[Newsbot]

Title: Supreme Court weighs merits of legal injection clinic
Category: Health
Posted By: Strutz
Date: 2011-05-12 09:17:22
Canadian

[andyt]

Seems like a lot of fuss about not very much. The clinic saves a few junkies from earlier death and I guess prevents the spread of AIDS to some degree. But the clinic was supposed to be part of the 4 pillars approach that included treatment and prevention - not so much money or attention paid there. It's just sorta pissing in the wind, but I guess a desparate attempt to keep it going in the face of the troglodytic approach of the Reformacons. "Hey it didn't work in the US, but lets do it here anyway." Guess it's because so many Cons don't believe in evolution.

[peck420]

If a problem has proved to be unsolvable, it is better to try controlling it and reducing harm instead of continuing to enforce laws with mixed results.

[andyt]

Harm reduction is one of the 4 pillars, but we need more investment in prevention (that would include poverty alleviation) and treatment. It actually all saves money at then end. And of course it should be reduced to 3 1/2 pillars, because law enforcement would be much reduced (savings!) if drugs were legal and regulated. If we used our heads and quit being so medieval about this topic, we could save a bunch of money and alleviate a bunch of suffering.

[peck420]

Legallize it and tax it. There is your money for prevention and education.

Legallize it and standardize it. There is a partial solution to making it healthier and less costly to the public at large. Ie: You buy heroin it comes with a clean needle and emergency number. It has a chart for recommended max use to prevent od's, etc.

Legallize it and transfer the funds that go to law enforcement drug units to drug prevention and education and healthcare.

Didn't notice that I just parroted your post andyt. I'll think of more good reasons to legalize.

[Zipperfish]

I dunno--legalizing heroin? I know, I know--we already got legalized nicotine knocking people off like flies and who wants to count the staggering cost of alcoholism to society? And I know, I'm supposed to be a libertarian kind of liberal. But I just can't wrap my head around legalizing heroin. Actually I wouldn't mind banning cigarettes, which is new for me (I must be getting old).

As long as the price of beer doesn't go up. My vices are sacred!

And actually, I would make heroin available to the terminally ill. I've been told there's no better pain killer. And frankly if you've got rampant Stage 4 mestatisizing cancer, a heroin habit is the least of your worries.

[andyt]

I would love to ban all of it, especially booze and cigs (since they cause so much damage) if it worked.

For heroin, one option is the Swiss way, with injection sites that also dispense. You can't just buy it anywhere, you have to go to those sites and you have to have tried to kick a number of times before being accepted. Actually the trial we just had in BC for dispensing heroin found that another drug, forget name worked just as well. The advantage of that drug is that it's already legal and very cheap. But the if heroin was legalized (like a prescription drug) it would cost a lot less too.

[Zipperfish]

andyt andyt:

I would love to ban all of it, especially booze and cigs (since they cause so much damage) if it worked.

For heroin, one option is the Swiss way, with injection sites that also dispense. You can't just buy it anywhere, you have to go to those sites and you have to have tried to kick a number of times before being accepted. Actually the trial we just had in BC for dispensing heroin found that another drug, forget name worked just as well. The advantage of that drug is that it's already legal and very cheap. But the if heroin was legalized (like a prescription drug) it would cost a lot less too.

Yes I've been told that a heroin addict wouldn't be too much different than a nicotine addict as far as ability to cope socially as long as they have easy access to their drug. Unlike, say, meth, which just kills you in a matter of a few short years, if that.

And in defence of booze, if it weren't for alcohol you'd still be a virgin. Actually you never would have been born.

[CommanderSock]

The Federal Government of Canada should not enforce controlled substances. This should be a provincial matter. Provinces differ in valies.

[Dragon-Dancer]

Provinces may differ in values but it's one country and if you didn't have a unified approach it wouldn't work as well. If provinces enforced it differently you'd need to patrol provincial borders to make sure stricter laws in one province were not impacted by more lax laws in another.

Personally I love the concept of safe injection sites. If it were carried out as a unified concept you could have legal dispensaries working along side safe injection facilities, also offer counseling services and treatment to help those who wanted to quit and or turn their lives around.

The preventative approach has nice long term effects.

[Bodah]

I'd rather see money spent on treatment centres as opposed to a safe place to shoot smack. I'd be against the legalization of heroin. Marijuana is about as far as a society I think we should go. And would support a complete ban of tobacco.

As an ex smoker, I think this would be a great idea. There's the arguement that the underground industry would explode. Let it, I say. I think most smokers realize it's a bad habbit and would take the opportunity to quit if the government gave them a reason. Isn't this part of Health Canada's mandate anyways ?

I don't think a lot of smokers would be up for going to a dealer to get a garbage bags worth of smokes once a month. I know I wouldn't it.

[Dragon-Dancer]

There's already a fairly good trade in black market cigs in some parts of the country. It would explode and people would go the dealer route without much thought. It would be the same reaction than if we tried to ban booze, prohibition era USA is a very good benchmark for what happens when you completely ban a popular product.

I have no issue with funding treatment but the reality is you need to get an addict in the door first. That's where a safe injection site has a leg up. If an addict is already coming to your facility, you have an in to try and advocate for change. The more you get people in the door and on a safer, regulated product the less people will be going to the gang-banger down the street. This in turn helps reduce demand for smuggling and other drug gang related activity and reduces crime. It's a very reasonable concept.

[herbie]

The cost of treating one single case of AIDS exceeds the cost of the clinic.
Any need of further discussion?

[Zipperfish]

herbie herbie:

The cost of treating one single case of AIDS exceeds the cost of the clinic.
Any need of further discussion?

That's actually not a bad point.

[Dragon-Dancer]

Agreed, a very good point indeed.