Heads up on the ‘opiate’ crisis!
Again, we look at a shocking crisis, leap into ‘damage management’ mode and use compassion mantra’s with new robust vitriol and flail around on social media ‘slack-tavism’ demanding greater Harm Reduction measures like, legalizing drugs, more and easier to access drug taking equipment, injecting rooms to name the chief culprits!
However, the fact that ‘legal’, that’s right, medical grade drugs, regulated and distributed by the government, are often now doing the greater harm.
So, now ‘legalizing’ as a Harm Reduction measure is now surely redundant and an option ‘off the table?’. What of other drug use endorsing, empowering and enabling mechanisms – injecting rooms, Needle Syringe Programs and even Opiate Substitute programs? Are they helping reduce, remediate or facilitate recovery from drug use, or endorsing and empowering even greater involvement in drug use, enabling, even more, drug using episodes – each event putting the drug users health and life further at risk?
Who is driving this agenda? Certainly, it cannot be concerned, loving, compassionate citizens who want people not merely ‘alive and using’, but whole, restored and healthy, can it? So, who is pushing this one dimensional and clearly failing agenda, that seems to save fewer people and at the same time promoting more drug use? Who are they, and when will they be accountable for actions?
| Number of deaths by drug poisoning where any opiates were mentioned on the death certificate, local authorities in England & Wales, deaths registered in 1993 – 20161,2,3,4 |
| Area Code | Area Name | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | ||
| E92000001 | ENGLAND | 444 | 625 | 718 | 873 | 967 | 1096 | 1260 | 1270 | 1423 | 1235 | 1007 | 1108 | 1222 | 1159 | 1299 | 1464 | 1473 | 1384 | 1306 | 1167 | 1469 | 1688 | 1841 | 1867 | ||
Prescription drug pregabalin linked to death rise Deaths linked to a drug readily prescribed on the NHS has increased dramatically after claims it has flooded the black market.
Pregabalin, used to treat pain, anxiety and epilepsy, is being sold illegally to addicts and taken with other drugs such as heroin, leading to overdoses.
BBC News meets addict Martin Hopkins from Plymouth, Devon, as he takes the drug.
In 2012 there were four deaths linked to pregabalin, last year there were 111.
Filmed and edited by Patrick Clahane. http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-devon-40937449/prescription-drug-pregabalin-linked-to-death-rise
Powerful painkiller use ‘doubled in 15 years’
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionOpioid painkillers include tramadol, codeine and morphineThe use of potentially addictive painkillers across England has doubled in the last 15 years, according to a report by leading public health experts.
Researchers found one in 20 people was being prescribed opioid painkillers, such as codeine and tramadol.
They also found that drugs were being prescribed for longer periods of time.
Experts say long-term use leads to a risk of addiction while the benefits become greatly reduced. For More http://www.bbc.com/news/health-41201397