak, I finally took responsiblity at 45 and I lost 125 lbs. People coax me with cake all the time, “oh just this once won’t hurt, you know you want it.” sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, but it is MY fault when I give in not theirs.
I’m sorry to go on, but your opinion hit a nerve in my soul. I’m truly sorry for your loss and I get where it comes from, but I so disagree and felt the need to state my opinion.
(Earlier in the comments someone wrote, ” If you don’t like this article, you should read another one. The internet is pretty big.”. Well this is a blog and blogs are posted to send out your opinion and hear about others. That is a blog’s nature. When one blogss an opinion, one gets opinions back. It is unfair to imply that only people with agreeing opinions should read or post and all others should leave and read something else. A blog that no one reads is simply a private journal.)
Your lack of intelligent reasoning is sickening. Like any grieving loved one who simply can’t rest the blame where it truly lies, Your emotions have caused irrational thinking to get the best of you. This type of “recovery industry” propaganda negates all personal responsibility on the part of a drug user; licit or illicit. Compulsive drug use is not involuntary. If the fact that there is an underlying pathology connected with the continuous use of drugs can be manipulated to serve as evidence that compulsive drug use is a disease, then we could say the same about romantic infatuation or sexual relations. The neuroadaptation which causes the ‘desire’ for drugs does not negate the rational mind or the ability to choose. Drugs (licit or illicit) in not inherently good or inherently evil. They are not capable of acting on individuals against their own will. Our country was founded on the principle of individual liberty, and personal responsibility; and the fact that a personal choice is criminalized does not make it wrong. Drugs are a commodity just like anything else, and those who capitalize on this massive demand should not be persecuted, much less blamed for the recklessness or incompetence of the consumer.
Get real, you are in denial. It’s like saying someone holds a gun against your head forcing you to not exercise and to overeat so, heck, not your fault if you are overwejght.Tell someone else your sad story, everybody has one of those…
I have been on both sides of this fence as first a drug dealer and then a drug addict. Your perception of reality is very delusional and I hope you will find the courage to open your mind to other avenues of blame. I want to say I am sorry for your loss and that In one aspect you are totally correct about those who deal drugs. If they are preying on children (under 18) then I totally agree that they should be punished to the full extent of the law. When I sold, I didn’t have to prey on ANYONE! I was sought out like a rare commodity. I had to move to get away from addicts who wanted more, more, more! I also sold a clean product that wasn’t enriched with synthetics or chemical additives, baby powder, baby laxatives, bath salts or anything else. So if I told someone “no” and they went elsewhere, I actually worried that they would get a bad product. They were going to go wherever they could to get their fix whether I’m the one that provided it or someone else did. Drug dealers don’t have to prey on anyone and once they are hooked, any dealer will do.
I had sold for over 5 years before becoming addicted myself. Once I did I understood how an addicts mind works. I had a $1,000 a day crack cocaine habit that was insatiable for 20 years and only by the grace of God am I still here to tell about it. I would purchase from anyone I could find and it was common knowledge among other addicts that if I were to die in there home of an overdose that they should put me in the nearest dumpster. You may think that sounds cruel but that kept everyone from being charged criminally in the result of MY OWN ACTIONS!! The drug dealer wouldn’t have been the one responsible for what I chose to do and should be accountable for my decisions to use.
You may think that without a dealer, drugs are impossible to obtain but that isn’t the truth. Many items are currently sold in your local convenient store labeled as “not for human consumption” They are sold as “Pot Pourri” which is fake weed and “Bath Salts” which are being used to snort, cook and smoke as crack cocaine. People are using these items that are clearly marked with dangerous warning if consumed to get high. Since they are considered drugs, they are not controlled by the FDA or DEA and obtainable by anyone of any age. Do you then hold the retailer responsible if your child dies from misuse of their product? What if your child dies from huffing gas? Who is responsible then?
Please adjust views to merit the real victim’s situation. You are the victim here. You didn’t choose to have an addicted loved one. All you can do is love them as much as you can and try to help them in any possible and when all else fails and they fall victim to themselves your grief and dispair must end at some time and allow you to move forward.
I speak from experience and know what I am talking about. I was a dealer, I was an addict, I am my own person with my own thoughts and I am in recovery now but I had to come to a point in my life where the drugs didn’t work for me any more and I had to value other things in order to recover. And by the way, just because a person relapses, does not mean they don’t want to get better. It happens in baby steps. They need to be able to get back up and try again. It’s not a futile efffort, but it is a lifelong battle. I wish you the best and hope what I’ve written will help those who cannot forgive the wrong people and put the blame where it lies, and then be able to forgive your addict for what they chose to do. What they did was never personal.
By this standard all bars/liquor stores/alcohol manufacturers should be shut down, all prescription pain relievers should be pulled off the market and Dr.s that prescribe them and the makers of those drugs should be in jail along with the bartenders and shop keepers that distribute alcohol…..or is it only illegal drugs that matter in this issue, because I know far more alcoholics and people addicted to legally prescribed pain killers (that are even paid for by their insurance company) than I do people whom are addicted to illegal drugs. I understand no one wants to blame a victim but where do we draw the line? When do we say “You are an adult and have to take some responsibility for your decisions and actions.”?. What about someone who is addicted to food and eats themselves to death, do we lock up the owner of the McDonald’s that sold them their Big Macs? A food addiction is just as real as a drug addiction, it IS their drug….do we ban sugar and salt and fat and red meat to protect the minority from themselves?
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Ok, so we blame the dealer not the user. Put the drug dealer in jail (where they belong) and the addict will find another and another right on down the road until they get what they want. It is the force of addiction and no one will ever be satisfied.
The drunk driver that kills someone goes to jail, right? As it should be since the victim did not choose to be a victim. But what about the liquor vendor, the bar tender the waitress; do they have to share the blame for the drivers choice? Aren’t they the ones who supplied the alcohol that fueled the poor choice? I don’t think so, they have no way of knowing the drunks intent.
A few years ago in my neighborhood, a woman was struck and killed by a drunk driver. He was on his way home from the local pub and drove the 6 or 8 blocks, rather than walk or cab, and killed a woman in the process. The bar tender was blamed for over serving. Why? He didn’t put the drunk behind the wheel. The drunk cried foul when his house arrest restrictions prevented him from being present at his kids soccer games and some bleeding heart judge relaxed it for him. Where’s the justice for the victim and her family? She never gets to see another soccer game or attend graduation or weddings.
Get your head out of the sand and see it for what it is. It was a bad choice fueled by a series of bad choices with no do overs. Yes, the dealers should be in jail, but they shouldn’t have to shoulder all of the blame for everyone’s bad choices; they are already dealing with their own.
While I do agree that drug dealers need to be prosecuted, what I really think needs to be done is work as a society for more research on helping people with addiction and an understanding and acceptance that there is a difference between using and addiction. I wish our society would stop putting people down for being addicts and would support more programs to help them to work through their addiction (counseling, detox, rehab etc). If the stigma would change so those suffering don’t feel ashamed of the disease they are living with and have more open opportunities for help, that would make a change. I would love to be a part of a change which started with understanding and an emphasis on helping those with addiction, rather than a campaign against drug dealers. I think the first would be more effective.
And a note to a woman who said “I so completely don’t understand. I firmly believe an addict is an addict because he doesn’t stop himself. Period. Be it drugs, liquor, food, smoking…stop if it is negatively affecting you.” – This is the attitude we need to fight to change. Addiction is not just the choice to get loaded. An addict has a mental disease which needs treatment. We need to work on all aspects of this disease, with the individual, with society, drug dealers and doctors who act as drug dealers, and pharmaceutical companies as well. This is bigger than people getting wasted, and as soon as society starts understanding that maybe the addicts who need help will be able to receive it.