QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, October 26, 2023 Page 10
C M SQ page 10 Y K
P The horrible spike in overdose deaths EDITORIAL
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hile city residents are naturally focused on the terribly executed legalization of recreational marijuana — with the omnipresent stench, countless illegal shops and even worse driving it has brought — the deadlier scourge of opioid addiction seems almost to pass under the radar. It should not. Driven primarily by fentanyl, the rate of overdose deaths in the city is twice as high as it was just a few years ago, in 2016, and four times what it was in 2000. Back then, during the last full year of the Twin Towers’ existence, 10.2 people out of every 100,000 in the city died of an overdose, according to city stats. In 2016, the year Donald Trump shocked the political world, that had nearly doubled to 20 per 100,000. In 2022, the figure stood at 43.3 per 100,000, and there’s no reason to believe this year will be any better. “It’s as bad as the previous year,” Dr. Shi-Wen Lee, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, recently told the Chronicle for an in-depth story on the crisis that you can find in this week’s print editions or at qchron.com. “It may be worse, and we’re still not up to the end of the year.” Queens had fewer overdose deaths than the other boroughs last year, 24.2 per 100,000, but saw some of the fastest growth in the rate. The number went up nearly 20 percent from the year before, when it was 20.6 per 100,000. The actual death toll was 469,
among 3,026 who died citywide. The rates in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island were all 30-something per 100,000, while in the Bronx the figure was an astonishing, and tragic, 73.6 per 100,000. However much attention this crisis is getting, it is not enough. One thing we’d like to see more of is the distribution of the overdose antidote naloxone, a proven lifesaver. Queens state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. hosted a naloxone training and certification class on Oct. 17 — an event one of our editors both covered and took part in. So we’ve got one person at least who could save the life of someone dying of a heroin or fentanyl overdose. We should have more. And these events should be more widespread. Naloxone, often known by the trade name Narcan, is not the only answer to the opioid crisis by any means, but it is, quite literally, an antidote. The real answer, of course, is to prevent people from developing deadly drug habits in the first place, but that’s easier said than done. This week’s article also tells the story of one former heroin user now in recovery, Mike from Central Queens, who relates how easily one can go from, say, alcohol to marijuana to pain killers and finally heroin. What we need are more Mikes, who manage to walk away from a life of addiction, and fewer of the people who end up in our emergency rooms and leave them covered by a sheet. Whatever you can do to steer someone away from drugs, do it.
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MEMBER
Ticket double-parkers Dear Editor: I’m with Richard McSorley lll (“Dangerous double-parking,” Letters, Oct. 19). People who double park by the Starbucks on Crossbay Boulevard are creating a dangerous situation. They should get ticketed for their actions. These people can’t walk down the block to legally park their cars — oftentimes left unattended. When is anything going to get done about this? I get so angry when I’m in the right lane to make a turn to go home, that I have to change lanes to go around these double-parked cars. Pathetic situation to say the least. Steve Pelosa Howard Beach
Stop horse racing now Dear Editor: Re John Lynch’s Oct. 19 letter: “Horse racing realities”: The writer’s defense of horse racing ignores some frightening facts. Fourteen horses have died at the Saratoga, NY, racetrack so far this year (Albany Times Union, Sept. 5), and two horses died during the Belmont Stakes in June (cbssports.com, June 14). Despite these deaths, Gov. Hochul secured a $455 million New York State loan for the New York Racing Association to rebuild Belmont Park. The loan was challenged by members of People for the Ethi© Copyright 2023 by MARK I PUBLICATIONS, INC. All rights reserved. Neither this newspaper nor any part thereof may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, recording or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the publishers. This copyright is extended to the design and text created for advertisements. Reproduction of said advertisement or any part thereof without the express written permission of MARK I PUBLICATIONS, INC. is strictly prohibited. This publication will not be responsiblefor errors in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Bylined articles represent the sole opinion of the writer and are not necessarily in accordance with the views of the QUEENS CHRONICLE. This Publication reserves the right to limit or refuse advertising it deems objectionable. The Queens Chronicle is published weekly by Mark I Publications, Inc. at a subscription rate of $19 per year and out of state, $25 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid (USPS0013-572) at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mark I Publications, Inc., 71-19 80th St., Suite 8-201, Glendale, NY 11385.
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cal Treatment of Animals, but a state Supreme Court justice dismissed their lawsuit (Times Union, Oct. 12). Though they lost a legal battle, their goal was correct. Why should New York taxpayers subsidize a sport that kills animals and benefits the NYRA, a corrupt organization with a tarnished track record? It paid a $3 million fine after six of its staffers were indicted on fraud and conspiracy charges (espn.com, Dec. 12, 2003). Once called “the sport of kings,” horse racing is a sport of carnage and cruelty. Gamblers can risk their money on other sports that don’t inflict pain, suffering and death on helpless animals. Horse racing is a bad bet for any civilized society. It should be banned in our state and nationwide. Richard Reif Kew Gardens Hills
A lifesaver lost
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ever begrudge that crossing guard who might get in front of your car as you’re turning with her hand up telling you to stop so the little ones can get to school safely. Or the guard who goes above and beyond and serves essentially as a traffic cop at the corner where he or she is assigned — and maybe if you watch long enough, they all do that. Their work is vital and they don’t get paid a lot for it, even though they’re risking their lives constantly. We were tragically reminded of that last Friday when crossing guard Krystyna Naprawa, 63, was killed on a corner in Ozone Park. The Howard Beach resident was beloved in the area and is being mourned by everyone from the mayor on down. To her we say Dziekuje, “Thank You” in her native Polish. And to everyone else we say, please drive carefully. This is why.
Great Trunk or Treat Dear Editor: I would like to thank the 107th police precinct, Cheap Shots, St. Francis Prep students, staff and all those involved in the Cunningham Trunk or Treat event. Everyone involved seemed delighted to be there and the entire family had a great time, even the dog. Teresa Barbadillo Hollis Hills
New precinct an old idea Dear Editor: Your article is headlined “New precinct top priority for CB 7” (Oct. 19, multiple editions). Actually the request for a new precinct has been a priority of the Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Association for well over 30 years.
