Ireland: Good sense kills the not-so-safe injecting centre
15/11/17 By Professor Neil McKeganey
Last week Scotland’s leading law officer, the Lord Advocate, brought a shuddering halt to a proposal from Glasgow City Council to develop a safe injecting centre in the city. Such a centre would have required a change in UK drug laws to enable individuals in possession of illegal drugs to use those drugs within the centre without fear of prosecution. Supporters of this initiative will be disappointed by the outcome, but they need to recognise that the provision of some level of legal protection covering the possession of illegal drugs within the injecting centre would also, by implication, need to be extended to all of those who might claim, legitimately or otherwise, that their drug possession should be green-lighted because they were en route to the injecting centre. In effect, such an initiative would deliver what many of its supporters actually desire — the legalisation of illegal drugs within at least some part of the UK.
In his judgement, the Lord Advocate has not ruled against setting up a centre where doctors can prescribe opiate drugs to addicts. Rather he has simply pointed out that he is not prepared to offer legal protection to a centre where illegal drugs are being used. The Glasgow proposal sought unwisely to tie the proposal for a doctor-led heroin prescribing clinic, which would be legal, with a setting where individuals are allowed to use illegal drugs which would break UK drug laws. There will be many who rightly question the wisdom (and the cost to the public purse) of linking those two proposals.
For more: https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/neil-mckeganey-good-sense-kills-not-safe-injecting-centre/
Big rise in crack users seeking treatment
Key trends in numbers in treatment and substance use
The adult substance misuse treatment statistics for 2016/17 were published last week (10 November 2017) and the headline findings were:
- Overall, 279,793 individuals were in contact with drug and alcohol services in 2016-17; this is a 3% reduction from the previous year (288,843). The number receiving treatment for alcohol alone decreased the most (5%, 85,035 to 80,454) and the number of alcohol only clients in contact with treatment has fallen by 12% from the 91,651 peak in 2013-14.
- Estimates of the number of adults with alcohol dependency in England were published for the first time in March 2017. The findings from this study suggested that there were 595,131 individuals aged 18 and over drinking at dependent levels and potentially in need of specialist treatment. This is 1.4% of the adult population.
- Individuals who had presented with a dependency on opiates made up the largest proportion of the total numbers in treatment in 2016-17 (146,536, 52%). This is a fall of 2% since last year.
- There were 52,803 non-opiate and non-opiate and alcohol clients in contact with treatment in 2016-17, which was a 2% fall since last year.
- Despite this overall fall in numbers in treatment for non-opiate substances, the number of individuals presenting with crack cocaine problems (not being used alongside opiates) increased by 23% (2,980 to 3,657), this follows a smaller increase of 3% in crack cocaine presentations between 2014-15 and 2015-16. The increase over the last 12 months was seen in nearly all age groups.
- There was also a 12% increase in individuals presenting with both crack cocaine and opiate problems (19,485 to 21,854), which was seen primarily in those aged 45 and over.
- Recently published estimates of crack cocaine use in England in 2014-15 reported a 10% increase in the numbers estimated to be using the substance since 2010-11 (166,640 to 182,8281).
- It is likely that the recent increase in the number of people entering treatment for crack problems reflects the rise in the prevalence of the use of the drug. The increase in the number of new users may be in part caused by changes in the purity and affordability of crack cocaine over the last few years.
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For move – Drug Use Exiting Recovery
This article actually gets close (but NO cigar) to a serious Anthropological investigation (not a one-dimensional Sociological one) into the Demand Drivers behind \’First World\’ self-medication and/or hedonistic nihilism?
This piece goes to the edge of the issue, then falls back to the same old \’chestnuts\’ of hard times drive demand. However, whilst undoubtedly a driver, why in the so advanced, longevity rich, prosperous, livable First World, have we become so utterly IRRESILIENT????
The real interrogation of this failed utopian dream of prosperity, consumption, wealth, pleasure, fun and \’freedom\’ is not forthcoming unless of course, it\’s yet another shallow diatribe against Capitalism and the lauding of the clearly and utterly failed cultural \’experiment\’ of socialism. We as a culture have got to go beyond the hamster wheel of one-dimensional socio-political musings, but will we? Well as long as the very small, but cashed up demographic of \’social elites\’ control this narrative, we will not be permitted to break this \’glass ceiling\’ of dysfunction!
To the people dying from the opioid epidemic, drugs aren\’t the problem — they\’re the solution
To those using them, drugs aren’t a problem — drugs are a solution to their problems. Drugs help people deal with fear, anger, shame, isolation, depression, and other real and deep problems many of us experience on a daily basis.
We all occasionally attempt to resolve, or at least escape, these core dilemmas through inappropriate or ineffective means. Illicit drug use is a particularly destructive and dangerous choice, but it is still an attempt to fix a problem.
For the many people who are unable or unwilling to do the time-consuming work of resolving painful, life-controlling issues, drugs offer some form of immediate relief. There’s a reason a drug dose is called a “fix.”
So how did Americans get so bad at choosing healthy solutions to life’s problems? And, how did our government get so bad at choosing solutions to the problem of drug abuse in our communities?
Though drug dependence is an extreme solution, it’s an outgrowth of an attitude common to all of us. For most issues we face, we expect to find a quick and easy patch. That’s the key message we get from ads for all sorts of products.
Carfentanil
Similar to other fentanils, the most serious acute health risk from using carfentanil is likely to be rapid and severe respiratory depression, which in overdose could lead to apnoea, respiratory arrest, and death (Dahan et al., 2010; EMCDDA, 2017; Lindsay et al., 2016; Pattinson, 2008; Wax et al., 2003; White and Irvine, 1999). Factors that may exacerbate this risk include: the difficulty in diluting the substance, which can lead to a toxic dose being inadvertently used; the use of routes of administration that have high bioavailability (such as injecting, insufflation, and inhalation); a lack of experience with its effects and dosing; the use of other central nervous system depressants at the same time (such as other opioids, benzodiazepines, gabapentanoids, and alcohol); no or limited tolerance to opioids; and, using the substance alone (such as at home) which would make it more difficult for users to call for help in the case of poisoning. In addition, as discussed below, as carfentanil is being sold as or in heroin and other illicit opioids, many users will not be aware that they are using carfentanil.
Complete report see attached Carfentanil (EMCDDA)2017
People warned that small weed or cocaine habits are fuelling violent crime
Violence
Jennings noted that research published in 2016 for the CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaignshowed that drug debt intimidation involves more than threats – with 76% of people surveyed reporting verbal intimidation, while 46% said they were subjected to physical violence and 32% reported damage to their property or home.
He added that over two-thirds of people experiencing drug debt intimidation said they have mental health problems as a result, while almost four in 10 people surveyed said they have experienced a physical injury.
The National Family Support Network and the Garda National Drugs Unit have established a programme to assist those experiencing drug debt intimidation.
Generating money for organised crime
Jennings said there is “a clear need to raise awareness among recreational drug users — not just in Blanchardstown but right across the country — of the fact that their small bit of hash or cocaine is driving the intimidation of drug users and their families”.
Speaking about the campaign, Inspector Tony Twomey said many recreational drug users don’t realise the role they play in ongoing drugs feuds.
“Often people who engage with recreational drug use do not see the link with organised crime and intimidation and its contribution to what’s happening on the bigger scene at the moment with the major feuds,” Twomey said. For complete story ‘Social Justice of JUST US!’
The Opioid Crisis Should Make Libertarians Rethink the Drug Legalization Argument
by JONAH GOLDBERG November 1, 2017 12:00 AM @JONAHNRO Legalizing opioids may give Americans greater freedom over their decision-making, but at what cost? One painful aspect of the public debates over the opioid-addiction crisis is how much they mirror the arguments that arise from personal addiction crises. If you’ve ever had a loved one struggle with drugs – in my case, my late brother, Josh – the national exercise in guilt-driven blame-shifting and finger-pointing, combined with flights of sanctimony and ideological righteousness, has a familiar echo. The difference between the public arguing and the personal agonizing is that, at the national level, we can afford our abstractions. When you have skin in the game, none of the easy answers seem all that easy. For instance, “tough love” sounds great until you contemplate the possible real-world consequences. My father summarized the dilemma well. “Tough love” – i.e., cutting off all support for my brother so he could hit rock bottom and then start over – had the best chance of success. It also had the best chance for failure – i.e., death. There’s also a lot of truth to “just say no,” but once someone has already said “yes,” it’s tantamount to preaching “keep your horses in the barn” long after they’ve left. Roy Moore Preyed on Teenage Girls: Washington Post
Read more at: I get to do what I want, when I want and don\’t care about my neighbor
Substance abuse among older people \’growing rapidly as binge drinking becomes commonplace for ageing population\’
Women are especially prone to drinking in later life – particularly when it’s triggered by retirement, bereavement, losing contact with family and friends and social isolation
Our ageing population is throwing up unexpected problems. Who would have guessed that substance abuse among older people would ever cause health concerns? Well, it is.
The number of older people (over 50) having problems from substance misuse is growing rapidly, with the number receiving treatment expected to double in Europe by 2020 according to the British Medical Journal.
The surprising fact is that risky drinking is declining overall — except among people aged 50 and older. There’s also a great increase in binge drinking in this age group.
In Australia, the largest percentage increase in drug misuse between 2013 and 2016 was among people aged 60 and over, mainly involving prescription drugs. However, people over 50 also have higher rates than younger age groups of illicit drug misuse (particularly cannabis).
Women are especially prone to drinking in later life, particularly when it’s triggered by retirement, bereavement, losing contact with family and friends, and social isolation. Alcohol misuse is also on the rise among “baby boomers” (people born 1946 to 1964) in Asian countries. For complete article (Growing Old Dysfunctionally)
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