This state is left of Kommiefornia, we’re totally lost.



https://www.bostonherald.com/2...2/bhr-l-heroin-0713/


The state came as close as it ever has to decriminalizing all drugs last month.

“Any person who violates this section shall be subject to a civil fine of not more than fifty dollars or participation in a needs screening to identify health and other service needs,” the proposed change to the state’s drug laws read.

Called “An Act relative to harm reduction and racial equality,” two bills were first introduced to both legislative bodies in March of last year. S.1277 and H.2119 both sat quietly in legislative committee until September, when lawmakers held a virtual hearing on the bills.

They again sat without motion or comment, through most of a year, until the very end of June when they were unceremoniously reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery and quietly sent to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing to determine the “appropriateness and fiscal effect of such legislation.”

That committee has since referred the House’s version to a study order, effectively ending its progress, a spokesperson for state Sen. Julian Cyr, one bill’s sponsor, told the Herald.

The fact that the matter was considered represents progress, according to drug policy change advocates.

“The war on drugs has failed. The experience of the last few decades shows arresting and jailing people for drug use does not work,” Emily Kaltenbach, a senior director with the Drug Policy Alliance told the Herald.

“Drugs are more potent, readily available, cheaper than ever before and people are cycling through prison with zero chance of access to recovery services. The approach that Massachusetts is considering offers people a new option — a health-based approach,” she said.

Attorney General Maura Healey, currently the lone Democrat seeking the governor’s office, said at a press availability Tuesday she is in favor of harm reduction approaches, but did not specifically endorse decriminalization.

“Sadly we continue to experience opioid overdoses and deaths around the state, in fact last year we saw an increase,” she said. “I am a huge supporter of investments in…harm reduction, prevention and recovery efforts. Meeting people where they are.”

Though neither piece of legislation may see the light of the chamber floor, if they did Massachusetts would not be the first state to take this step.

At the end of 2020 Oregon removed all criminal penalty for drug possession. Proponents of the state’s law change, ahead of its passage, said the so-called “War on Drugs” had failed, that decriminalization put tax dollars to better use than criminal process and that drug policy affects people of color disproportionately.

The results?

Washington County, Oregon, District Attorney Kevin Barton has told reporters the change in the law has resulted in a spike in overdose deaths and property crimes.

Advocates point to other data. In the first year 16,000 people in the state were given treatment and support for their drug problems instead of arrests, according to a report presented to that state’s health authority.

After reading the article, I would say, in part I do agree. At least in the prosecuting/jailing part does NOT work on getting these people off drugs and they are just continuous repeat offenders. The real question that needs a real solution is how do you break that cycle? What is more important to society, to get them help/better or to punish them?

There is a guy I work with who has donated a lot of his personal time and a lot of money helping out various people addicted to drugs and the existing system, at least in our (not Mass.) is broken and our jails and court systems see the same repeat offenders time and time again. Its a burden society and the tax payer. Its time for a new game plan because what we currently have isn't working.

Does that mean decriminalizing all drugs, Hell No! But the Judges need to have the latitude in doling out sentencing to determine what the Best Course of Action is on a case by case basis. Extensive Forced Drug Rehab must be on the table.

The other issue society has to realize is China is pumping this shit into the USA intentionally to destabilize our nation and national security. We can trace the pipeline from China to South America and other parts of the world into the USA. This is a secret war that is being waged upon our nation and its time we fight back in kind.

The war on drugs has been a failure because too many people profit from it failing. Anyone that thinks legalizing hard drugs needs their own head examined. Nothing good will come from it. Oregon is a perfect example of how catastrophically bad an idea it is.

Yep by all means bring back the opium den’s . Unless we remember we will repeat.
Link



During the heyday of the Old West drugs were pretty common and legal. The Chinese introduced opium when they came to America to build railroad lines. Drugs were not always used to get high, but to relieve pain.

The most popular painkillers were whiskey, morphine, opium, and laudanum. These could be purchased over the counter at any drugstore. Morphine was the most common narcotic on the frontier. It was first extracted in 1804 and was the first narcotic derived from a natural plant. It remains one of the most powerful pain relievers because it acts directly on the central nervous system. It’s also one of the most addictive. Too large a dose can be deadly. Commercial marketing began in the 1820s. After the invention of the hypodermic needle in 1853 its use expanded.

Morphine was hard to make and difficult to obtain so opium became the recreational drug of choice in the West for a century.

Prior to 1909 there were no restrictions on its import or use. It became a cure for morphine addiction. Opium dens operated in the Chinese section of town. They featured private rooms, couches, beds and even prostitutes

I wonder how many drug dealers would be willing to smuggle/sell illegal drugs in this country if there was a mandatory "one strike" law.

As in, you have any dealings with illegal drugs (smugglers, dealers, etc.) and you get the instant death penalty. No appeals, spending a decade or 2 in prison waiting for it to happen.

There is so much money to be made that people are willing to risk arrest and prosecution. How many drug dealers have we seen walking out of the jails on low, or no, bail before the arresting officers have even finished processing the paperwork? How many people in this country die every year due to the illegal drugs being imported?

I seem to recall a news article a short while ago about a truckload of fentanyl. Reportedly enough to kill millions. How about we, as a nation, just start taking out the sources of all those illegal drugs? We are in what amounts to a war and are doing very little to stop the importation/smuggling of drugs.

quote:

Originally posted by Elk Hunter:
I wonder how many drug dealers would be willing to smuggle/sell illegal drugs in this country if there was a mandatory "one strike" law.

As in, you have any dealings with illegal drugs (smugglers, dealers, etc.) and you get the instant death penalty. No appeals, spending a decade or 2 in prison waiting for it to happen.

Look at South Korea. This is pretty close to their policy. If you were caught with a truckload of Fentanyl over there, you probably wouldn’t be alive a year after you were caught. They are very strict on drug use/possession, and if caught, the penalties are quite severe. They do not have the problems that we have. The reward isn’t worth the risk over there.

quote:

Originally posted by Fla Jim:

Morphine was the most common narcotic on the frontier. It was first extracted in 1804 and was the first narcotic derived from a natural plant. It remains one of the most powerful pain relievers because it acts directly on the central nervous system. It’s also one of the most addictive.

That’s not a very accurate statement anymore (the quote in bold). While synthetic opiates are based off morphine’s foundation, they are far more effective in pain relief, far more powerful, and infinitely more addictive.
I.e. when I had hernia surgery I had a prescription for 10 mg tablets of hydrocodone. They were quite effective. They worked well and twenty minutes after taking one, there was zero pain.
When I had just come out of surgery, they gave me 50 MICROGRAMS of Fentanyl. (1000 micrograms make up 1 milligram). After the 50 microgram shot in the IV, he asked how I was doing. I was still in some pain. They gave me 10 more micrograms and within a minute or two, there was no pain, and I was so sedated that he was reminding me to breathe and take deep breaths.

Now I had 0.06 mg. This as such a minuscule amount. 16 times that amount to make one milligram, which is 1/1000 of a gram. 1 milligram would have ended my life. So there are some quite powerful opiates out there now.

Fentanyl is an extreme example as it is by far the most potent, but Oxycodone, hydrocodone, dilaudid (hydro morphine), propoxyphene, the list of synthetics go on. These are quite powerful and not even close to the morphine of the early 1900’s.

Only two ways make sense:

Any level of selling, carries the death penalty/possession is a long/brutal sentence

Or decriminalize it all.

The issue being: A large chunk of society now conflates morality and legality - and I suppose legalized drug use would quickly purge them from the population.

I do know my friends in recovery are split. Some of them are in the “it’s a disease” camp, some are fans of prison for addicts, because it’s where a lot of people get clean.

See my quote below.

Make sure they give it all away for free. So junkies aren’t stealing everything that isn’t nailed down. Give them all they want. When they OD don’t let them call 911.

quote:

Originally posted by scot818:
Make sure they give it all away for free. So junkies aren’t stealing everything that isn’t nailed down. Give them all they want. When they OD don’t let them call 911.

I’m cool with that. Should only take a week or so

Philosophically, I am a libertarian.

Having said that, Massachusetts is a leftist east coast authoritarian state so Im quite curious to see exactly what this means.

Highest probability is taxation, but are they going to regulate the sale of cocaine, herione, and methamphetamine, along with all the others? That would be sensible rather than have the taxpayers fund all the vices.

It's completely rediculous, and shows a blind eye towards logistics and displays extreme arrogance in their capacity to execute this plan without the cooperation of neighboring states.

MA statesmen are completely full of shit and up their own asses.

Just like they've been for a century.

Keep in mind that South Koreans drink a LOT of alcohol instead.

In the cities I worked in, there was an "instant driver" service. Call a number and a dude shows up on a scooter that folds up and goes in your trunk. Then he drives home in your car, and gets back on the scooter. Quite clever really. This was before Uber so I don't know how it is now since I haven't been back in a few years.

Narcotics, cocaine, LSD, marijuna, and all other drugs were legal at one time, and then regulated because of their negative effects. It's not like we randomly decided to make them illegal for no reason. Same with gambling. The "legalize and tax" mentality does not come anywhere close to covering the costs of negative outcomes with the taxes.

My son is 18 and does not drink or take drugs. I recently reminded him to NEVER take any Rx drug that he did not get from a pharmacy with his own prescription. I've seen enough stories about kids taking a fake Xanax or OxyContin and getting fentanyl instead and OD'ing.

Seriously Fentanyl smuggling needs to be life in prison or capital offense. Trace it to the source factory (China most likely) and impose massive sanctions on the business/country.

quote:

Oregon is a perfect example of how catastrophically bad an idea it is.

Re: "perfect example" of bad idea.

Considerable evidence accumulates to suggest this is an understatement.

quote:

Originally posted by signewt:

quote:

Oregon is a perfect example of how catastrophically bad an idea it is.

Re: "perfect example" of bad idea.

Considerable evidence accumulates to suggest this is an understatement.

Not really, when you have communists attempting to decide what to prosecute, and what not to prosecute, you get a mess frought with discrimination, violence and chaos.

Letting homeless people run amok and decriminalizing violence against the middle class is about the great reset. Oregon never had genuine consideration for liberty. Leftists never do.

Legalising drugs is not a bad idea, but that is not what any of this is about. It's about spreading the narrative that the people must eventually be governed with a heavy hand. They are betting on ensuing chaos and a public outcry for action.

"Look what happened to Oregon? We need swat teams busting down doors and shooting dogs, or you get oregon. See?"

It really is a disaster here in Oregon.

The plan was to create a system that would divert drug users from the prison system into drug treatment and it has failed miserably. It has significantly contributed to our homeless problem, very,very few people are taking the opportunity to enter treatment, and drug overdoses are at an all time high.

And the proponents of this measure are claiming victory......

A link to an article on the programs impact is

http://www.truenorthreports.co...a-disaster-in-oregon

I would agree to this with ONE stipulation....NARCAN is NEVER to be used in ANY self-induced drug overdose situation. Wanna do the yam-yam?? Pay the price. No "get out of jail free" cards.

Sounds harsh, but the consequences of deviant behavior MUST be enforced at some point. Just sayin'.....

Perhaps the MA legislature will apply the "doesn't work" logic to their draconian gun bans?

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
I would agree to this with ONE stipulation....NARCAN is NEVER to be used in ANY self-induced drug overdose situation. Wanna do the yam-yam?? Pay the price. No "get out of jail free" cards.

Sounds harsh, but the consequences of deviant behavior MUST be enforced at some point. Just sayin'.....

I think you’ve completely misread the fentanyl poisoning being the number one cause of death of men between 18 and 40. Kids as young is 12 years older ordering this on Instagram. They should die?

All because Brandon won’t callout China or NarcoCartels e.g. is compromised with his son?


Let’s hope you never have kids or grandchildren.

Given that after 50 years of the so called war on drugs, the fact that anyone who wants any amount of any illegal narcotic can get them quickly, easily, and at historically low prices (in the black market) means that, by definition, the use of the criminal justice system to interdict drug flow and deter the distribution of illegal narcotics has been an utter, abject failure. In point of fact, it's been counter productive, by encouraging the creation of highly powerful and profitable transnational drug cartels that have destabilize and, in some cases, effectively taken control of several nations.

So the question is not longer how can we achieve some theoretical, unachievable drug free society. it's how to manage the drug business, pull it out of the hands of the criminal cartels, and mitigate the damage to society as much as is practically possible. So sort of carefully controlled level of legalization is going to have to be part of this.

For SIGnified.
Naloxone only works on overdoses caused by opioids. This family of drugs includes prescription painkillers like OxyContin, fentanyl, methadone, and Vicodin, as well as street drugs like heroin. Naloxone will not reverse overdose resulting from non-opioid drugs, like cocaine, benzodiazepines (“benzos”), or alcohol.