Shelley Fralic: Redevelopment won’t solve Downtown Eastside’s problems
The same moral and legal standards should apply there as anywhere else
By Shelley Fralic, Vancouver Sun columnist March 3, 2014
You can bandy about all the earnest statistics and well-meaning initiatives and heavily funded social engineering experiments you want.
You can wring your hands and tug your forelock and lie awake at night desperately seeking solutions for the crushing poverty and rampant criminality, for the open-air drug market and the mentally ill street wanderers.
You can build more low-income housing and actively campaign for grassroots help, from the experts and the non-profits, from the government and the rich, and even from the middle class that pays the bills to make the city livable for everyone.
But it still boils down to this: If you want to turn the Downtown Eastside — relentlessly branded as Canada’s poorest postal code, a notorious cesspool of enabled addicts, revolving-door criminals, sanctioned poverty and supervised narcotic consumption — into a place where families want to live, where it is safe to walk the streets and where felons and drug addicts are treated, well, like felons and drug addicts, then you need to face facts. ....click "Read More" below to continue...
7/20/13
Little evidence "harm reduction" reduces harm
By David Berner, Vancouver Sun, July 19, 2013
A report by the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS on harm reduction programs and Insite released last month is not science; it's public relations.
Authors Drs. Julio Montaner, Thomas Kerr and Evan Wood have produced nearly two dozen papers on the use of Insite. They boast of good results in connecting addicts to treatment but convincing evidence is lacking.
The current campaign reports significant reductions in drug overdoses, yet the Government of British Columbia Selected Vital Statistics and Health Status Indicators show that the number of deaths from drug overdose in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside has increased each year (with one exception) since the site opened in 2003. In addition, the federal government's Advisory Committee on Drug Injection Sites report only five per cent of drug addicts use the injection site, three per cent were referred for treatment and there was no indication the crime rate has decreased, as well as no indication of a decrease in AIDS and hepatitis C since the injection site was opened.....click "Read More" below to continue....
A report by the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS on harm reduction programs and Insite released last month is not science; it's public relations.
Authors Drs. Julio Montaner, Thomas Kerr and Evan Wood have produced nearly two dozen papers on the use of Insite. They boast of good results in connecting addicts to treatment but convincing evidence is lacking.
The current campaign reports significant reductions in drug overdoses, yet the Government of British Columbia Selected Vital Statistics and Health Status Indicators show that the number of deaths from drug overdose in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside has increased each year (with one exception) since the site opened in 2003. In addition, the federal government's Advisory Committee on Drug Injection Sites report only five per cent of drug addicts use the injection site, three per cent were referred for treatment and there was no indication the crime rate has decreased, as well as no indication of a decrease in AIDS and hepatitis C since the injection site was opened.....click "Read More" below to continue....
6/24/13
Parents can help kids stay away from drugs
Published: June 24, 2013
Drs. Oz & Roizen's Tip of the Day:
The list of movies aimed at kids that show (supposedly) loveable stars who use drugs is long and well-known: There's "Cheech and Chong," "Harold & Kumar" and the entire "Hangover" series.
Helping teens stay away from recreational drugs is a big job and one that, unfortunately, some parents don't feel they're up to or don't feel they have the clout to make a difference.
That's info from a new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration after talking with more than 67,000 Americans over the age of 12.
The upshot: 22 percent of parents don't think what they say about drug use will change how their children act.
But research shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Among kids who feel their parents strongly disapprove of marijuana use, only 5 percent are willing to risk it; but more than 30 percent of kids whose parents don't make their anti-drug message clear are willing to experiment with pot.
Mom and Dad, you are the health guides in all areas - from drugs to doughnuts to sleep.
When you don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk (we love families who get walking together, aiming for 10,000 steps a day), you are amazingly influential.
So gather your kids around (even those teenagers), plan a family meal, schedule regular family walks and set aside time for conversations about the importance of a healthful lifestyle for better grades, higher self-esteem and a brighter future.
Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief medical officer at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. To live your healthiest, visit sharecare.com. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/06/24/2629040/parents-can-help-kids-stay-away.html#storylink=cpy
Drs. Oz & Roizen's Tip of the Day:
The list of movies aimed at kids that show (supposedly) loveable stars who use drugs is long and well-known: There's "Cheech and Chong," "Harold & Kumar" and the entire "Hangover" series.
Helping teens stay away from recreational drugs is a big job and one that, unfortunately, some parents don't feel they're up to or don't feel they have the clout to make a difference.
That's info from a new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration after talking with more than 67,000 Americans over the age of 12.
The upshot: 22 percent of parents don't think what they say about drug use will change how their children act.
But research shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Among kids who feel their parents strongly disapprove of marijuana use, only 5 percent are willing to risk it; but more than 30 percent of kids whose parents don't make their anti-drug message clear are willing to experiment with pot.
Mom and Dad, you are the health guides in all areas - from drugs to doughnuts to sleep.
When you don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk (we love families who get walking together, aiming for 10,000 steps a day), you are amazingly influential.
So gather your kids around (even those teenagers), plan a family meal, schedule regular family walks and set aside time for conversations about the importance of a healthful lifestyle for better grades, higher self-esteem and a brighter future.
Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief medical officer at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. To live your healthiest, visit sharecare.com. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/06/24/2629040/parents-can-help-kids-stay-away.html#storylink=cpy
5/24/13
Amanda Bynes whacked on pot
Amanda Bynes taken away in handcuffs wearing bizarre wig after 'throwing bong out window of high rise apartment during marijuana arrest'
By Daily Mail Reporter, 24 May 2013
Amanda Bynes was taken away by police in handcuffs after being arrested for reckless endangerment after allegedly throwing a foot-long bong out of the window of her 36th floor New York apartment.
The incident came after police arrived to speak to the troubled actress about her alleged marijuana use on Thursday night.
She was then taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation before being booked at the police station for criminal of possession of marijuana, reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence.... click "Read More" below to continue....
By Daily Mail Reporter, 24 May 2013
Amanda Bynes was taken away by police in handcuffs after being arrested for reckless endangerment after allegedly throwing a foot-long bong out of the window of her 36th floor New York apartment.
The incident came after police arrived to speak to the troubled actress about her alleged marijuana use on Thursday night.
She was then taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation before being booked at the police station for criminal of possession of marijuana, reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence.... click "Read More" below to continue....
5/20/13
Vancouverites still shocked at results of city's liberal drug culture
(Below are two letters in the Letter section of the Vancouver Sun)...
Downtown Eastside's sad state bad for tourism
Re: Tourism a growing, valuable B.C. industry, May 8
Evan Loveless of the Wilderness Tourism Association of B.C. writes eloquently about the growth of tourism in B.C. and how it was recently overlooked as one of the key economic sectors. He also highlighted issues that need to be addressed by the next government of B.C. such as land rights, tenure access and security, planning, transportation and marketing. But there is one issue that challenges our tourism future that was not mentioned: the condition of the Downtown Eastside.
I returned last week from a two-week European vacation. On my second day in the Netherlands, I turned on the CNN International News channel and was stunned to see they had a feature on Vancouver.
After 20 seconds or so depicting the beauty of B.C. and its people, they got to the core of their story: The Downtown Eastside and its drug culture and homelessness.
Needless to say, my excitement at being featured on such a prominent newscast quickly turned to disappointment and sadness.... click "Read More" below to continue....
Downtown Eastside's sad state bad for tourism
Re: Tourism a growing, valuable B.C. industry, May 8
Evan Loveless of the Wilderness Tourism Association of B.C. writes eloquently about the growth of tourism in B.C. and how it was recently overlooked as one of the key economic sectors. He also highlighted issues that need to be addressed by the next government of B.C. such as land rights, tenure access and security, planning, transportation and marketing. But there is one issue that challenges our tourism future that was not mentioned: the condition of the Downtown Eastside.
I returned last week from a two-week European vacation. On my second day in the Netherlands, I turned on the CNN International News channel and was stunned to see they had a feature on Vancouver.
After 20 seconds or so depicting the beauty of B.C. and its people, they got to the core of their story: The Downtown Eastside and its drug culture and homelessness.
Needless to say, my excitement at being featured on such a prominent newscast quickly turned to disappointment and sadness.... click "Read More" below to continue....
3/24/13
Vancouver's drug addiction industry
Harm reduction just keeps addicts enslaved
By Jon Ferry, The Province, March 13, 2013
The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs is meeting in Vienna this week to recommend measures to combat the world drug problem.
But in Vancouver, the war against illegal drugs appears to have been won already by those who favour "harm reduction," with its publicly funded crackpipe kits, safe-injection rooms and "free" heroin and methadone fixes.
This does little more than apply a Band-Aid — as opposed to abstinence-based treatment, which actually gets people off drugs but is frowned upon by the politically correct powers-that-be.
No, the current mantra among grant-hungry activists, medical researchers and politicians is to feed the need, not starve it — which is why as many addicts as ever roam Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
However, I think abstinence may well be making a comeback. And I'm heartened to see two celebs, one local and one international, giving it a new cachet.....click "Read More" below...
By Jon Ferry, The Province, March 13, 2013
The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs is meeting in Vienna this week to recommend measures to combat the world drug problem.
But in Vancouver, the war against illegal drugs appears to have been won already by those who favour "harm reduction," with its publicly funded crackpipe kits, safe-injection rooms and "free" heroin and methadone fixes.
This does little more than apply a Band-Aid — as opposed to abstinence-based treatment, which actually gets people off drugs but is frowned upon by the politically correct powers-that-be.
No, the current mantra among grant-hungry activists, medical researchers and politicians is to feed the need, not starve it — which is why as many addicts as ever roam Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
However, I think abstinence may well be making a comeback. And I'm heartened to see two celebs, one local and one international, giving it a new cachet.....click "Read More" below...
8/18/12
Vancouver's drug liberalism (de facto legalization) a disaster
'Never been a war on drugs, not even close'
Drugs are still too easy to obtain in Vancouver
By Jon Ferry, The Province, August 17, 2012
Vancouver may be the world's third-most-livable city, according to the latest Economist magazine survey, but it sure has one helluva drug problem.
That's not news to those who've come to know the seedy underbelly of our spaced-out port city. It's been like that for years.
So the finding by the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS that buying illegal drugs in downtown Vancouver is as easy as going to the nearest supermarket is no surprise either.
Most younger and older drug users surveyed in the centre's latest, taxpayer-funded study said they could obtain everything from heroin and crack cocaine to crystal meth and pot within minutes — 10 minutes, to be precise.
"Perhaps most concerning is the ready availability of drugs that are injected," noted the researchers, who hail from Vancouver and Boston.
Talk about stating the obvious. The open market for drugs in downtown Vancouver, and the horrific social problems it causes, has been a public concern for years.
The question is what to do about it. And the inference in this study — published in the American Journal on Addictions and based on user responses from 2007 — is that the American-style war on drugs, with its emphasis on drug-law enforcement, has been an abject failure.
Indeed, it's clear the drug policy advocated instead by the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS itself is "harm reduction," focusing on everything from safe-injection sites to drug legalization.
This is, in fact, the politically correct approach that's been in vogue in Vancouver's drug-riddled downtown for years — without apparent effect. And study co-author Dr. Evan Wood, a Vancouver physician, is an eloquent champion of it.
"Despite enormous taxpayer investments in enforcing laws aimed at reducing the supply of illegal drugs, Canada's streets remain awash in heroin and cocaine," he stated recently in the National Post.
"Meanwhile, designer drugs such as ecstasy are becoming more readily available to young people than alcohol and tobacco. The war on drugs, like all expensive government programs, should be subject to scrutiny and a value-for-money audit. However, so far, it has been remarkably exempt from accountability."
It could equally well be argued, however, that the main reason why the illegal drug trade continues to flourish in the Lower Mainland like a foul-smelling weed is not because of too much law enforcement, but too little.
The B.C. justice system is notoriously soft on drugs and drug offenders, as at least one sentencing study has shown.
Just ask former Lower Mainland RCMP officer Chuck Doucette, president of the Drug Prevention Network of Canada: "There's never been a war on drugs in Canada, not even close."
It could also be argued that the laissez-faire attitude of our civic leaders toward the government-funded Downtown Eastside drug ghetto has done as least as much to turn troubled/homeless teens into hard-core addicts as have any overzealous police drug crackdowns.
Besides, as former Downtown Eastside beat cop Al Arsenault pointed out Thursday, Vancouver should not be setting drug policy: "Whatever we're doing here is not working."
Maybe Wood and his research team should be studying those cities around the world where it is.
jferry@theprovince.com
http://www.canada.com/health/Never+been+drugs+even+close/7104815/story.html
Drugs are still too easy to obtain in Vancouver
By Jon Ferry, The Province, August 17, 2012
Vancouver may be the world's third-most-livable city, according to the latest Economist magazine survey, but it sure has one helluva drug problem.
That's not news to those who've come to know the seedy underbelly of our spaced-out port city. It's been like that for years.
So the finding by the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS that buying illegal drugs in downtown Vancouver is as easy as going to the nearest supermarket is no surprise either.
Most younger and older drug users surveyed in the centre's latest, taxpayer-funded study said they could obtain everything from heroin and crack cocaine to crystal meth and pot within minutes — 10 minutes, to be precise.
"Perhaps most concerning is the ready availability of drugs that are injected," noted the researchers, who hail from Vancouver and Boston.
Talk about stating the obvious. The open market for drugs in downtown Vancouver, and the horrific social problems it causes, has been a public concern for years.
The question is what to do about it. And the inference in this study — published in the American Journal on Addictions and based on user responses from 2007 — is that the American-style war on drugs, with its emphasis on drug-law enforcement, has been an abject failure.
Indeed, it's clear the drug policy advocated instead by the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS itself is "harm reduction," focusing on everything from safe-injection sites to drug legalization.
This is, in fact, the politically correct approach that's been in vogue in Vancouver's drug-riddled downtown for years — without apparent effect. And study co-author Dr. Evan Wood, a Vancouver physician, is an eloquent champion of it.
"Despite enormous taxpayer investments in enforcing laws aimed at reducing the supply of illegal drugs, Canada's streets remain awash in heroin and cocaine," he stated recently in the National Post.
"Meanwhile, designer drugs such as ecstasy are becoming more readily available to young people than alcohol and tobacco. The war on drugs, like all expensive government programs, should be subject to scrutiny and a value-for-money audit. However, so far, it has been remarkably exempt from accountability."
It could equally well be argued, however, that the main reason why the illegal drug trade continues to flourish in the Lower Mainland like a foul-smelling weed is not because of too much law enforcement, but too little.
The B.C. justice system is notoriously soft on drugs and drug offenders, as at least one sentencing study has shown.
Just ask former Lower Mainland RCMP officer Chuck Doucette, president of the Drug Prevention Network of Canada: "There's never been a war on drugs in Canada, not even close."
It could also be argued that the laissez-faire attitude of our civic leaders toward the government-funded Downtown Eastside drug ghetto has done as least as much to turn troubled/homeless teens into hard-core addicts as have any overzealous police drug crackdowns.
Besides, as former Downtown Eastside beat cop Al Arsenault pointed out Thursday, Vancouver should not be setting drug policy: "Whatever we're doing here is not working."
Maybe Wood and his research team should be studying those cities around the world where it is.
jferry@theprovince.com
http://www.canada.com/health/Never+been+drugs+even+close/7104815/story.html
6/28/12
Marijuana worsens mental conditions of people with mental issues
Tests in cannibalism case: Zombie-like attacker used pot, not 'bath salts'
By Michael Martinez, CNN, June 27, 2012
(CNN) -- The naked Florida man who chewed off the face of another man last month in a zombie-like cannibal attack used marijuana but not "bath salts" as police had suspected, authorities said Wednesday.
Rudy Eugene, 31, was killed by a police officer after Eugene's 18-minute attack on a homeless man. His body didn't show "any other street drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs, or any adulterants found in street drugs," according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department.
"The department has also sought the assistance of an outside forensic toxicology reference laboratory, which has confirmed the absence of 'bath salts,' synthetic marijuana and LSD," the statement said.
A video of last month's incident shows Eugene coming across 65-year-old Ronald Poppo on a sidewalk along Miami's MacArthur Causeway, stripping clothes off him and eventually chewing on his face. Police said Poppo lost 75% of his face in the attack.
Armando Aguilar, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, told CNN affiliate WPLG last month that he suspected Eugene was under the influence of "bath salts," a drug that contains synthetic stimulants that can "cause chest pains, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia and delusions," according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
Eugene's mother said last month that her son was "a nice kid" who could have been subdued with a Taser rather than gunfire.
"He was a good kid. He gave me a nice card on Mother's Day. Everyone says he was a zombie. He was no zombie. That was my son," the mother, who asked that her name not be revealed, told CNN affiliate WFOR.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/27/us/florida-cannibal-attack/index.html
Related news:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/327517
By Michael Martinez, CNN, June 27, 2012
(CNN) -- The naked Florida man who chewed off the face of another man last month in a zombie-like cannibal attack used marijuana but not "bath salts" as police had suspected, authorities said Wednesday.
Rudy Eugene, 31, was killed by a police officer after Eugene's 18-minute attack on a homeless man. His body didn't show "any other street drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs, or any adulterants found in street drugs," according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department.
"The department has also sought the assistance of an outside forensic toxicology reference laboratory, which has confirmed the absence of 'bath salts,' synthetic marijuana and LSD," the statement said.
A video of last month's incident shows Eugene coming across 65-year-old Ronald Poppo on a sidewalk along Miami's MacArthur Causeway, stripping clothes off him and eventually chewing on his face. Police said Poppo lost 75% of his face in the attack.
Armando Aguilar, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, told CNN affiliate WPLG last month that he suspected Eugene was under the influence of "bath salts," a drug that contains synthetic stimulants that can "cause chest pains, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia and delusions," according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
Eugene's mother said last month that her son was "a nice kid" who could have been subdued with a Taser rather than gunfire.
"He was a good kid. He gave me a nice card on Mother's Day. Everyone says he was a zombie. He was no zombie. That was my son," the mother, who asked that her name not be revealed, told CNN affiliate WFOR.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/27/us/florida-cannibal-attack/index.html
Related news:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/327517
6/21/12
Against the "harm reduction" ideology
McMartin: Can David Berner reduce harm reduction?
By Pete McMartin, Vancouver Sun, June 20, 2012
David Berner is 69, and still swimming upstream. One of these days, the current may turn in his favour.
It hasn’t yet. It won’t soon. But Berner, whose resumé includes actor, talk show host and drug addiction counsellor, has never wavered from his belief:
He is vehemently against the prevailing practice of harm reduction.
Not only does he not see it reducing harm, he believes it encourages and nourishes drug addiction.
“There’s a giant emperor’s new clothes,” Berner said, “and it’s called ‘harm reduction.’ And it not only has political sway these days, it’s pretty well the accepted wisdom of our time. It’s taught in universities, and governments all over the world sing to this tune...
By Pete McMartin, Vancouver Sun, June 20, 2012
David Berner is 69, and still swimming upstream. One of these days, the current may turn in his favour.
It hasn’t yet. It won’t soon. But Berner, whose resumé includes actor, talk show host and drug addiction counsellor, has never wavered from his belief:
He is vehemently against the prevailing practice of harm reduction.
Not only does he not see it reducing harm, he believes it encourages and nourishes drug addiction.
“There’s a giant emperor’s new clothes,” Berner said, “and it’s called ‘harm reduction.’ And it not only has political sway these days, it’s pretty well the accepted wisdom of our time. It’s taught in universities, and governments all over the world sing to this tune...
Columnist is deep on harms of pot---but superficial on pro-legalization
Casual attitude toward pot could be lethal
New study highlights ill-effects of marijuana use
By Jon Ferry, The Province, June 13, 2012
Last month I agreed with Vancouver pot activist Marc Emery that we needed to end drug prohibition in North America, if only because I couldn't imagine legalizing and regulating drugs would create more misery than banning them.
I also said I didn't view pot as harmless as drug crusaders like Emery, currently serving five years in a Mississippi jail on a marijuana rap, would have you believe.
Now, a major new report by the British Lung Foundation, based on a raft of medical studies, supports my view.
It warns that smoking marijuana is not only hazardous to the lungs, it can also cause everything from tuberculosis to Legionnaires' disease. It says there's stronger evidence than ever linking it to lung cancer...
New study highlights ill-effects of marijuana use
By Jon Ferry, The Province, June 13, 2012
Last month I agreed with Vancouver pot activist Marc Emery that we needed to end drug prohibition in North America, if only because I couldn't imagine legalizing and regulating drugs would create more misery than banning them.
I also said I didn't view pot as harmless as drug crusaders like Emery, currently serving five years in a Mississippi jail on a marijuana rap, would have you believe.
Now, a major new report by the British Lung Foundation, based on a raft of medical studies, supports my view.
It warns that smoking marijuana is not only hazardous to the lungs, it can also cause everything from tuberculosis to Legionnaires' disease. It says there's stronger evidence than ever linking it to lung cancer...
2/17/12
Vancouver gov't keeps funding pro-drug group to maintain and encourage drug addictions
Vancouver pro-drug lobby doesn’t deserve taxpayer dollars
VANDU gets $250,000 from province, $20,000 from city hall
By Mark Hasiuk, Vancouver Courier, February 13, 2012
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
That’s how much Vancouver Coastal Health, your public health authority, gave VANDU, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, last year. This year, according to VCH officials, VANDU will receive another $250,000 from taxpayers, continuing a provincial funding scheme established in 1999.
Most Vancouverites don’t know VANDU. Headquartered in a brick building at 380 East Hastings in the Downtown Eastside, it’s a non-profit hangout conforming to neighbourhood drug culture. Folks gather outside on the sidewalk and inside the lobby. Traffic seems to have increased since December when VANDU began distributing free crack pipes to addicts, part of a VCH crack pipe giveaway. But mainly, thanks to longtime leader Ann Livingston, VANDU exists for activism...
VANDU gets $250,000 from province, $20,000 from city hall
By Mark Hasiuk, Vancouver Courier, February 13, 2012
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
That’s how much Vancouver Coastal Health, your public health authority, gave VANDU, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, last year. This year, according to VCH officials, VANDU will receive another $250,000 from taxpayers, continuing a provincial funding scheme established in 1999.
Most Vancouverites don’t know VANDU. Headquartered in a brick building at 380 East Hastings in the Downtown Eastside, it’s a non-profit hangout conforming to neighbourhood drug culture. Folks gather outside on the sidewalk and inside the lobby. Traffic seems to have increased since December when VANDU began distributing free crack pipes to addicts, part of a VCH crack pipe giveaway. But mainly, thanks to longtime leader Ann Livingston, VANDU exists for activism...
2/12/12
"Harmless pot" propaganda crash again
Weed Doubles the Risk of Causing Serious and Fatal Car Crashes
Cannabis twice as likely to cause road smash, British Medical Journal (BMJ) finds
Pot smoking doubles risk of crash: study
( It is clear that pro-pot advocates, addicts and legalization supporters are willing to accept many INEVITABLE, ADDITIONAL deaths from vehicle accidents due to pot use, as a PRICE of legalization--in order to satisfy the pot cravings of some. It's just "collateral damages". No big deal. Pot smokers' happiness is more important than a few thousand additional accident deaths per year in the future )
Cannabis twice as likely to cause road smash, British Medical Journal (BMJ) finds
Pot smoking doubles risk of crash: study
( It is clear that pro-pot advocates, addicts and legalization supporters are willing to accept many INEVITABLE, ADDITIONAL deaths from vehicle accidents due to pot use, as a PRICE of legalization--in order to satisfy the pot cravings of some. It's just "collateral damages". No big deal. Pot smokers' happiness is more important than a few thousand additional accident deaths per year in the future )
1/25/12
"Harm reduction" term used to disguise today's 19th century-style drug dens
(The following letter appeared in the letter section of The Province newspaper)
Forget harm reduction, let's have dope reduction instead
By G. Phillip Braun, The Province January 22, 2012
Dr. Anthony Ocana's recent letter to the editor is indicative of the liberal view of drug addiction in this city by a select list of special-interest groups that is turning us into a haven for crack addicts, heroin addicts and other socially destructive behaviours. I am tired of it.
Firstly, Dr. Ocana should under-stand that the media are sup-posed to provide a balanced view of issues. I guess editorialists are now no longer allowed to express opinions in Vancouver, in particular around socially critical issues like drugs because we wouldn't want to upset people like him.
I always find the so called expert's choice of the words "harm reduction" pathetic when it comes to these programs. Harm reduction? How about some dope reduction!
Secondly, I thank him for his explanation of "fundamentals of neurobiology" for those of us who "don't understand addiction". Sounds like all of us in this town are stupid and Dr. Ocana has all the answers. Every time someone criticizes or has an opposing view of Insite or any of the other drug/ alcohol related harm-reduction programs in town we get branded as unaware, ignorant or need to be better educated on drug/alcohol addiction by people like him.
Frankly, I can do without Dr. Oca-na's form of education. We have ideas and solutions, but, suggesting anything that isn't providing a place to shoot up, provide a crack pipe, free alcohol or explain how it's better to snort heroin instead of injecting it is likely going to be viewed as a suggestion from the "uninformed."
Finally, I find his comparison of a cancer patient to a drug addict an insult. How can he conclude a child with any form of cancer is no different from some crack addict?
Our city and provincial leaders need to start listening to the silent majority. I am sick of the drugs, their effects and the direction the city is taking relative to their bogus harm-reduction programs. Harm reduction is some theorist's view of a utopian response to people who simply don't want to be responsible for their actions.
G. Phillip Braun, Vancouver
http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=c702c015-9962-4106-a142-1ded1a3969a5
Forget harm reduction, let's have dope reduction instead
By G. Phillip Braun, The Province January 22, 2012
Dr. Anthony Ocana's recent letter to the editor is indicative of the liberal view of drug addiction in this city by a select list of special-interest groups that is turning us into a haven for crack addicts, heroin addicts and other socially destructive behaviours. I am tired of it.
Firstly, Dr. Ocana should under-stand that the media are sup-posed to provide a balanced view of issues. I guess editorialists are now no longer allowed to express opinions in Vancouver, in particular around socially critical issues like drugs because we wouldn't want to upset people like him.
I always find the so called expert's choice of the words "harm reduction" pathetic when it comes to these programs. Harm reduction? How about some dope reduction!
Secondly, I thank him for his explanation of "fundamentals of neurobiology" for those of us who "don't understand addiction". Sounds like all of us in this town are stupid and Dr. Ocana has all the answers. Every time someone criticizes or has an opposing view of Insite or any of the other drug/ alcohol related harm-reduction programs in town we get branded as unaware, ignorant or need to be better educated on drug/alcohol addiction by people like him.
Frankly, I can do without Dr. Oca-na's form of education. We have ideas and solutions, but, suggesting anything that isn't providing a place to shoot up, provide a crack pipe, free alcohol or explain how it's better to snort heroin instead of injecting it is likely going to be viewed as a suggestion from the "uninformed."
Finally, I find his comparison of a cancer patient to a drug addict an insult. How can he conclude a child with any form of cancer is no different from some crack addict?
Our city and provincial leaders need to start listening to the silent majority. I am sick of the drugs, their effects and the direction the city is taking relative to their bogus harm-reduction programs. Harm reduction is some theorist's view of a utopian response to people who simply don't want to be responsible for their actions.
G. Phillip Braun, Vancouver
http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=c702c015-9962-4106-a142-1ded1a3969a5
1/11/12
Crack pipe giveaway drapes Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
Crack pipe giveaway drapes Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
VCH spends $60,000 on 60,000 pipes
By Mark Hasiuk, Vancouver Courier, January 9, 2012
In the Downtown Eastside, crack cocaine is king. As the neighbourhood's most popular drug, it's used solely or with other drugs such as heroin or methadone. It's a symptom and cause of widespread misery.
All along Hasting Street, a gauntlet of crack dealers flog their wares. "Rock." "Base." "Best rock right here." According to locals, quality varies depending on the dealer and the price. A typical crack "rock" sells for $10. "But most of it's shit," said Allan Diplock, a short, fidgety 42-year-old with thick bifocals whom I met last Friday morning. Standing on a rain-soaked East Hastings street corner, Diplock represents the target demographic for the provincial government's latest harm reduction experiment in the Downtown Eastside.
VCH spends $60,000 on 60,000 pipes
By Mark Hasiuk, Vancouver Courier, January 9, 2012
In the Downtown Eastside, crack cocaine is king. As the neighbourhood's most popular drug, it's used solely or with other drugs such as heroin or methadone. It's a symptom and cause of widespread misery.
All along Hasting Street, a gauntlet of crack dealers flog their wares. "Rock." "Base." "Best rock right here." According to locals, quality varies depending on the dealer and the price. A typical crack "rock" sells for $10. "But most of it's shit," said Allan Diplock, a short, fidgety 42-year-old with thick bifocals whom I met last Friday morning. Standing on a rain-soaked East Hastings street corner, Diplock represents the target demographic for the provincial government's latest harm reduction experiment in the Downtown Eastside.
Vancouver's legalized drug den "Insite" breeds more and more drug addicts
Below are several letters that were published in a newspaper regarding Insite:
(Poster's note: "Insite" is a Vancouver gov't storefront facility where drug addicts go to freely shoot heroin and cracks, protected from the laws by order of the court. There is no encouragement to get them off their addictions)
Insite is failing
By Jan Van Vugt, The Province, January 11, 2012
If the safe-injection site is growing and needs more capacity, it is a sign of failure.
The goal of any drug program should be to reduce harm and help addicts overcome their demons and become productive members of society. This organization seems to enable the growth of the addicted population in B.C.
A success in this type of business would be a reduction in the need for its services.
Jan van Vugt, Abbotsford
http://www.theprovince.com/Insite+failing/5977312/story.html
(Poster's note: "Insite" is a Vancouver gov't storefront facility where drug addicts go to freely shoot heroin and cracks, protected from the laws by order of the court. There is no encouragement to get them off their addictions)
Insite is failing
By Jan Van Vugt, The Province, January 11, 2012
If the safe-injection site is growing and needs more capacity, it is a sign of failure.
The goal of any drug program should be to reduce harm and help addicts overcome their demons and become productive members of society. This organization seems to enable the growth of the addicted population in B.C.
A success in this type of business would be a reduction in the need for its services.
Jan van Vugt, Abbotsford
http://www.theprovince.com/Insite+failing/5977312/story.html
1/9/12
Vancouver health/civil authorities become pimps to drug addicts
(Below are two letters to a newspaper about the Vancouver gov'ts' distribution of free crackpipes to addicts)
'Safety' helps addiction
By Rob Haan, The Province, January 5, 2012
I know a couple of people who have kicked crack and are now productive members of society. I can say for sure, though, they did not accomplish this because someone was handing them free pipes.
Having an environment where addicts are "safer" in their addiction only helps them to stay addicted.
If we make it easy to be a crack-head, what's the motivation to quit?
"Harm reduction" is a joke. Put the money into helping people quit, not helping them to continue.
Giving addicts drugs so they won't have to steal to get them makes as much sense as giving a shoplifter free stuff to get them to stop shoplifting.
Rob Haan, Chilliwack
http://www.theprovince.com/opinion/letters/Safety+helps+addiction/5949535/story.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uncaring government
By Sharon Lamont, The Province, January 5, 2012
I think handing out crack pipes to addicts in the Downtown Eastside is just another slap in the face for us taxpayers, not to mention the addicts themselves.
The people down there are sick from a variety of addictions, so should we start handing out free pot or heroin?
Why on earth does the government feel it's their responsibility to keep these people sick? If they gave a damn, they would spend our money on something that would help these people get their hope and dignity back.
Our government talks about how it wants to help the poor and addicted. But they never find the time to do anything, which makes me believe they don't really care.
Sharon Lamont, Surrey
http://www.theprovince.com/Uncaring+government/5949538/story.html
'Safety' helps addiction
By Rob Haan, The Province, January 5, 2012
I know a couple of people who have kicked crack and are now productive members of society. I can say for sure, though, they did not accomplish this because someone was handing them free pipes.
Having an environment where addicts are "safer" in their addiction only helps them to stay addicted.
If we make it easy to be a crack-head, what's the motivation to quit?
"Harm reduction" is a joke. Put the money into helping people quit, not helping them to continue.
Giving addicts drugs so they won't have to steal to get them makes as much sense as giving a shoplifter free stuff to get them to stop shoplifting.
Rob Haan, Chilliwack
http://www.theprovince.com/opinion/letters/Safety+helps+addiction/5949535/story.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uncaring government
By Sharon Lamont, The Province, January 5, 2012
I think handing out crack pipes to addicts in the Downtown Eastside is just another slap in the face for us taxpayers, not to mention the addicts themselves.
The people down there are sick from a variety of addictions, so should we start handing out free pot or heroin?
Why on earth does the government feel it's their responsibility to keep these people sick? If they gave a damn, they would spend our money on something that would help these people get their hope and dignity back.
Our government talks about how it wants to help the poor and addicted. But they never find the time to do anything, which makes me believe they don't really care.
Sharon Lamont, Surrey
http://www.theprovince.com/Uncaring+government/5949538/story.html
12/22/11
4 horsemen of drug apocalyse at it again -- not satisfied with first disaster
(This letter appeared in the Letter section of a newspaper):
National Post · Dec. 21, 2011
The former mayors of Vancouver advocating for decriminalizing the gateway drug cannabis is ludicrous. It was largely because of their permissiveness and leniency that Vancouver's Downtown Eastside turned into the nightmare that it is today. Continuing down this path would be asinine.
Seattle, a city comparable in weather and socio-economic climate, does not have the same problem with open drug use simply because it is not tolerated. New York cleaned up its decaying core in the 1980s by cracking down on drug use, not by some hare-brained scheme of decriminalization.
The constant reference to "the war on drugs" is also getting tiresome. The struggle to keep drugs off the streets is more like a constant battle, similar to those society wages with any other illegal, undesirable activity.
Jeffrey Hay, Ladner, B.C.
http://www.nationalpost.com/Keep+drugs+going/5890195/story.html
National Post · Dec. 21, 2011
The former mayors of Vancouver advocating for decriminalizing the gateway drug cannabis is ludicrous. It was largely because of their permissiveness and leniency that Vancouver's Downtown Eastside turned into the nightmare that it is today. Continuing down this path would be asinine.
Seattle, a city comparable in weather and socio-economic climate, does not have the same problem with open drug use simply because it is not tolerated. New York cleaned up its decaying core in the 1980s by cracking down on drug use, not by some hare-brained scheme of decriminalization.
The constant reference to "the war on drugs" is also getting tiresome. The struggle to keep drugs off the streets is more like a constant battle, similar to those society wages with any other illegal, undesirable activity.
Jeffrey Hay, Ladner, B.C.
http://www.nationalpost.com/Keep+drugs+going/5890195/story.html
12/4/11
Neuroscientist strongly against pot; lost three colleagues to it
(A letter in The Province, Nov. 29, 2011 • Section: Opinion)
The pot pushing club of Vancouver mayors has now reached four. British Columbians should firmly reject their entreaties to legalize marijuana.
They wish to enhance its availability on the grounds that it will bring revenue to the city and is harmless. Just say no. It is not a harmless agent. Our brain research laboratory at UBC published a series of papers in the 1970s specifically demonstrating brain damage from cannabis. I was invited to testify before a U.S. congressional committee on our findings. Three of my scientists ignored those findings. As marijuana users, they became incapable of designing and executing experiments. They were the only three I have lost in more than 50 years of managing young neuroscientists.
I have never been able to understand why anybody would be so foolish as to monkey with the biochemistry of their most precious organ, their brain.
Drug addiction is contagious. One user seduces another. As Vancouver mayors have found, Vancouver has a terrible problem dealing with the wasted lives of the addicted community. But that problem will soon spread to drug-free communities in this province and across Canada if the mayors’ advice is followed.
Criminals make money by addicting the foolish. It may be too late for the older generation who think exposure to marijuana is fine, but the younger generation could eliminate the problem.
Just say no to marijuana and no to being surrounded by users. They create nothing but problems for themselves and others.
Dr. Patrick McGeer, University of B.C.
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2011/11/29/province-letters-title-goes-here/
The pot pushing club of Vancouver mayors has now reached four. British Columbians should firmly reject their entreaties to legalize marijuana.
They wish to enhance its availability on the grounds that it will bring revenue to the city and is harmless. Just say no. It is not a harmless agent. Our brain research laboratory at UBC published a series of papers in the 1970s specifically demonstrating brain damage from cannabis. I was invited to testify before a U.S. congressional committee on our findings. Three of my scientists ignored those findings. As marijuana users, they became incapable of designing and executing experiments. They were the only three I have lost in more than 50 years of managing young neuroscientists.
I have never been able to understand why anybody would be so foolish as to monkey with the biochemistry of their most precious organ, their brain.
Drug addiction is contagious. One user seduces another. As Vancouver mayors have found, Vancouver has a terrible problem dealing with the wasted lives of the addicted community. But that problem will soon spread to drug-free communities in this province and across Canada if the mayors’ advice is followed.
Criminals make money by addicting the foolish. It may be too late for the older generation who think exposure to marijuana is fine, but the younger generation could eliminate the problem.
Just say no to marijuana and no to being surrounded by users. They create nothing but problems for themselves and others.
Dr. Patrick McGeer, University of B.C.
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2011/11/29/province-letters-title-goes-here/
10/23/11
Legalizations have killed countless millions of people; countless medical costs
Legalizing drugs isn’t the answer
by MARGARET WENTE, columnist for Globe and Mail, Oct. 20, 2011
"Mr. Kleiman maintains that legalizing drugs would create far bigger problems than the legalizers think. Consider alcohol and tobacco, which are heavily taxed and regulated, and are the focus of massive public health campaigns. Even so, both are associated with major public health disasters. Alcohol alone kills more than 100,000 people a year in North America – more than all illicit drugs combined.".....
by MARGARET WENTE, columnist for Globe and Mail, Oct. 20, 2011
"Mr. Kleiman maintains that legalizing drugs would create far bigger problems than the legalizers think. Consider alcohol and tobacco, which are heavily taxed and regulated, and are the focus of massive public health campaigns. Even so, both are associated with major public health disasters. Alcohol alone kills more than 100,000 people a year in North America – more than all illicit drugs combined.".....
9/30/11
Doctor: Marijuana has no place in society
National Post · Letter section, Sept. 30, 2011
Re: A Misguided Sense Of Justice, letter to the editor, Sept. 28; Pot Growers Face More Jail Than Rapists, Sept. 23.
Two letters criticize the government's plan to increase the punishment for marijuana growers. As a psychiatrist who has been practising for more than 30 years, I have seen the extensive harm smoking pot has done in terms of mental well-being for countless people and their families. Many small marijuana growers share or sell their crop with others, whose brains became poisoned, resulting in paranoia, psychotic behaviour, amotivation and many of these damages become chronic and long lasting, contrary to what most people may think.
Some of their presentations are indistinguishable from long-term psychosis. Comparing the punishment for marijuana growers with sexual predators is like comparing apples with oranges. They are both unacceptable and should not be tolerated in our society.
Dr. Henry T. Chuang, Calgary
http://www.financialpost.com/todays-paper/Marijuana+place+society/5480484/story.html
Re: A Misguided Sense Of Justice, letter to the editor, Sept. 28; Pot Growers Face More Jail Than Rapists, Sept. 23.
Two letters criticize the government's plan to increase the punishment for marijuana growers. As a psychiatrist who has been practising for more than 30 years, I have seen the extensive harm smoking pot has done in terms of mental well-being for countless people and their families. Many small marijuana growers share or sell their crop with others, whose brains became poisoned, resulting in paranoia, psychotic behaviour, amotivation and many of these damages become chronic and long lasting, contrary to what most people may think.
Some of their presentations are indistinguishable from long-term psychosis. Comparing the punishment for marijuana growers with sexual predators is like comparing apples with oranges. They are both unacceptable and should not be tolerated in our society.
Dr. Henry T. Chuang, Calgary
http://www.financialpost.com/todays-paper/Marijuana+place+society/5480484/story.html
9/18/11
Vancouver afraid to offend drug addicts---legalizes drug abuses with free crack pipes
Drug addicts should be sent to isolated work camps
By Brian Purdy, Postmedia News, September 14, 2011
I prosecuted a lot of drug dealers in Vancouver during my career. Those at the wholesale level were not usually addicts. At the retail level of drug dealing, many were addicts, peddling drugs to anyone, including kids, to obtain money to fuel their addiction.
Of course, the addicts engaged in many other crimes to get money for more drugs. They mugged old ladies, broke into homes and cars, stole from stores and family, broke their parole and probation terms, abused the welfare system, prostituted themselves, and generally led a degenerate, lawless life.
By Brian Purdy, Postmedia News, September 14, 2011
I prosecuted a lot of drug dealers in Vancouver during my career. Those at the wholesale level were not usually addicts. At the retail level of drug dealing, many were addicts, peddling drugs to anyone, including kids, to obtain money to fuel their addiction.
Of course, the addicts engaged in many other crimes to get money for more drugs. They mugged old ladies, broke into homes and cars, stole from stores and family, broke their parole and probation terms, abused the welfare system, prostituted themselves, and generally led a degenerate, lawless life.
7/15/11
Harm reduction enables addiction
(The letter below was published in the July 15, 2011 edition of The Vancouver Courier)
Vancouver Courier, July 15, 2011
To the editor:
I am the founder and director of an unfunded recovery house in Vancouver and have been in operation for 20 years. I read Mark Hasiuk's story about recovery houses and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. Yes, the health ministry is dumping so much money into this harm reduction and it's not helping anyone. If anything, it's enabling addicts to continue. I have been clean and sober myself for 26 years. Harm reduction has created a new breed of drug addicts that walk around with this attitude of entitlement that it's society's job to feel sorry for me. When I was in my addiction, the last thing I needed was somebody feeling sorry for me. Harm reduction would have been perfect for me to continue with my addiction.
Jim Lynch, Vancouver
http://www.vancourier.com/health/Harm+reduction+enables+addiction/5106963/story.html#ixzz1SFGL1jCe
© Copyright (c) Vancouver Courier
Vancouver Courier, July 15, 2011
To the editor:
I am the founder and director of an unfunded recovery house in Vancouver and have been in operation for 20 years. I read Mark Hasiuk's story about recovery houses and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. Yes, the health ministry is dumping so much money into this harm reduction and it's not helping anyone. If anything, it's enabling addicts to continue. I have been clean and sober myself for 26 years. Harm reduction has created a new breed of drug addicts that walk around with this attitude of entitlement that it's society's job to feel sorry for me. When I was in my addiction, the last thing I needed was somebody feeling sorry for me. Harm reduction would have been perfect for me to continue with my addiction.
Jim Lynch, Vancouver
http://www.vancourier.com/health/Harm+reduction+enables+addiction/5106963/story.html#ixzz1SFGL1jCe
© Copyright (c) Vancouver Courier
6/20/11
Pot brownies send seven to hospital
Posted: June 17, 2011, Toronto Sun (Source: QMI Agency)
WOODSTOCK, Ont. -- Seven people were sent to hospital after eating marijuana-laced brownies at a golf course.
Police said an employee of the golf course brought brownies made with marijuana to work Thursday and shared the batch with co-workers, who didn't know the brownies were laced.
The golf course was shut down after seven employees were taken to Woodstock General Hospital following complaints of feeling dizzy and disoriented. The employees were treated and released.
A 19-year-old Woodstock man is charged with administering a noxious substance, possession of a controlled substance and breach of probation.
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/17/pot-brownies-send-seven-to-hospital
WOODSTOCK, Ont. -- Seven people were sent to hospital after eating marijuana-laced brownies at a golf course.
Police said an employee of the golf course brought brownies made with marijuana to work Thursday and shared the batch with co-workers, who didn't know the brownies were laced.
The golf course was shut down after seven employees were taken to Woodstock General Hospital following complaints of feeling dizzy and disoriented. The employees were treated and released.
A 19-year-old Woodstock man is charged with administering a noxious substance, possession of a controlled substance and breach of probation.
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/17/pot-brownies-send-seven-to-hospital
3/15/11
"Medical-marijuana" may well be just "placebo effect"
How a simple sugar pill from the doctor may not be a thing of the past
The placebo effect is so powerful that doctors want to make more use of our ability to 'trick ourselves better’, says Liz Bestic
By Liz Bestic 7:00AM GMT 14 Mar 2011
Not so long ago, it wasn’t unusual for your friendly GP to have at hand a bottle of sugar pills for patients’ minor aches and pains. While sugar pills are no longer on offer, a report out last week revealed that half of all German doctors are happily dishing out placebos to their patients for ailments such as stomach upset and low mood.
The study, published by the German Medical Association, said that placebos – here defined as sham treatments without any active constituents – from vitamin pills to homeopathic remedies and even surgery, can prove effective as treatments for minor problems and are completely without side effects.
The placebo effect is so powerful that doctors want to make more use of our ability to 'trick ourselves better’, says Liz Bestic
By Liz Bestic 7:00AM GMT 14 Mar 2011
Not so long ago, it wasn’t unusual for your friendly GP to have at hand a bottle of sugar pills for patients’ minor aches and pains. While sugar pills are no longer on offer, a report out last week revealed that half of all German doctors are happily dishing out placebos to their patients for ailments such as stomach upset and low mood.
The study, published by the German Medical Association, said that placebos – here defined as sham treatments without any active constituents – from vitamin pills to homeopathic remedies and even surgery, can prove effective as treatments for minor problems and are completely without side effects.
3/14/11
Legal or illegal pot attracts crimes like corpses attract flies
Mayors want end to medical marijuana growing
By Matthew Claxton, Vancouver Sun, March 12, 2011
The mayors of Langley Township and the City of Langley are calling on the federal government to cancel licences for medical marijuana growing operations.
Legal marijuana is proving a major crime headache for the Langleys, which saw another violent attack on a legal growing operation last weekend. On Sunday morning, a medicinal marijuana growing operation in Brookswood was raided by armed thieves, the RCMP say.
"We believe that the time for consultation is over and that action needs to be taken," a letter sent to the federal government by City Mayor Peter Fassbender and Township Mayor Rick Green said.
By Matthew Claxton, Vancouver Sun, March 12, 2011
The mayors of Langley Township and the City of Langley are calling on the federal government to cancel licences for medical marijuana growing operations.
Legal marijuana is proving a major crime headache for the Langleys, which saw another violent attack on a legal growing operation last weekend. On Sunday morning, a medicinal marijuana growing operation in Brookswood was raided by armed thieves, the RCMP say.
"We believe that the time for consultation is over and that action needs to be taken," a letter sent to the federal government by City Mayor Peter Fassbender and Township Mayor Rick Green said.
3/2/11
Marijuana Use Linked to Psychotic Disorders
By Neha Prakash, Mar 2nd 2011 2:18PM
A new study has found that the use of marijuana at a young age will dramatically increase the chance of psychotic disorders later in life, Reuters reports.
Continued use of marijuana doubles the risk of psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions, researchers said.
"This study adds a further brick to the wall of evidence showing that use of traditional cannabis is a contributory cause of psychoses like schizophrenia," said Robin Murray of the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London, who was not involved in the research.
A new study has found that the use of marijuana at a young age will dramatically increase the chance of psychotic disorders later in life, Reuters reports.
Continued use of marijuana doubles the risk of psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions, researchers said.
"This study adds a further brick to the wall of evidence showing that use of traditional cannabis is a contributory cause of psychoses like schizophrenia," said Robin Murray of the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London, who was not involved in the research.
1/9/11
Pro-pot forces want more smokes in air and lungs
Once again, more (endless) bad news about the destructive effects of smoking (any kind). As said in previous posts, all smokes (fumes from fire) are harmful and toxic---there's no such thing as "harmless" smoke, whether it's from tobacco, pot, banana leaf, etc. Don't agree? Then let your children smoke pot everyday.
- Tobacco Smoke Causes Immediate Damage To Cells And Tissue, US Surgeon General
- Even One Cigarette Can Prove Lethal, U.S. Surgeon General Says
- Secondhand Smoke May Put Kids at Risk for Diseases
- Smoking causes gene damage in minutes
Sat Jan 15, 9:17 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Those first few puffs on a cigarette can within minutes cause genetic damage linked to cancer, US scientists said in a study released.
In fact, researchers said the "effect is so fast that it's equivalent to injecting the substance directly into the bloodstream," in findings described as a "stark warning" to those who smoke.
12/14/10
Marijuana, Ecstasy Use Increases Among US Teens
The use of illicit drugs like marijuana and ecstasy among US teens has increased according to a government-sponsored survey, raising concerns about whether the current debates on drug legalization may be sending the wrong message to young Americans.
The survey found that due mostly to an increase in marijuana use, the proportion of eighth-graders (children around 13 and 14 years of age) who said they had used an illicit drug in the past year has risen from 14.5 per cent in 2009 to 16 per cent in 2010.
9/23/10
Aftermath of a decade of no prohibitions
"Harm reduction" advocates target addicts and critics
Supervised injection site epitomizes warped philosophy in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
By Mark Hasiuk, Vancouver Courier, Sept. 15, 2010
In the year 2000, mayor Philip Owen introduced his Four Pillars drug strategy aimed at widespread drug addiction in the Downtown Eastside. The results have been disastrous. Addiction has flourished.
Homelessness has doubled. Blessed with official sanction, the drug culture grows.
Owen left office in 2002, leaving behind a broken neighbourhood. Now a "harm reduction" celebrity, he travels the world attending drug policy conferences in the United States, Europe and Asia. And in 2008, he was named to the Order of Canada, ending any speculation about that institution's relationship with reality.
Meanwhile, back in the Downtown Eastside, a small band of true believers took Owen's cue and mobilized forces--in plain view of a pathetic media--to experiment on neighbourhood residents. In 2003, Insite, the supervised injection site at 139 East Hastings, opened for business. In 2005, at nearby 84 West Hastings, the NAOMI study staged North America's first government-sponsored heroin giveaway. Sometime soon at the same location, hundreds of addicts will receive up to three daily doses of high-grade pharmaceutical heroin as part of the four-year SALOME study.
By Mark Hasiuk, Vancouver Courier, Sept. 15, 2010
In the year 2000, mayor Philip Owen introduced his Four Pillars drug strategy aimed at widespread drug addiction in the Downtown Eastside. The results have been disastrous. Addiction has flourished.
Homelessness has doubled. Blessed with official sanction, the drug culture grows.
Owen left office in 2002, leaving behind a broken neighbourhood. Now a "harm reduction" celebrity, he travels the world attending drug policy conferences in the United States, Europe and Asia. And in 2008, he was named to the Order of Canada, ending any speculation about that institution's relationship with reality.
Meanwhile, back in the Downtown Eastside, a small band of true believers took Owen's cue and mobilized forces--in plain view of a pathetic media--to experiment on neighbourhood residents. In 2003, Insite, the supervised injection site at 139 East Hastings, opened for business. In 2005, at nearby 84 West Hastings, the NAOMI study staged North America's first government-sponsored heroin giveaway. Sometime soon at the same location, hundreds of addicts will receive up to three daily doses of high-grade pharmaceutical heroin as part of the four-year SALOME study.
Use of opiate doda spreading in B.C.: experts
CBC News, August 26, 2010
Consumption of the opiate doda, an illegal and addictive concoction made from dried poppy pods, is out of control in Metro Vancouver's South Asian community, say experts in Surrey.
Dr. Gulzar Cheema said doda has been popular in the South Asian community for years and is currently sold under the counter in many pawnshops, video stores and other retail outlets.
Doda is a powder made by grinding the seed pods of opium poppies and is usually used to make a type of tea.
Police have ignored the problem for so long, it's now as common as marijuana in some circles, said Cheema.
He said recovery from doda addiction can be severe.
"Loss of appetite, tremors, panic, panic attacks," Cheema said. "You get stomach cramps; some people get diarrhea and vomiting."
Consumption of the opiate doda, an illegal and addictive concoction made from dried poppy pods, is out of control in Metro Vancouver's South Asian community, say experts in Surrey.
Dr. Gulzar Cheema said doda has been popular in the South Asian community for years and is currently sold under the counter in many pawnshops, video stores and other retail outlets.
Doda is a powder made by grinding the seed pods of opium poppies and is usually used to make a type of tea.
Police have ignored the problem for so long, it's now as common as marijuana in some circles, said Cheema.
He said recovery from doda addiction can be severe.
"Loss of appetite, tremors, panic, panic attacks," Cheema said. "You get stomach cramps; some people get diarrhea and vomiting."
9/14/10
George Michael gets 8 weeks jail for drug driving
By JILL LAWLESS (AP), 9/14/10
LONDON -- George Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in jail and lost his license for five years Tuesday for driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed his car into a London photo shop.
A British judge told the wayward star his addiction to marijuana put him and the public at risk.
The former Wham! singer pleaded guilty last month to driving under the influence and possession of cannabis following a July 4 collision between his Range Rover and a Snappy Snaps store in north London.
District Judge John Perkins told the singer he had taken a "dangerous and unpredictable mix" of prescription drugs and marijuana.
"It does not appear that you took proper steps to deal with what is clearly an addiction to cannabis," the judge said. "That's a mistake which puts you and, on this occasion, the public at risk."
LONDON -- George Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in jail and lost his license for five years Tuesday for driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed his car into a London photo shop.
A British judge told the wayward star his addiction to marijuana put him and the public at risk.
The former Wham! singer pleaded guilty last month to driving under the influence and possession of cannabis following a July 4 collision between his Range Rover and a Snappy Snaps store in north London.
District Judge John Perkins told the singer he had taken a "dangerous and unpredictable mix" of prescription drugs and marijuana.
"It does not appear that you took proper steps to deal with what is clearly an addiction to cannabis," the judge said. "That's a mistake which puts you and, on this occasion, the public at risk."
9/10/10
A mayor's pre-emptive, enlightened war on homelessness
(Surrey's mayor Dianne Watt is determined to prevent the creation of a Vancouver-style, drug-infested "Downtown Eastside" skid row due to pro-drug liberalism)
Surrey homeless fight starts at the top
by Glenda Luymes, The Province: Friday, September 10, 2010
Erin Barber was running out of options.
After several hours trying to get a heroin addict into detox, the Surrey outreach worker had come up dry.
And as night came on, emergency room staff at Surrey Memorial Hospital said the sick man had to go.
“He’d gone through the worst part of withdrawal,” said Barber. “If he could get into detox, he might have a chance [at recovery]. If he was released on to the street, he’d find a way to use again.”
Barber scrolled through the numbers in her cellphone and decided to make one last call — to the mayor.
You might not expect a desperate outreach worker to call the mayor, but in Surrey, Dianne Watts has made the city’s social issues a personal — and council — priority.
The city was the first in B.C. to establish a homelessness and housing fund armed with $9.7 million for projects aimed at reducing homelessness. The mayor also established a task force of various government, business and community partners to find service gaps and increase communication between service providers.
“The last thing any of us wanted was a Downtown Eastside,” Watts said on a recent tour of the city’s homeless projects. “We made sure we were very hands on.”
And the strategy is working.
After several hours trying to get a heroin addict into detox, the Surrey outreach worker had come up dry.
And as night came on, emergency room staff at Surrey Memorial Hospital said the sick man had to go.
“He’d gone through the worst part of withdrawal,” said Barber. “If he could get into detox, he might have a chance [at recovery]. If he was released on to the street, he’d find a way to use again.”
Barber scrolled through the numbers in her cellphone and decided to make one last call — to the mayor.
You might not expect a desperate outreach worker to call the mayor, but in Surrey, Dianne Watts has made the city’s social issues a personal — and council — priority.
The city was the first in B.C. to establish a homelessness and housing fund armed with $9.7 million for projects aimed at reducing homelessness. The mayor also established a task force of various government, business and community partners to find service gaps and increase communication between service providers.
“The last thing any of us wanted was a Downtown Eastside,” Watts said on a recent tour of the city’s homeless projects. “We made sure we were very hands on.”
And the strategy is working.
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