Oh, Canada

[Repat Van]

Drugs should be decriminalised - that’s common sense. People should not face prison because of their private choice to take drugs.

(I think Rick is mistaking decriminalisation with legalisation.)

An increase of 2.9% and also this important snippet from the original article:

“ Residents of British Columbia who are older than 18 are allowed to carry up to 2.5 grams of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and morphine after the province was granted permission to try out a pilot program for three years. The drugs are still illegal but those carrying less than 2.5 grams are not be arrested, charged or have the drugs confiscated. ”

So basically they just won’t fill up their jails with people arrested for carrying tiny amounts of drugs. Won’t ruin people’s futures with criminal records because of minor possession of drugs for personal use. Sounds reasonable.

[Repat Van]

“ But that alone clearly can’t account for the death rate being observed in British Columbia. There are more people dying from “unregulated drug toxicity” now (that’s apparently the polite term for ODing) because there are more people doing drugs. And there are more people doing drugs because you effectively legalized everything.”

Citation needed.

[rick49]

2.5 grams? 2.5-3 mg fentanyl is lethal.

[flatandy]

I did wonder that, Rick. 2.5g of fentanyl is not the same as 2.5g of meth.

If you were a dealer, you'd probably just sell fentanyl now because you can deal volumes and be under than limit.

I do generally approve of the idea of decriminalisation of users, though. There's no value in criminalising usage rather than selling. There's no benefit to locking up users.

[rick49]

is the govt. distributing the fentanyl? because people are playing russian roulette if the fentanyl is from the drug cartels.

"There is significant risk that illegal drugs have been intentionally contaminated with fentanyl. Because of its potency and low cost, drug dealers have been mixing fentanyl with other drugs including heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, increasing the likelihood of a fatal interaction.

Producing illicit fentanyl is not an exact science. Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. DEA analysis has found counterfeit pills ranging from .02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose) of fentanyl per tablet."
www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl

[rick49]

can't even trust marijuana. cartels lacing it with fentanyl.

[flatandy]

That, of course, is why it should be legal and regulated.

[voice]

There's nothing new here really, BC declared a public health emergency in 2016 over the toxic drug supply and the amount of deaths from fentanyl. What's clear is treating it as a criminal rather than a public health issue is a large part of the problem. I worked in the Downside East Side where most of the deaths occur and we all carried Noloxone kits as ODs are so common.

The right here have been railing against all public health approaches, wanting the usual long failed draconian criminal justice war on drugs BS instead. Yet Safe consumption sites have saved countless lives, yet the Tories have long sort to close them. Prescribed clean supply has been a great success, many on the program have stabilized, even got back into the workforce and crime had dropped among those on it, yet again the Tories want it ended, spread the same kind of BS lies the idiots outrage rag is posting.

Fact is people take drugs, always have, most who do are fine and live perfectly normal lives, but a certain number get into addictive behaviour, and rather than treating them like criminals, where they are treated as suffered from a health problem, the outcomes are measurably better for them and society as a whole.

[ootlg]

Spot on.

[Repat Van]

Jun 23, 2023 12:25:00 GMT rick49 said:

is the govt. distributing the fentanyl? because people are playing russian roulette if the fentanyl is from the drug cartels.

"There is significant risk that illegal drugs have been intentionally contaminated with fentanyl. Because of its potency and low cost, drug dealers have been mixing fentanyl with other drugs including heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, increasing the likelihood of a fatal interaction.

Producing illicit fentanyl is not an exact science. Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. DEA analysis has found counterfeit pills ranging from .02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose) of fentanyl per tablet."
www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl

I am pretty sure those who take illicit drugs are aware cartels aren’t undergoing proper health and safety checks with their product….

[voice]

One thing also to consider most addict's will have some form of extreme childhood trauma, mental, physical or sexual, and start early self medicating and turning them into criminals rather than treating them as victims is counter productive. Sadly since Purdue lied its ass off about Oxies the number of people becoming addicted due to Dr's over prescribing of Oxy has risen, but its still a small minority. The reaction to the Oxy thing has caused its own problems, when Dr's realized they'd been had, and regulators stepped in to shut the pill mills down, many were cut off and turned to street drugs as there was nothing put in place to treat their addiction, and as the supply is so toxic many OD'd and died as a result.

Quite a number of recreational (non addicted) users are also dying, the buy what they think is a Oxy 10 or a Hydromorphone 10 and its all fentanyl made by some dealer to look exactly like the real thing.

[rick49]

I am pretty sure those who take illicit drugs are aware cartels aren’t undergoing proper health and safety checks with their product….

i assume addicts wouldn't much care where it's from as long as they get it. the addiction is so strong they will be willing to roll the dice.

[rick49]

Canadian Disabled Woman Opts for Euthanasia Because She Can’t Get Timely Assistance
www.nationalreview.com/corner/canadian-disabled-woman-opts-for-euthanasia-because-she-cant-get-timely-assistance/

[voice]

Hard to know where to start with what's wrong in that piece, suffice to say much of it is bollox, and written by someone who really has no idea what MAID is, what the criteria, waiting period and safeguards are built into it

[Repat Van]

Jun 24, 2023 0:47:54 GMT rick49 said:

I am pretty sure those who take illicit drugs are aware cartels aren’t undergoing proper health and safety checks with their product….

i assume addicts wouldn't much care where it's from as long as they get it. the addiction is so strong they will be willing to roll the dice.

Yes. Exactly.

[voice]

This kind of thing is where the focus needs to be rather than regressive just say no bollox and making criminals out of people suffering from addiction

focus.science.ubc.ca/smart-chemistry-9fd734056db7

[perrykneeham]

I think there's room for "just say no" as well.

[voice]

Abstinence is a nice idea, but it's never really worked, people enjoy getting high/drunk/stoned/shagging, best to do it safely.

[flatandy]

I mean, for anything stronger than cannabis, just say no is the best advice. But advice is different from law. Locking people up for using is a terrible idea. Identifying and treating users - particularly addicts - and locking up dealers is the right approach.

[mids]

I see Canada's a woke peeeeedo hellhole now.