Skip to main content
Topic: General Discussions (Read 108775 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 4 Guests are viewing this topic.


Re: General Discussions

Reply #92
Both good reads.

Libs up to no good, and how Uber has ruined employee rights.
"everything you know is wrong"

Paul Hewson

 


Re: General Discussions

Reply #95
https://theconversation.com/oregon-just-decriminalized-all-drugs-heres-why-voters-passed-this-groundbreaking-reform-150806
Call me old fashioned, naive, uneducated, whatever, I wouldn't support that no matter what arguments are put up.
2017-16th
2018-Wooden Spoon
2019-16th
2020-dare to dream? 11th is better than last I suppose
2021-Pi$$ or get off the pot
2022- Real Deal or more of the same? 0.6%
2023- "Raise the Standard" - M. Voss Another year wasted Bar Set
2024-Back to the drawing boardNo excuses, its time

Re: General Discussions

Reply #96
Call me old fashioned, naive, uneducated, whatever, I wouldn't support that no matter what arguments are put up.

Nothing wrong with your position.

Portugal did this to great success and now they sort out people with drug addiction in mental health spaces.

Perhaps they are more successful at rehabilitation by removing the seedy stigma and possibly make it safer to actually do drugs.

I think we who oppose these laws get swept up in this becoming socially acceptable which is potentially a different case. 


I stated this and read the article second.  Note the language.  Rates of overdose.  They mention use of cocaine but I think data can be cherry picked to suit an agenda here.
"everything you know is wrong"

Paul Hewson

Re: General Discussions

Reply #97
Call me old fashioned, naive, uneducated, whatever, I wouldn't support that no matter what arguments are put up.

People can turn just about anything into a substance of abuse, if they are so predisposed : prescription drugs, illicit drugs, grog, tobacco, petrol, glue, you name it. Whilst I am fully supportive of this move, little will change until we address the core issues of why people abuse things in the first place. This, in my view, taps into several aspects of life and society in general : income, education, support etc. I'm not a fan of laying all the blame on the individual, which seems an extremely easy and lazy position to take when such issues are discussed. These are massive problems, and will never be solved unless we all participate in solving them, rather than isolating and finger pointing.

I'm not suggesting you're doing these things, just to be clear.


Re: General Discussions

Reply #99
People can turn just about anything into a substance of abuse, if they are so predisposed : prescription drugs, illicit drugs, grog, tobacco, petrol, glue, you name it. Whilst I am fully supportive of this move, little will change until we address the core issues of why people abuse things in the first place. This, in my view, taps into several aspects of life and society in general : income, education, support etc. I'm not a fan of laying all the blame on the individual, which seems an extremely easy and lazy position to take when such issues are discussed. These are massive problems, and will never be solved unless we all participate in solving them, rather than isolating and finger pointing.

I'm not suggesting you're doing these things, just to be clear.

That perspective is spot on Pauly but is a long way off in terms of social acceptance. So much easier to demonize/scapegoat one person than think about what made them that way and addressing that.

To give some perspective, briefly. I've worked with addicts, including incarcerated criminals - never did I encounter one of them, male or female, who hadn't experienced physical, psychological or sexual abuse as a child... not one.

Absolutely correct to focus attention on the 'why' of what drives folks to addictions/psychological escape whether they be illicit substances or not, and addressing that on a major scale. How many folks need to 'escape' and find it in a bottle, smoke, injection, sex, shopping, gambling, pill... and so on?

An interesting fact is that of all the drugs about the place just about the best one for removing inhibition is ...alcohol, ice is probably the worst. Ask just about any battered/beaten victim of domestic violence, for one example, what precipitated the crime... grog, combined with an angry person.

Once you legalize any mind-altering substance at least it affords you the opportunity to manage/track and help that person. Legalizing is not a panacea, but it is an approach that at least helps us to begin to understand the larger implications and issues around mental health issues. We'll find better ways to manage the legalization so the community is minimally impacted in time but the change of mindset toward why an individual needs drugs must happen for there to be understanding and healing.

Sorry for any waffling, but this is a subject very close to my heart for many reasons.
Only our ruthless best, from Board to bootstudders will get us no. 17


Re: General Discussions

Reply #101
Call me old fashioned, naive, uneducated, whatever, I wouldn't support that no matter what arguments are put up.
I've never touched an illegal drug in my life, but i wouldn't be so quick to write it off.

There are large benefits to doing that, that are not immediately obvious.


Re: General Discussions

Reply #103
On a side note, turning point and Easternhealth did a mini documentary series on sbs or ABC and you can watch it.  Its called addicted Australia.

We get introduced to a heroin addict named rueben.  Rueben tells us a little about himself at one point.  Basically he was a store manager once.  Then the place got robbed and that was the end of that job.  Ptsd meant he couldn't return.  Became reclusive.   Drugs were an escape, and then they started to cripple him.  They became the reason he couldn't reconnect after being the escape.  Powerful stuff.

4 episodes on sbs. 
"everything you know is wrong"

Paul Hewson

Re: General Discussions

Reply #104
I can't stand drugs.  My worst experience was riding the tram home to Kew on day, and there was a young kid (couldn't have been older than 13) and he was inhaling fumes out of a bag from a can of spray paint.                 

That was truly frightening and not much shocks me anymore after witnessing that episode.