Opioid Epidemic Behind Spike In Homicides

Murder Investigation
Look at that, another one of those much-vaunted "victimless drug crimes."

The last two years have marked by a dramatic spike in the homicide rate. Trump’s Department of Justice (DoJ) have suggested, in their new report, that a combination of opioid abuse, resentment towards the police – which hampers proper law enforcement activity – are to blame.

The United States has had a dramatic increase in homicides within the past two years. Statistics suggest that 2014-2015 has risen by 11.4% while 2015-2016 saw a further increase of 8.2% 38 of the 50 states also experienced notable surges in violent crime, especially within urban centers.  The averages suggest that any city of two fifty thousand residents has experienced massive year-over-year increases in homicide rates. The average increase across these cities has been 15.2% in 2014-2015. From 2015-2016 homicides increased an additional 10.8% Homicides involving drugs have increased by 22% between 2014-2015.

The feds have made it a frantic priority to find the source of the surging homicide rates, and have tied it to the booming spread of synthetic opioids and heroin. The investigation also concluded that law enforcement attempts to contain the drug violence is made extremely hard, as the media and discredited groups like Black Lives Matter blow out of proportion, and outright lie about any and all police interactions that occur in Black dominated areas.Their activism has lead to numerous riots, and civil unrest is higher than ever. As the illegal supplies of drugs, including opioid, heroin and cocaine flow into the inner cities, and the police are forced out – it becomes a recipe for disaster.

Data collected from interviewing law enforcement authorities suggest that the police feels threatened by the communities they work to protect. Over 90% of the officers from a sample size of eight thousand, confessed in a survey that they feel concerned about their own security more than ever before.

The research, also claims that the behavior of police has lead Blacks to mistrust law enforcement, and to wallow in their own criminal element, instead of seeking police assistance to remove and handle violent criminals in their midst.

With the spread of easily accessible opioids, and racial violence against the law enforcement being praised in the media, only contributes to an increase in the overall problem. As tensions between different racial communities rise, police have chosen to try to avoid causing backlash and rioting by keeping to safe communities, and letting crimes go unanswered. This phenomenon has been called the “Ferguson Effect.”

Morgan is a freelance writer for a variety of publications covering popular culture, societal behavior and the political influences of each.