After watching another tribute to Juice WRLD from Los Angeles Rolling Loud, I was overcome with sadness as we have lost another legend. It is heartbreaking to see his girlfriend on that stage and heartbreaking to come to the realization that there was so much more planned for his life and now it's gone.
An official statement of his death has not been released yet but what we know is that he suffered a "medical emergency" and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. We also know that Juice WRLD was administered Narcan after having convulsions. This brought him back to some sort of consciousness but not enough to save his life. Narcan will help the lives of those in an opioid overdose, anything like prescription pills to heroin, very serious but easily available drugs.
We also know that rappers and artist in this time are always involving drugs in their songs, almost making it ordinary to be taking these said drugs. We can take Juice WRLDS popular song "Lucid Dreams" where he says, "I take prescriptions to make me feel a-okay," but we need to realize that it is not a-okay to be taking pills to be escaping any sort of pain because we can see where it unfortunately led Juice WRLD -- to his grave.
One of the things my friend told me as we were talking about his death was "It's probably from all the percs he takes," which made me angered because he was six days into being 21 and already on the road to an unhealthy lifestyle because he was so accustomed to drugs. But why? Because the rest of the industry is always lighting up or getting a key bump in here and there? It shouldn't be normalized, and listening to songs about just another day being high or selling drugs can give the perception that it is common.
People have died countless times because of this. Mac Miller overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine, Lil Peep overdosed from fentanyl and Xanax, and now we can add Juice WRLD to this list. It is so sad to see these things happen, but we need to be aware that they happen.
I know as college students we are surrounded by drugs and think its cool that these people are coked up and are living just fine, but it doesn't mean it can't happen to you or to them another time. I'm not trying to be a D.A.R.E. officer because we all know those talks in elementary haven't really effected us in college today, but just be conscious how these drugs can harm you. Your body, your life, your choice, but another 21-year-old gone from getting carried away by the glamorizing industry of drugs is a major turn off.