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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Sadly, the U.S. 'War on Drugs,' much like our other wars ('The War on Terror,' 'The War on Child Pornography' etc.), is more about bluster and misappropriated morality than about instituting effective policy.
The Swiss developed clean needle exchange programs in the 1980s in response to the HIV epidemic. Injection sites came out of that effort to keep junkies from shooting up in parks and other public areas.
See "Swiss injection rooms lead the way":
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5007962.stm
The Drug Czars have had twenty years to learn from this experiment. But they'd rather just say no, preferring to keep pouring money into programs that were doomed from the outset, but keep them handsomely employed.
Junkies and alcoholics are plunked into prison, where they can continue to decline. We'd rather have an overpopulated jails than do *anything* that might actually help a good-fer-nuttin' bloody addict!
but if you can get the addicts to willingly connect with health care professionals, you have won a major battle. The next step will be for the Canadian government to provide pure, unadulterated opiates and the like for use in places like Insite. This will drive all the drug dealers out of business and pull the rest of the addicts into places like Insite. Then the process of helping people to leave the addiction can commence.
The N4A, Inc.
Dan F. Umanoff, M.D. President and CEO
In my 1996 book, Hypoic's Handbook, where Hypoism is the genetic neurobiological disease that causes addictions, I say, "Public policy and harm reduction for mood-altering drug addictions are issues that must be accomplished now, prior to the general acceptance of Hypoism, just to save the ones who have progressed to active addiction.1 My vision of this is as follows: Decriminalization of all drugs, as hard as that may seem. We must provide pharmaceutically pure and standardized drug doses for those presently drug addicted. The distribution of these drugs will occur at centralized clinics where addicts have three avenues available to them: a) standardized drugs and paraphernalia, b) medical care and birth control advice and help, and c) access to detox, rehabilitation and 12 Step program referral as they desire it. All this must be done at minimal cost. A timely example of this approach is presently in existence in Switzerland. (The study report can be found in the Appendix.) The harm reduction program that I suggest is actually happening within an entire country. Moreover, over 70 percent of the populace have voted in a recent referendum to continue the program with Swiss federal money! The Swiss, for financial, crime reduction, and social reasons, undertook a study beginning in 1993 that evaluated the various effects of prescription opiates on its addicts and country.
A similar program, although not at all as comprehensive, was attempted in Liverpool, England, but was not as successful as the Swiss study because they only prescribed heroin in one form, in cigarettes. The Swiss showed that this way of administering heroin destroys 90 percent of the heroin dose, and, therefore, is essentially not giving any drug at all which is why they got such dismal results. Additionally, since the Swiss study was reported, several other countries, including Belgium and possibly Australia, are starting similar harm reduction programs. One of the positive effects from programs such as this, which is not discussed in the report, is that the black market for heroin and other drugs included in the program will disappear. Instead of having the effect predicted by US drug experts, that more of our sons and daughters will become addicts than ever before, the opposite actually occurs. Programs such as this are actually the only way to destroy the drug cartels, not the drug war, which is the only way to perpetuate them! The Drug War is the only way to ensure continued survival and growth of drug cartels! Aren’t our policy makers smart? You would think they were working for the drug cartels. I wonder."
The above discussion is derived from the scientifically valid theory of addiction, Hypoism, the correct interpretation of the science of addiction causation, not an opinion. Why is this policy diametrically opposite from the current US government policy? Because the theory of addiction causation pushed by NIDA, ASAM, and the US government, the hijacked brain hypothesis (HBH), a wrong theory based on deliberate misinterpretation of the science, says addiction is caused by drug use itself, and thus is a moral issue, rather than by an underlying genetic neurobiological disease existing in just 10-20% of the population. The problem is that my book has been ignored and censored for the last decade by the addictionology community as well as by the media and the public has only heard about one theory of addiction causation, the HBH. My web-based article arguing the scientific difference between the HBH and Hypoism is at: http://www.nvo.com/hypoism/hypoismhypothesis/ The specific policy argument is the drug war war, #4, at: http://www.nvo.com/hypoism/articlesbyandforhypoicspage2/
In modern medicine rational and effective policy for any medical issue is derived from the correct theory of causation. As long as the US fraudulently uses the wrong theory of addiction causation for moralistic rather than scientific reasons there's no chance for addictions to ever be dealt with effectively, rationally, or beneficially even with obviously beneficial programs like the Vancouver policy. The correct theory of addiction causation must be learned by the public so they can demand rational policy change. Once Hypoism becomes the prevailing addiction theory, as is it should, there will be many automatic changes in all areas of the addiction arena that will allow thorough and effective prevention, recovery, and helpful public policies.
"Love is an action not a feeling.
Integrity is an action not a thought.
Anything less is too little." ---
Dan F. Umanoff, M.D.
Author of Hypoic's Handbook - The Hypoism Paradigm of Addiction.
http://www.hypoism.com
President and founder of The National Association for the Advancement
and Advocacy of Addicts, Inc. (N4A), a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization of addicts for addicts offering free educational and legal services to discriminated against and abused addicts of all varieties, "substances" and "behavioral," and their families.
http://www.nvo.com/hypoism/thenationalassociationfortheadvancementandadvocacyofaddicts/
8779 Misty Creek Dr.
Sarasota, FL 34241
941-929-0893
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