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Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs?
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There's a lot of talk about the Portuguese model but it's not a free-for-all, and it contains something that Vancouver, BC, even Canada if not the West generally, has done very poorly: harm reduction and treatment.
In Portugal if one is seen or found shooting up in a public place, for example, they're issued a ticket, a sort of non-criminal summons, to an appointment with a counsellor. At that appointment an assessment is done to determine the user / addict's health, resources, whether they're in danger, and so on. Counselling is offered and treatment is available, and apparently it's available right now. You can simply walk into detox, no wait, no hoops to jump through, no Trainspotting projectile vomiting by yourself in squat or flophouse to choke on your own.
I highly recommmend the book Chasing The Scream - it explains a lot about the current state of addiction and its political origins.
The current model with its focus on policing, which should rightly be a last resort rather than a sort of gatekeeping for errant children disobeying Nanny, with the rest of the heavy lifting being done by non-profits on skeleton crews due to half their staff on stress leave (this, from before the coronavirus) is not working.
There are no mass shootings in Portugal over decriminalized drugs. There are no shootings at the Coor’s Brewery over 6 packs. There are no gang slayings at Ivy League schools as college kids load up on Adderall.
Eliminate poverty, you have eliminated the majority of violent crime.
The more violent crime, the more overtime. What incentive is there to eliminate violent crime? None. There goes your overtime.
Would HIGHLY suggest start here, it’s an excellent read on the drug war: Chasing the Storm
He’ll lays it out, paragraph by paragraph, how the drug war was used to attack the African American community. Detail by detail, far better than I can.
Really required to understand the Drug War strategy and how it was implemented.
As the chief cop from Baltimore is quoted, “we went for the poor kids, easy pickings, we knew no one would care. No one.”
Chasing the Storm
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620408910/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_Y3S-DbYDWKDXK
Its actually very very real. Henry Ainslinger was an UBER racist. I would recommend to anyone reading the book "Chasing the Screams" PHENOMENAL BOOK about the war on drugs. Linked here if anyone is truly interested.
This book opened my eyes. The vast majority of destitute homeless street drug user has a deeply fucked up back story. They have suffered massive abuse and/or neglect. Disconnection and isolation are the drivers of addiction, not drugs.
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Scream-Opposite-Addiction-Connection/dp/1620408910
This book explains it well. Long story short- prohibition was over and the man in charge of the department of alcohol was abt to be out of a job. Until he started going after weed and morphine. Mainly drugs used in the black jazz community. He was around until Kennedy and anytime the US gave a country aide they made sure they took up the war on drugs.
Also important to note that a lot of drug use is caused by mental illness.
I've recently been reading the book <em>Chasing the Scream</em> by Johann Hari, it's a very good look into how the War on Drugs and our demonization of addicts has only caused more pain and suffering than open drug policies would have caused.
Seems like this thread is very full of right-wingers who believe mentally ill people should just be locked up but I commend you for the enormous task you're undertaking. I wish you the best of luck dude
Not sure how to notify like everyone in this whole comment thread, but if anyone is at all interested by the questions here please read this:
Highly recommend reading "Chasing the Scream" for the history of the war on drugs in the US. It offers a few case studies for solutions at the end - pointing to a state by state legalization or a complete legalization like Portugal. Hari is an unbeatable writer, too.
I recommend the book Chasing the Scream for anyone interesting in learning more about this subject, how the war on drugs started, how different countries have dealt with the problem, and stories of individuals who have been deeply affected by the war on all different sides.
If you haven't read Chasing The Scream, do. Amazing book about Anslinger and the War on Drugs
	
	
	
> # The Roots of Argentina's Adulterated Cocaine Tragedy
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> ← Back to portfolio Published on 21st February 2022_Argentina's adulterated cocaine tragedy is a symptom of a country in crisis_
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> February 2022
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> In early February 2022, over 20 Argentines died and many others were hospitalized after taking cocaine adulterated with what is believed to be elephant anesthetic. The sad incident highlights the sad state of the Argentine state: a country in economic and social free-fall from which the adulterated cocaine is one result.
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> As BBC News Mundo points out, the consumption of marijuana has tripled and that of cocaine doubled in the last seven year. Argentina is the second largest consumer of cocaine in Latin America, the third largest consumer of alcohol and the largest consumer of psycopharmaceuticals.
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> Psychopharmaceuticals are drugs that calm the nervous system when experiencing anxiety, anguish, or muscle pain. Amongst those who use psychopharmaceuticals, studies show that over half automedicate, or take the drugs without supervision from a physician. Even if some of these drugs are legal, some may not be legal without a prescription and without the supervision of a physician many improperly use the medication or developing an addiction.
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> The increased use of a diverse range of substances is a way for a stressed and impoverished society to deal with life that has gotten harder year after year. Argentina is the only country in Latin America poorer now than it was 100 years ago. The poverty rate has ballooned to over 40 percent in recent years. Its inflation rate is consistently so high that restaurants will not print prices on menus but rather write the current prices in pencil, knowing they will soon change. Argentina’s dismal economic past portends a rough future. There is a severe brain drain as the best educated are leaving Argentina for more stable, developed economies. Without talented, entrepreneurial youth, rebuilding Argentina’s economy will be tough.
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> ImageThe affluent center of Buenos Aires masks a country in crisisExperts have pointed to Argentina’s numerous economic crises throughout the years as contributing toincreased substance abuse. Job loss and substance abuse are often correlated. Studies in the United States have found a similar relationship. Until Argentina's economic situation improves, it is unlikely its substance abuse problems will as well.
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> In 2016, the grave situation prompted the Argentine government to issue a state of emergency to fight substance abuse. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemia, as insecurity and anxiety in society have further increased, substance abuse has climbed in tandem.
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> Despite the need to treat drug abuse as a health issue, Argentina’s government has continued to criminalize users. In 2018, 37 percent of all drug-related arrests in Argentina were for consumption. Between 2019 and 2021, arrests for drug possession increased by 400 percent in Buenos Aires.
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> The criminalization of drug use leads to adulteration because there is no control over the composition of the substances. Dealers will cut drugs and lace them to sell more. Unfortunately, as Johann Hari points out in his book Chasing the Scream, the adulterated elements in drugs are often more harmful than the drugs themselves.
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> Additionally, as the news site Brasil de Fato stated regarding the February 2022 adulterated cocaine deaths, the criminalization of drugs in Argentina has driven people away from seeking medical help for addiction and overdoses.
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> For those brave enough to seek medical help, however, Argentina’s public health system is often insufficient to meet the demands of all. As Gonzalo Basile, director of the international health organization América Latina de Médicos del Mundo told World Diagnostic News, “there is a bottleneck [in the public health system] and overdemand for [services of the health system]. This puts up barriers to access.” In addition, due in part to Argentina’s persistent inflationary crisis, the private healthcare system has persistently faced a financing crisis which further hampers access to care.
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> ImageArgentina must improve its health system to help fight its addiction crisisWithout better public finances, it will be difficult to build a better healthcare system. And without an improvement in the fight against corruption, improving Argentina’s public finances will be difficult. Millions of dollars annually are lost from public coffers due to corruption. It is estimated that only ten percent if corruption cases ever reach a court, of which not all are found guilty. Tax evasion amongst small business owners is also ripe.
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> Moreover, the tax structure itself is a major obstacle to providing better public services. The government does not tax personal income at high enough levels to provide better public services. It relies heavily on a regressive consumption tax, or VAT, while only getting 7 percent of its income from personal taxes and less than a percent from property taxes.
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> The tragedy of the adulterated cocaine in Argentina is a symptom of a society in free-fall. Its citizens deserve better both from their government and each other. A collective effort by all — taxpayers, the talented youth, government employees, and lawmakers — is critical to turning around Argentina and making it once again an economic leader in South America.
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"Chasing the Scream" offers an informative perspective on this topic: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Scream-Opposite-Addiction-Connection/dp/1620408910
My take from this article is just a counter-example to the broad claim that all drugs are bad all the time for everybody. It's really not very hard to defeat such blanket statements, and he does so.
Just want to plug a book I read on this topic that really opened my eyes to this issue: Chasing The Scream by Johann Hari. This is something I never gave much thought. I always just sat there and thought “drugs are bad, some are worse than others but they’re all bad”. This showed me it wasn’t that simple.
If you don’t want to buy the book, or read it at all, but are still interested, the author was on the Joe Rogan podcast, and pretty much discusses most of his book throughout the episode.
I highly recommend reading book called Chasing the Scream, which clearly breaks down the failure of the drug war. It's a brilliant read, that just might change your mind.
Even if you're personally against all drug use, it states with a great deal of evidence and personal stories, the reason why the war on drugs does more harm than good to not only users, but society as a whole.
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Scream-Opposite-Addiction-Connection/dp/1620408910
If you go on amazon and punch in a book like opium for the masses and then check out the suggestions is a OK way to start, or right now scribd has a free trial which you can do the same thing but you can only download from the documents section (which does have tons of books).
Papaver the genius poppy, theirs also cannabis the genius cannabis, as well as a bunch of similar titles.
Addicts who surived a oral history of narcotic use before 1965,
Manual of opium husbandry 1877,
Experimental culture of opium poppy 1884 and 1877,
Opium poppy research in the SW USA 1945, (Hear --- https://archive.org/details/Scott1874iz75H/page/n1/mode/2up )
The power of the poppy (this one is like a expanded version of opium for the masses).
Opium culture The art and ritual of the chinese tradition (a Must for any opiate lover highly recommend)
The fall of the god of money opium smoking in 19 century china
Milk of paradise a history of opium
Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs
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The gov. archive I linked above experimental culture) is also a great source of old books
Give Chasing The Scream a read. It will blow your mind how fucked up it all is.
The war on drugs is an epic failure. Read "chasing the scream"
Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620408910/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5PkVybFP91D3K
Here are a couple of my go-to books
You're wrong.
First, the conditions are terrible. This isn't the life anyone would want to live. I assure you wouldn't last a week in an SRO.
Second, research shows that what you are so angry about isn't a drug caused problem. Addiction exists everywhere. I assure you know many addicts who you respect and interact with. Homelessness and addicted persons are normally the result of abuse or poverty. The majority of the people who hit rock bottom wish they could get out.
The system we have in place now keeps people down instead of helping them out. Its a cruel cycle, and ignorant, uneducated comments like yours do not help. I mean ignorant, I'm not calling you stupid. You lack the information.
Read a fucking book. I recommend 'Chasing the Scream' https://www.amazon.ca/Chasing-Scream-Opposite-Addiction-Connection/dp/1620408910 to get a broader understanding of whats going on outside your small world.
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