State Sponsored IV Drug Use - The Future of America

THL · 10-19-2007, 06:36 AM

Is there something wrong with the people in California? Is the state putting something in the water out there? I am all for the legalization of pot...I think it should be done today...with limits like we have on alcohol. But state sponsored hard drug injection rooms? I wonder if it is possible to just cut around the state of California and let it float out into the ocean? It could be the new Hawaii. At least they would be offshore.

This is going to put a whole new spin on the DARE program. Are the instructors now going to tell kids it is ok to use Heroin as long as they have a nurse present? They certainly are not going to be able to walk into a classroom and tell kids not to use drugs when their office is located in a Gov't sponsored drug using facility. It's a legal crack house. Thats all this is. I say, let them overdose. Let them kill themselves. Let them inject themselves into euphoria. But to put tax dollars forth to help them?

Quote:

SAN FRANCISCO -- City health officials and addiction experts took the first steps Thursday toward opening the nation's only government-sponsored injection room that would give drug addicts a safe, clean place to shoot up.

Hoping to reduce San Francisco's high rate of fatal drug overdoses, the local public health department co-sponsored a symposium on the only such facility in North America, a 4-year-old Vancouver site where an estimated 700 users a day self-administer narcotics under the supervision of nurses.

"Having the conversation today will help us figure out whether this is a way to reduce the harms and improve the health of our community," said Grant Colfax, director of HIV prevention for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Organizers of the daylong forum, which also included a coalition of nonprofit health and social service groups, acknowledge that it could take years to get a so-called "safe injection site" facility up and running in the city, if it happens at all. Along with legal hurdles, such an effort likely would face political opposition.

Bertha Madras, deputy director of demand reduction for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, called San Francisco's exploration "disconcerting" and "poor public policy."

"The underlying philosophy is, 'We accept drug addiction, we accept the state of affairs as acceptable,"' Madras said. "This is a form of giving up, you are treatable and we will facilitate a type of behavior that leads to a destruction of yourself, your family."

Although 65 similar facilities exist in 27 cities in eight countries, no other U.S. cities have considered creating one, according to Hilary McQuie, Western director for the Harm Reduction Coalition, a nonprofit that promotes alternative drug treatment methods.

"If it happens anywhere in the U.S., it will most likely start in San Francisco," McQuie said. "It really just depends on if there is a political will here. How long it takes for that political will to develop is the main factor."

Drug overdoses represented about one of every seven emergency calls handled by city paramedics between July 2006 and July 2007, according to San Francisco Fire Department Capt. Niels Tangherlini. At the same time, the number of deaths linked to overdoses has declined from a high of about 160 in 1995 to 40 in 2004, he said.

Colfax estimated that there are between 11,000 and 15,000 intravenous drug users in San Francisco, most of them homeless men. Like many large U.S. cities, the city operates a clean needle exchange program to reduce HIV and Hepatitis C infections.

A safe injection space modeled after Vancouver's InSite program would nonetheless mark a significantly more aggressive intervention.

While it's too early to tell what the room in San Francisco would look like, Vancouver's is located on the upper floor of a low-rise building in a downtown neighborhood where open air shooting galleries thrive.

The site, exempt from federal drug laws so users can visit without fear of arrest, has 12 private booths where addicts inject heroin and other drugs with equipment and techniques provided by the staff, said Thomas Kerr, a University of British Columbia researcher who has extensively studied the program.

Kerr said that while 800 overdoses have occurred on the premises, none of them resulted in death because of the medical supervision provided at InSite. His research also has shown an increase in addicts seeking drug treatment and a decrease of abandoned syringes, needle-sharing, drug-related crime and other health threats since the clinic opened, he said.

The results indicate the idea is worth replicating, despite the hackles it may raise from the White House, according to Kerr.

"I prefer the approach of the Vancouver Police Department, which was, 'We don't like the idea of this, but let's look at the evidence and at the end of three years we will tell you either this is something we can support or it's something we cant support,"' he said.

SF Mulls Nation's First 'Supervised Injection' Site - News Story - KTVU San Francisco

THL · 10-19-2007, 06:46 AM

Quote:

The site, exempt from federal drug laws so users can visit without fear of arrest, has 12 private booths where addicts inject heroin and other drugs with equipment and techniques provided by the staff, said Thomas Kerr, a University of British Columbia researcher who has extensively studied the program.

The state is not only going to give them an injecting safe haven, but they are actually going to teach and assist them? Lovely. So now people who are too stupid to figure out how to do it on their own can take an IV drug using class. Wonderful. I cannot possibly be the only one who thinks this is a terrible idea. There are going to be a bunch of crack whores running amuck trying to kill eachother with their own medical staff to keep them from dying. I can't wait until it becomes a national chain and we can have a Heroin Heaven open in my neighborhood right in between Applebee'e and Starbucks.

bonehead · 10-19-2007, 07:19 AM

Maybe the class will be taught in ebonics as well.
Seriously, the state is full of fruitloops and enablers. The nuttier ideas get to the press while the sane ideas get swept under the rug before even having a chance. We have already unofficially let Mexico take the southern part of the state. Maybe we should let them have the whole state. That way the problems of California could be theirs and no longer ours.

crooks · 10-19-2007, 09:25 AM

That's truly insane - Expect 90% of your druggies to move to California within within the next year

......would it not be a better idea to just pump more money into rehabilitation programs

?

texacali · 10-19-2007, 11:00 AM

Darwin theorized the rules for evolution, let the state help those who wish to eliminate themselves from the gene pool.

Dreadnought · 10-19-2007, 11:06 AM

One answer: San Francisco. Need I say more?

captain · 10-19-2007, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THL

Is there something wrong with the people in California? Is the state putting something in the water out there? I am all for the legalization of pot...I think it should be done today...with limits like we have on alcohol. But state sponsored hard drug injection rooms?

THL

Don't be too surprised that a "safe injection room" will soon be in a suburb near you.

It will happen when authorities just give up on the fight against the drug menace and decide this is the easiest path to go down and still look like they are actually doing something about it.

Syney has had at least one of these supervised injecting rooms for about three years now, supposedly so that medical staff can keep an eye on the junkies and educate them so the spread of HIV and Hep C is minimised.
Sydney and Melbourne I believe, also have vans driving around the drug use hot spots, handing out fresh needles.

Australia wide, there has been a needle exchange program going for nearly twenty one years now.
If a needle using junkie turns up at a hospital or pharmacy or medical centre anywhere in the country they can ask for and receive new needles, no charge, no questions asked.
Just about every public rest room in the country has a "sharps" container installed and that is the most telling sign of defeat.

The provision of injecting rooms and a supply of needles has not and will never reduce the drug use problem, it just makes it easier for them to get what they need without resorting to crime to get it.

I have to strongly disagree with you re the legalisation of "pot"

When I was at school many, many years ago, one of my best freinds was one of those guys you just love to hate. He was a straight A student and never studied a day in his life, he was a natural sportsman and excelled at any sport he tried, the girls fell over themselves to get at him and he had an uncle who owned a very large civil engineering business but had no sons and was prepared to sponsor Barry through university to become a civil engineer and more than lkely take over the firm.

I did not see my freind for about eighteen months and when I did I hardly recognised him and I am not sure if he recognised me because he was off his face on pot. I hardly recognised him because he was so gaunt and sickly looking.
I found out he had dropped out of uni and was spending every cent he had on the strongest pot you could buy. known then as "Accapulco gold".
I have been told that pot was the only thing he has ever been on but it has destoyed his life and he is now a paranoid schizophrenic who spends a fair bit of his time in a mental institution, is welfare dependant and unemployable.

Needless to say, seeing this happen to my friend made sure I never wanted to go down that path.

There seems to be two distinct groups in politics who love to get their names up in lights especially around election time.
One goup is the "lets get tough on crime and ban everything" group and the other is the "lets provide more facilities for junkies and decriminalise drugs" group.
Both of these groups are abject failures.

The only thing that will work is a concerted education program aimed squarely at kids in particular.
This involves VERY graphic T.V. campaigns at prime time that would show the brutal reality of drug addiction and the kids have got to be convinced that it is thouroughly "uncool" to do drugs and be convinced that those that do are total loosers. Peer pressure can be a good thing sometimes.
Some years ago these types of TV campaigns were run but only lasted a short while.
I don't know why they were taken off air but I do recall some airhead sociologists complaining that kids would be mentally traumatised by seeing that. Go Figure

Cheers.

THL · 10-19-2007, 13:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captain

I have to strongly disagree with you re the legalisation of "pot"

When I was at school many, many years ago, one of my best freinds was one of those guys you just love to hate. He was a straight A student and never studied a day in his life, he was a natural sportsman and excelled at any sport he tried, the girls fell over themselves to get at him and he had an uncle who owned a very large civil engineering business but had no sons and was prepared to sponsor Barry through university to become a civil engineer and more than lkely take over the firm.

I did not see my freind for about eighteen months and when I did I hardly recognised him and I am not sure if he recognised me because he was off his face on pot. I hardly recognised him because he was so gaunt and sickly looking.
I found out he had dropped out of uni and was spending every cent he had on the strongest pot you could buy. known then as "Accapulco gold".
I have been told that pot was the only thing he has ever been on but it has destoyed his life and he is now a paranoid schizophrenic who spends a fair bit of his time in a mental institution, is welfare dependant and unemployable.

Needless to say, seeing this happen to my friend made sure I never wanted to go down that path.

Unfortunately, this does happen. However, being the step-child of a recovering alcoholic and the daughter of a current alcoholic, I know that this legal drug, alcohol, is far more dangerous than marijuana to many more people. There would, of course, upon its legalization be the individuals that would abuse the freedom. Just as there are individuals who abuse alcohol, nicotine and food...all of which are just as damaging to ones health as pot. Marijuana is no more addictive than any of these.

There is the group of people that believe that pot is not addictive and I do not fall into that group. I believe that anything that makes one feel good (or even bad, as there are kids out there cutting themselves) can be addictive and can lead down a life destroying path...even sex, which feels the best of them all, no?

People are quick to bash the legalization of marijuana without realizing that there are many things in their own lives that are just as self destructive and without accepting that there are many more people who would use it responsibly (like there are with alcohol) than the opposite.

ChrisF202 · 10-19-2007, 18:51 PM

I firmly believe that drugs are illegal for a reason and that one should not use them. I find it so ironic that the only people who seem to want pot to be legal are potheads!

As for San Francisco, the actions of the rulers of that city never cease to amaze me. They would legalize murder if they could.

jame$thegreat · 10-19-2007, 18:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captain

THL
he is now a paranoid schizophrenic who spends a fair bit of his time in a mental institution

It has been proven time and time again that pot doesnt cause schizophrenia and that it is always already present.

ChrisF202 · 10-19-2007, 18:55 PM

I beg to differ with you James. Howcome all the kids I go to school with that are potheads seem to act crazy after they "blaze"? They act so disoriented and out of it ... and no they are not drinking at the same time and no they do not have mental health issues.

crooks · 10-19-2007, 20:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisF202

I beg to differ with you James. Howcome all the kids I go to school with that are potheads seem to act crazy after they "blaze"? They act so disoriented and out of it ... and no they are not drinking at the same time and no they do not have mental health issues.

Oh come off it, Cannabis is no more Damaging than Tobacco, possibly less, seeing as Cannabis has some medicinal benefits.

I don't favour full legalisation of it but surely busting a 15 year old for having a go is very hypocritical when the Policeman will go home and celebrate by busting open a Habano, doing more damage to himself than the kid was.

10-19-2007, 09:25 AM	#4 (permalink)
crooks Croi an Dtír *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 10-17-06 Location: Blarney, County Cork, Ireland Posts: 1,339 Country:	That's truly insane - Expect 90% of your druggies to move to California within within the next year ......would it not be a better idea to just pump more money into rehabilitation programs ? __________________ 'I firmly believe that Ireland and history shall remember Michael Collins with reverence, pride and passion...and it shall be at my expense'- Eamon De Valera.

10-19-2007, 11:06 AM	#6 (permalink)
Dreadnought *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 05-12-05 Posts: 5,801 Country:	One answer: San Francisco. Need I say more? __________________ Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

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10-19-2007, 07:19 AM	#3 (permalink)
bonehead *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 01-12-05 Posts: 1,913	Maybe the class will be taught in ebonics as well. Seriously, the state is full of fruitloops and enablers. The nuttier ideas get to the press while the sane ideas get swept under the rug before even having a chance. We have already unofficially let Mexico take the southern part of the state. Maybe we should let them have the whole state. That way the problems of California could be theirs and no longer ours.

10-19-2007, 11:00 AM	#5 (permalink)
texacali Regular Join Date: 06-19-07 Location: breckenridge, texas Posts: 117 Country:	Darwin theorized the rules for evolution, let the state help those who wish to eliminate themselves from the gene pool.

10-19-2007, 18:51 PM	#9 (permalink)
ChrisF202 *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 08-12-03 Location: Long Island, New York, USA Posts: 2,603 Country:	I firmly believe that drugs are illegal for a reason and that one should not use them. I find it so ironic that the only people who seem to want pot to be legal are potheads! As for San Francisco, the actions of the rulers of that city never cease to amaze me. They would legalize murder if they could.

10-19-2007, 18:55 PM	#11 (permalink)
ChrisF202 *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 08-12-03 Location: Long Island, New York, USA Posts: 2,603 Country:	I beg to differ with you James. Howcome all the kids I go to school with that are potheads seem to act crazy after they "blaze"? They act so disoriented and out of it ... and no they are not drinking at the same time and no they do not have mental health issues.

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