Drugs Deaths...whats the answer?

[SMEE]

This week, Inverness has seen the death of two men (one of which was an old school pal of mine) and 3 overdoses, due to drugs. 9 people have lost their lives in the city this year. This latest two deaths sees 4 kids being left without their fathers, 9 days before xmas. Its truly heartbreaking!

What is the answer to this problem? For me, we in Inverness are now starting to go through what Glasgow and Edinburgh went through in the 80s and Aberdeen in the 90s. Its going to get a lot worse too in the next few yrs.

I dont know whats going on, is it bad quality drugs? Is it down to lack of knowledge or just bad luck?

I see the two scum who were jailed for 12 yrs this week, for dealing in drugs, are planning appealing their sentences. Heres hoping they get chucked out of court, coz its vermin like them that are causing the deaths of too many people.

[dannydoo]

Bad quality drugs coupled with the increased availability of 'harder' drugs such as Heroin and to a lesser extent cocaine. The latter being stupidly easy to OD on having nearly done it myself. Also maybe more dealers from down south are struggling financially in their native territory and are heading up to Inverness as a cash grab?

Only real solution aside from teaching people, not just youngsters, the possible consequences of taking large amounts of drugs is to have police patrols patrolling the A9 and A96 to catch drug runners. A similar approach was taken by Grampian Police Traffic Cops in Aberdeen and from what I hear they catch a good few of them on the A90.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

Decriminilise all drugs

[MrsICTFC]

Decriminilise all drugs

Great idea! :P

My initial reaction looks at a bad batch however, this year there does seem to be an increase in deaths or more publicity. I believe they have cut funding for drug rehabilitation which could also be a factor. Get more police involved in stopping drugs getting her in the 1st place.

It is very complicated.

[Heilandee]

Decriminilise all drugs

I'd tend to agree wi DC, if the demand is there the supply will get through,but it becomes far more dangerous when forced underground.

[Johnboy]

Don't we already have enough problems with alcohol abuse in this country?

[dougiedanger]

Don't we already have enough problems with alcohol abuse in this country?

People should start to protest, come together as communities and insist the dealers are cleared out of their streets. Speak up about it.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

Decriminilise all drugs

Great idea! :P

My initial reaction looks at a bad batch however, this year there does seem to be an increase in deaths or more publicity. I believe they have cut funding for drug rehabilitation which could also be a factor. Get more police involved in stopping drugs getting her in the 1st place.

It is very complicated.

We've obviously lost the war on drugs and its blatantly obvious the police have no control over the supply of drugs . As long as drugs are illegal we will have gangsters dealing in and making fortunes out of the trade , give the addicts clean unadulterated drugs and the deaths would soon decline . Not really that complicated

[MrsICTFC]

Decriminilise all drugs

Great idea! :024:

My initial reaction looks at a bad batch however, this year there does seem to be an increase in deaths or more publicity. I believe they have cut funding for drug rehabilitation which could also be a factor. Get more police involved in stopping drugs getting her in the 1st place.

It is very complicated.

We've obviously lost the war on drugs and its blatantly obvious the police have no control over the supply of drugs . As long as drugs are illegal we will have gangsters dealing in and making fortunes out of the trade , give the addicts clean unadulterated drugs and the deaths would soon decline . Not really that complicated

Seriously, what?

Yes, make them legal, they become too expensive so traders make cheaper stuff so people can afford it, how does that solve the problem? Alcohol is legal and the problem is massive, making it legal will never solve the problem. It's a ridiculous idea.

[Heilandee]

Seriously, what?

Yes, make them legal, they become too expensive so traders make cheaper stuff so people can afford it, how does that solve the problem? Alcohol is legal and the problem is massive, making it legal will never solve the problem. It's a ridiculous idea.

If they were legal,licensed and available i doubt it would be worth the risk and cost of manufacturing illegal unlicensed drugs.Very few bother making moonshine and while alchohol is a massive problem education is also needed to change wholesale attitudes.I remember as a youngster,a lot of peers were keen to try wackie backie, but to get dope you were drawn into the illicit world of dealers who could then work on the more vulnerable to try harder stuff.I never went past a smoke or two, but know lads who went on to amphetimines during the northern soul days, some then progressed to coke and heroin.At the end of the day so long as the facts are known,surely the chice of using or not using recreational drugs should be the choice of the individual.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

Decriminilise all drugs

Great idea!

My initial reaction looks at a bad batch however, this year there does seem to be an increase in deaths or more publicity. I believe they have cut funding for drug rehabilitation which could also be a factor. Get more police involved in stopping drugs getting her in the 1st place.

It is very complicated.

We've obviously lost the war on drugs and its blatantly obvious the police have no control over the supply of drugs . As long as drugs are illegal we will have gangsters dealing in and making fortunes out of the trade , give the addicts clean unadulterated drugs and the deaths would soon decline . Not really that complicated

Seriously, what?

Yes, make them legal, they become too expensive so traders make cheaper stuff so people can afford it, how does that solve the problem? Alcohol is legal and the problem is massive, making it legal will never solve the problem. It's a ridiculous idea.

Why would they become more expensive if they were legalised and distributed by government agencies . It seems to be working fine in Portugal . It would reduce the crime that is committed by desperate junkies and save us tax payers a fortune while also freeing up police time and resources , wait a minute your right that would be a ridiculous idea :)

[Renegade]

Whilst I am no advocate for taking drugs, most may as well be legalised. Just because something is illegal, doesn't mean it's going away, and if people can get a safer, more regulated product, surely that is better. If heroin was legal, would I take it? Of course not. Tobacco is legal and I've never smoked in my life. And there's no way you could stop it coming in, it's impossible and legalisation would knock out these scumbag dealers in the process.

[MrsICTFC]

[TopSix]

Harsh penalties for dealing would be a start and investment in drug treatment might be a good move. I guess we have to look at the bigger picture and consider why people are having to turn to heroin in the first place. Social immobility and a lack of opportunties to break free from the cycle of poverty?

[Johnboy]

I guess we have to look at the bigger picture and consider why people are having to turn to heroin in the first place. Social immobility and a lack of opportunties to break free from the cycle of poverty?

Peer pressure?

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

MrsICTFC I've followed the success of the Potugese drug policy with great interest for the last few years I'll have you know , so if your up for sharing your views lets have them .

[CaleyD]

I think the last thing we need to be doing is making it easier/cheaper for people to get their hands on drugs and whilst Portugal have decriminalised "personal possession" they aren't producing/providing drugs.

They have, in effect, split the problem in two.

They have accepted that drug use is an illness and simply locking these people up and/or dishing out fines to them is not the answer. Instead they are investing the money that would have been spent on incarceration on offering a better "Health Service for Addicts".

However, if you are caught dealing in Portugal then the the punishment is every bit as harsh as it is in most other European countries.

For me, that's the approach we should be taking in this country...except I would take it a step further and introduce draconian penalties for anyone caught dealing...or "concerned in the supply of drugs" as they like to refer to it these days...you know the country's gone mad when even dealers start getting posh job descriptions to make them feel more important!!!

You just have to look at the papers to see it's the same names that come up time and again for dealing.....why are these people being released and given the opportunity to carry on where they left off? Let's take the dealers off the streets, and do it for long periods of time. Not only will it make them think twice about getting involved with such things in the first place, but if you have no dealers out there then you have nobody supplying addicts who then have little choice but to seek help to kick the addiction.

[The Mantis]

Can't quite make my mind up but I think a state-run drug service for addicts would probably be a good thing. Mrs Mantis is a pharmacist and administers methadone to addicts so we've had quite a few chats about this.

As for the dealers, if the thing was run properly maybe they would lose their market. Like most people I despise dealers and even on a 10 minute walk to work I can pass a couple of houses where everybody knows they're dealers.

Not so sure about locking them up. Prison's been shown many times to be a failure except for certain crimes. I really like the idea that now some major criminals are having their assets seized. I think that could be extended downwards to even small time dealers. Anybody who's on state benefits but runs a beemer, etc.

Interesting cop programme on TV the other night. In Hampshire they were seizing and crushing cars if the driver had no license/insurance etc. They had seized about 1100 cars since the initiative began. Same should happen with drug dealers. Just take their possessions away every time they manage to collect any. Take the plasma telly, the toaster, the electric blanket, the feckin lot.

[Johnboy]

Can't quite make my mind up but I think a state-run drug service for addicts would probably be a good thing. Mrs Mantis is a pharmacist and administers methadone to addicts so we've had quite a few chats about this.

As for the dealers, if the thing was run properly maybe they would lose their market. Like most people I despise dealers and even on a 10 minute walk to work I can pass a couple of houses where everybody knows they're dealers.

Not so sure about locking them up. Prison's been shown many times to be a failure except for certain crimes. I really like the idea that now some major criminals are having their assets seized. I think that could be extended downwards to even small time dealers. Anybody who's on state benefits but runs a beemer, etc.

Interesting cop programme on TV the other night. In Hampshire they were seizing and crushing cars if the driver had no license/insurance etc. They had seized about 1100 cars since the initiative began. Same should happen with drug dealers. Just take their possessions away every time they manage to collect any. Take the plasma telly, the toaster, the electric blanket, the feckin lot.

Bit extreme there, Mantis.....

Surely you could leave the toaster?

:D

[ictchris]

Seriously, what?

Yes, make them legal, they become too expensive so traders make cheaper stuff so people can afford it, how does that solve the problem? Alcohol is legal and the problem is massive, making it legal will never solve the problem. It's a ridiculous idea.

If drugs were legal it would reduce massively many of the problems associated with drug use. Heroin is actually very cheap to produce, hence the massive profits involved in trafficking it illegally. The high cost of the drug is the result of it's illegality and the majority of the crime is a result of the cost - i.e. housebreaking etc.

Also, I don't think it's justifiable for the government to tell me, or any other sentient person, what I can and cannot do to my own body. If I want to spend every penny I have on getting wasted beyond belief I should be able to do so, so long as I don't harm anyone else.

[dan_ict]

Aparently in Glasgow , Dealers are now starting to fill up there drugs with Anthrax

[dougiedanger]

Seriously, what?

Yes, make them legal, they become too expensive so traders make cheaper stuff so people can afford it, how does that solve the problem? Alcohol is legal and the problem is massive, making it legal will never solve the problem. It's a ridiculous idea.

If drugs were legal it would reduce massively many of the problems associated with drug use. Heroin is actually very cheap to produce, hence the massive profits involved in trafficking it illegally. The high cost of the drug is the result of it's illegality and the majority of the crime is a result of the cost - i.e. housebreaking etc.

Also, I don't think it's justifiable for the government to tell me, or any other sentient person, what I can and cannot do to my own body. If I want to spend every penny I have on getting wasted beyond belief I should be able to do so, so long as I don't harm anyone else.

Fair enough I suppose, but then you shouldn't go crawling to government-funded doctors and hospitals for help when it all goes t**s up. The selfishness of any addict leads them to convince themselves that what they do is up to them, and as you say, doesnt "harm anyone else." What about their family, friends, the ones who do all the worrying and grieving and who are left to pick up the pieces of their lives?

[MrsICTFC]

MrsICTFC I've followed the success of the Potugese drug policy with great interest for the last few years I'll have you know , so if your up for sharing your views lets have them .

I would love to know how your interest has lead you to the conclusion that we should do what Portugal does. Your explanation would be valuable first.

[MrsICTFC]

Also, I don't think it's justifiable for the government to tell me, or any other sentient person, what I can and cannot do to my own body. If I want to spend every penny I have on getting wasted beyond belief I should be able to do so, so long as I don't harm anyone else.

Drug taking does not only affect you.

[ictchris]

Fair enough I suppose, but then you shouldn't go crawling to government-funded doctors and hospitals for help when it all goes t**s up. The selfishness of any addict leads them to convince themselves that what they do is up to them, and as you say, doesnt "harm anyone else." What about their family, friends, the ones who do all the worrying and grieving and who are left to pick up the pieces of their lives?

I don't want the government worrying about my relationships with my family, friends or anyone else. Plenty of families are split up due to factors that aren't controlled by the state - do you want the government to legislate against everything that could cause a family breakdown? That's the logical conclusion of your argument. The fact is that the prohibition of drugs causes the problems of impoverished addicts, impure drugs and crime. If drugs were legal then the government would also presumably collect taxes on their sale which would contribute to paying for hospitals to treat people.