(Originally posted August 14, 2022) I recently stumbled on this educational page about stigma from the National Harm Reduction Coalition. It's well done and illuminates the assumptions and goals for their stigma reduction efforts. They frame responding to drug use as a choice between liberation and stigma, with harm reduction as the path to liberation. … Continue reading Addiction, Stigma, and Liberation
Tag: Drugs
Unclaimed
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4y2o9uoa2q Of course, all of these people didn't have addiction. But, for the ones that did, this really pulls at my heart. So sad -- their deaths and the ways they die. Overdose prevention, rightly, gets a lot of attention. I wonder how many were offered a pathway to recovery with treatment of adequate intensity, … Continue reading Unclaimed
Drug “poisoning” or “overdose”?
The NY Times has an article on the debate between characterizing drug deaths, fentanyl deaths in particular, as poisonings or overdoses. Much of the argument focuses on destigmatizing drug-related deaths. “If I tell someone that my child overdosed, they assume he was a junkie strung out on drugs,” said Stefanie Turner, a co-founder of Texas Against … Continue reading Drug “poisoning” or “overdose”?
Drug apartheid, pro-drug cultures, wellness boosters, and sober drug use
This week produced an interesting collection of articles about drugs, their place in society, and drug policy. I thought they were worth sharing because they paint a picture of the contradictions of the moment we're living in. Drug Apartheid On Tuesday, TalkingDrugs, an international drug policy advocacy news platform, published an article proposing apartheid as … Continue reading Drug apartheid, pro-drug cultures, wellness boosters, and sober drug use
BC safer supply associated with an increase in hospitalizations (but not deaths)
JAMA Internal Medicine just published a study on the impact of a safer supply program. First the background: In March 2020, British Columbia became the first jurisdiction globally to launch a provincewide Safer Opioid Supply policy that allows individuals at high risk of overdose to receive pharmaceutical-grade opioids free of charge prescribed by a physician … Continue reading BC safer supply associated with an increase in hospitalizations (but not deaths)
Sentences to ponder
Mark Kleiman shares typically thoughtful and serious thoughts about legalizing cannabis. Too bad thoughtful and serious is so rare where cannabis policy is concerned. 2. Everything has advantages and disadvantages. Cannabis legalization will reduce criminal revenue, intrusive enforcement, arrest, incarceration, and disorder around illicit markets, and enhance personal liberty, consumer choice, and respect for the … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
Sentences to ponder
Snorting chemicals has a bad rap. But as a method of drug delivery, it may be on the verge of a renaissance. Unlike medications taken orally, intravenously or otherwise, those sniffed up the nose gain direct access to the brain. --Scientific American Pair this with Bill White's comment, "I can't tell you what will become … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
What happened to the “crack babies”?
Dirk Hansen reports the good news about "crack babies": In a paper authored by Hurt, Laura M Betancourt, and others, the investigators write: “It is now well established that gestational cocaine exposure has not produced the profound deficits anticipated in the 1980s and 1990s, with children described variably as joyless, microcephalic, or unmanageable.” The authors do … Continue reading What happened to the “crack babies”?
Regulating the marijuana market
The Partnership at Drugfree.org reports the results of a recent survey: There is strong support for a wide array of stringent post-legalization marijuana regulations to protect minors and the community wellbeing. The research shows intense support (above or near 90 percent) for: Setting a legal age of 21 Prohibiting marijuana smoking in public places Severe … Continue reading Regulating the marijuana market
Why “medical” marijuana gets little respect here
Mark Kleiman, the Washington state pot czar, explains his use of "scare quotes" when writing about medical marijuana: Yes, cannabis has medical value for some people. And yes, the sustained effort of the federal government to make medical cannabis research as difficult as possible is a national disgrace. And then, on the other … Continue reading Why “medical” marijuana gets little respect here
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