UK - Born junkies

[edgarshade]

The Sun

3 babies hooked on heroin or crack born every day

THREE babies a day born in Britain are addicted to heroin, crack cocaine and other drugs, shock figures reveal. Junkie mothers over the last five years have given birth to 5,500 children who were already hooked. Department of Health statistics show the newborns all showed “neo-natal withdrawal symptoms” within the first few hours of life. These are the same terrible symptoms experienced by hardened addicts when they come off drugs. The babies need specialised care to cope with severe vomiting, seizures, fever and breathing difficulties.

Former cop Norman Brennan, who campaigns to help victims of crime, hopes the figures will make Lib Dem leader Mr Clegg rethink his recent comments. He said: “For 31 years as a police officer I saw first-hand how drugs destroyed the lives of users and their families — and devastated whole communities.

“I am fed up with the liberal elite talking about legalising drugs when they haven’t the first idea about the consequences or scale of the problem.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...ed-on-heroin-or-crack-are-born-every-day.html

 

[edgarshade]

Here's the DM version of the article...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ies-Three-born-day-hooked-heroin-cocaine.html

Judging by the top-rated comments at the end of both articles it looks like the tabloids have successfully ingrained the association between liberals+legalisation=babies on crack.

Most articles that discuss legalisation get a favourable response from the readers but an article like this swings things firmly the other way. I can't believe people are so gullible but it looks like their emotions get the better of them every time.

I remember seeing an article here a while ago, can't place it, that followed up the famous "crack babies" and found they grew up in good health. A baby born to an alcoholic wouldn't be so lucky. They'd be brain-damaged for life.

 

[Crankinit]

When every other argument fails:

 

[pete+carl]

no baby should be forced to go through that whether alcohol or other drug withdrawl
the worst part is probably though the baby then going to live in a far from ideal enviroment caused by the parents substance dependance and then either living in care or under constant questioning from social services

 

[23536]

no baby should be forced to go through that whether alcohol or other drug withdrawl

This got me thinking: if the person is too young to be self-conscious and won't remember the experience, does the experience really matter? This is aside from any physical harm that may come from substance withdrawal. I guess what I'm asking is: is infant opioid detoxification such a big deal?

 

[edgarshade]

At least they come through with a full deck of cards. Alcohol babies aren't so lucky. They have an underdeveloped brain that will probably burden them for the rest of their lives.