When did coke become socially acceptable?

johnboy_85

My own personal experience through friends and acquaintances in their mid / late 30's, I always seem to forget and be surprised again and again when im out how popular it is within my circles.

The main lads who're mad into it bizzarely seem to be the fellas who would actually have been quiet anti drugs and holier than though in there teens and early 20s. The lads not drinking for championship even though they didn't make the team kinda sort. Again just my feel of my own groups but it's the lads who didn't party hard when they should have who are stone mad for it and all the buckos who were wild when they were younger have half calmed down wouldn't be as pushed on it.

Graces7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187289#Comment_120187289

Codeine as in Nurofen Plus is an opiate and thus yes highly addictive. I cannot imagine taking such a drug unless in clinical need. It is a superlative analgesic

cnocbui

Australia will become the first country in the world to recognise MDMA, the active ingredient in the party drug ecstacy, as a medicine for post traumatic stress disorder.

From July 1, the Therapeutic Goods Administration will permit specifically-authorised psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA, otherwise known as methlyenedioxymethamphetamine, for PTSD and psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, for treatment-resistant depression.

It will be very interesting to see what comes of this. I bet the manufacturers of antidepressants don't like this development.

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120195010#Comment_120195010

Why couldn’t they have just used it as an ingredient in their current line up of meds?

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120195055#Comment_120195055

Probably because they don't have a patent over it so they can't restrict manufacture and be the sole source, allowing them to charge excessive prices and make huge profits. Also, if it does prove effective against depression, it will likely be via a completely different mechanism than SSRI's are based on. (I know some SSRI patents have expired)

B.A._Baracus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194691#Comment_120194691

Crazy alright. Gordan Ramsey did a documentary about cocaine years ago and it's an eye opener. Up in the jungle as the farmers make it. Bleach, lye, kerosene and cement to break down the coca leaf and that's only to make the paste. Then the cartels do god knows what to turn it into powder form. Then all the hands it will pass through cut up to feck with who knows, all before you snort it up your nose.

Not exactly the smartest thing. Here is clip of the doc for anyone who wants to watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oXabRYcXhc

Got to love the title "Gordon Ramsey ON cocaine" - am sure he's sniffed quite a few lines himself given the nature of his job and celebrity status.

silliussoddius

God only knows what they put on the weed plants, I doubt it’s all locally organic stuff from the friendly neighborhood hippies.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120184364#Comment_120184364

Give one example of someone trying a drug once (and not taking a whole load in one go) and dying?

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197617#Comment_120197617

Seems to happen with ecstasy more than any other drug, but that too could be because it’s reported on more in the media when they’re a young person that dies and it was their… ahem, first time trying the drug. Certainly there’s merit to the idea that there’s all sorts of dirt that drugs are being cut with these days to make more of a profit.

It’s one of the reasons why as curious to try them as I always was, at the same time I was always wary of the Timothy Leary type stuff.

[Deleted User]

I'm not a major advocate of drugs by the way - I did ecstasy/MDMA occasionally when I was younger, and tried weed but didn't like it. Never did anything else, not even cocaine. I think it's stupid and irresponsible to be taking huge amounts of drugs, and as long as they're illegal we can't know everything that's in them.

But stuff about people dying from trying something just once - it's simply not true, and the person who wrote that post doesn't know what they're talking about.

Beechwoodspark

Saw an extremely healthy and fit 30 year old guy go out cold, collapse and smack his head off the floor and die in front of me from a heart attack five mins after doing Coke (this was after a big pub session).

After that I said not for me sir, no thank you.

Cody montana

I was in a nightclub in Dublin last year.

The drunken table beside us were openly doing it.

They came across as vile.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120198539#Comment_120198539

Excessive booze and coke is a real scumbag recipe.

Potential-Monke

The latest info I can find is from 2017.

https://www.hrb.ie/fileadmin/2._Plugin_related_files/Publications/2019_Publication_files/2019_HIE/NDRDI/2008-2017/National_Drug-Related_Deaths_Index_2008_to_2017_data.pdf

Keep in mind the include drugs as illegal and legal.

• 376 deaths that included drugs in 2017.
• More than half were for polydrugs, ie: multiple drugs, with the average being 4.
• Benzos the most common among the prescriptible.
• Alcohol was in 33% and the most common single drug cause.
• Alcohol is responsible for 16% of single drug deaths.
• Methadone is the most common single prescribed drug deaths with 25% involvement

They then change the stats to show the % change from the year before for specific drugs, which kinda distorts it so:

• Cocaine involvement in deaths went from 42 to 53 people in the year (includes polydrug deaths)
• MDMA went from 8 to 14 deaths
• Heroin from 74 to 77 deaths

410 non-poisoning deaths

• 28% hanging (of which 63% of them had mental health issues)
• 14% cardiac
• 76% male

I do recommend checking out the document and specifically page 5/table 5. Shows the main drugs and how many deaths they've involved in since 2008. Alcohol sitting proudly at the top every year. Followed by methadone, diazepam, heroin, alprazolam and then cocaine. MDMA even further down with a handful per year.

Most importantly though, it shows that the vast majority of deaths are polydrug or suicide. The only mention of cannabis is:

Cannabis followed by cocaine were the most common drugs used by those who died as a result of hanging.

Cody montana

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120198929#Comment_120198929

Tried it a few times years ago.

It makes you super confident, but the come down is awful.

I saw the guys openly snorting it hauling out their grey faced female friend a few hours later.

We were well on, but still knew assholery.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120198946#Comment_120198946

Alcohol sitting proudly at the top every year.

Including alcohol in figures relating to illegal/legal substances causes a massive distortion of the figures themselves -

This bulletin presents figures from the National Drug‐ Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) on deaths due to poisoning (overdose) by alcohol and/or other drugs, and deaths among people who use drugs (non‐ poisoning), for the period 2008–2017.

It’s why while I don’t doubt the statistics they’re presenting are accurate, they’re just massively distorted, and the reason they don’t include tobacco products is because that would only further distort the figures. It comes up a lot in discussions as to whether or not to decriminalise cannabis-based products, comparing them on the basis that because alcohol is legal, so too should cannabis be regulated in a similar fashion. It ignores the reality that Government tries to reduce alcohol and tobacco consumption, so they’re not likely to make cannabis products available to the general public any time soon.

Potential-Monke

They've to be seen to be reducing it, but they don't want to lose the massive tax intake both have. I don't think it's a case of "shur alcohol is legal and cannabis is harmless in comparison" (even though some people do say that, and I do too, to a degree), it's a case of people are going to smoke it anyway, it can be grown and easily regulated and would bring in a massive tax intake that they would be losing from the tobacco/alcohol trades.

But yes, it's also impossible to get exact proper figures because it's like they're trying to hide something. Even changing the % of total deaths to the % change between years for a few of them was sneaky. MDMA had a 75% increase! From 8-14 deaths. Which is why when I hear most people say "this person took their first ecstacy and died", it was more likely a polydrug issue. But no one, literally no one in the history of the world, has died from cannabis overdose. Any reported deaths directly attributed to cannabis are highly contested because of correlation doesn't equal causation, and they blamed cannabis due to the lack of any other evidence.

I just want it legalised so I can start growing my own, regulate myself, save lots and lots of money and contribute to the economy instead of a dealers pocket.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199534#Comment_120199534

I just want it legalised so I can start growing my own, regulate myself, save lots and lots of money and contribute to the economy instead of a dealers pocket.

At least you’re straight up about it! 😁 Nah I like that because there’s nothing worse than someone you just know is being coy about it like a complete stoner arguing that they only want cannabis to be legal for medicinal purposes and that sort of thing. That’s when I’d be like “Sure Jan” 😒

Not opposed to the idea of regulation of cannabis myself tbh, but I don’t think revenue from it makes a great argument, not when the same argument applied to alcohol and tobacco means that you’d have to ignore the massive costs to the economy of their primary and secondary effects and the adverse social impact that makes a pittance of the annual revenue the Government gets from them.

In its broader social context, in Ireland especially for various reasons, socially responsible cannabis use is a bit of a pipe dream, we’re all aware how the head shops fiasco turned out, especially among young people, whatever about socially responsible adults who knew what they were doing. That’s really where the problems with any drug are - socially responsible adults are not the concern, it’s the irresponsible young people are the greater concern, and trying to discourage them from experimenting with drugs in the first place. Futile I know, but Government must be seen to make the attempt at least!

Tomaldo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194934#Comment_120194934

Unprovoked assaults and taking coke are 2 different things, the former should always be illegal, the latter shouldn't. Publicans will always stop people consuming drink which is not bought on their premises, 'cos it affects their profit margins adversely. Other posters have said coke-users drink more, so they benefit from that. Which minor offences do people receive custodial sentences for that don't involve a non-consenting victim? I don't believe possessing drugs should be an offence at all, their bodies, their choice. Anyway, the vibe I'm getting from the upcoming Citizens Assembly on drugs is that we'll be moving from a criminal/justice approach to a health/education one.

Montage of Feck

I'm living in some weird bubble where drug use is almost completely foreign to me, other than unwittingly accepting a drag on a splif when pissed drunk and waking up face down in the toilet bowl.

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199722#Comment_120199722

If you drink before cannabis, that's the most likely outcome. Cannabis high doesn't like that the alcohol affects are already there, so they fight and you end up puking. At least in my experience. Most smokers who also drink, that I know, say smoke first, then drink and alternate. You should try it, if you want, while sober. Completely different! Well, as long as you don't go overboard, then you'll be talking to god on the big white telephone again.

[Deleted User]

Yes, any time I smoked weed I was also drinking, and would get the pukes and sweats. They do not make good bedfellows.

Raichu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199675#Comment_120199675

What are you on about? The tax revenue from tobacco alone is far more than the cost to the HSE from smoking related illness.

As for headshops the crap they sold was absolutely lethal. It was nothing but chemicals designed to “mimic” weed but were 100x stronger and from random “labs” in China. Completely synthetic, unregulated garbage. There’s no comparison between that stuff and actual cannabis.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199885#Comment_120199885

We’re on about the cost to the economy, not just the cost to the HSE; same point as you’re making came up in another thread recently, but then too it was the cost to the economy was the point -

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120113972#Comment_120113972

I wasn’t referring to what was sold in the head shops, I was referring to their impact in Irish society, and decriminalising cannabis would have a similar impact - socially responsible adults who know what they’re doing aren’t the concern, the greater concern is irresponsible young people who it is futile to try and prevent them from experimenting with illicit substances. With greater access to those substances, similarly to the way in which alcohol and tobacco are already so easily accessible and available to the general public, we would see a similar effect among young people if cannabis were more widely available.

The only reason we don’t, and the reason why I pointed out that the inclusion of alcohol in the review that Potential-Monke posted earlier caused a massive distortion in the figures, is because alcohol is widely available, whereas the other drugs aren’t (benzos which are well-up on the list are available on prescription, popular with medical card holders of a certain socioeconomic status; there’s a link between benzo addiction and the suicide and self-harm rates among young people that isn’t explored by the review), and they didn’t even include tobacco products. The review was basically suggesting that alcohol should be even more restricted, not that cannabis should be made more widely available to the general public.

Count Dracula

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120183174#Comment_120183174

I can remember washing dishes in the Imperial Hotel in London in the early 90's. The chefs would be railing up every hour or so, if i was pushing though from a bender you would often be asked, or outright ordered to bump a bit of speed or coke if it was going. It was always prevalent over the weekends, the kitchens there doing 1000's of covers a day. Not just the kitchen staff either, waiting staff, barmen, some concierge ... I would be surprised if some of the managers weren't either. I personally went on a few nights out with many different staff, it was a great couple of years.

At one point in London in the early 90's it was estimated it would consume over a million yokes on a Saturday night. I often went out on Thursday night and never saw my own bed till maybe Monday. I am sure I stank to phuck, all that Deep heat sniffing and Vicks and smoking hash to settle your head after dancing for 5-6 hours or more in some warehouse past Hounslow. It was mighty, I wish I was there now dancing away of my chops to thumping happy hardcore, stretching my drug fueled arms high to the heavens at the breakdowns. Sharing ice pops outside early houses on a warm Sunday morning with the sun belting down, talking complete gib and getting hugs and cuddles of posh British babes with names like Tonya, Rebecca or Vicki.

I would never have experienced those brilliant times if I had adhered to the NHS public health warnings about how drugs kill etc.

In saying that, back then in the nightclub scene the only people on the bag were the bigtime shapers who had the spends. Most people were necking yokes, they were better and more suitable for all night dancing and when I say everyone, I am tending not to exaggerate that much, it was left right and centre. I read somewhere before that arrests for public disorder and seemingly afternoon hooliganism associated with English soccer hooligans saw a dramatic decrease in convictions and incidents during the period. It is gas, Ecstasy use led to less violence at their soccer matches... I can well believe it.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199945#Comment_120199945

Thanks for this very evocative of a particular time

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120187459#Comment_120187459

There was even a good question relating to doctors and alcohol. Again the question was put to a Professor of surgery, I think it was, or something like that: he was asked something like; 'if you needed emergency open heart surgery, and there were only two surgeons available; one an alcoholic, who was sober, but wanting a drink, and the other, a heroin addict who was actually high at the time, which would you choose to operate on you?'

Without the slightest doubt or hesitation, the professor chose the high, heroin addict over the sober alcoholic, and then gave a detailed explanation as to why.

In fairness, that's a load of bollix.