ABC News published a report about an elderly woman who was arrested for being the operator of a mass drug ring. She was selling marijuana and was busted with $276,000 in cash and 4 pounds of marijuana in her home. CBS reports another elderly woman who was arrested for drug selling her pain pills. The officer in this story reports that the elderly get $10 per pill which helps supplement low-income security. Overseas, in South Africa, a 90 year old woman was arrested after police raided her home and found 80 kilos of cannabis. The police at the scene described her appearance as a little old angelic lady sent from heaven above. Some reasons for this epidemic can include:
- Young drug dealers have aged.
- The elderly have no money to actually live.
- This population is being taken advantage of and is a front for younger drug dealers.
No matter what the reason is, the stories continue to grow. Maybe our nursing homes, elderly community groups and doctors should be addressing addiction issues regularly. So much of our society focuses on the younger generation preventing drug addiction or getting recovery. It seems that we have the tendency to overlook the elderly, which is a contributing factor to them being able to fly under the radar. Stories like the ones above will continue to shed light on an otherwise untouched issue.
