NYC: Heroin for dummies

m@cc@

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/heroin_for_dummies_oLIfe1Gxl7RMk9iJZiWlnL

Heroin for dummies

Here's the latest smack on taxpayers. The city spent $32,000 on 70,000 fliers that tell you how to shoot heroin, complete with detailed tips on prepping the dope and injecting it into your arm. The Health Department handout has outraged New York's top drug prosecutors and abuse experts.

"It's basically step-by- step instruction on how to inject a poison," said John Gilbride, who heads the Drug Enforcement Administration's New York office.
"It's sick," said City Council member Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Queens)
"Foolish," said Columbia University drug researcher and treatment expert Dr. Herbert Kleber.



ALL IN VEIN: This page from a city-distributed pamphlet--at a cost to taxpayers of $32,000--gives addicts the ins and outs of how to shoot up.


The 16-page pamphlet features seven comics-like illustrations and offers dope fiends such useful advice as "Warm your body (jump up and down) to show your veins," and "Find the vein before you try to inject." It even encourages addicts to keep jabbing if their needles miss the mark. "If you don't 'register,' pull out and try again," it says.

The brochure sends the wrong message about the dangers of the drug, experts said.
"It concerns me that the city would produce a how-to on using drugs," Gilbride said. "Heroin is extremely potent. You may only get the chance to use it once. To suggest there is a method of using that alleviates the dangers, that's very disturbing." Vallone, who chairs the council's public safety committee, vowed to shut down the distribution of the pamphlet.

"This is a tremendous misuse of city funds, and I'm going to see what I can do to stop it. It sends a message to our youth: give it a try," he fumed. Gilbride and city drug czar Bridget Brennan noted that the manual does have some sound advice. It stresses the importance of kicking the habit, seeking professional help and not sharing needles.

But it also spells out how junkies should ready their fix and the best ways to shoot it -- a bad idea when more New York teens than ever are trying heroin, they said.
"What we do not want to do is suggest that there's anything safe about shooting up narcotics," said Brennan, the city's special narcotics prosecutor. "No matter how many times you wash your hands or how clean the needle is, it's still poison that you're putting in your veins."

The guidebook, called "Take Charge, Take Care," has sections on overdosing, testing for HIV and hepatitis -- and how to "prepare drugs carefully" and "how to take care of your veins."

Kleber, a psychiatry professor, said the brochure could help save lives but that it was "foolish" for the city to include tips on how to shoot up. The Health Department defended its brochure, saying it was helpful and necessary, and has been distributed only to addicts or those at risk of becoming abusers.

"Our goal is to promote health and save lives with this information," said Daliah Heller, assistant commissioner for the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment. Asked why the handout tells people how to shoot up, Heller said, "From a health perspective, there is a less harmful way to inject yourself."

The flier fails to identify the city agency as its creator and distributor, and mentions only a group called LifeNet and the city's 311 help line as call-in resources to addicts.

LifeNet is run by the nonprofit Mental Health Association of New York City, which is heavily funded by the city. "It's certainly not ours," said association spokeswoman Beth Garcia.

How could this ever be thought up as a good idea? :eek:

Dudess

But they're going to do it anyway because of their crippling addiction so why not give them tips on the "safest" way to do it?

It's hardly glorifying it - just injecting (sorry) a bit of reality into proceedings.

GLaDOS

....why? What had they possibly hoped to achieve?

Mint Sauce

suppose if you want to do herion, do it safely, safe the tax payer money and reduce the chances of getting admitted to the ER

m@cc@

Dudess wrote: »

But they're going to do it anyway because of their crippling addiction so why not give them tips on the "safest" way to do it?

Because you should be putting all your energy into stopping them from doing it and not take the attitude 'they're going to do it anyway'.

irish-stew wrote: »

suppose if you want to do herion, do it safely, safe the tax payer money and reduce the chances of getting admitted to the ER

Healthcare is not funded by the taxpayer in the US, not yet anyway.

Dudess

Rome wasn't built in a day - while initiatives to stomp out heroin are in process, people are still becoming addicted to it.

Gordon

Great idea but it sounds like they should have made half of the brochure contain the dangers of heroin so that the opposers of the plan would have less reason to oppose it. Plus, it would make people think more about the dangers.

m@cc@

Dudess wrote: »

Rome wasn't built in a day - while initiatives to stomp out heroin are in process, people are still becoming addicted to it.

Do you not feel it is normalising the process?

fergalr

m@cc@ wrote: »

Because you should be putting all your energy into stopping them from doing it and not take the attitude 'they're going to do it anyway'.

People (especially certain churches) use the same logic to argue against teaching people about condoms, and how to have casual sex while protecting themselves against disease transmission.

You could similarly argue that we don't need police or prisons either, on the basis that we should be putting all our energy into not making people commit crime in the first place (better education etc)?

I'm not saying that the leaflet makes sense, just that the argument you've given doesn't hold up.

galwayrush

It'll never happen here, cut-backs and all that.:rolleyes:

GLaDOS

fergalr wrote: »

You could similarly argue that we don't need police or prisons either, on the basis that we should be putting all our energy into not making people not commit crime in the first place?.

Yeah, but we don't go handing out leaflets on how to burgle, rape and murder properly to avoid injuring yourself.

fergalr

ScienceNerd wrote: »

Yeah, but we don't go handing out leaflets on how to burgle, rape and murder properly to avoid injuring yourself.

No, because there's a point beyond which it gets silly.

And maybe the leaflet is beyond that point.

But the post I was responding to said basically said you should put all your energy into prevention, and none into mitigation.

I think that its more complex than that, and it depends on the situation.

fergalr

Like, why do they have the emergency procedures talks on aircraft?

Surely they should be putting all their energy into preventing emergencies in the first place?

m@cc@

Personally, I feel the leaflet is normalising something which is a terrible process. Heroine use should be seen as dangerous and this leaflet almost portrays it as some kind of medical treatment.

fergalr

m@cc@ wrote: »

Personally, I feel the leaflet is normalising something which is a terrible process. Heroine use should be seen as dangerous and this leaflet almost portrays it as some kind of medical treatment.

You know, I think I'm going to disagree with you here.

I doubt whats written in a government leaflet will affect what they think is and isn't normal, nearly as much as what they see around them.

I mean, I don't know much about this subject area, but I guess that the people who are most at risk of heroin addiction are those for whom the idea of injecting drugs isn't really that abnormal anyway - because they already see some of their friends, or other people they know, doing it.

For people such as these, an information campaign that tells them, with no bull, exactly whats going on might be the most useful thing.


I guess I think that people shouldn't take drugs such as heroin because, after considering the pros and cons of it, they make an informed decision, and decide its not worth it. Not because they think its abnormal or because, due to a shortage of information, they are unsure about what happens when you take drugs.

I think the whole attitude that pervades these things, where we mustn't discuss the problem in rational terms in case we normalise it, almost does as much harm as good.

Anyway, having something injected into oneself - which I understand is what the leaflet provided advice on, causing the controversy - isn't a terrible process.
People taking drugs which mess up their life is.
And thats probably what a campaign should focus on.

Dudess

m@cc@ wrote: »

Do you not feel it is normalising the process?

Perhaps - I'd view it more as recognition of a particular, if unpalatable, reality though.

My name is URL

Gordon wrote: »

Great idea but it sounds like they should have made half of the brochure contain the dangers of heroin so that the opposers of the plan would have less reason to oppose it. Plus, it would make people think more about the dangers.

To be fair, what's the point in pandering to the opposition when the opposition would prefer that no money whatsoever was spent on addiction services other than locking everyone up?

And listing the dangers won't put the people that the leaflet is aimed at off drugs, they already know the dangers but have no reason to want to try quitting.

It seems like an honest and well-meaning initiative to me.. what's the point in mass public awareness when the minority of users can be targeted directly?

It'll save alot money in the long run

trix1

m@cc@ wrote: »

Do you not feel it is normalising the process?

it is a normal thing for a lot of people.... maybe not for you

Boston

Celibacy is still the best way to prevent pregnancy,HIV/AIDS, Hep B and so on. We still teach people about condoms. Just say no campaigns are rightly seen as not the way to go. Similarly, of course not doing heroine is the safest and heathiest option, but if you're going to do it, then their is a duty on the part of medical professionals to help you do it in the safest way possible. This stuff isn't exactly limited to the America, the dublin drugs task force ( I think that's what its called) produce similar booklets for young adults advicing them on what drugs can and can't be mixed, how to take E, speed, coke, ect ect.

bluto63

There are plenty of information on how dangerous heroin is. I assume this leaflet is aimed at those who are already addicted to the drug and they need to know the safest way they can possibly do the inevitable. They're going to do it, so they're trying their best to keep them from harming themselves in other ways

afatbollix

2 years ago I worked on a DVD shoot for dublin Drug awarness on how to shoot up... We did it all from how to shoot up all the little tips on what you should do and what you will pick up from your local clinic every week.. ( they even gave them litte cooking pots so they dont have to use spoons)

It was a joke about 20k was spent on it..

WindSock

'make sure you dispose your needles after using them and don't share'

What the hell is wrong with advice like that?

Mr Benevolent

Not a new idea. Switzerland did this in the early nineties.

Bottle_of_Smoke

John Gilbride wrote:

"It concerns me that the city would produce a how-to on using drugs," Gilbride said. "Heroin is extremely potent. You may only get the chance to use it once. To suggest there is a method of using that alleviates the dangers, that's very disturbing."

Well John I believe one aim of the pamphlet is to stop people dying the first time they try it

70,000 leaflets might sound liek a lot but remember how big New york's population is.

The article's going on as if every teenager is being given a leaflet when its actually being given to junkies and people prone to becoming abusers.

Then they mention the cost to the taxpayer. Well if it stops even 20 people catching HIV thats a saving of millions in anti-retroviral drugs and HIV consultant fees. This amount could rise exponentially when you consider those people won't go on to spread the virus to others who'll spread it to others who'll . . . . Basically 32K isn't a huge amount.

+1 from me.

ScumLord

m@cc@ wrote: »

Do you not feel it is normalising the process?

No, using heroin normalises the process. If you or I read the pamphlet it wouldn't make us any more likely to shot up that's just a ridiculous statement to make. If people are going to do heroin they may as well do it right because even in America hospitals do have to do something if a junkie appears in their door spurting blood and the ambulance service has no way of knowing weather the guy their being called out to has health insurance or not.

It could save so much heart ache if these people at the very least know how to do it properly.

CrazyRabbit

Anyone stupid enough to use heroin deserves to be removed from the gene pool. For that reason alone, I'm against this pamphlet.

The pamphlet should lie and give instructions on how to overdose under the guise of 'how to safely inject'.

Heroin users = muggers & burglars who feed money back into organised crime & terrorists. Anyone who uses drugs (even hash) is helping terrorist, and causing misery for many people, so let them die.

Hank_Jones

If they did it here it would most likely cost €100,000.

Personally I'm all for it, smack heads need love too....

Milky Moo

I believe this is a good idea,some people are doing to take heroin let's face it, the risks should be minimised.

The argument saying that by showing how to do it safetly it will lead to more people doing it is naive

The same argument has been thrown around in sex education for years.
Some people are going to do it regardless of whatever information is out there damning using drugs.

Circumstances drive you to use heroin not pamphlets!

w123

The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch who also owns The Sun newspaper, all experts will have a right wing agenda and will have been contacted to give quotes that agree with the editorial stance of the paper. These leaflets are probably an annual/regular event. Get with the programme folks.

stovelid

Can't they just give out copies of The Velvet Underground and Nico to save money?


/note classic rock theme

Terry

Want to reduce heroin use?
Pay the Turkish government (or some middle Eastern Country) to imprison all convicted smugglers and dealers.
Either that, or shoot the ****ers. Heroin addicts might start life as nice people, but the soon become the scum of the Earth. **** them all.