The International Herald Tribune has an article on the fear of creating problems by using morphine where medically indicated: “Like millions of others in the world’s poorest countries, she is fated to die in pain. She cannot get the drug she needs, one that is cheap, effective, perfectly legal for medical uses under treaties signed by virtually every country, made in large quantities, and has been around since Hippocrates praised its source - the opium poppy. She cannot get morphine.”
The New York Times reports:
“Afghanistan produced record levels of opium in 2007 for the second straight year, led by a staggering 45 percent increase in the Taliban stronghold of Helmand Province, according to a new United Nations survey to be released Monday. The report is likely to touch off renewed debate about the United States’ $600 million counternarcotics program in Afghanistan, which has been hampered by security challenges and endemic corruption within the Afghan government.”
The article does note that in non-Taliban controlled areas in the north, opium production did decrease.
In an article entitled “Drugs, alcohol found in course of 7,741 autopsies” the Ocala Star-Banner reports on what people were using as they passed on. Heroin turns out to be declining in this “use survey”, but still has the highest cause of death percentage — 81 percent of people found to have heroin in their systems at death died as a result of that heroin use.
Slate has an article on “Cheese Heroin”, a mix of mexican black tar heroin and Tylenol PM:
“What exactly is “cheese” heroin? It’s a snortable powder that contains Mexican black-tar heroin and the over-the-counter cold remedy Tylenol PM, whose active ingredients are diphenhydramine and acetaminophen (Tylenol). Many people who suffer from allergies or insomnia take diphenhydramine in the form of the over-the-counter drug Benadryl.” . . .
The Windsor Star of Ontario Canada reports: “Calgary’s needle-disposal program proves harm-reduction measures, while controversial, can be done safely and in a way that stops the spread of infectious diseases by substance abuse.
The Calgary program, marking its 10th anniversary, has caught the attention of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The group thinks Calgary’s program is so strong, it has recommended U.S. cities adopt it as a model for establishing their own safe needle initiatives.
Too bad Ottawa hasn’t appeared to notice. The federal Tories are expected to move away from harm-reduction strategies, such as needle exchange programs and safe injection sites, when they release their anti-drug strategy next week.
Harm reduction is a public health philosophy that seeks to lessen the dangers to society of drug abuse and drug policies. The Harper government’s desire to take a tougher stand on substance abuse is commendable. But a sensible strategy must recognize — or at least consider — the basic tenet of harm reduction: That there’s never been and never will be a drug-free society.”
The National Post of Canada editorializes: "At home, the red European wild poppy is a symbol of Canada’s military heritage. But the Canadian soldiers of today are trudging through fields of opium poppies every day in Afghanistan, and for them, the potent tall-stalked plant has become a contemporary symbol of the frustrations of nation-building in a failed state."
"Illicit poppy production is simultaneously a hard-to-replace source of income for thousands of small Afghan farmers and a valuable source of revenue for the enemies of NATO and the legitimate Afghan government. Over 90% of the world’s illegal raw opium is thought to come from Afghanistan. Ultimately, its by-products go on to wreak havoc in cities around the world."
"The basic idea is simple: Opium is medicine, so why destroy it? In an age of rising global prosperity and life expectancies, the medical demand for opioids such as codeine and morphine is rising all the time, and indeed is outstripping supply according to UN measures. Yet there are no legal arrangements for Afghan farmers to produce licensed opium legally for the international pharmaceutical market."
How much would it cost? Anything approaching the current cost of the war there?
The Courier-Mail of Australia reports: "THE four senior crew members of the Pong Su risked running the massive cargo ship aground by dropping anchor less than 1km from land on Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast so they could ferry 150kg of heroin ashore in a small dinghy. Crown prosecutor John Champion SC told the Victorian Supreme Court yesterday that the Pong Su, which had carried the heroin from North Korea to Australia in April 2003, would never have ventured so close to the rocky shoreline had those responsible for the ship’s movements not been involved in a criminal enterprise."
Northern Life of Canada HAD an extensive article on the problems the misuse of Oxycontin (aka Hillbilly Heroin) is causing for Sudbury, Canada and the efforts being worked on to remedy the problem.
As of 2007.june.14 the article is no longer available on their website. May I suggest the Wikipedia Oxycodone article as an alternative to begin learning about Oxycodone?
BBC News has an article entitled "Central Asia’s deadly cargo". Central Asia has long been a conduit for the heroin pouring out of Afghanistan, but now its population has taken to _using_ heroin. It is estimated that 1 percent of the population in the region uses heroin; three times the rate of the rest of Asia.
Starting in 2003, San Francisco began providing syringes filled with Naloxone, a short-acting opiate blocker, to addicts to use on fellow users who have overdosed on opiates. The naloxone revives them, preventing death. The program is credited with saving close to 200 lives. That is important, since in California drug overdoses may soon exceed automobile deaths. New York City has also been funding a naloxone program since early 2005.
This is a _very_ nice example of a Harm Reduction approach to addiction. Social policy dealing with substance problems generally falls into one of the Three Reductions: Harm, demand and supply. A brief explanation is available here.