B.C. doctors given Health Canada approval to prescribe heroin

That's fantastic.

Slowly, the fascist walls of this war on drugs have begun to crumble.

Harper and his hidden agenda Conservatives know their ulterior motive anti-drug policies have begun to lose their sway. In the face of new or recent, science-driven, factual ideology, adults of all ages who once stubbornly walked and talked the path of the Conservative, have begun to embrace the truth. And I rejoice for being alive to witness the recent events of late which have contributed to slowly but surely undermining this 40+ year-old war on drug users which has caused untold amounts of irreparable damage since its inception, ironically by a crooked president.

I optimistically await the day, when no one has their freedom snatched away because they felt the need to self-medicate or experiment with a psychotropic substance. A day when we shall look upon the so-called "war on drugs" in bemusement and sadness at the hands of capitalist hypocrites who where in a position to stop or avoid this altogether, but rather chose to look the other way because of the 'financial benefits' awaiting them.

Lastly, one day, I hope that those in power who would choose to break their promises during elections, particularly in relation to drug policy reform, are impeached and banned for the rest of their lives from politics in general.

Edit - I seriously need to relocate to Vancouver. I grow tired of Toronto. Partly because the Leafs continue to suck.

 

Nobody is harmed by being sentenced to prison.

Have you ever actually done time behind bars in prison? Nevermind the fact that the guards don't give a shit if you're writhing on a concrete floor in agony for days.

For many heroin users, especially those who started using as a means of numbing their pain because (for example) they were bullied non-stop throughout their school years, being locked up can - in a worst case scenario - end up in them committing suicide.

Prison inmates have a tendency to be especially hard on those who they perceive as vulnerable (and it's worse if your skin ain't the same color as theirs). And a new inmate who might still be going through acute withdrawal; who's no doubt craving any opioid at this point; who's very sensitive to physical or emotional pain at this point could easily fit the profile.

That's not all though. Do you know how difficult it can be for someone with a record to get a job?

Let's say the addict survives prison, gets out, manages to clean himself up, and wants to go back to school in hopes of achieving a post-secondary education. However, he doesn't have the money to pay for the course he wishes to take. What then?

Lastly, what if he had a family who relied on him to put food on the table? Unlikely? Believe it or not, there are heroin, cocaine, meth, weed, ecstasy, etc. users out there who are able to use and also have enough money left over to pay for necessities and keep a roof over their heads.

 

Nobody is harmed by being sentenced to prison.

What kind of psychotic, pretentious fantasy world do you live in? The whole purpose is to harm.

 

Prisoners are criminals and yet they maintain the delusion that they are all victims. All you or I would do in prison is spend time relaxing and not occupy ourselves with making everyone's life miserable. It is not the best situation but it would bother me more to be a criminal and liar.

Have you ever actually done time behind bars in prison? Nevermind the fact that the guards don't give a shit if you're writhing on a concrete floor in agony for days.

For many heroin users, especially those who started using as a means of numbing their pain because (for example) they were bullied non-stop throughout their school years, being locked up can - in a worst case scenario - end up in them committing suicide.

Prison inmates have a tendency to be especially hard on those who they perceive as vulnerable (and it's worse if your skin ain't the same color as theirs). And a new inmate who might still be going through acute withdrawal; who's no doubt craving any opioid at this point; who's very sensitive to physical or emotional pain at this point could easily fit the profile.

That's not all though. Do you know how difficult it can be for someone with a record to get a job?

Let's say the addict survives prison, gets out, manages to clean himself up, and wants to go back to school in hopes of achieving a post-secondary education. However, he doesn't have the money to pay for the course he wishes to take. What then?

Lastly, what if he had a family who relied on him to put food on the table? Unlikely? Believe it or not, there are heroin, cocaine, meth, weed, ecstasy, etc. users out there who are able to use and also have enough money left over to pay for necessities and keep a roof over their heads.

Lots more people had difficult childhoods and I do not remember heroin being a time machine where you can go back in time to fix it.
It does not matter whether you end up writhing/bleeding on the floor in prison or a gas station restroom, it is nobody else's fault.
People do not want to hire junkies because they steal things and they find out you are a junkie because you went to prison. Your addiction is a burden to yourself and a danger to others.
These are just facts of life that everyone has to deal with. Do you think it is easy for someone coming off drugs to function simply because they avoided prison?
Prison is the point where your life gets turned around and that is not easy. You will not accept that drugs are a source of trouble; you instead vouch for them.

 

Lots more people had difficult childhoods and I do not remember heroin being a time machine where you can go back in time to fix it.

If you have ever used heroin due to chronic, long-term emotional and/or physical pain from past trauma, you would also know that the whole point of using heroin has nothing to do with its healing properties because - like many other drugs - it has none. The band-aid effect is what users are usually after. A few hours of complete numbness, bliss, and total absence of pain felt when the mind is lucid can make an enormous difference for an individual suffering from the likes of PTSD, depression, neuropathic pain, and so forth.

It does not matter whether you end up writhing/bleeding on the floor in prison or a gas station restroom, it is nobody else's fault.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I've seen countless law-abiding people succumb to drug use due to many things in which another person was involved, including bullying, racism, cheating spouse, sexual abuse, peer pressure, and more.

I have never seen, nor heard of a person randomly deciding one day to inject himself/herself with heroin for no reason.

People do not want to hire junkies because they steal things and they find out you are a junkie because you went to prison.

Not all 'junkies' steal things. And if you believe we do, then I feel sorry for you.

Your addiction is a burden to yourself and a danger to others.

It appears that - based on what I've read from you in the previous posts - that you actually know very little about drug addiction. Your opinions sound like they're based on anything but first-hand experience.

Do you think it is easy for someone coming off drugs to function simply because they avoided prison?

Prison or no prison, it's never easy. However, in my experience, it's easier when your freedom hasn't been taken away because of a bunch of draconian laws passed several decades ago for reasons other than health concerns.

I don't think. I know - because I've been forced to kick the habit behind bars, and I've also quit cold turkey countless times at home.

What you don't seem to understand about trying to quit heroin is that the cravings remain long after the acute phase has passed. So once I got out of prison, guess what I did?

Prison is the point where your life gets turned around and that is not easy.

Again, if you truly believe that, then you have no idea what you're talking about.

You will not accept that drugs are a source of trouble; you instead vouch for them.

If you knew your history, you would know that therapeutic and recreational drug use in general was never frowned upon (for thousands of years) until some racist American bureaucrats decided that they didn't like seeing Caucasians mingling with Asians in opium dens; until some racist American bureaucrats decided that they didn't like seeing African-American men sharing their marijuana with Caucasian women.

I have never "vouched" for the use of mind altering substances. I have also acknowledged that no drug use is 100% safe. And I've also repeatedly stated that it would be best if you could live your life without resorting to drug use.

However, I will never think less of someone because (s)he is an addict.

 

Shooting heroin is a choice that says something about you. People learn from mistakes, history, they do not crawl back into a time without knowledge.

 

That was an extremely thorough, well thought out reply to all of the legitimate points raised and questions (some of them rhetorical, aren't they all?) put to you. Well done.

 

I did.

 

Shooting heroin is a choice that says something about you.

And what exactly does shooting heroin say about me? That I'm an addict? And a criminal? That I owe some minimum mandatory debt to society in a federal 'pound me in the ass' prison for choosing to do with my body and mind as I please? That as a non-violent heroin addict I deserve to have my freedom unjustly stolen from me to be left to rot away in a cell? That I serve more time in prison than the likes of someone who is truly a danger to society, such as a serial rapist?! All because I injected a mixture of water and what is basically morphine (formulated to bind itself to my mu-opioid receptors faster, and used as a prescription medication in several western nations) in the form of a powder, which began its "life" on this planet inside the fruit (or pod) of a plant?!

Please, do tell - by injecting the aforementioned water and powder mixture into one of my veins, who exactly did I victimize? Who did I assault? Or rape? Or murder? Since you claim that as a heroin addict I am a danger to others, for me to commit a crime, I'd imagine there needs to be a victim. Would you please point him or her out to me?

So... who have I committed a crime against? Myself? If that's the case, I hereby would very much like to NOT press charges.

Do you still not see how utterly stupid this is? Don't you understand that you and your kind have been basically dictating to the nation what they can and cannot put inside what always has been, and what always will be their own property (their body)?!

How dare you! How fucking dare you - to think that you have some divine right to judge me for what I choose to do with my own body!

Only when I truly begin to hurt others, only when there is a victim because of my "problem" - and ONLY then - is when your ridiculous ideology has any fucking merit whatsoever. And that has never happened as of yet. And I imagine it will never happen, because, as a humanist, I respect a person's property - for which (s)he may have worked hard for - far too much to lay a hand on it. And I've also been the victim of two home invasions - so I know how it feels to have something you've put forth a lot of money and a colossal amount of effort towards to obtain taken from you, never to be seen again.

That's right - I swear on my grave that I have never stolen anything whatsoever and used it to support my heroin habit. Furthermore, I also swear on the graves of my children that I have never assaulted, cheated, betrayed, taken advantage, etc. of anyone or anything whatsoever to support my heroin habit.

My God you prohibitionists are unbelievably narrow-minded. It matters not however. Drug laws ARE changing for the better, and there is no stopping it. And no one is gonna tell me what I can or cannot ingest/inject/snort/smoke/etc. The DEA can kiss my ass.

People learn from mistakes, history, they do not crawl back into a time without knowledge.

Indeed we do learn from mistakes, and as proof, the following nations have recently reformed their drug laws:

Portugal - In 2001, Portugal became the first European country to abolish all criminal penalties for personal drug possession. In addition, drug users were to be provided with therapy rather than prison sentences.

Czech Republic - On December 14, 2009, the Czech Republic adopted a new law that took effect on January 1, 2010, and allows a person to possess up to 15 grams of marijuana or 1.5 grams of heroin without facing criminal charges.

Argentina - In August 2009, the Argentine supreme court declared in a landmark ruling that it was unconstitutional to prosecute citizens for having drugs for their personal use - "adults should be free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state".

Costa Rica - Costa Rica has decriminalized drugs for personal consumption.

Ecuador - According to the 2008 Constitution of Ecuador in its Article 364 the Ecuadorian state does not see drug consumption as a crime but only as a health concern. Since June 2013 the State drugs regulatory office CONSEP has published a table which establishes maximum quantities carried by persons so as to be considered in legal possession and that person as not a seller of drugs. The "CONSEP established, at their latest general meeting, that the following quantities be considered the maximum consumer amounts: 10 grams of marijuana or hash, 4 grams of opiates, 100 milligrams of heroin, 5 grams of cocaine, 0.020 milligrams of LSD, and 80 milligrams of methamphetamine or MDMA".

Mexico - In April 2009, the Mexican Congress approved changes in the General Health Law that decriminalized the possession of illegal drugs for immediate consumption and personal use, allowing a person to possess up to 5g of marijuana or 500 mg of cocaine. The only restriction is that people in possession of drugs should not be within a 300 meter radius of schools, police departments, or correctional facilities.

Uruguay - On July 31, 2013, the Uruguayan House of Representatives approved a bill to legalize the production, distribution, sale, and consumption of marijuana by a vote of 50 to 46. The bill heads next to the Senate, where the left-leaning majority coalition, the Broad Front, holds a comfortable majority, the bill was approved in senate by 16 to 13 on 10-December-2013. The bill will now be presented to President José Mujica, also of the Broad Front coalition, who has supported legalization since June 2012. Relating this vote to the 2012 legalization of marijuana by the U.S. states Colorado and Washington, John Walsh, drug policy expert of the Washington Office on Latin America, stated that "Uruguay's timing is right. Because of last year’s Colorado and Washington State votes to legalize, the U.S. government is in no position to browbeat Uruguay or others who may follow.”

 

Prison is the point where your life gets turned around and that is not easy. You will not accept that drugs are a source of trouble; you instead vouch for them.

Prison is the point when that life is permanently entrenched since meaningful employment is no longer possible and crime is a necessity. Drug use is a victimless crime, therefore the offenders are being victimized by the system to protect your precious alcohol and tobacco industries' profits. They wouldn't be criminals or commit crime to get money if there was no black market pricing.

I'm sure you will arrogantly spew more status quo supporting bullshit and fail to respond to the points I make. It is like you lack the mental capacity to even conceive of the arguments we make so you oversimplify and ignore.

 

OK. "No one is gonna tell me what I can or cannot ingest/inject/snort/smoke/etc. The DEA can kiss my ass." Well, obviously they can.
The only country's drug law on your list I have any familiarity is Portugal. They do not send you to prison.
That is what worries you, a possible year in prison. Comparing yourself with a serial rapist serves no purpose.
I see nothing universal in your principles. You tailored them them to this situation; not with good practical reasoning. It is not like you can say a person harming them self does no harm to others.
If you do that then I can say with as much validity that prison does no harm. Since it is technically true that prison does no harm, whereas heroin actually does. My case will always be stronger.
There are resources available at prison and there is a huge difference between breaking the law and actually disagreeing with it.

 

That is what worries you, a possible year in prison.

What worries me is several years in prison. Read up on mandatory minimums.

Comparing yourself with a serial rapist serves no purpose.

Unbelievable - I just told you that because of certain laws put in place dubbed "mandatory minimums" (for possession of certain Schedule I drugs), it is common for a non-violent drug addict to serve more time in prison for a victimless crime than (for example) a serial rapist. Yet the comparison "serves no purpose".

I see nothing universal in your principles.

Well since you mention it, I see nothing but black and white in yours.

You tailored them them to this situation; not with good practical reasoning.

It may seem that way to you, possibly because you haven't been to prison, nor have you lived the life of a heroin addict. However, my opinions are based on decades of first-hand as well as formal experience. I've literally been there, done that for more years than I care to admit, and, out of fascination and a desire to learn, I've studied quite extensively what I was once addicted to.

I'm no Alexander Shulgin, not even close come to think of it, but I'm humbly confident that my experiences have provided me with a wealth of knowledge which I use to the best of my ability to speak out against these draconian laws which were put in place for reasons other than health concerns.

I'd like to also point out that in the past couple years, I've saved the lives of 3 acquiantances who were ODing. I'd like to thank in part BL for the untold amount of HR info it has made available to the public.

It is not like you can say a person harming them self does no harm to others.

Playing the morality card are we?

Well I'm laughing now, since you told me in your own words that my opinions and arguments appear to be based on biased ideology rather than good, sound logic.

Please let me know when hurting someone's feelings becomes a felony.

If you do that then I can say with as much validity that prison does no harm.

So if I hurt someone's feelings because (s)he witnesses me shooting heroin, the amount of pain I've inflicted will effectively nullify any physical pain (i.e. from the occasional cafeteria brawl) I'm about to experience in prison?

Since it is technically true that prison does no harm, whereas heroin actually does. My case will always be stronger.

Whatever you say. Some stellar practical reasoning on your part - especially since it sounds like you've done neither.

There are resources available at prison and there is a huge difference between breaking the law and actually disagreeing with it.

Thank you for clearing that up.

 

^Thank you for putting a cohesive response together to all pmoseman's hateful posts. They were giving me a headache just trying to come up with a good way of saying, "What?"

 

What worries me is several years in prison.

Because you are still using heroin?

 

So Pmoseman, if someone grabbed you out of your home today, put you in a cage, and kept you there for a couple years, you would not consider this harmful? Are you defining "harm" as strictly physical damage?

 

"An action can be instituted for the damages ensuing from false arrest, such as loss of salary while imprisoned, or injury to reputation that results in a pecuniary loss to the victim. Ill will and malice are not elements of the tort, but if these factors are proven, Punitive Damages can be awarded in addition to Compensatory Damages or nominal damages."

Harm - [heroin addicts] only real harm comes from the fact that the drug is illegal

I am not sure you can (easily) classify prison as harmful (under a more general meaning) since it would depend on context. A guy living on the street may for various reasons be saved by imprisonment. It wastes time, is that harm?, and can be psychologically painful, but again that is a tricky way to define harm. Anything and everything, even things considered good, such as giving meat to a starving vegan, would be harmful, depending on disposition.
Prison seems less harmful than addiction. Modern prison is not the most healthy place you can be, but isn't months behind bars better than months spent using heroin?

What ro4eva was complaining about was the two in combination. While I may not have direct experience, I gather heroin addiction means not using heroin out of any need. To use ro4eva's own words, sparingly, a "bandaid" that doesn't work. Then he spends years in prison on a mandatory charge that either no longer exists or ro4eva was traffick

I imagine you've never been?

My views on prison is that of a real prison experience.
Myself personally being a prisoner is unnecessary.

Prison is punishment, not rehabilitation.

I guess it depends on the prison, but they do offer programs for rehab and employment. Prisons seem certain to be moving in that direction once again.
As far as prison "ruining" your life. You break the law in prison and end up doing the same thing you did before you got out and hang out with the same people. That is ineffective but it is not up to the prison system. Prison deters crime and keeps criminals off the street.

 

Prisons corrupt and ruin far more people than are ever "saved" by it. Their entire purpose is to punish, and to deter crime by being a serious threat. You are really underestimating the negative psychological aspect. I imagine you've never been?

 

My views on prison is that of a real prison experience.
Myself personally being a prisoner is unnecessary.

What does that even mean? That you've visited a prison?
Walking through empty Alcatraz is apples-and-oranges comparison to spending even one night in county lockup.

Prison is punishment, not rehabilitation. So what are we punishing people for? We're taking people that already "don't fit" in society and making sure that they never fit again. Treatment is the obvious choice, encouraging abstinence or harm reduction for early users and minimizing negative societal impact for habitual users. When it has been tried with good intent and reasonable resources, these programs are almost without exception enormous successes (by nearly any definition of the word--number of addicts, number entering treatment, stopping the spread of disease, overdoses, etc).

 

Because you are still using heroin?

Poly drug user, not just heroin. It's not something I'm proud to let everyone know, believe me. But as I said before, I'll be damned if these fools running the show think they have the right to dictate to us what we can/cannot consume.

Harm - [heroin addicts] only real harm comes from the fact that the drug is illegal

You've got a point there.

I am not sure you can (easily) classify prison as harmful (under a more general meaning) since it would depend on context.

Despite what you may think about the correctional system in the US, I guarantee you that should you end up doing some time behind bars for something/anything, your opinion of "good intentions" will change dramatically.

You've probably heard the saying "never trust a drug addict"; but please trust me when I say to you that prison is rotten, and it's not a place where anyone would wanna live - homeless or not.

The worst part by far - for myself - has to do with privacy. There is none. Period. And should you decide to peacefully protest, it's never gonna end well.

Certain guards will do some pretty big favors for cigarettes, since a pack is now what it is. I would have been shanked had I said anything. And I have been shanked on one occasion - I believe it was the (very sharpened) butt end of a toothbrush. It did more damage than you'd think. But I digress.

Ever heard of the Stanford prison experiment? You've read this - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment

A guy living on the street may for various reasons be saved by imprisonment. It wastes time, is that harm?

It will also cost the tax payers up to $50,000 annually to keep him locked up.

While that homeless individual may look miserable, and probably smell awful, there's one thing (s)he has on the outside that doesn't exist in there. And it's freedom - which may seem silly to bring up, but I'd probably get my ass severely beaten for putting freedom and silly in the same sentence, if I would be speaking it to an inmate who's got years to go before he's out.

Modern prison is not the most healthy place you can be, but isn't months behind bars better than months spent using heroin?

In my experience, it's not, because (a) heroin and other drugs were available to certain inmates when I was locked up, and (b) the psychological aspect of heroin addiction leaves a former user craving the drug incessantly months after his/her last fix. It's the reason why methadone clinics exist (that and they make a ton of money).

What ro4eva was complaining about was the two in combination. While I may not have direct experience, I gather heroin addiction means not using heroin out of any need. To use ro4eva's own words, sparingly, a "bandaid" that doesn't work.

I don't think you understand what "the bandaid effect" means. I'll give you some examples:

a) John has a headache, he takes some Tylenol and it kills his headache for 4 hours, then it returns.
b) Jane is fatigued and is experiencing trouble concentrating on her work, which needs to be completed before she leaves her job for the day. She goes to the cafeteria on a 15min break and drinks a double-espresso. It helps her concentrate for 3 hours, but she still hasn't finished all her work.
c) Jeff the heroin addict is beginning to feel like he's got a very bad case of the flu. In reality it's the start of acute opiate withdrawal. He manages to prepare a syringe with a mixture of water/heroin and injects it into a suitable vein. Jeff feels fine now, but he knows that in a few hours he's gonna have to repeat the process or risk getting sick again.

Then he spends years in prison on a mandatory charge that either no longer exists or ro4eva was traffick

Excuse me if I'm not willing to go into details, but believe what you want. I was looking at up to 7 years last time. If there's a next time, it will be 7 years.

My views on prison is that of a real prison experience. Myself personally being a prisoner is unnecessary.

On the contrary, I think some prison time is exactly what you need. San Quentin.

 

Pmoseman you sir have no business speaking of opiate addiction or prison. I find your crass holier than thou attitude alarming and I pray you never have the opportunity to create policy.

I am a morphine addict in recovery. I sought the band aid. I know. You Mr. Moseman do not.

 

Isn't it funny how arrogant, simple-minded, pretentious types like pmoseman always seem to mindlessly support the status quo?