Are Drug Users Persecuted?

[Babyblue]

If you need them, use them. The meds in and of themselves aren't bad.

Exactly, I do not like to use narcotics.. but if it is prescribed to me and it helps me to cope with pain. Believe me...I will take it!

 

[deafskeptic]

If you need them, use them. The meds in and of themselves aren't bad.

Thanks. I do need them. I will be happy when I no longer need the meds.

 

[jillio]

Exactly, I do not like to use narcotics.. but if it is prescribed to me and it helps me to cope with pain. Believe me...I will take it!

Right. When I had a bout with kidney stones about a year ago, I was very glad to take the IV dilaudid, and used the Percocet after I was released. I just did not use it past the point of need.

 

[deafskeptic]

Right. When I had a bout with kidney stones about a year ago, I was very glad to take the IV dilaudid, and used the Percocet after I was released. I just did not use it past the point of need.

I hear kidney stones are painful.

 

[jillio]

I hear kidney stones are painful.

I had my son natural, and the kidney stones were 10 times worse. They asked me in the ER what my pain rating was on a scale of 1-10, and I said "84".:P

 

[deafskeptic]

I had my son natural, and the kidney stones were 10 times worse. They asked me in the ER what my pain rating was on a scale of 1-10, and I said "84".:P

I think i found out more than I wanted to know.

 

[Doug5]

That is why tolerance is the most frequent reason for overdose.:roll: Their tolerance becomes so high that they have to shoot ever increasing amounts of the drug.

high tolerance prevents OD. A lot of OD's happen when they relapse after being clean for awhile and their tolerance is low

 

[Doug5]

I daresay I have done intensive study regarding this topic; far more than you yourself have. I find it hysterical that you would tell me to "look it up".

You don't even understand what I am saying in my posts, or Babyblue's for that matter, either.

Ive been on large amounts of morphine for years, and people would never know Im on it.

I quit taking it because it lowers testosterone

 

[Doug5]

Since it is safe, why is it so important for the user to stop? It is their body their choice

As any loving parent. I would put my child in rehab and have her weaned off of heroin and find out the root of the problem and why he/she began to take drugs in the first place.



Is Heroin Safe



Again...... if it is used to wean the person off of drugs I have no problem with it.

Plus, this method is not for long term use.

 

[Doug5]

I use panhandling example as worse case scenario. It is obviously a less serious crime than theft/prostitution according to the penalty statutes

There is no current patent on heroin. If the price skyrocketed, then more companies would start producing it, increasing supply and lowering price. Eventually, it would become as cheap as aspriin.

You are suffering under some misconceptions. If the pharmacuetical companies start dispensing heroin, the price will be a great deal more than $10.00. They will elevate the price just like they do with all medications.

Panhandling is illegal. So how are you reducing illegal activity if the addict is STILL engaging in illegal behavior to get their fix? Simple answer: you aren't.

Clean needle programs also provide a source for clean equipment without legalizing heroin. They have been shown to be the most effective harm reduction model around, and do more to reduce the occurance of other social consequences than legalization does.

 

[jillio]

high tolerance prevents OD. A lot of OD's happen when they relapse after being clean for awhile and their tolerance is low

Their tolerance does not drop just because they drug has been out of their system for a short period of time. High tolerance does not prevent OD. It creates the situation that makes OD more likely.

You must be thinking of alcohol addiction, where chronic longterm use results in less alcohol being necessary to create intoxication.

 

[jillio]

Ive been on large amounts of morphine for years, and people would never know Im on it.

I quit taking it because it lowers testosterone

That is because you developed tolerance.:roll:

Are you saying you were abusing morphine, or that you were taking it in prescribed doses?

There are side effects to all drugs. How you can say heroin is not bad is beyond me, when you yourself said you quit taking morphine (another opiate just as heroin is) because it lowers testosterone. You are going around in circles now.

 

[jillio]

Since it is safe, why is it so important for the user to stop? It is their body their choice

First of all, it isn't safe. That is a misrepresentation.

Secondly, it has negative social impact.

Third, it has negative individual impact.

Fourth, it has negative family impact.

Shall I go on?

If you want to be an addict, go ahead. But stop condoning it as a way of life for others.

 

[jillio]

I use panhandling example as worse case scenario. It is obviously a less serious crime than theft/prostitution according to the penalty statutes

There is no current patent on heroin. If the price skyrocketed, then more companies would start producing it, increasing supply and lowering price. Eventually, it would become as cheap as aspriin.

Panhandling, theft under a certain amount, and prostitution are all misdemeanor crimes. One is not less serious than the other. And the point is that it is still criminal activity. If one is still panhandling, another one will still be prostituting, and the next one will still be stealing. Your logic fails. You legalized the drug, but you did not do away with the criminal behavior connected to the drug use.

Nope, your logic is still bass ackwards. Doesn't work that way.

 

[Doug5]

Surgeon Dr. William Halsted used morphine most of his life, and lived to 69, longer than average life expectency at the time.

William Burroughs took methadone until he died at 83.

pharmaceutical grade opiates are not really toxic. They dont damage the liver and kidneys like most otc pain relievers.

Physical deterioration from opiates is a drug war myth.

The reason pharmacies are robbed is because the criminals can sell the pills at high prices.

Right, this is a maintenance program the same way a seboxone or a methadone program is a maintenance program. The goal is to minimize withdrawal and eventually wean the addict off of the drug, which is accomplished through the tandem use of maintenance program and therapy.

Opiates nor benzos nor alcohol nor any of the more commonly abused drugs were intended for long term use. The physical deterioration that occurs is just too great in long term use, addiction aside.

Also, synthetic opiates like hydrocodone and oxydodone are legal. People still rob pharmacies to get them, and people still purchase them on the street. Legalization does not stop illegal activity associated with substance abuse, obviously. Anyone who thinks it does is simply naive.

 

[jillio]

Surgeon Dr. William Halsted used morphine most of his life, and lived to 69, longer than average life expectency at the time.

William Burroughs took methadone until he died at 83.

pharmaceutical grade opiates are not really toxic. They dont damage the liver and kidneys like most otc pain relievers.

Physical deterioration from opiates is a drug war myth.

The reason pharmacies are robbed is because the criminals can sell the pills at high prices.

Physical deterioration from the use of opiates is medical fact. It is physically addicting leading to serious withdrawal symptoms.You just said it reduces testosterone. Do you know what effect reduced testosterone has on the rest of your body and brain?

They are metabolized in the liver, and therefore, there are consequences of liver damage in long term usage. You really don't know what you are talking about.

 

[Doug5]

Their tolerance does not drop just because they drug has been out of their system for a short period of time. High tolerance does not prevent OD. It creates the situation that makes OD more likely.

You must be thinking of alcohol addiction, where chronic longterm use results in less alcohol being necessary to create intoxication.

Youre completely wrong. High tolerance prevents OD. A chronic user will will inject an amount that would kill 10 newbies

 

[Jiro]

Youre completely wrong. High tolerance prevents OD. A chronic user will will inject an amount that would kill 10 newbies

there you go - a chronic user simply has a higher tolerance but what if he injects more than that? he'll OD

 

[Doug5]

No, I was not abusing the mediciene. I have endured chronic pain all my life.

The side effects are much milder than other medications out there. ibuprofen and naproxen ruins the kidneys, and tylenol burns up the liver. Celebrex can cause strokes and heartattacks. The similar drug vioxx was taken off the market because of this.

Opiates dont cause cancer like tobacco.

My point about taking the morphine, is that it didnt automatically turn me into a criminal or some kind of fiend. I drove over 30k miles while on it, and never got single traffic ticket. Opiates dont dumb and reckless like alcohol

Also, I was able to quit on my own. It costs me $1 a month. If I wanted to I can get more.

That is because you developed tolerance.:roll:

Are you saying you were abusing morphine, or that you were taking it in prescribed doses?

There are side effects to all drugs. How you can say heroin is not bad is beyond me, when you yourself said you quit taking morphine (another opiate just as heroin is) because it lowers testosterone. You are going around in circles now.

 

[Jiro]

No, I was not abusing the mediciene. I have endured chronic pain all my life.

The side effects are much milder than other medications out there. ibuprofen and naproxen ruins the kidneys, and tylenol burns up the liver. Celebrex can cause strokes and heartattacks. The similar drug vioxx was taken off the market because of this.

Opiates dont cause cancer like tobacco.

My point about taking the morphine, is that it didnt automatically turn me into a criminal or some kind of fiend. I drove over 30k miles while on it, and never got single traffic ticket. Opiates dont dumb and reckless like alcohol

well - it can turn you into criminal if you crashed. you will be charged with DWI or DUI. That's why morphine has a medical and legal warning - "Patients should exercise caution while driving or performing tasks requiring alertness because it may produce drowsiness."

Also, I was able to quit on my own. It costs me $1 a month. If I wanted to I can get more.

that's fine. you controlled your behavior. addicts didn't.