[chubes]

There is a viral post on Instagram right now that has a lot of discussion potential. The poster, @josh_sapakoff has disabled comments on the post, but we can talk about it here.

It’s a long video filmed out front of The Commodore that directly calls out the ownership for allowing cocaine dealers to do business in his establishment. The person who created the video is a former employee of The Commodore, who claims he was fired because he knew too much.

I have no personal comment on the accusations themselves, but in terms of the larger conversation about cocaine use in Charleston, I have a lot to say. All of my friends have heard me say something about it if you’ve known me for a while. I think cocaine use in Charleston is out of control and I think it ruins a lot of the beautiful things about this city by poisoning the minds of the people who live in it. I’ve also watched it suck the life out of many of my peers so that their obvious one track mind goal is to acquire more cocaine.

Not to mention the depression, the anxiety, the paranoia, and the amount of wasted money that comes along with doing it even one time. Doing it regularly is like a shock to your body that never stops and it puts you into a real dark place faster than you can even notice.

Thanks to Josh for speaking out. He’s right when he says that anyone who has tried it knows it’s not good for you. It’s one thing to do cocaine on a special occasion once in a blue moon. It’s another thing to be looking for a bag every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Even more than that for a lot of people. If you’re doing that, you are seriously harming your physical and mental well-being and I encourage you to reconsider.

Full video:

What do y’all think about this? Is cocaine use in Charleston out of control? If so, what can we do to change it, aside from just saying NO?

• This topic was modified 2 months ago by chubes.

[Follow Rank: DewPoints: 9.75]

It’s crazy because I feel like this is relatively new for Charleston. I kinda remember real drugs having a pretty big stigma coming up and didn’t personally encounter or do any until I moved out west for a bit. Now I just hear about it all the time, though I’m not about that life these days.

At any rate, powder drugs in 2024 are wild. It’s such a gamble and a lot of us are (and have been) losing friends to fentanyl. It’s kind of hard to do more than say no and hope you inspire someone else to do the same.

[Follow Rank: Frozen Foods IslePoints: 10443.75]

@martingrooms I didn’t grow up here but I went to CofC 2011 – 2015 and it was everywhere then too. But that was before the fentanyl crisis. That adds another whole layer to this. Your regular dealer who you’ve trusted for years could accidentally sell you a bag that kills you. It’s pretty wild how that is now a legitimate possibility that people need to be aware of, not just some D.A.R.E bullshit.

Truly does seem to be that saying No is the only way to change anything… but in college if someone told me that cocaine was bad I would have said “Yes, and?” Sometimes you just have to learn things for yourself. That’s what makes the fentanyl shit so scary, because kids are gonna try coke if someone has it regardless.

Also, nobody wants to be around someone who’s going to be a D Bag about people’s choices, so you don’t really want to go around telling people not to do coke. I’m happy to state my opinions but I’m not trying to ruin anybody’s good time. It’s just frustrating to see it everywhere, every weekend. And the money… the amount of money that it costs is one of the biggest deterrents.

Like, a bag of blow is at least $60. If you’re doing that every week that’s almost $300 per month. $300 per month is a car payment. Putting a car payment up your nose, for a quick rush, followed by a long, depressing comedown. It’s the shittiest drug ever.

$300 per month times 12 is $3600. 1 gram of cocaine per week for a year.

And that’s just one gram of cocaine per week. That $60 supply ain’t making it longer than one night… so if you’re doing it more than one night, you’re gonna need to get another bag…

[Follow Rank: First FrostPoints: 113.5]

I agree that it’s an important discussion to have as a “community” that, yes drug use in Charleston is everywhere, all the time. That’s obvious to just about anyone who goes out.. but what are we actually talking about here? This video is the perfect example of the difference of what you say and how you say it. The OP raises some good points.. which is why we are having this discussion.. but the motive is personal, and in my opinion, self serving.. I’m not picking one side or the other – I’m just stating the fact that despite the validity of your argument, if you’re intentions are not pure, it will be obvious and it could discredit what you’re saying. Dude is not a virtuous crusader, he’s a butt hurt guy with a grudge.. Again, just an opinion.. That being said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion .. after all that’s what free speech and democracy is all about. I’m glad we have a forum to discuss these things.

[Follow Rank: Frozen Foods IslePoints: 10443.75]

@qrisg he may be a butthurt ex-employee and I’ve got no words about those accusations… I like both The Commodore and Palace Hotel.

I think it’s a dangerous thing what he did… for obvious reasons. But he spoke about something very important, and difficult to talk about, that I’ve felt strongly about for a long time.

Yes, this was the purpose for building the forum. And Extra Chill has now taken a public anti-cocaine stance.

 

[Follow Rank: DewPoints: 4.75]

For anyone interested in a narcan certification and free narcan + fentanyl test strips, I would check out the following:

Locally, we have Wake Up Carolina. Founded by Dean Stephens from channel 4. They have a location in MTP that distributes narcan and test strips, as well as multiple trainings every month.

Nationally, End Overdose is out there doing the most for harm reduction. I am narcan certified through their organization and they’ve mailed me countless free harm reduction supplies.

I’ve lived here my entire life and over the last few years have seen the rise in cocaine use, which has also led to a major spike in accidental overdoses. People love drugs and they’re gonna keep doing them, so they should be provided with resources to keep them alive.

I say this as someone who by no means is in recovery or associated with any recovery based programs. I am purely on the side of harm reduction for users.

[Follow Rank: Frozen Foods IslePoints: 10443.75]

@swyrcat Thank you for sharing these resources. Appreciate your participation in the community very much.

Now the wheels are turning on making safe drug use education part of Extra Chill’s overall mission.

Every person who says No when it’s offered is doing their part in making it seem like less of the cool thing to do.

[Follow Rank: DropletPoints: 29.5]

People obviously have lots of thoughts on this and I’m sure it’s deeply personal for many, especially since we’ve lost so many friends and local community members to overdose.

It’s frustrating to see such a disconnect in this convo (as is true of most online discussions) but all I’m really seeing of this one on social is essentially:

weird disgruntled employee: “cocaine is a problem”
everyone else: “come on! commodore is great! This guy is weird.”

Cocaine is a huge problem in Charleston. And no venue or bar owner has the ability to stop it single handedly. But, bar owners, managers, and employees set a tone for whats acceptable on their watch and they do play a HUGE role in how it’s normalized in this community. If you have a spot (as cool as it may be) that’s friendly to known dealers and creates a space in which they feel comfortable selling cocaine – that’s a fucking problem.

If you’ve got a homie you know is trying to push a bag at your work – you have a responsibility to tell them to lost with that nonsense. Or go down to the corner and make it feel as sketchy as it is. If they know they can comfortably sell in your spot no problem, that you’re cool with it – then that’s a problem. And if that’s your reputation as a business, then it should be addressed. 100%

The worst kept secrets in Charleston are where you can score illegal drugs if you want them. Places have pretty known reputations. Regardless of what you think of the video, I don’t think anyone watches it and goes “What a surprise?!?!” But it’s not a Commodore or Palace specific problem.

I work at the Music Farm and we definitely find evidence of cocaine use. It’s hard to stop it from happening but we definitely kick your ass out and report offenders to the proper authorities when we do find it. It helps track down bad batches and issue alerts for people who have been exposed. We also require our staff to go through narcan training and keep narcan on hand behind the bar. And if you’re visibly super fucked up on drugs (or alcohol for that matter) you get the boot. (but we also try to help people get ubers home or have friends/family pick them up)

People are gonna do the drugs they want to do. That’s….whatever. It’s one thing to tell a friend to not do drugs, it’s another thing to make sure your employees and management aren’t playing a role in perpetuating the culture.  Bar & venue owners have a responsibility to do as much as possible to prevent it where they can. Uncomfortable as it may be, it does save lives and make the city safer.

sincerely,
a total square

[Follow Rank: Frozen Foods IslePoints: 10443.75]

@nameless_numberhead well said. Definitely a deeply personal topic for many, myself included. It is interesting to see how little discussion is actually being had about the prevalence of cocaine itself and the focus seems to be mainly on the guy who made the video and how the Commodore is awesome.

Will be interesting to see how all this unfolds in the coming weeks. Hope to hear some more thoughts and opinions on the matter from anyone who might be reading this.

[Follow Rank: DewPoints: 9.75]

Cocaine has been around Charleston for a long time. I remember back in the 80s or 90s they confiscated a local shrimp boat that was smuggling drugs into Charleston. They were making a ton of money doing that because this city has always been a total party town.

Nowadays I wouldn’t touch the stuff. Too much mixed in there and I hear it’s no good anymore anyways. Y’all don’t know what you missed in the 80s when we would get a good batch of stuff off one of them shrimp boats. Hooooo boy!

I haven’t touched it in probably close to 30 years, now. I’m way too old now.

[Follow Rank: DropletPoints: 29]

Coke use is Charleston’s favorite way to play Russian roulette.

I keep two things of Naloxone (aka Narcan) in my kitchen drawer. I’ve lost a couple friends to fentanyl in the past 5 years and want to be prepared if need be. I’ve also regretfully done a good bit of cocaine. No one wants to talk about it…. because everyone (everyone) in Chas is doing it.

I think access to both fentanyl testing strips and Narcan would decrease fentanyl related deaths. Weird example, but you always smell weed before you buy it, or at least take a good look at it to check its quality. I see no reason for people (buyers or sellers) to not whip out a testing kit before selling or purchasing. Sellers should be motivated to prove their stuff is safe, and buyers should be adamant on only buying when product is tested in front of them. Testing strips would need to be able to be obtained anonymously. Maybe make them available in bathroom stalls at bars, venues and clubs for people to test before they use? Would encourage cocaine use? Yeah, maybe, but it would encourage safer cocaine use. Not at all the same, but it’s semi-similar to high school nurses’ offices providing free condoms…. it may encourage sex, but people are gonna be having sex regardless, so why not give people room to do it safely.

These ideas only really work in a perfect world and at the end of the day if you are an addict (or even just a one time user), you’ll take what you can get. I surely remember when I would purchase the driest, stemmiest, seediest of weed just so I could get a little buzz and sleep soundly that night.

 

Nonetheless… kill your local heroine/coke dealer, and for god’s sake, just get an Adderall scrip.