Give addicts free foil to smoke heroin instead of injecting it, says government

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RTrain

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Try reading this, it is beyond ridiculous:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ead-injecting-says-government-drugs-tsar.html

I can't imagine how much they pay this idiot to help "solve" the problems of societies drug abuse, but anything more than $1 is too much. I mean this is just laughable, it has so many flaws and is just a pathetic idea to begin with. So sad that this is the grand plan for an expert, this is his ace in the hole.

Heroin addicts should be handed free tin foil, to encourage them to smoke rather than inject the drug, the Government’s drug tsar said.

Prof Les Iversen, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, said inhaling heroin was safer than injecting it - because it removes the risk of catching dangerous diseases from needle sharing.

Drug addicts can already access free needles and syringes from the NHS, and Prof Iversen said tin foil should be added to the list of approved paraphernalia.
Prof Les Iversen said using foil to inhale heroin was safer than injecting it. This photograph is posed by a model

Prof Les Iversen said using foil to inhale heroin was safer than injecting it. This photograph is posed by a model

He said: ‘We recommended that aluminium foil should be part of legal paraphernalia.

'Heroin addicts and other injecting drug addicts can already obtain needles, sterile water and alcohol wipes etc legally so we’ve suggested that foil should be added to that list.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...says-government-drugs-tsar.html#ixzz2WhL7Z65N
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Last edited by a moderator:
These kind of things belong in Drug in the Media. I've changed your thread title to an appropriate heading and added a quote to adhere to the destination forums guidelines.

Basic -> DITM
 
It's about time addicts can easily obtain aluminum foil.Who knows how many addicts who tried in the past have said fuck it, I'm just injecting that shit.
 
We do this in Ireland as the foil that is given out at neddle exchanges is less harmful than using the stuff we all put our sandwhichs in.

I don't see how anyone can be against this it is a basic HR principle; actully I would like the OP to explain why this is a bad idea. Especially I would like to see how someone can argue that spending a dollar on such a proven harm reduction practice can be wrong, as well as educating us all as to what these flaws are that they think the see. It has helped reduce the amount of lung/res infections that smokers can develope.

It has been available in Ireland for over 5 years.
 
I guess they could offer it. Dont know how many IV addicts would take them up on that tho, and if needles are already available, hopefully that cuts the amount of sharing needles a fair bit.
 
There's no way I'd swap to smoking after injecting it for so long, can't think of anyone who would.
 
Yeah people IV instead of smoking because it's more effective, not because needles are easier to find that foil. Though I guess it can't hurt.
 
Doody OD said:
actully I would like the OP to explain why this is a bad idea. Especially I would like to see how someone can argue that spending a dollar on such a proven harm reduction practice can be wrong
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The idea that a government body would spend energy and resources handing something like tinfoil out seems pretty stupid in my mind. I understand the motives but that does virtually nothing in the way of harm reduction. A needle exchange prevents disease, etc.
 
LOL That is absurd.

Now you are gonna create a shit load of lung disease cases...

Not to mention you will have countless people realizing that they are wasting drugs if it is not freebased....
 
trees_please said:
The idea that a government body would spend energy and resources handing something like tinfoil out seems pretty stupid in my mind. I understand the motives but that does virtually nothing in the way of harm reduction. A needle exchange prevents disease, etc.
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If it is reducing the amount of res infections/illness how is it doing nothing in terms of HR? This reduces the amount of addicts seeking treatment for those illness which in turn reduces the overall spend. This is also preventing illness in the same way needle exchanges reduce the spread of blood born viruses.
 
Psychedelic Jay said:
LOL That is absurd.

Now you are gonna create a shit load of lung disease cases...

Not to mention you will have countless people realizing that they are wasting drugs if it is not freebased....
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How will it cause that, it acucally reduces the amount of res/lung infections compared to normal shop bought foil.
 
Doody OD said:
If it is reducing the amount of res infections/illness how is it doing nothing in terms of HR? This reduces the amount of addicts seeking treatment for those illness which in turn reduces the overall spend. This is also preventing illness in the same way needle exchanges reduce the spread of blood born viruses.
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I've always IVd heroin, but I'm inclined to agree with you in some ways...what could it hurt to give out perfectly packaged little squares of foil to smoke it with along with the IV stuff...

Let's face it, a lot of younger people start IVing sooner because they see the more experienced users doing it that way and just wanna feel like they're really part of the "whole scene"......Maybe handing out foil at the same place as they're handing out needles would actually make it so that more people smoked it...I don't think it's a bad idea...Small investment for the foil, so fuck it!

Also, WE could go to the store and but foil....but how many of us WILL go to the store and buy foil?!

And even after IVing heroin for 15+ years, if I went to a needle exchange and they just handed me a little packet with "special little foils" for smoking....shit I'd probably smoke a little just for the hell of it...
 
BlueHues said:
I've always IVd heroin, but I'm inclined to agree with you in some ways...what could it hurt to give out perfectly packaged little squares of foil to smoke it with along with the IV stuff...

Let's face it, a lot of younger people start IVing sooner because they see the more experienced users doing it that way and just wanna feel like they're really part of the "whole scene"......Maybe handing out foil at the same place as they're handing out needles would actually make it so that more people smoked it...I don't think it's a bad idea...Small investment for the foil, so fuck it!

Also, WE could go to the store and but foil....but how many of us WILL go to the store and buy foil?!

And even after IVing heroin for 15+ years, if I went to a needle exchange and they just handed me a little packet with "special little foils" for smoking....shit I'd probably smoke a little just for the hell of it...
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Well the thing is we all know the stuff we buy in the shop gives off fumes that are not conductive to our health and can cause various infections/illness over time. The foil given out at neddle exchanges does not contain or give off those fumes, hence on a HR basis it reduces the harm involved on smoking heroin.

That would be the main reason for it use in Ireland, and in Ireland we are always years behind the UK, so if we are giving out for the past five years it is being given out in the UK for much longer.

Now I'm not sure how sucessful it would be for in trying to reducing the amount of people IVing, some people swicth for various reasons but I cannot see the availability of foil being a strong factor, I favour it for its role in reducing illness/infections.
 
^I'm from the US....I've seen people smoke the powder heroin here, but it's very rare on the East Coast....Smoking tar is far more common going westward in the states...but I've never seen foils given out anywhere on the west coast needle exchanges, but I usually buy my needles here for the last 7 or so years....Exchanges are kind of obsolete in most of the US now...

I don't think it would get many IV users to switch to smoking, but it may get a few people considering IVing heroin to smoke it instead....Even if it stopped 3% of would-be IV users from shooting I think it would be worth it....considering the cost of foil

And like you mentioned, the foil given out to smoke would probably not be quite as fucked up as what you would buy from a shop....
 
BlueHues said:
^I'm from the US....I've seen people smoke the powder heroin here, but it's very rare on the East Coast....Smoking tar is far more common going westward in the states...but I've never seen foils given out anywhere on the west coast needle exchanges, but I usually buy my needles here for the last 7 or so years....Exchanges are kind of obsolete in most of the US now...

I don't think it would get many IV users to switch to smoking, but it may get a few people considering IVing heroin to smoke it instead....Even if it stopped 3% of would-be IV users from shooting I think it would be worth it....considering the cost of foil

And like you mentioned, the foil given out to smoke would probably not be quite as fucked up as what you would buy from a shop....
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Smoking would be a lot more common both here and in the UK, I don't think I have ever heard of Tar being used over here. The foil given out by exchanges is specially designed for smoking so it does not give out the same harmful chemicals as normal foil.

Exchanges here give out works etc, condoms, foil and there was a trial with crack pipes but it did not take off. As far as I know some exchanges in the UK may issues Pipes. The idea with the pipes is to stop sharing with pipes as there is a risk of Hec C from it, the pipes come with changeable mouth pieces. Those as I said there are not current given out here, and I'm not sure how common they are in the UK.
 
Doody OD said:
How will it cause that, it acucally reduces the amount of res/lung infections compared to normal shop bought foil.
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There is no difference between this foil and foil in shops...

Chasing many drugs leads to a higher chance of lung infection, and lowering lung function... Smoking heroin does leave residue. Most of it is on the foil, some of it in your lungs...

I’d say handing out cheap needles, filters, alcohol swabs and gauze is a better alternative...
 
^Are you 100% sure there would be no difference between store-bought foil and foil specifically produced to smoke from? Maybe there's not, I have no way of knowing...but there is a marked difference between brand-name "choreBoy" and cheaper generic copper scouring pads that people use to smoke crack...

Also, it all comes down to what actually kills more people...an IV overdose or a lung infection from smoking heroin....Personally, I don't know of anyone who's died of complications related to smoking heroin...
 
BlueHues said:
^Are you 100% sure there would be no difference between store-bought foil and foil specifically produced to smoke from? Maybe there's not, I have no way of knowing...but there is a marked difference between brand-name "choreBoy" and cheaper generic copper scouring pads that people use to smoke crack...

Also, it all comes down to what actually kills more people...an IV overdose or a lung infection from smoking heroin....Personally, I don't know of anyone who's died of complications related to smoking heroin...
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I do.

They mostly died from this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalopathy
 
^I'm not trying to start a fight with you or contradict you in any way....but do you actually think the risks associated with smoking heroin outweight the risks of IVing heroin? And, do you personally know anyone who's died from "encephalopathy" related to their smoking heroin? And if so, does the number of people you know who've died as a result of smoking heroin exceed the number of people you personally know who've died from IVing heroin?
 
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