Electric Picnic This Weekend

irishproduce

Reading the news, top story is a warning from a young lad who took drugs last year and wound up in a bad way.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2019/0830/1071811-brandon-webb/

Clearly the authorities and state have concerns about young people dying this weekend.

So, how many will die this weekend at the alter of drug taking?
What can be done to stop it?

The guards threaten that there will be consequences for those with drugs but we know that is not true, every other week we have a publicly softer approach to drug use in the state. Whether it is documentaries on the radio about the types of drugs Irish people prefer, to the opening of injection clinics in the cities, even hurling stars likely taking drugs.
How are young people supposed to take seriously the dangers and consequences of drug use.

If there are no deaths from drug use at the festival this week it will be a miracle but there will undoubtedly be people hospitalised.

tonycascarino

Honestly, everyone knows the likely damage that drugs bring so if people want to take drugs and damage their own health and end up hospitalised then off they go. No pity from me.

tonycascarino

tonycascarino wrote: »

Honestly, everyone knows the likely damage that drugs bring so if people want to take drugs and damage their own health then off they go. No pity from me.

Indeed. Adults are responsible for their own actions.

Deebles McBeebles

irishproduce wrote: »

If there are no deaths from drug use at the festival this week it will be a miracle

I was under the impression miracles were supposed to be rare and unusual.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

This is going to be a fact of life until a proper - and above all else, honest - drugs education and awareness program is brought in to secondary schools.

jam_mac_jam

I wonder how many people in the country will die from drink and cigarettes this weekend. A hell of a lot more I would imagine. I would also guess that even if you account for the numbers involved that drinking is much more dangerous.

How many at electric picnic will be injured from drinking, how can we stop this scourge. Oh we can't. No more then we can stop adults taking drugs.

Maybe as a start we could try and be honest, start treating hard drugs differently to soft drugs. At festivals provide drug testing facilities so that people will know what they are talking.

But no, we will just hand ring and say that we should be tougher on drugs, how can we stop it, we can't, its never going to stop. We need to deal with it and damage control instead of living in a fantasy of stopping it.

biko

Let drugs be free and thin the herd.

JohnnyFlash

Took some of that mdma stuff at that all together now festival that was on a few weeks ago. I know it can be dangerous, but the high off it is mighty altogether.

Thelonious Monk

Jesus if they don't want drugs to happen don't allow music festivals. They are part and parcel. Everyone needs to get over the fact that lots of people love recreational drugs. I can't believe the Garda are even trying to nick people with a few pills on them, what's the f*cking point? I've been to festivals in Spain where you can get your pills and coke tested and there are no police walking around trying to wreck people having a good time. This really is a nanny state.

Deebles McBeebles

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Took some of that mdma stuff at that all together now festival that was on a few weeks ago. I know it can be dangerous, but the high off it is mighty altogether.

Far superior to those dirty 2 quid pills from years back, Johnny. Leave the lad looking like he might never crawl back out again.

Thelonious Monk

Deebles McBeebles wrote: »

Far superior to those dirty 2 quid pills from years back, Johnny. Leave the lad looking like he might never crawl back out again.

The pills nowadays are the size of a cavity block

Hoboo

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

The pills nowadays are the size of a cavity block

So they can be split between 4 and then back to their phones.

maccored

drug testing kits would be a start

Deebles McBeebles

Essentially, OP, outrage denied.

dundalkfc10

1 simple solution, Drug Testing Kits

Gregor Samsa

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

The pills nowadays are the size of a cavity block

vriesmays

dundalkfc10 wrote: »

1 simple solution, Drug Testing Kits

Simpler solution don't take drugs.

dubstepper

Drugs are bad mkay?

Airyfairy12

If they cared that much theyd bring in drug testers so people at festivals can check if their drugs are save.
Young people will always take drugs, theres no preventing it.

BDI

At some stage in every teenagers life they test their bodies to see what it can handle.

I bet more teenagers seen that article and thought wow must see if I can handle drugs than thought oh the fella in school won’t be selling me any of them nasty things.

jam_mac_jam

vriesmays wrote: »

Simpler solution don't take drugs.

So you don't drink or smoke then?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

vriesmays wrote: »

Simpler solution don't take drugs.

You want a nanny state? Ok....


Simpler solution: find it what you'er taking does, where it comes from, how much of it to take, how it'll react with other stuff you've consumed and what it's going to do in the long-term BEFORE you take it, so you don't end up being a poster boy for a bunch of moralistic idiots.

JohnnyFlash

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Took some of that mdma stuff at that all together now festival that was on a few weeks ago. I know it can be dangerous, but the high off it is mighty altogether.

You're about as likely to die or be catastrophically injured from horse-riding (i.e. very unlikely)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4537874/Ecstasy-no-more-dangerous-than-horse-riding.html

I think the OP and others actually think there are bodies being dragged out of EP and other festivals every other week. It's extremely rare to suffer an injury, let alone to die, and on the rare occasion someone does lose their life, it's often because of an interaction with an underlying condition anyway.

vriesmays

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

So you don't drink or smoke then?

No.

Rufeo

irishproduce wrote: »

Reading the news, top story is a warning from a young lad who took drugs last year and wound up in a bad way.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2019/0830/1071811-brandon-webb/

Clearly the authorities and state have concerns about young people dying this weekend.

So, how many will die this weekend at the alter of drug taking?
What can be done to stop it?

The guards threaten that there will be consequences for those with drugs but we know that is not true, every other week we have a publicly softer approach to drug use in the state. Whether it is documentaries on the radio about the types of drugs Irish people prefer, to the opening of injection clinics in the cities, even hurling stars likely taking drugs.
How are young people supposed to take seriously the dangers and consequences of drug use.

If there are no deaths from drug use at the festival this week it will be a miracle but there will undoubtedly be people hospitalised.

Education. Good programmes in schools to highlight the dangers of drugs.

They had a few people come in to give us talks, I remember.

jam_mac_jam

vriesmays wrote: »

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

So you don't drink or smoke then?

No.

Fair enough opinion then, if not very realistic.

RayCon

When the rave scene started in Ireland late 80's / early 90's -ish ... there were these exact type of discussions. That was almost 30 yrs ago and we still haven't matured enough to realise people will continue take drugs. Surely allowing independent on site testing is the safest thing we can permit to minimize harm.

Exodus 1811

vriesmays wrote: »

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

So you don't drink or smoke then?

No.

Do you eat grass?

RasTa

People take drugs, no amount of education is going to stop that.

All sites should have testing kits where the kids can make sure their drugs are safe.

Simples

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

RasTa wrote: »

People take drugs, no amount of education is going to stop that.

All sites should have testing kits where the kids can make sure their drugs are safe.

Simples

The point isn't to get them to stop, it's to get them to do it safely.

A lot of recreational drug use has very positive effects on the user - because they research what they're doing and taking. Yes - these are dangerous substances in the wrong hands - but so are legal substances.

Poor_old_gill

Legalise
Standardise
Regulate
Tax
Educate.

5 steps that need to be taken - I'm in my early 30s and have this conversation with so many in work who have teenagers - drugs are everywhere, the war on drugs is done.

So the above needs to happen in order to save lives and money into the exchequer to deal with issues that result from drugs (similar to cigs & booze).

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

Legalise
Standardise
Regulate
Tax
Educate.

5 steps that need to be taken - I'm in my early 30s and have this conversation with so many in work who have teenagers - drugs are everywhere, the war on drugs is done.

So the above needs to happen in order to save lives and money into the exchequer to deal with issues that result from drugs (similar to cigs & booze).

The problem with the tax idea is that it would make them more expensive. And consider most people who do them already know where to get them tax-free, they'll probably still continue to get them that way.

Destigmatisation would definitely be a positive step though.

Poor_old_gill

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

The problem with the tax idea is that it would make them more expensive. And consider most people who do them already know where to get them tax-free, they'll probably still continue to get them that way.

Destigmatisation would definitely be a positive step though.

But you could say the same for alcohol and cigs?

If you know that the product is safe and you cant guarantee that with other product then most people will go for the former.

I can make you some booze if you want and undercut the main distillers - problem is you might go blind/grow a 3rd ear on your arse

BDI

Taxing would not make them more expensive. Price fixing is rampant in the drug trade. If honest businesses were competing they would drop in price.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

But you could say the same for alcohol and cigs?

If you know that the product is safe and you cant guarantee that with other product then most people will go for the former.

I can make you some booze if you want and undercut the main distillers - problem is you might go blind/grow a 3rd ear on your arse

People can and do buy cheaper cigarettes and alcohol all the time and not always legally.

With other drugs, the safety element is handled by only buying from the same source repeately, but my point is that taxation won't nessecariy male them safer.

BDI wrote: »

Taxing would not make them more expensive. Price fixing is rampant in the drug trade. If honest businesses were competing they would drop in price.

But they'll also be competing with dishonest businesses; in that they'll be competing with businesses that charge no tax at all.

Poor_old_gill

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

People can and do buy cheaper cigarettes and alcohol all the time and not always legally.

With other drugs, the safety element is handled by only buying from the same source repeately, but my point is that taxation won't nessecariy male them safer.



But they'll also be competing with dishonest businesses; in that they'll be competing with businesses that charge no tax at all.

Taxation was only 1 of 5 steps that I outlined and it was the least likely to make them safer

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

Taxation was only 1 of 5 steps that I outlined and it was the least likely to make them safer

Oh I know - I'd be in favour of tall the others - I'm just not in favour of taxation. But if it was all or nothing, then so be it; but I'd like to think the reasoning is safety and not financial.

People in Ireland have an attitude that the drugs they do are fine and safe, but the ones they don't should be banned.

Poor_old_gill

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Oh I know - I'd be in favour of tall the others - I'm just not in favour of taxation. But if it was all or nothing, then so be it; but I'd like to think the reasoning is safety and not financial.

People in Ireland have an attitude that the drugs they do are fine and safe, but the ones they don't should be banned.

Taxation would be inevitable but wouldnt necessarily mean that they'd be more expensive than what you buy on the street as they have a huge mark up.

The stigma needs to go asap though as lives will continue to be lost to bad batches

Dr. Bre

The drugs don’t work they just make you worse but I know I will see your face again

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

Hopefully there won’t be an #electricpicnicgirl.

JohnnyFlash

If be far more in favour of legalising ecstasy than I would weed. That stuff is ruining lives up and down the country. A dirty drug.

fryup

no rte coverage this year?