Anything that helps addicts do better is going to get a big yes from me
Former addict myself. Relapsed over Christmas. It’s a constant struggle. Access to appropriate healthcare and support is abysmal.
This is long been something I have thought we needed. Bach testing for drugs should be available, because while it’s currently illegal to take drugs, the spirit of the law isn’t that it should be a death penalty. We should have drug rooms, membership for which is maintenance and cleaning (make drug users have a sense of house pride about it?). The facility should have a landline for medical attention, and an on-call PCSO for antisocial behaviour
“Thousands of lives could be saved if safe rooms were set up in UK cities where people could be supervised while they get high”
Spoken like someone who has never met a junkie. Who wants to go and be supervised while they are chasing the dragon.. it’s a nice thought but terribly thought out.
Tories and their imbecile supporters want addicts to be punished.
With death in many cases.
There is a solution to addiction, and it’s not jail.
I’m all for it.
I’d just like to know how they’ll operate these given the already dangerously low levels of NHS+Police funding, resources and ability to respond much less operate a service longer-term.
I mean we’re still waiting on the what, 30-40 Hospitals the Tories promised – not one’s been built and this is while the NHS as a whole is suffering like a lame dog due to their treatment of it.
If they’ll throw the money they need to at it? Good.
Trialled in other countries, because a) someone is there to provide emergency treatment if a user ODs or the drug is cut differently than they’re expecting, B) manages their come down symptoms, C) chance to make a rapport and hopefully ease them towards addiction treatment, D) clean and sterilised equipment that greatly reduces risks of infections (especially blood diseases that come from sharing dirty needles)
Will it get funded? Not while this government is still bought into failing drug policy, and hardline thinking that criminalises what is essentially a medical and societal issue.
Everyone who says they’re for it should have to have it located next to where they live.
Whilst on paper these places sound good you just know they’re going to be a fucking nightmare to be anywhere near.
What a waste of tax payers money. What poor sods are going to have to monitor junkies shooting up. What happens when one gets angry and tries to slash someone with a needle.
Why do we do everything in this country to try to help people who won’t help themselves. This isn’t even about getting them clean, this is just making them more comfortable when they smoke there spice, then unleashed onto the town centre to cause hell for everyone else
Let’s just adopt all of Americas dumb liberal ideas – they seem to be doing just fine.
This sounds like a good project that can be trialed at the expense of anti drug charities. Not the tax payer.
Thousands sounds unlikely. It’s not like opiates are suddenly going to become safe and it is not as though everyone using them will choose to use these rooms – I’d say most won’t use them most of the time.
However, even if its just a few hundred then thats worthwhile and it can also be point of information for those who wish to start their journey off gear should they wish to.
Both of the major political parties in this country are firmly in “there’s no safe way to do illegal drugs” and are completely anti science of the subject.
I expect nothing to change but an even tougher stance on drugs.
Drug relocation squads could make britain a safer and nicer place to live. Send them to an island somewhere to recover and once they’re clean they can rejoin society
Sounds fine as long as it doesn’t take scarce resources away from providing care to people who are suffering from illness or injury they aren’t inflicting on themselves.
But considering the state of the NHS I don’t see how we can justify funding this with taxpayer money.
This should be funded by charities, not the British taxpayer.
This is great. However, we barely have NHS run addiction services as it is so where they’re going to pull the space, staff, money, and other resources from I don’t know.
How do you end up getting into this situation in the first place? Everybody has seen junkies walking around and how desperate and broken down they are.
Anything that reduces and prevents this is great.
I wonder what the cost to the tax payer is?
It amazes me that people still use these dreadful substances.
It makes perfect sense, it doesn’t encourage drug use but allows addicts to be in a safe environment and get immediate support if they od, it stops them wandering the streets scaring others and if they do have a bad trip and get aggressive security on site can deal with it. Unfortunately, those in the right-wing like my dad are extremely sheltered and are force-fed drivel and lies about these places by the right-wing press, and they also seem to be extremely selfish and want their taxes to help them and them only not making the country a better place, just fixing potholes or anything else that offends them.
We should look at the Portuguese and how they have historically tackled decriminalisation and learn from them. It’s not perfect but has helped rehabilitate addicts.
This is also an interesting article on how the UK arrived at our own prohibition of drugs.
Some highlights include the Americans putting pressure on the UK to follow their rigid prohibition and our own media cooking up a storm around drug misuse in the music scenes based on racism.
I’m fine with supervised injection spaces etc, with the provisio that they don’t turn the entire neighborhood around them into a homeless camp. That wouldn’t be good for anyone.
Treat addicts as patients and not as criminals. Many will eventually quit and change their lives around.
These are a good idea imo. But my opinion matters little.
20 comments
Anything that helps addicts do better is going to get a big yes from me
Former addict myself. Relapsed over Christmas. It’s a constant struggle. Access to appropriate healthcare and support is abysmal.
This is long been something I have thought we needed. Bach testing for drugs should be available, because while it’s currently illegal to take drugs, the spirit of the law isn’t that it should be a death penalty. We should have drug rooms, membership for which is maintenance and cleaning (make drug users have a sense of house pride about it?). The facility should have a landline for medical attention, and an on-call PCSO for antisocial behaviour
“Thousands of lives could be saved if safe rooms were set up in UK cities where people could be supervised while they get high”
Spoken like someone who has never met a junkie. Who wants to go and be supervised while they are chasing the dragon.. it’s a nice thought but terribly thought out.
Tories and their imbecile supporters want addicts to be punished.
With death in many cases.
There is a solution to addiction, and it’s not jail.
I’m all for it.
I’d just like to know how they’ll operate these given the already dangerously low levels of NHS+Police funding, resources and ability to respond much less operate a service longer-term.
I mean we’re still waiting on the what, 30-40 Hospitals the Tories promised – not one’s been built and this is while the NHS as a whole is suffering like a lame dog due to their treatment of it.
If they’ll throw the money they need to at it? Good.
Trialled in other countries, because a) someone is there to provide emergency treatment if a user ODs or the drug is cut differently than they’re expecting, B) manages their come down symptoms, C) chance to make a rapport and hopefully ease them towards addiction treatment, D) clean and sterilised equipment that greatly reduces risks of infections (especially blood diseases that come from sharing dirty needles)
Will it get funded? Not while this government is still bought into failing drug policy, and hardline thinking that criminalises what is essentially a medical and societal issue.
Everyone who says they’re for it should have to have it located next to where they live.
Whilst on paper these places sound good you just know they’re going to be a fucking nightmare to be anywhere near.
What a waste of tax payers money. What poor sods are going to have to monitor junkies shooting up. What happens when one gets angry and tries to slash someone with a needle.
Why do we do everything in this country to try to help people who won’t help themselves. This isn’t even about getting them clean, this is just making them more comfortable when they smoke there spice, then unleashed onto the town centre to cause hell for everyone else
Let’s just adopt all of Americas dumb liberal ideas – they seem to be doing just fine.
This sounds like a good project that can be trialed at the expense of anti drug charities. Not the tax payer.
Thousands sounds unlikely. It’s not like opiates are suddenly going to become safe and it is not as though everyone using them will choose to use these rooms – I’d say most won’t use them most of the time.
However, even if its just a few hundred then thats worthwhile and it can also be point of information for those who wish to start their journey off gear should they wish to.
Both of the major political parties in this country are firmly in “there’s no safe way to do illegal drugs” and are completely anti science of the subject.
I expect nothing to change but an even tougher stance on drugs.
Drug relocation squads could make britain a safer and nicer place to live. Send them to an island somewhere to recover and once they’re clean they can rejoin society
Sounds fine as long as it doesn’t take scarce resources away from providing care to people who are suffering from illness or injury they aren’t inflicting on themselves.
But considering the state of the NHS I don’t see how we can justify funding this with taxpayer money.
This should be funded by charities, not the British taxpayer.
This is great. However, we barely have NHS run addiction services as it is so where they’re going to pull the space, staff, money, and other resources from I don’t know.
How do you end up getting into this situation in the first place? Everybody has seen junkies walking around and how desperate and broken down they are.
Anything that reduces and prevents this is great.
I wonder what the cost to the tax payer is?
It amazes me that people still use these dreadful substances.
It makes perfect sense, it doesn’t encourage drug use but allows addicts to be in a safe environment and get immediate support if they od, it stops them wandering the streets scaring others and if they do have a bad trip and get aggressive security on site can deal with it. Unfortunately, those in the right-wing like my dad are extremely sheltered and are force-fed drivel and lies about these places by the right-wing press, and they also seem to be extremely selfish and want their taxes to help them and them only not making the country a better place, just fixing potholes or anything else that offends them.
We should look at the Portuguese and how they have historically tackled decriminalisation and learn from them. It’s not perfect but has helped rehabilitate addicts.
This is also an interesting article on how the UK arrived at our own prohibition of drugs.
Some highlights include the Americans putting pressure on the UK to follow their rigid prohibition and our own media cooking up a storm around drug misuse in the music scenes based on racism.
https://transformdrugs.org/blog/a-short-history-of-the-misuse-of-drugs-act
I’m fine with supervised injection spaces etc, with the provisio that they don’t turn the entire neighborhood around them into a homeless camp. That wouldn’t be good for anyone.
Treat addicts as patients and not as criminals. Many will eventually quit and change their lives around.
These are a good idea imo. But my opinion matters little.