Category Archives: Harm Reduction
My response to the David Cameron interview on Drugs & Legalisation
I felt the need to get a few things of my chest having just viewed the following video of our great leader David Cameron.
Please note in some ways I have been a fence sitter regarding the pros and cons of legalising Cannabis. I try and see both sides of the argument. However, his comments today in response to the questions he was asked are dimissive and make me very angry.
Point 1) Alcohol and Tobacco are more addictive. FACT. Alcohol damages the body far more and has far far far less medicinal benefit. Tobacco (Nicotine) is more addictive. FACT. You’re not answering the question Mr Cameron! Yes I believe Cannabis can lead to a psychological dependency for some people but if you are legally allowing people to make a choice to use Tobacco and Alcohol then why not Cannabis too? If you are so concerned about people’s physical and mental health why not ban them all?? We all know the answer to that.
Point 2) Hoorah, he agrees education in schools is vital. So provide us with a statutory framework compulsory in ALL schools, train teachers to give out credible information, fund programmes and services (coughs) that can deliver the goods. Redivert FRANK money so that those that are the most vulnerable get the information and support they need rather than basic, ill targetted and sometimes factually incorrect propaganda.
Point 3) IF
‘Marijuana’ is incredibly damaging and leads to HUGE mental health problems’
then it is BECAUSE of the fact it’s illegal and not properly regulated or controlled. It is in the hands of criminals. If higher THC levels in Cannabis contribute to an increased risk to mental health then if he really wanted to help people he would find a way to regulate. He allows Alcohol to continue to be legal which actually does contribute to HUGE mental health problems so on this basis, make Alcohol a Class B too!
Point 4) Dismissing a question about the medical use of Cannabis is quite bloody offensive. It had been proven countless times that it is much more beneficial and less addictive than drugs that the pharmaceutical companies he would advocate and probably has a vested interest in dish out. Thousands of people in our country are in pain and suffering and his policies criminalise them for wanting to be able to legally choose a drug that could help them a great deal to lead more fulfilling lives. It’ s not all just about stoners wanting to get high!
Point 5) Making drugs legal will make them more prevalent? Really?You know that? If policies to date have not worked why not try something different? Why not listen to the people that know what they are talking about? How about pulling your head out of your arse and seeing how dangerous and harmful your policies are? How about realising you have the power to really reduce the harm that ALL drugs can cause but politically you nor many politicians have the balls to make the radical changes that are so badly needed?
And so on and on and on and on.
Rant over. . .for now.
Misjudging people who ‘do’ drugs! – Don’t get me wrong
This may get a bit ranty.
An issue that has again reared its head this weekend and recently is how some people who know me, including some I consider friends still don’t really understand what I do. It’s been nearly eleven years FFS! Maybe it’s because I don’t talk about it much at social occasions because of the misjudging thing, I hate people getting me all wrong. Hmmm.
Anyway, the two groups I’m going to refer to that I feel are misjudged are people who take drugs and people who work in the drugs field. (There is a crossover of course!)
People who ‘do’ drugs as in take drugs
Now I’m talking about what most of society consider ‘drugs’. Usually they mean illegal drugs. Obviously though this is not the case. Drugs, substances, whatever you want to call them can be legal, illegal, over the counter and prescription. So really most of us take drugs. The people my work supports are those that have suffered due to their use. My cause is to help society realise that they can treat them like humans rather than something you scrape of your shoe. People assume that if an individual uses a drug then they somehow deserve to be treated badly. If I know someone snorts Coke, I don’t treat them differently just because it’s not a choice I make. That’s their business.
People who ‘do’ drugs as in work in the drugs field
(When people ask what I do for a living I say ‘Drugs’. Then I try to briefly explain.)
For some reason, maybe an after effect of the widespread coverage in the 80′s of the ridiculous Just Say No campaign some people automatically assume that it’s about being anti drugs, that if you work in this field you just talk non stop about how drugs are bad. This is hilarious to me. I think drugs are great, without them I would be sprogged up several times over, my heart may have chosen not to work properly and when I get one of my super headaches I may not be such a well bunny. Luckily the fellow drug worker colleagues that I know are not anti-drugs either. We tend to just want people to be as happy and healthy as possible.
So to clarify….
- I train people who may come into contact with those that have addictions so that there is less judgement. As well as helping them understand what the effects can be my main passion is to highlight the effects stigma and discrimination can have and help them to find their empathy so they can support people as anyone with a health issue is entitled to be supported.
- I work with young people so they know their stuff so they can make informed choices whichever they may be.
- I train staff who come into contact with people with drug problems so that they can support them more effectively. If they can do this they are more like to get treatment and therefore have more chance of recovery. This helps the whole of society.
- I work with services users who are still in treatment, or who have been in treatment in the past and who are trying to deal with their shit. A lot of people shy away from dealing with their issues. Problematic Drug and Alcohol users don’t have this option, sometimes because it is life or death they are choosing between.
- I also use a technique called EFT which helps people with all sort of emotional issues, including addictions and cravings. It’s really quite effective and although I know it could help a lot of my close friends and family I do not inflict it upon them. They can ask to try it by all means.
- 4 o clock on a Sunday morning when I’m outside a club isn’t in fact the work hours I set myself, especially now I’m self-employed. Yes I will help my friends but my work doesn’t mean I have to deal with everyone who is drunk or high. Just like if the toilets in the club got blocked a plumber reveller wouldn’t necessarily have to be the one to deal with it. .. I could think of more examples but you get my gist.
- It’s both funny and frustrating to me that whilst most of my work involves helping people to be less judgemental of those that use drugs that I myself can be judged so poorly.
- Yes I take drugs. I drink Caffeine everyday, I take beta blockers everyday. I quite like a nice Co-codamol or two for my previously mentioned super headaches. Occasionally I drink the drug Alcohol which enhances a night out for me as it and other drugs may do for other people.
If anyone would like to know more about what I do please drop me an E-mail or even better speak to me face to face.
Peace, love, empathy
Stace x
NCIDU 2010 – Day Two – Adulteration of illicit drugs and Analysis of crack cocaine
NCIDU 2010 – Day Two
Claire began by distinguishing between Adulterants, Contaminants and Dilutants.
Adulterants – pharmacologically active ingredients
Contaminants – by-products of manufacturing
Dilutants – inert substances added to provide bulk
There are perception and myths around the adulteration of drugs that include the idea that there are adulterants added at every step. Apparently the evidence does not actually comply with the perception that all adulteration is ‘haphazard or toxic’.
She then divided the substances again: -
Benign substances – which add bulk and are relatively cheap and in low doses relatively safe such as Caffeine, Sugar, Paracetamol
Enhancing or Mimicking – substances which give similar effects or feelings as the drugs they’re being sold as, and may have the same taste or look
Substances that facilitate administration – For example substances that make a drug easier to smoke or inject etc.
There can also be adulteration from poor manufacturing processes which increases by products and residues. Bacteria may also be present due to unsterile and unsafe manufacturing spaces.
Some common adulterants Claire mentioned by drug type: -
Amphetamines – heavily contaminated with Caffeine at importation stage
Cocaine – Levamisole pre import, Benzocaine post import
Crack – as Cocaine plus Phenacetin
Heroin – Caffeine and Paracetamol.
Dealers have moved away from inert substances in favour of pharmaceutical substances.
Harm Reduction Messages
- Early warning systems would be useful
- A standardised reporting system
- Evidence based intervention
- Improved awareness and general information available especially for emergency services and drug treatment personnel
You can see the full presentation here.
Jenny Scott fed back on an analysis of Crack Cocaine in Swindon following an anecdotal report of low quality Crack.
A team analysed 50 samples of Crack in total.
Some of the findings were as follows:
80% contained Cocaine
20% contained no Cocaine at all (5 were Heroin, 1 possibly citric acid and 4 unknown)
Average purity was 39%
81% also contained Phenacetin (which can be toxic to the liver)
8% Benzocaine
8% Glucose
3% Mannitol
You can see the full presentation here.
NCIDU 2010 – Day Two – Twitter Ye Not and Martin Barnes on The New Administration
NCIDU 2010 Day Two – October 8th 2010
Chair: Roweena Russell, Developer and Manager, Hiwecanhelp
Twitter ye not – Nigel Brunsdon – Injecting Advice and Allison Downing – Simply Syndicated.
Presented by my Twitter friends Nigel and Allison I didn’t really need to go to this as it was more around convincing other drug workers why Twitter is a good idea for networking within the field. Most people listening in were not yet on Twitter so it was good for them to be thinking about how it may help them.
I think Twitter is actually underused in the Drugs & Alcohol field and so this was a welcome addition to the conference agenda and I hope it is something that will take off on a larger scale. Information sharing is so important especially for harm reduction messages and encouraging discussion. Twitter makes it easy!
See their brilliant Prezi presentation here.
Drugs and the new administration – Martin Barnes, Chief Executive, Drugscope
Martin Barnes delivered the afternoon’s opening session focusing on the impact the new coalition Government will have on the future of drug services. He initially gave an overview of Drugscope’s work and how they play a part in influencing policy and the importance of accurate information in the media. He reiterated the message that the impending national cuts will certainly effect drug services and then gave a history of the various Government appointments which will also affect future policy. A mention was given to the impending abolishment of the NTA and their new stance on Methadone maintenance to ‘champion abstinence focused treatment’. Whilst none of this was new news as such his tone suggested a call to arms in a sense, for us all to be prepared for the changes ahead whilst also encouraging that if people are unable to receive the treatment that they require to speak up.
See his presentation here.
NCIDU 2010 – The Ballad of the Two Charlies and The Waiting Room
NCIDU Day One
I’m always on the look out for useful videos to show in training sessions. I have long been a fan of Lifeline Publications for their no nonsense approach and informing in a targetted way. Mike Linnell began by giving us a history of Lifeline publications and indicated the trouble he has caused along the way with people who may be shocked by the content of his brilliant campaigns. Oh well. I think they are great. I like them because there’s no messing around. They do what they need to, making their point in a direct and relevant way. Having used the Mr Mange Goes Over video in my Heroin training sessions I was looking forward to seeing ‘The Ballad of the Two Charlies’. The usual humour combined with subtle and not so subtle messages.
I was not disappointed. As with a lot of Lifeline Publications, both the booklet and the video is not something I would choose to show to a class of Year 7′s but then anyone can use their common sense when choosing resources if they thinks carefully about their target audiences. It focuses on the transition from Cocaine to Crack Cocaine and highlights the difference in attitudes between the use of Heroin and Cocaine. It shows the effect of Crack addiction on one of the Charlie’s. It has been shown in prisons and I think it will be something I will be able to use when training Probation/Police Officers as well as service user groups in Cocaine and Crack training. Unfortunately there is no link for this as yet but I’ll provide one as soon as there is.
NCIDU Day Two
I warmed immediately to Colin Tyrie from the beginning of his session. ‘The Waiting Room’ is a series of three short educational films aimed at prevention of BBV’s in young people. The three characters are shown putting themselves at risk of Hep C, each in a different way.
The first scene is two lads sharing the same note to snort Cocaine, the second a teenage girl who was making the choice whether or not to have sex with a (very eager) young man and the last showed a lad being injected with Heroin.
It was this last one that provoked the most questions and discussion at the end of the session. Mike Linnell was very vocal at suggesting that this scenario was not realistic. In the majority of cases when people inject they are making a conscious choice to do so. The film as you will see does provide a rather sterotypical predatory older man injecting him. I felt though that rather than invalidating the use of the video it could be a good tool for debate around the issues by asking young pwople what they think. Is it realistic? Do they have the choice most of the time? What can they do to prevent being put in similar vulnerable situations etc etc. The Waiting Room also comes with a PDF toolkit on how to utilise the video within a school setting. More needs to be done about raising awareness of BBV transmission through methods of drug use other than injecting. I’m sure a lot of young people are unaware of the risk of sharing notes/straws when snorting Cocaine and need to know how much easier it is to contract Hep C than things like HIV which they are more fearful of.
There we go. Two lovely resources for you to think about.
Thanks for reading.
Stace x
@StaceInspire
NCIDU 2010 – Day One am – Involving Drug Dealers and More Than Steroids
More from the NCIDU 2010…
Day One – October 7th 2010 am
These are purely the presentations I decided to go to listen to.
You can see the full programme of speakers from Day One here.
Chair:
Jim McVeigh, Head of Substance Use, Centre for Public Health, Liverpool Moores University
Gettting drug dealers involved in harm reduction
Ross Coomber spoke about a Plymouth pilot study which involved drug dealers in harm reduction. Makes a lot of sense really doesn’t it but can’t see the Daily Mail ‘getting’ it.
The pilot study involved engaging drug dealers who provided space for users to inject their gear. Inevitably a lot of these spaces aren’t always going to be the most hygenic and so prove an additional risk to users such as Blood Borne Viruses and infections. The premise is that if the dealers can be given access to better information, needle exchanges and so forth then those they are selling to will also be influenced to use more safely and understand why.
Dealers’ houses can essentially be public injecting galleries. Our helpful drug laws of course prevent safe areas like these being officially set up but unofficially is the only way IV users can be helped to be at less risk in terms of safer spaces. Ross also put forward the fact that not all dealers are neccessarily the media stereotype predator, especially in the case of user-dealers. Amazingly dealers are humans too, fancy that! User-dealers may only deal to a close circle of friends and aquaintances and therefore can be instrumental in promoting safer practices.
My conclusion: Controversial it may be, ‘pushing the boundaries’ of harm reduction too but anything that can reduce the transmission of blood borne viruses is another way forward. How anyone can argue against something that can save lives is beyond me. It would be a shame if this Plymouth pilot ends up a one off.
I think what ‘some’ (let’s not prejudge them all) of the general drug ignorant public may hold the view that if people want to inject then let them just catch whatever comes, it’s their own fault blah blah blah. I’ve heard this opinion being voiced in training sessions before. My response to them will always be , ‘It’s not just injecting drug users that spread BBV’s is it?’ and ‘What if it was your son or daughter? Would you want them to be using safely if they have to use at all?’. Soon shuts them up : )
Just another thought too, where would these people prefer their loved ones to be injecting (again, if they were going to anyway). In an unlit stairwell, behind a skip (see Swansea Love Story), in a dirty squat or somewhere clean and safe?
More than Anabolic Steroids
Martin Chandler gave an eye opening talk on the phenomenal amount of growth hormones and products that Steroid users are now using in addition to the Anabolic Steroids they may be taking.
A lot of these substances are used to combat the side effects of others. For example Anti-Estrogen drugs are used to combat the likelihood of gynecomastia (AKA Bitch tits or my preferred word, Moobs). Some of the side effects of Steroids are irreversible and it was amazing to learn just how many of these other Performance Enhancers there are. Not all of them illegal, some OTC, some available on dodgy websites from across Europe with little if any advice.
Martin then went on to explain Stacking and Cycles which are the regimes users will incorporate into their day to day lives in order to acheive their desirable muscular image. It seems you have to be very organised and motivated to be a successful Steroid user. To be honest a lot of this part went over my head. Very complicated. I have to take two separate pills every morning, that’s enough for me to get my head around!!
My Conclusion: There are just so many! Services need drug workers dedicated purely to this client group. It needs to be something drug services can respond to and they need to look at ways of getting users of Performance & Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDS) to access needle exchanges and harm reduction advice just as they would for all drugs. They will only access services if they are confident in the worker’s knowledge. A big task!
Well that’s the morning done. I’ll try my best to do the rest as soon as I can.
Peace, love and ALWAYS empathy.
Stace x
@StaceInspire
Overdose Awareness Day
Today is Overdose Awareness Day. This is an E-mail I’ve just sent round to Birmingham services and I thought it would be worth me blogging it too. . . .
Here are some great resources and links which I think you may find useful.
I have included references to Facebook and Twitter for fellow social networkers, the best way to keep totally up to date.
Videos
Mr Mange Goes Over
Going Over
Useful Websites
Injecting Advice
Includes great resources to run OD workshops here -
http://www.injectingadvice.com/downloads-mainmenu-31/workshop/154-odworkshop
Exchange Supplies
International Harm Reduction Alliance
National Needle Exchange Forum
Hi We Can Help
http://www.hiwecanhelp.com/safer-using/overdose-prevention.aspx
Please retweet, forward on if you fancy : )
Stace x
