Swiss back heroin prescription for addicts »
Posted By STONERS 7 months, 1 week ago in Health & FitnessSwiss voters on Sunday backed a scheme allowing heroin addicts to obtain the drug under prescription, angering conservatives who believe crime will rise as result.
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Teech7 months ago
The Swiss have been experimenting with this program for over 4 years. Voters recently chose to make it permanently funded.
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The Swiss are very practical people. If this approach begins to cause unexpected problems, they will make adjustments or eliminate the program.
We definitely don't want to try this in the U.S. What would we do with a 95% drop in burglary, petty theft, and all the other ancillary property crimes that addicts are responsible for as they provide obscene profits to organized crime throughout the world by paying thousands for a chemical that can be provided for pennies.
Tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, and the illegal habit forming chemicals are not going to go away. Taking the burden off society to pay for these expensive crimes would be a boon to us all.
Some addicts may even choose to seek treatment, some will die. Life is full of choices.
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Tangent0017 months ago
Untrue. If an addict does not need to resort to criminal acts, it results in LESS high-risk street crime for law enforcement.
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Tangent0017 months ago
Actually, it helps to remove the addict from a self-perpetuating culture of crime and dependence, and provides a more supportive environment for real recovery. If an addict does not need to resort to crime to obtain their fix, they do not need to associate with others who foster and encourage continued addiction and escalating criminal behaviour.
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BlueAutumn_1989Comment removed: User banned.
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david_nwpa7 months, 1 week ago
All that said, it keeps the number of non-violent offenders in prison to a minimum, and it cleans up the parks in Switzerland. After all, nothing says "Come to Geneva" like a park bench full of junkies shooting up heroin. The dirty needles and the bad smack are killers of so many kids and young adults. This way, the drugs are in the hands of the government where they can be monitored.
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lvrofwolves7 months ago
All in all it sounds like a good idea at first, but I wonder...what about the deaths it may cause? if a addict over doses on his own 'dime' that's one thing, on the governments, that's another. Also...what about those who take it and try and resell? or do they make them shot up right there? Really it doesn't sound like an interest in or encouraging rehab.
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What about the rapid detox procedure, where after only a few days the addicts body is completely free of the drugs so there is no physical withdraw, no need for methadone or anything like that. Can't remember where I saw a show about it, and I remember it is expensive, but in the long run, it may be the cheapest route to go.
http://www.opiates.com/rapid-detox/?gclid=CIDe0Jqy...
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Tangent0017 months ago
This sort of harm reduction program has been tried in the United States on a limited basis. The philosophy addresses social ills by first reducing risk and harm for both the individual and society at large. The programs with which I am familiar show a much greater success rate than 'traditional' abstinence-only approaches.
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amazed7 months ago
Unfortunately, there is such a knee-jerk reaction against almost any legalization or even decriminalization of drugs, that any suggestions that might actually HELP the drug/crime problem rather than just exacerbate it is met with stiff opposition.
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In addition, the police and correction workers have an inordinate stake in drugs being kept illegal -- illegal drugs yield a higher crime rate which results in more equipment and manpower to fight this "crime wave".
Legalized drugs, combined with education, would not result in any higher usage than we have. Drugs being illegal keep few, if any people from trying them. Likewise, drugs becoming legal will entice few to try them that wouldn't before. It is the fear of addiction that keeps me from trying cocaine, not the fear of the law. That won't change once it's legal.
Both cigarette and alcohol usage is lower than they have ever been and they are still legal. This is because of attitudes that have been changed by education, not because they were made illegal. -
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rumple4skin7 months ago
reallypsst - your infantile comment is revolting ... like saying to Black Americans that if you don't like it here go back to Africa. The action by the Swiss government is allowing 'junkies' to participate fully in the society regardless of their admitted addiction. What's the problem with this solution??
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lovemoregut - law enforcement is using valuable time to chase drug users. The U.S. is spending unbelievable money running after users, sellers, growers and ruining lives of people that need medical help. What's your experience with drugs? Do you or have you had a friend spun out on boy or girl?? Are most of your drug friends using legal but nevertheless drug - alcohol?-
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tyagi6 months, 2 weeks ago
There are numerous sign of heroin drug addiction. There are many kinds of drug abuses and they have several sign of heroin addiction. Some of the sign of heroin drug addiction is mentioned which are about cocaine, crack, ecstasy, heroin, marijuana, morphine and oxycontin. If you want more information about this sign of heroin drug addiction you can visit this web site.
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http://www.edrugrehabs.com/SubstanceAbuse/Brown-su...
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reallypsst7 months ago
Did i touch a nerve sorry its called hard love,all these programs don't work without enforcement and rehabilitation being the soul aim ,you cant fix a problem by implementing a free fix it doesn't work.It only delays the pain.We really don't know how the swedes structured there program,but fueling the fire is not prudent!
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earthlingerer7 months ago
Controlled distribution, clean substances, separation from the criminal market and the enterprises therin, and controlled non-fatal doses, all done under medical supervision pretty much fix EVERY problem associated with heroin use.
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These people don't just start using for no reason. There is some kind of serious pain that begins this in people, something that requires severe anesthesization, be it heroin, or psychiatric drugs.
Sweden? Do you have any idea how much heroin and high-quality amphetamines go to Sweden from the eastern baltic on ferries?
I'd say that if methadone, which has actually worked, along with safe injection sites, are one answer, then this heroin program is much better. You have an easily made/supplied substance, unlike synthetic and expensive methadone, which is MORE addictive than heroin.
Enforcement? You want to lock junkies up? I guess you're one of the geniuses who hasn't figured out that there is a lucrative and thriving drug trade in that business of greatest growth in the US, which is corrections services.
This program is much cheaper than imprisonment. And people can live normal lives with this kind of help. You have to remember, or at least understand... there was no drug problem until there were drug laws.
Puritans like yourself can't even live up to OUR expectations,let alone your own, considering what nonsense you spout. -
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Tangent0017 months ago
If your 'hard love' refers to the current policy of incarceration and inadequate rehabilitation, then we will continue to see more of the same in the years to come.
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Um, 'Swedes' are from Sweden. The article has to do with the Swiss, who are from Switzerland.
As to 'fueling the fire', the program doesn't create new addicts, it removes existing addicts from socially and personally harmful behavior, allowing them to pursue recovery options.
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mntnman4447 months ago
A history of legal heroin as a means of harm reduction in the US ...
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http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/studie...-
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Tangent0017 months ago
Lots of great info. Thanks!
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To summarize:
"Addicts themselves are far better off on low-cost, legal, medicinal opiates than on exorbitantly priced, adulterated, and contaminated street heroin. "
The section on recommendations is enlightening:
(1) Stop emphasizing measures designed to keep drugs away from people.
(2) Stop publicizing the horrors of the "drug menace."
(3) Stop increasing the damage done by drugs.
(4) Stop misclassifying drugs.
(5) Stop viewing the drug problem as primarily a national problem, to be solved on a national scale.
(6) Stop pursuing the goal of stamping out illicit drug use.
Details are available here:
http://www.druglibrary.org/Schaffer/Library/studie...
This is an old study (1972), but the same conditions still exist, therefore the conclusions should be worthy of consideration
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Tangent0017 months ago
Prohibition in general is antithetical to human existence and has never worked, be it drugs or alcohol. BlueAutumn and mntnman have provided excellent links and I urge all fence-sitters to take a good long read.
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Bottom line? US policy seems geared to perpetuate and demonize addiction rather than alleviate it.
Some simple facts:
Offenders have to pay their own court costs (minimum $400) and that's if they don't defend themselves. Defense costs at minimum $4000.
Offenders have to pay processing fees (about $350).
Offenders have to pay their own AA 'counseling' fees ($50 PER SESSION).
State sponsored MANDATED AA sessions are held during the working day, effectively disqualifying recovering addicts from the bulk of job opportunities. Child care is unavailable. Once the offender moves through the system, the social support system is so overburdened, there prospects include only recidivism or abject poverty.
The system is set up for offenders to fail.
Lemme repeat that: The system is set up for offenders to fail. -
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iamamaniac7 months ago
To me.... the article reminds the proposed heroin prescription trial, aborted by Cabinet on Mr. Howard's instructions
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Paul555 months ago
Caffeine Addiction - Caffeine Effects and Withdrawal part I
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In this article, we are going to discuss the importance of caffeine addiction and the most important facts about it, as caffeine addiction is something we all must prevent in order for us to be healthy and stay that way for years. We are also going to mention some significant facts about caffeine effects and how caffeine effects may affect our body performance considerably.
Caffeine addiction is one of the most famous types of addictions in the world, just like cocaine and marihuana. Caffeine addiction sometimes has been considered a lie, but it is a really, because caffeine is a stimulant that becomes addictive within a certain period of time. Interestingly, caffeine addiction shows up when you are not expecting it, and it does not necessarily show up because we want to
Pure caffeine is, chemically speaking, a plant-based alkaloid that stimulates the central nervous system in any living creature that intakes it. Biologically, caffeine serves as a form of pest control for certain plants like cacao trees, coffee shrubs, yuba mate and tea trees; it causes insects and other pests to fall down from the effects of over-stimulation. So, just like those pests and insects that I mentioned, caffeine also produces stimulation in our central nervous system, which usually makes us feel more energized, invigorating and active.
There is something called caffeine withdrawal, which refers to the sudden denial of us to consume caffeine, and it happens when regular consumers of caffeinated products may experience painful headaches if the body is denied caffeine. These headaches are caused by excess blood gathering in the area around the brain and sinus cavities, so without the stimulation provided by caffeine, the blood vessels shrink, restricting the blood flow. The traditional cure for caffeine withdrawal is to ingest more caffeine, which is not a healthy solution and this is also why many headache medications contain small amounts of caffeine.... to be continued
You can find more info at: http://yourcaffeineaddiction.com/ -
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timada3 months, 2 weeks ago
The heroin program has won wide support within Switzerland since it was begun 14 years ago to eliminate scenes of large groups of drug users shooting up openly in parks. I see no problem with it for as long as specialized people from drug rehab centers are controlling the program.
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