• 🇬🇧󠁿 🇸🇪 🇿🇦 🇮🇪 🇬🇭 🇩🇪 🇪🇺
    European & African
    Drug Discussion

    Welcome Guest!
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
  • EADD Moderators: Shambles

Brighton considers drug-use rooms in bid to reduce deaths

BecomingJulie

BecomingJulie

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Nov 28, 2010
Messages
4,323
Location
The Banks of the Trent and Mersey Canal
Brighton could become the first city in the UK to provide rooms where people would be able to use illegal drugs safely without the fear of prosecution.

Their use is one of the recommendations in an independent report commissioned by Brighton and Hove City Council.

The aim would be to reduce drug-related deaths in a city described as having had "a drug abuse problem for decades".

Sussex Police welcomed the report but emphasised the importance of a "holistic approach" to illegal drugs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22188476
 
They discussed this briefly on 'The Wright Stuff' this morning and from what was said on there it seems that a lot of the locals in Brighton think it is a good idea as it removes addicts from the streets and will help reduce the number of used needles left lying around on the streets,parks etc.
Hope more cities follow Brightons example.
 
This is so much bullshit it's unreal. I heard this on the BBC1 breakfast news this morning. In the studio, they had the obligatory 'recovering addict', whom I was expecting to present a plausible case for drug law reforms. Unfortunately, as soon as he opened his mouth, it was obvious he was just another token 'reformed junkie' regurgitating the usual 'abstinence' bollocks. What he could have said was "instead of providing a safe environment in which to take illegal drugs safely, why not legalise those same drugs so that they are not cut with all manner of dangerous substances in the first place! Then it would help to reduce the number of drug fatalities without having to provide 'shooting galleries' which, to be honest, nobody really wants to go to in the first place." This proposal is a pathetic attempt to address the real problem without really doing anything about it at all!!
 
F.U.B.A.R - But it is a start, no?
Anything is better than nothing. But I totally agree that the "reformed addict" speaking against the idea is completely one-sided :|
Though what can you expect? BBC1 news likely chose him to be on the show purely because of his stance on the matter. And I expected there's thousands and thousands of other people - reformed or not - who would be screaming at the telly saying that it's a really good idea!

That's news for you - They bend their reports to support the powers that be :| (most of the time anyway).
 
Furthermore, I just cannot see how this would work at all. OK, you score your 10, 20 bag or whatever (from an unknown source). You turn up (probably after a considerable amount of hassle) at your 'local' (i.e. one place in Brighton) 'shooting gallery'. What happens then? If the staff don't know you, then you will undoubtedly have to undergo an assessment of your current level of addiction (as per methadone prescribing). If they do know you, having been several times before, then they will still have to ask you several questions about the gear you've got - have you had it before, how strong is it, etc. Then, after all that, you finally do the bizz. Great, there are trained nurses on hand if anything goes wrong, but 9 times out of 10, nothing will. Is this really the ideal environment for anyone to take drugs? No, is it fuck!! If you were guaranteed to get unadulterated drugs from a reliable source, then we wouldn't need this pathetic attempt at 'harm reduction'.
 
monstanoodle said:
F.U.B.A.R - But it is a start, no?
Anything is better than nothing. But I totally agree that the "reformed addict" speaking against the idea is completely one-sided :|
Though what can you expect? BBC1 news likely chose him to be on the show purely because of his stance on the matter. And I expected there's thousands and thousands of other people - reformed or not - who would be screaming at the telly saying that it's a really good idea!

That's news for you - They bend their reports to support the powers that be :| (most of the time anyway).
Click to expand...

Yeah, maybe it's a 'start'. But it's going to do fuck all to address the crime problem, whilst at the same time putting another strain on the NHS which, frankly, we can do without at this present time.
 
I fully agree with you there mate.
Nothing but legalisation will stop the dealers making money and using it toward expanding their "empire" into other, really fucking grim, activities such as slave-trade where they get women from their home countries or anywhere else and put them into the sex-trade :(

And when you mention the deaths, I'd like to think that such houses would be stocked with substances to counteract overdoses.
They likely won't for now, but when they find people dead in their rooms, then it will have to be a precaution to take. To be there with Naltrexone if someone ODs on Opiates, and hopefully some will come along for Cocaine ODs (there aren't really any concrete ones for that atm).

It'd be like having a "sitter" during someone goes through a psychedelic experience.
 
I read about this at the weekend & discussed it with a few people a pretty diverse bunch from Chemists to Addicts . The common theme that we came to was that this is more of a publicity , attention effort than a geniuine Real Deal start of something that will change the way the public think about Injecting Addicts .

I have been on the streets with a habit & done my shit outside but would usually go for a MC Hit . Most people want to take their stuff at home or some one elses.
Like FUBAR said the Gear is still going to be the same cut up Shite so it's a strange one . Will it save lives ? Maybe .
Stop the spread of BBVs hopefully .
Make a difference to me & everyone that doesn't live in the Pink Mecca of Brighton ? I don't think so .
Cynicism is ingrained in my psyche , it happens after a while when you have been part of Drug Treatment in the UK for over a decade .

I will be interested in what Anemisia has to say . He is the closest to the action & will be able to give a far better & less grumpy opinion than me .

In the DTES Vancouver where they have a injection room it is in an area of complete mayhem & open air Drug markets . Where will this place be & how will the Police be briefed about patrolling an area where they can make a quick arrest ?
In Switzerland they went the whole Hog & have a proper Diamorphine prescribing system , that is the way forward .
 
maxalfie said:
They discussed this briefly on 'The Wright Stuff' this morning and from what was said on there it seems that a lot of the locals in Brighton think it is a good idea as it removes addicts from the streets and will help reduce the number of used needles left lying around on the streets,parks etc.
Hope more cities follow Brightons example.
Click to expand...

I don't agree that it will remove addicts from the streets at all. A place like this proposed has got to have limits - they are not going to accept someone turning up 5, 6, 7 times a day after each grafting session are they? Hardcore addicts won't give a fuck about places like this because they will need to be controlled. The only people that a place like this will help are those trying to get back to a normal routine and trying to live an 'acceptable' life. These people are more than likely to have a relatively safe place to IV already, the only unknown factor being the quality of the gear they have bought. My argument is that if you can guarantee the quality and purity of the gear in the first place, then you don't need these kind of facilities - let's face it, after a decent dig, all you want to do is gouch out on yer bed and fuck the world! NOT have to then tidy up all your kit, take it to the nearest sanitation bin, get checked over by a nurse, wait until your vital signs are all completely normal (and let's face it, when you're fucked, often your vital signs are far from 'normal'), then given the all clear to go home and crash out! Who the fuck is going to use this facility???
 
It's nice that they're at least thinking about new (at least to this country) ideas but I tend to agree with FUBAR on it being all but pointless. I can't see many addicts wanting to shoot up in such places. Maybe if they happen to be nearby and in a hurry but otherwise I just don't see what the motivation is. Nobody shoots up expecting to OD. Besides, addicts can be a paranoid bunch and places like this would be a magnet for plod to trawl for easy arrests.
 
The Police will love it all those warrants they can serve ..... Street junkies want to do their stuff in private & also there is all the junkie politics .
Sharing the gear etc . You now by a .8 n a w between 4 of you . How does that work out ?
It's these things that only your street grafters really understand & i wonder how they are going to be represented in the decision making process .

This is going to cost money & many people will resent it , will it happen i wonder ?
 
That's a very good point about splitting deals, Brimz. Obviously these shooting gallery places will have to turn a blind eye to possession but will that stretch to what is - in the eyes of the law - dealing?

I can't imagine such places would be very pleasant surroundings to be hitting up in. Gonna have to be pretty heavily supervised to avoid blatant dealing, robbery and the like too which is hardly condusive to a nice chilled dig. What about people that need somebody else to hit them up? Will that be allowed? Can't imagine it would be in case they go over.

All seems rather ill thought out and borderline irrelevant to me.
 
There's one of those in Vancouver isn't there... I watched a short vid about it the other day - Insite or something - I wonder if it's along those lines.. in fact I'll just have a quick look.
http://supervisedinjection.vch.ca/ yeah that's it - the vid is at the bottom of that page. I know that we're talking different countries, but that place they reckon, is a godsend. They even have nurses there that will help you find a vein apparently. I think the statistics are something like 800 people through the door daily.

EDIT - I had not read the other posts properly so sorry to reiterate brimz.
 
I don't think it will save any lives, but should help prevent spread of diseases. It's not perfect, maybe they should just supply the pure heroin themselves
I seriously hope the police don't use it as a simple pick up ground though..
 
K88ABY said:
EDIT - I had not read the other posts properly so sorry to reiterate brimz.
Click to expand...

No Worries:) As you can see the situation in the DTES Vancouver is a unique one & nothing like anywhere in the UK .

All seems rather ill thought out and borderline irrelevant to me.
Click to expand...

Exactly , i thought it would just be me that would think this is a publicity stunt / Look at us aren't we down with Drug addicts .

Brighton have the Green MP Caroline Lucas n i can't help thinking that it's about her Parties profile :sus:
 
Last edited:
Canada is bastard cold though so a nightmare for folk who have to shoot up outdoors. Can see more use in such a place here over the winter maybe.

I'd bet not just one of Spade's balls but both of 'em that there won't be somebody to help with injecting here. Am kinda gobsmacked if they allow it in Canada. Must be an absolute nightmare in terms of legal issues.

Not saying such a place isn't worth trying but it really does seem to be pissing in the wind. There are far bigger problems than having a room to shoot up in where you won't be prosecuted on the spot. Except when you are. Does anybody really think police won't be in and out of a place like that constantly? Or at the very least making their presence known outside. Not just busting folk they don't like for possession but - probably more to the point - warrants as Brimz pointed out.
 
Yes, not enough clear thinking. Why is Switzerland different? Why have they got the monopoly on common sense?

Maybe something to do with Direct Democracy and people actually being responsible for and empowered to make decisions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top