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My name is Walter
Volkenannt, and I am living every father's nightmare. On November 15th, 2002, I
buried my only son. Walt had parked his car around the corner from his dealer,
filled his system with the heroin he'd just bought, and died. We buried Walt on a
spot of earth he loved, our farm in Osage County. While I dug his grave I swore I'd
get revenge. I wanted to hunt down the monster who sold my son the drug and kill him
with my bare hands. I still want revenge but have decided to get it another
way. My goal is to change the way citizens perceive heroin addicts so
addicts can come out of hiding and get help.
There is a big
difference between knowing of and knowing about heroin. Having spent the past
year or so doing research about heroin and its effects on society, I've learned a
lot, although it does by no means make me an expert. But had I known and understood
heroin two years ago as well as I do now, I believe my son would be alive today.
Since my son's death, here's
what I've learned:
- Heroin
addicts can be found in all walks of life. From the most influential to
the poorest of men, women and children. From all sexes, races,
religions and ethnic backgrounds--heroin doesn't discriminate.
- Most
addicts, like my son, try heroin on a dare. For Walt, it was not
only a bad choice, it was a deadly one. Few addicts realize that
after one try, they can be hooked for life, or death, as was the case of my son. And
heroin not only ruins the addicts' lives, it ruins the lives of their loved
ones.
- Addicts want to stop, but physically they cannot. They will do anything to
feed the evil that has overtaken their souls. The less fortunate, the ones without
family support or money, steal, shoplift, or sell their bodies to feed their
addiction. One addict told me, "Heroin is like air, once your brain experiences
it, you need it to breathe."
- The judicial system, although they may be well intentioned, hinders law
enforcement. Since my son's death, I found out the dealer who sold him the poison
also caused the death of another young addict two days before my son died. The
dealer was arrested by police on several occasions, and each time was released.
If you've got the money, a lawyer can help buy your way out of
justice.
- The
revolving-door method currently being used to control the heroin problem doesn't
work. Dealers with money for lawyers stay out of jail and continue to peddle
their poison, while the addicts who need rehabilitation end up in jail or on
tables in morgues.
-
There are legal remedies to put dealers behind bars. Under the Len Bias Law,
named for the basketball player, dealers who cause a death by selling drugs can
be charged with murder. Many states, including Missouri, have adopted the
enforcement of this law with success.
Dealers arrested for possession of heroin or other opiates who test negative for
opiates go to jail. Regardless of the amount in possession. Dealers/users arrested for
possession of heroin or other opiates who test positive, get mandatory detox and long term
drug free treatment. Addicts who sell to other addicts usually do it to support their own
habit. A dealer who doesn't use what he sell’s, profits from the misery of others. Jailing
addicts is not the answer, but jailing a heroin dealer a day would be a good start.
- Drug
use is an epidemic--it is spreading fast. Heroin is accessible almost
everywhere, leaving us no time to debate how best to cure this disease. There
is only one cure. Remove it. People who sell heroin have no place in our
society and must be locked up. The message should be clear. Politicians and
elected judges either get tough on heroin dealers, or get replaced. Strength in
numbers is how our system works. Numbers mean votes.
- Having
a loved one become a heroin addict causes families, not only grief, but also
guilt. Why didn't I know? Could I have done more? I was
wallowing in that guilt, plotting my revenge, until I listened to something the priest
said at my son's funeral service. "Call evil by its name."
That sentence woke me up.
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