Heroin am I part of the problem or the solution.
- I often ask myself if society ever learns from history. I also ask if I haven't learnt why haven't I? is it because I'm too blind to see or too afraid to highlight the transparent similarities between then and now or am I too closed minded to the facts. Let me point out the facts as I see them 1 Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages that remained in place from 1920 to 1933. Ok, who made the most the most money from the exercise? 2 There are pharmaceutical companies and there are drug Cartels do you ever remember that ditty from sesame street one of these things are not like the other one yadda ok is that completely true? In order to stop the deaths that these drug cartels drug barrens are causing the remedy, in my opinion, is to take away the reason they are doing it money greed an unregulated source of wealth.
I suggest that we look at what has already been tried and try and improve on it by consensus open-mindedness and a willingness to go beyond the norms. In the past, some drugs ie weed have been how would I put it decriminalised to variant degrees in some countries and states in the U.S. for medical use, now my understanding is that the regulation varies. I know in Ireland and in Scotland, they have a methadone scheme, the idea is to wein the person down with this opiate substitute to get to the point where the person gets totally clean detoxed before treatment. I am suggesting to look at and adopt such a scheme and use it as a template 1 To decriminalise the use, not sale manufacture ill get to that point later of heroin to register all users/addicts of heroin To open clinics where the user can come and use in a safe sterile environment where the product has been manufactured in an equally safe and sterile regulated environment . In the clinic, there would be information and education literature about safe usage and health related issues and if a person wishes to stop using that they can avail of a safe means of a proper detox facility, not methadone as it only prolongs the agony it's harder to kick methadone than heroin now I well accept I can be contradicted on that by people better qualified that I . I can only go on what people tell me so forgive me for my assumptions ok I hear you ask what would all this cost how would you fund this what would be the cost to the user and where and how or who would provide the product ? to answer those questions honestly I don't know like I say it's an idea of mine and like I indicated at the beginning it's through consensus that we may exchange ideas and maybe with open-mindedness willingness transparency we may be able to elevate the senseless deaths of our young people for no other reason other than profit and greed . I hope I have made some sort of sense if theirs some ideas others may bring to the table to improve look its an idea I'm putting it out in trying to find a way to stop families been torn apart oh you may well ask what would be the benefits of this if something could be put together? To answer that there are a few areas that would benefit maybe no more deaths from overdose crime reduction social deprivation more informed society reduced stigma around addiction mental health in the words of the good fairy if you don't light the match the fire won't light. In Ireland there were talks of decriminalizing and went and looked at the Portuguese model In Portugal, people caught in possession of certain small amounts of drugs, including cannabis, cocaine and heroin, are not prosecuted by the courts.
Instead, police have the discretion to send drug users for counselling or education on the dangers of drugs.
"The police were very happy about it because it meant they weren't tied up in courts. If somebody had a small amount of stuff on them, the police chiefs had the discretion to send them to dissuasion centres where he or she had interaction with a social worker, counsellor and a legal person," he added.
Injection rooms for addicts to open next year in drug law change, says Minister
Aodhán ó Ríordáin says Misuse of Drugs Bill set to unblock legislative obstacles
Mon, Nov 2, 2015, 01:00 Updated: Mon, Nov 2, 2015, 15:40
Minister with Responsibility for National Drug Strategy Aodhán ó Ríordáin. Wants to remove stigma of criminal convictionsPhotograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Drug users will be able to use supervised injecting rooms in Dublin next year, followed shortly afterwards by Cork, Galway and Limerick, according to the Minister in charge of the National Drugs Strategy.
Aodhán ó Ríordáin, who is set to announce the radical move in a speech to the London School of Economics on Monday, told The Irish Times that medically supervised injection rooms “will happen next year”.
In his address he will also outline plans to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and cannabis, for personal use, as part of a “radical cultural shift” in the approach to drug addiction.
“I am firmly of the view that there needs to be a cultural shift in how we regard substance misuse if we are to break this cycle and make a serious attempt to tackle drug and alcohol addiction,” said Mr ó Ríordáin.
He added that compassion had to be brought to the issue, and that as far as possible drug addiction should be removed from the criminal justice system.
The Minister’s address comes in the wake of leaked report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime indicating it will call for the decriminalisation of consumption of drugs on public health and human rights grounds. Mr ó Ríordáin says the heads of a new Misuse of Drugs Bill are being drawn up which will “unblock” the legislative obstacles to opening injection rooms.
The Minister hoped the new Bill would be enacted “early next year”. Regulations will follow, which will mean the State’s first injecting room open in the capital.
Treatment professionals
He has had approaches from drug treatment professionals in other towns and cities. On opening injecting rooms, the Minister said: “every city is different, every drug-using population is different, so different locations will have different needs.”
Irish Government To Decriminalize Heroin, Cocaine, And Marijuana
As the battle to decriminalize?—?and legalize?—?weed in the U.S. continues, another country is taking a giant leap towards eliminating its stringent drug laws. In the near future, Ireland will decriminalize marijuana, cocaine, and heroin possession. Medically-supervised injection rooms will also soon be available to drug users, in order to reduce the stigma of addiction.
Ireland is following in the footsteps of countries that have started to tire of the fallout from the war on drugs driven by U.S. policy.
On Monday, during a speech at the London School of Economics, Minister of Drugs Aodhán ó Ríordáin announced plans to open the injection centers for drug users in Dublin next year. Ríordáin also divulged that the parliamentary committee on Justice, Defence and Equality strongly supports decriminalization across the board, and will work towards making that a reality in 2016.
Calling on a “radical” shift in drug policy, Ríordáin pointed to the public health implications of decriminalization and the extent to which national funds are spent on law enforcement and court efforts to crack down on drug use.
“Too often those with drug problems suffer from stigma, due to a lack of understanding or public education about the nature of addiction. This stigma can be compounded for those who end up with a criminal record due to possession of drugs for their own use,” he said. “Addiction is not a choice, it’s a healthcare issue. This is why I believe it is imperative that we approach our drug problem in a more compassionate and sensitive way.”
By decriminalizing the drugs, addicts are less likely to wind up behind bars and more likely to receive treatment. The minister cited research that treatment reduces both drug use and drug-related crime.
As for the benefits of establishing supervised injection sites, Ríordáin explained that casual drug injection in the streets of Dublin threatens the lives of users and the general public. Users can overdose and contract blood-borne diseases, and people around them can be harmed by “syringes and other drug paraphernalia.”
By opening centers where medical professionals oversee injection, drug addiction can be diverted to safer, controlled settings. The Irish Times reports that injection facilities will spring up in Galway, Cork, Limerick, in addition to Dublin.
“The drug problem is a constantly changing phenomenon,” the minister noted in his speech. “Governments around the world are constantly trying to play catch up to deal with a very sophisticated and lucrative market.”
In the past few years, countries in Europe and the Americas have decriminalized and legalized various drugs, making a sharp turn away from tough law enforcement at the heart of the “War on Drugs.”
Portugal took drastic action as early as 2001, when it decriminalized all drug use. Instead of jail time, drug users face fines and community service. The impact of the 2001 law has been significant, with drug use among adults and youth dropping ever since it went into effect. HIV is far less common among drug users, and the overdose rate is lower than every other country in the European Union except Romania.
In 2009, Mexico took a similar step by decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD, and methamphetamine.
In Colombia and Peru, cocaine possession and cultivation is legal. The drug is decriminalized in Switzerland and Germany. Both countries permit cocaine for medical use, as do the U.K, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Heroine is similarly permitted for medical purposes in Canada, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, and the U.K. Brazil could also decriminalize all drug possessionin the near future. Supreme Court arguments were heard in September.
With Ríordáin’s announcement, Ireland is on its way to implementing one of the most progressive drug laws in the world.
“We need to have discussions like today in think tanks, universities, parliaments and small rooms across the globe so that we can develop a more modern and comprehensive response to tackling drug trafficking and consumption,” Ríordáin said.
- Patrick C Reale