One more reason I'm proud to be a New Yorker

If you are going to shoot up anyway, you might as well do it right
10 easy steps to heroin use

This is on TV right now... I'm horrified.

Me too, even my doctor can't ever find my veins, some more instructions would have been handy

Strive for excellence in all that you do.

I'd love to get all outraged and say I can't believe that tax dollars are going to protect and support these junkie Darwin Award candidates, but unfortunately it's entirely too believable.

Somehow, and for some reason, totally unknown to anyone, anywhere (and in MUCH need of more grant money to explore, especially FEDERAL stimulus grant money), people who shoot heroin just don't seem all that interested in their health or in taking care of themselves. Go figger, huh?

I like the "Talk to your Doctor before taking any medicine" part, that's got to be an interesting conversation:

"Huh, ya doc, I'm the guy that sleeps behind the dumpster behind you building, so I figure you are my doctor... this pamphlet here says I should check with you before I take any medication because I am a Heroine addict. I am planning on taking some of Oxy that Big Jake stole from that warehouse last week. Do you think that will be a problem? I certainly don't want to do anything to jeopardize my health."

"Hello, Rock & Roll Doctor..."

Anyone else remember that skit?

"....I'm going to the Nuuuuuugent concert, I've got some Reds, some Blues, some Pot, some Acid, some Speed.. is there anything else I should bring?"

"Yes, an ambulance. Next call"

"Use new syringes every time. Ask your local pharmacist."

Holy E36 M3.

You of all people should know better than to make fun of this, Hess.

Who's making fun of it?

Maybe I read too much into it, but your post seemed to insinuate that this sort of thing is a waste of money. Given your profession, I assume you understand that the first step in helping people with that sort of an addiction is to keep them alive in the first place. The knee-jerk reaction that a lot of people have to programs like this (We are HELPING people to USE DRUGS! What an OUTRAGE!) is frustrating, because expecting people to just kick heroin cold turkey is not exactly helpful. Sorta like the idea that if we make condoms available in schools, it's the same as telling kids it's ok to start boning like rabbits. It may feel nice to stick one's head in the sand and pretend nobody ever does these things, but ultimately it isn't helping anyone.

Shouldn't step 10 actually be step 1?

Josh, nobody forced these people to stick this E36 M3 in their veins. They're not going to get help unless they actually want it, plain and simple.

If someone is a drug user, I'm pretty sure they know it's bad for them.

I don't look at a tobacco package and go "Holy E36 M3! I didn't know this stuff was bad for me!"

Shawn

Well, Josh, I gotta feeling that I've been around a whole lot more junkies than you have. You know what skin popping is? I do. You know what happens to those? I do. Most of them are actually nice people when you get them cleaned up/out. You know what, Josh, every single one of them knew it was bad for them, just like Trans_Maro's smokes. Every one of them, including the ones dieing of AIDS, didn't give a E36 M3 when they were shooting that up and sharing needles. "We really should be using bleach. Ha ha."

I have already suggested, many times, actually, completely decriminalizing all drugs and giving them away in nice little stations, only give away LD100 quantities and the whole thing will take care of itself. As it is right now, according to Wally's PDF, the state is giving away controlled substances like Naloxone without a prescription or even so much as a wanna-be doctor (PA, NP) looking them over. That's in violation of Federal law right there. Probably NY State's law too.

Of course I understand that addicts are fully responsible for their situation, and there may not be any hope for a lot of them. If anything, that pamphlet pretty much acknowledges that and focuses on what they can do to get through their lives without making their situation worse. If you think that's a waste of time or effort, I'm not going to agree. It's easy philosophically to just say that they just shouldn't have started in the first place, but until you put the finishing touches on your time machine, that's just a cop-out that doesn't deal with the problem that does exist.

I'm with you on the decriminaliztion, Hess, but I'll stop short of enabling people to overdose. Although, if I were a smoker, it might be fun to pull up to one of your stations and demand my LD100 of marijuana (might have to rent a van first ).

Josh wrote: Of course I understand that addicts are fully responsible for their situation, and there may not be any hope for a lot of them. If anything, that pamphlet pretty much acknowledges that and focuses on what they can do to get through their lives without making their situation worse. If you think that's a waste of time or effort, I'm not going to agree.

If there were a bottomless pit of money then sure, go and keep the junkies safe. The reality is that when the mayor is on tv everyday telling schools, hospitals, police ect. to cut back and do without, why are we wasting money on making sure people know the right way to shoot up?

Wally wrote: If there were a bottomless pit of money then sure, go and keep the junkies safe. The reality is that when the mayor is on tv everyday telling schools, hospitals, police ect. to cut back and do without, why are we wasting money on making sure people know the right way to shoot up?

I'm guessing it cost less than a couple dozen free ambulance rides.

Josh wrote:

Wally wrote: If there were a bottomless pit of money then sure, go and keep the junkies safe. The reality is that when the mayor is on tv everyday telling schools, hospitals, police ect. to cut back and do without, why are we wasting money on making sure people know the right way to shoot up?

I'm guessing it cost less than a couple dozen free ambulance rides.

and a couple dozen stolen cars to pay for the heroin the caused the ambulance ride

Well, we all know how easy heroin is to kick, so yeah--it's asinine to attempt to prevent deaths and the spread of disease. Why even bother???

That said, a desperate heroin addict might not take the extra minute to sterilize a needle. Sad.

Maybe they should issue a guide on how to rob a bank, seeing as how some people who don't know better may fire wildly and injure their hostages. They should spend tax money and make guides for everything. How to mug someone, how to drink and drive, how to be a human trafficker. What else would we use that money for? Schools? Road maintenance? Public transportation? Bah! Personal responsibility? Smershonal responsibility!

Oh so that's how you do it

I've always wondered how to harvest organs properly.

Shawn