Amy Winehouse passes away.

[DJKillaQueen]

The issue on help for addicts is a good debate to have s the governemnt have just cut funding for such areas, especially those working with educating and helping children.

[zeban]

Exactly DJKQ

[Frankito]

Zeban, I've got to get my tuppenceworth in here too. First and foremost, society does not steer anyone into heroin, our education system gives ample opportunity to those who wish to take adbantage of it.

People who fall foul to addiction spend a lifetime trying not to succumb to it and yes, that is a struggle rhat many of us will never experience. However, just because we haven't experienced it first/ second hand doesn't mean that we are somehow responsible for putting those poor people in such a predicament.

If you can convince me rationally why 'society' is to blame for heroin addiction then I will gladly eat my ipad in your honour. However, should you care to re-hash your statement then perhaps you will find more agreement from the masses..

[DulwichFox]

Needle of Death.

Bert Jansch....

Needle Of Death lyrics

When sadness fills your heart

And sorrow hides the longing to be free

When things go wrong each day

You fix your mind to 'scape your misery

Your troubled young life

Had made you turn

To a needle of death

How strange, your happy words

Have ceased to bring a smile from everyone

How tears have filled the eyes

Of friends that you once had walked among

Your troubled young life

Had made you turn

To a needle of death

One grain of pure white snow

Dissolved in blood spread quickly to your brain

In peace your mind withdraws

Your death so near your soul can't feel no pain

Your troubled young life

Had made you turn

To a needle of death

Your mother stands a'cryin'

While to the earth your body's slowly cast

Your father stands in silence

Caressing every young dream of the past

Your troubled young life

Had made you turn

To a needle of death

Through ages, man's desires

To free his mind, to release his very soul

Has proved to all who live

That death itself is freedom for evermore

And your troubled young life

Will make you turn

To a needle of death

[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/bert-jansch-lyrics/needle-of-death-lyrics.html]

Song

Very Sad Song

[Annette Curtain]

This article may shed a new light.

If Heroin seems miles away for some, so how about ecstasy & alcohol.

Feels a litte nearer now, no ?

NETTE(?)

[Alan Medic]

Well said Frankie!

[Frankito]

Gosh, I am not being ticked off... I feel honoured :)-D

[Alan Medic]

It won't last but never mind!

[Frankito]

True, relishing the moments as we speak with a beer.. I was going to add a comment on another thread you appear to be 'embroiled in' but thought it best to contain the lovefest (purely platonic of course!) to this thread.

[Otta]

Well said indeed.

[Catalyst]

This article may shed a new light. If Heroin seems miles away for some, so how about ecstasy & alcohol.

At this stage that article is pure speculation.

Although having sat opposite her in a pub for a few hours early last year she certainly looked like a candidate to drink herself to death.

[zeban]

Ok, maybe that was a bit of a ridiculous statement to make about it being society's fault! It does sadden me how dismissive some people can be about the death of addicts.

[DJKillaQueen]

Where we do fail as a society though is in thinking that illegal drugs are something we have any kind of control over. Clearly the impact of Police and border agencies is minimal. Maybe it's time to completely rethink how we tackle the supply of these heinous substances.

[Heinz]

One should be entitled to to with one's person what we please.

Decriminalize

Standardize the product(s)

Discourage

Tax.

[DJKillaQueen]

I don't think decriminalising heroin and crack cocaine is going to help anything. Sending the scumbags that peddle the cr@p to a thai style prison for life might.

[Heinz]

Wow, let's lock up all the personel in the alcohol trade while were at it.

I refer you to an experiment called prohibition.

[DJKillaQueen]

Alcohol is not comparable to heroin. The vast majority of people that consume alcohol do not die because of doing so. Nor do most of those that use alcohol have to steal to buy it. I think however you'll be hard pressed to find anyone that uses herion remaining healthy for very long and those that sell it know full well they are selling misery.

[Otta]

Totally agree with DJ, How you can get to compare them, is beyond me Heinz.

Also, do you not think it would be rather a good thing to get heroin off the streets?

[Horsebox]

Otta, how do you propose we get heroin off the streets? Isn't that the idea behind criminalising it?

Doesn't seem to have worked.

[mockney piers]

"do you not think it would be rather a good thing to get heroin off the streets?"

It's irrelevant whether or not it's a good thing (and I'm pretty sure everyone outside of drug criminals and addicts would agree with the sentiment) as it's an impossible thing.

So the question remains how do you minimise the harm?

I too am in favour of decriminalisation with tight control.

In fact making it available by prescription (as i done on a limited trial locally I believe) will cost the nation a helluva lot less than the futile war on drugs and all the crime associated with the drug trade.

I think the comparison Heinz was making was not one of severity but of effectiveness of approach.

[mockney piers]

xpost with horsebox

[Heinz]

What do you mean by the fact that I cannot compare this with that? are you sure?

[The Minkey]

Stresses and strains of her celebrity status aside, just the fact that she was so instantly recognisable would have made getting clean extremely difficult, whether or not she was truly committed to the process in the first place. Even had she disengaged from her social circle and moved away in order to physically remove herself from the temptation, she would have had every local dealer come to offer gear wherever she was. Not only was Amy a prospective customer but so were a lot of people she knew. Throw the disinhibiting effects of alcohol into the mix and it became far less likely she'd be able to calm down and get clean.

[Otta]

My post was simply based on the fact that Heinz seemed so shocked at DJ suggesting dealers should be locked up, and suggested that locking to these poor dealers was not a far cry from prohibition.

I mean, WTF?

[Jeremy]

I agree, Heinz's 'prohibition' remark was ridiculous.