Public access to overdose medication gives users a second chance

Brian O'Neill — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:16:31 +0000

Through the doorway I heard the sound of a woman screaming. I ran inside, breathing through my mouth to keep from gagging on the stench that permeated the apartment. In the living room, on a soiled couch, lay a young man with a purple face, unblinking eyes and a chest that neither rose nor fell.

Fortunately, my partner and I had arrived a mere second ahead of the paramedics who quickly shoved us aside. They opened their medical kits while having a muted conversation. I picked up the words, “Already dead,” and “Let’s try it anyway.” Then one of them …

Heroin: What was old is new again

Brian O'Neill — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 17:37:47 +0000

Driving through downtown Tacoma I sometimes revert to old guy mode, as in “I remember when that building used to be a cave.” I love looking at both the new and remodeled structures, especially when I recall how bad it used to look in the mid-90′s when I worked in a street crime unit downtown.

I was reminded of some of those old streets and structures when I read a Trib story about the reemergence of heroin.

The word heroin conjures up memories of the 1500 block of S. Commerce St., former home of both the …

Blue Byline » oxycodone

Public access to overdose medication gives users a second chance

Heroin: What was old is new again