Some Excerpts from Chapter One: Economic Consequences of Drug Use
Relationship with crime
14. A generation of research has defined three major links between drugs and crime. The first drugs/crime nexus relates to the violence that can be associated with the use of drugs themselves: psychopharmacological crime.
15. Crime committed under the influence of drugs is a major problem worldwide. For example, in a study in Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as many as 55 per cent of convicted offenders reported that they were under the influence of drugs at the time of the offence, with
19 per cent of the same set of offenders saying that they would still have committed the crime even if they had not been under the influence of drugs.
16. The second drugs/crime link is economic- compulsive crime. This is the result of drug users engaging in crime to support their drug consumption and addiction. In the United States, for example, 17 per cent of state prisoners and 18 per cent of federal inmates said they had committed the offence for which they were currently serving a sentence to obtain money for drugs. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it is estimated economic-compulsive crime costs approximately $20 billion a year, the vast majority of those costs resulting from burglary, fraud and robbery.
17. The third link is systemic crime: the violence that occurs, for example, as a result of disputes over “drug turf ” or ‚fighting among users and sellers over deals gone awry. This has been seen, starkly, in Latin America over the past 10 years, especially in countries such as Guatemala and Mexico, but it is also seen in the streets of every continent throughout the world.
Costs from labour non-participation (lost productivity)
21. Productivity losses are calculated as work that would be reasonably expected to have been done if not for drug use (a loss of potential income and output and therefore GDP) as a result of a reduction in the supply or effectiveness of the workforce. Lost productivity in the United States as a result of labour non-participation is significant: $120 billion (or 0.9 per cent of GDP) in 2011, amounting to 62 per cent of all drug-related costs. Similar studies in Australia and Canada identified losses of 0.3 per cent of GDP and 0.4 per cent of GDP, respectively. In those two countries, the cost of lost productivity was estimated to be 8 and 3 times higher, respectively, than health-related costs due to morbidity, ambulatory care, physician visits and other related consequences.
For complete report go to http://www.incb.org/incb/en/news/AR2013/annual_report_2013.html
Cannabis can kill without the influence of other drugs
- 15:31 20 February 2014 by Helen Thomson
The first full post-mortems of people who died after smoking cannabis suggest that the drug can kill unaided.
Cannabis has been known to cause death when laced with other substances, by triggering a heart condition or by causing respiratory cancers. But whether it can be directly lethal has remained unclear. A 2011 report from the UK Department of Health says no cases of fatal overdose have been associated with cannabis.
Read Full story here… http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25092-cannabis-can-kill-without-the-influence-of-other-drugs.html#.Uw7BjPmSya_
Liberals want to ban trans fats and legalize marijuana. Does that make any sense to you?
By WILLIAM J. BENNETT and CHRISTOPHER BEACH
January, 2014
The national debate over marijuana legalization has caught many liberals in a confounding paradox. These liberals, who have fought vociferously for bans on cigarettes, super-sized sodas, trans fats and other unhealthy substances, now either advocate for the legalization of marijuana or stand unopposed to it. This is notable because, whatever else it is, marijuana is not healthy.
In his recent New Yorker interview, President Obama remarked , “I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life.” But then he added, “I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.” Of the legalization in Colorado and Washington–never mind the unresolved conflict between state and federal law–he said, “it’s important for it to go forward.”
Got that? The same president who signed into law a tough federal anti-cigarette smoking bill in 2009 now supports marijuana legalization.
The inconsistency and self-contradiction is obvious. In the name of public health, liberals wage political war against genetically modified organisms, french fries and tubby kids, yet stand idly by, or worse, support the legalization of a mind-impairing substance known to be addictive and have deleterious effects on the brain.
The very same year, for example, that Colorado legalized marijuana, the Colorado Senate passed (without a single Republican vote) a ban on trans fats in schools. Are we to believe eating a glazed donut is more harmful than smoking a joint? California has already banned trans fats in restaurants statewide, but now is on the brink of legalizing marijuana statewide come November. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg supported New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s effort to decriminalize marijuana in New York State, while at the same time supporting a ban on extra-large sodas. A 32-ounce Mountain Dew is bad for you, but pot isn’t?
The logic is dumbfounding. For many years, health-conscious liberals have waged a deafening, public war against cigarettes. Smoking bans in public places like restaurants and bars have been enacted in states all over the country.Recently, New York City, New Jersey and several other cities and states have extended those bans to include the newest tobacco fad–e-cigarettes. Yet, when it comes to smoking marijuana? Crickets.
What explains this obvious paradox? Do these liberals think that marijuana is somehow less harmful than a Big Gulp soda or a bucket of fried chicken? It’s hard to believe that’s the case, given the vast amount of social data and medical science on the dangers of marijuana.
William J. Bennett, former secretary of education and director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, is a fellow of the Claremont Institute and host of the nationally syndicated radio show, “Morning in America.”
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The debate about harmfulness of drugs of abuse in general and cannabis (marijuana) in particular continues to exhibit all the fervour of religious dissent on both sides of the Atlantic. Recently President Obama was moved to opine that marijuana is ‘no more dangerous than alcohol’ (So that clears things up, then). Soon after, US Deputy Drug Tsar Michael Botticelli, in front of a House Committee, found himself struck out by Congressman Gerry Connolly, who pitched him countless examples of drugs that had killed more than marijuana ever had. But Botticelli should have recognised Connolly was giving him the curve ball; death is not and never was the sole criterion of drug harm. This is a cynical misrepresentation frequently pitched by pot advocates. They might protest that they are only searchers of the truth, and that the truth is cannabis never killed anyone. This is actually being economical with said truth; what they mean is that no one ever died of toxic ingestion of the substance, and this is extended to imply that cannabis is jolly safe stuff.
The fundamental dishonesty in all this is that drug use spifflicates people in all sorts of ways (and not just to the user themselves — see below) and to argue otherwise is specious in the extreme. The rational basis for comparing harms, either between one drug and another, or between using any drug and abstaining from it, has to be much wider than ‘death resulted’ — and yet there seems to a reluctance amongst the medical profession to engage to any significant extent. Anyone working with drug users should know there are many varieties of harm, other than death. One basis for defining and assessing harms is the WHO definition of Health, listed below. (The augmentations in brackets are this writer’s own, but in counselling sessions over more than 25 years have been found to be valid by clients). From this basis, ‘Health’ may be defined in terms of: – Physical (all degrees of physical damage, temporary or permanent, including but certainly not confined to death) – Mental (in two parts — how many of your brain cells have survived, and how well do you use the brain cells that you have) – Psychological (how ‘grounded’ or ‘messed up’ are you) – Spiritual (including but not confined to organised religion) – Social (how well do you inter-act with, or variously damage people and organisations around you) and – Societal (to what extent are you a ‘giver’ or a ‘taker’) Marijuana harms by this more rational definition can often equal , and arguably exceed the harms from other drugs.
Moreover, there is a further whole range of harms under these headings – the harms suffered by other people around the user — up to and including society as a whole. As any counselling of these others will show you, it can often be that people around the user (e.g. friends, family, colleagues) suffer more than the user themselves. For example, under the heading of ‘Societal’, death will certainly appear – deaths of other people caused by a pot-impaired driver. Another, often overlooked societal harm is the increase in crime by a user — not just the acquisitive crime to fund drug purchase, but also the crime committed downstream of regular use and which flows from the altered, more self-focused, rapid-gratification-driven attitude of the user.
Additionally, there continues to be an extensive advocacy of ‘The Two HRs’ in relation to drug misuse — Harm Reduction and Human Rights. Whilst both aspects have a valid place in our thinking, both, as applied, are almost totally ‘user-focused’ — confined to the harm and rights of the user, but saying nothing about the harm to and rights of the rest of humanity. This goes to the roots of this commentary.
The foundation of pro-drug argument is the ‘self’. Use of drugs, and consequences of drug use, are argued in terms of self. In contrast, any assessment of drug use in general and drug harm in particular which takes account of the true varieties of harm and the true range and numbers of ‘victims’ just blows pro-drugs pleading of ‘relative harmlessness’ away. It has about as much validity as the tendentious categorising of drug users as ‘otherwise law-abiding’ … in what other category of law-breaking would we countenance such dodgy footwork? Would we for example define burglars or rapists as ‘otherwise law-abiding? And whilst one can sympathise a little with an addicted user who takes this standpoint, there can only be less sympathy for users who are anything less than addicted, and no sympathy at all for the smooth-tongued advocates who make a living out of this scene. Balance is clearly called for on all the aspects covered in this note, but a greater degree of involvement by the medical profession – and the rest of us – in defining and disseminating the full range of drug harms — what they are, and to whom they apply – is long overdue.
Peter Stoker C. Eng. Director, National Drug Prevention Alliance.
www.drugprevent.org.uk
Portuguese followed by English (Google Translated)
statÃsticas.
O governo do Estado de São Paulo, a SENAD,Secretaria Nacional de PolÃticas sobre Drogas, do Ministério de Justiça Federal, e a Prefeitura da Cidade de Campinas estão pagando algumas despesas dos residentes da Instituição do Padre Haroldo — Campinas/São Paulo.Sócios pagam o resto.
A praga de crack destrói rapidamente nosso povo e a juventude. 1.000 Brasileiros morrem diariamente por causa do Ãlcool, outras Drogas e especialmente o Crack.
No ano passado tivemos 38.000 homicÃdios. Mais da metade dos desastres automobilÃsticos foram causados pelo uso de substâncias quÃmicas. Desde 1990 o uso do crack se multiplicou por 166 vezes. Muitos dependentes quÃmicos são usuários de crack. No Brasil existem 900 mil usuários de cocaÃna que é uma base do crack.
A OMS( Organização Mundial da Saúde) estima que 33 milhões de pessoas no mundo são infectadas pelo vÃrus HIV. No Brasil são 592.914. O HIV,traz outras doenças como as cardiovasculares, depressão, baixa auto estima e é causa de suicÃdio.
No mundo,100 milhões de crianças e adolescentes vivem em situação de rua. No Brasil 50 mil vivem assim nas ruas das Capitais. Uma das causas é o uso de drogas lÃcitas e ilÃcitas. As mulheres aumentaram o uso de drogas em 30% nos últimos anos. Algumas crianças começam com 09 anos. Geralmente o adolescente inicia o seu uso aos 13 anos.
Inicialmente, o crack estava sendo usado somente nas favelas e entre pessoas de baixa renda. Hoje todas as classes são vÃtimas do mesmo. É muito mais barato que a CocaÃna e dá prazer mais rápido e intensamente. Como seu efeito dura apenas 5 minutos, ele é repetido continuamente.
O tratamento deve ser por um perÃodo adequado. Especialmente Amor Exigente, Espiritualidade, ClÃnicas e Comunidades Terapêuticas dão resultados. O tratamento deve ser multidisciplinar, bem planejado em um processo longo.
Haroldo J. Rahm,SJ – Presidente de Honra Amor Exigente Instituto Padre Haroldo [email protected]
Statistics .
The state government of São Paulo , SENAD , National Policy on Drugs , the Federal Ministry of Justice , and the City Hall of Campinas are paying some expenses of the residents of the Institution of Father Harold – Campinas / São Paulo.Sócios pay rest .
The plague of crack quickly destroys our people and youth . 1,000 Brazilians die every day because of alcohol , other drugs and especially the Crack .
Last year we had 38,000 homicides . More than half of automobile disasters were caused by the use of chemicals . Since 1990 crack use has multiplied 166 times . Many addicts are crack users . In Brazil there are 900,000 cocaine users which is a base of the crack .
The WHO ( World Health Organization ) estimates that 33 million people worldwide are infected with HIV . In Brazil there are 592,914 . HIV brings other diseases such as cardiovascular disease, depression, low self esteem and is a cause of suicide.
Worldwide, 100 million children and adolescents living on the streets . In Brazil 50 000 thus living on the streets of the Capital . One cause is the use of licit and illicit drugs . Women increased drug use by 30% in recent years . Some children start at 09 years . Usually the teen starts its use after 13 years.
Initially , the crack was being used only in the slums and among the poor . Today all classes are victims of it. It is much cheaper than cocaine and gives pleasure faster and intensely . As its effect lasts only 5 minutes, it is repeated continuously.
Treatment should be for an appropriate period . Especially Demanding Love , Spirituality , Clinical and Therapeutic Communities give results . Treatment should be multidisciplinary, well planned in a long process .
Harold J. Rahm , SJ
President of Honour
Demanding love Institute
Dr Bob DuPont Discusses Marijuana Legalization on Bill Bennetts Show Jan 2014
For more information about IBH visit www.ibhinc.org.
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Drug Enforcement Administration lead agency on Drug Control
Fact 1: Significant progress has been made in fighting drug use and drug trafficking in America.
Fact 2: A balanced approach of prevention, enforcement, and treatment are the keys in the fight against drug abuse.
Fact 3: Drug use is regulated and access to drugs is controlled because drugs can be harmful.
Fact 4: Smoked marijuana has never been and will never be scientifically approved medicine.
Fact 5: Drug control spending is a minor portion of the U.S. budget. Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction, government spending on drug control is minimal.
Fact 6: Legalization of drugs will lead to increased use and increased levels of addiction.
Fact 7: Crime, violence, and drug use go hand-in-hand.
Fact 8: Alcohol and tobacco have caused significant health, social, and crime problems, and legalized drugs would only make the situation worse.
Fact 9: Europe’s more liberal drug policies are not the right model for America.
Fact 10: Most non-violent drug users get treatment, not jail time.
Six times as many homicides are committed by people under the influence of drugs than by those who are looking for money to buy drugs.
Most drug crimes aren’t committed by people trying to pay for drugs; they’re committed by people on drugs.
Drunk driving is one of the primary killers of Americans. Do we want our bus drivers, nurses, and airline pilots to be able to take drugs one evening, and operate freely at work the next day? Do we want to make “drugged” driving another primary killer?
In reality, a vast majority of inmates in state and federal prison for marijuana have been found guilty of much more than simple possession, and many of those serving time for marijuana possession pled down to possession in order to avoid prosecution on more serious charges. 0.1% No prior Trafficker level, Bureau of Justice statistics 2004, updated 2008
*In resource file DEA Position Paper on Marijuana Mental Health Issues, 15 pages
