All Drugs Are Not The Same

People love drugs … this is a fact.  And many people will use drugs. Another fact.

Some will overdose, some will get sick and some will want to go home, But the vast majority will get what they paid for … a hellava’ good time. Yeah, yeah, I hear you - drugs are bad, drugs can hurt you - but so can anal sex but that act is performed at least a million times a year without a lot of complaints. 

Funny enough, the same people who complain about others having anal sex also complain about drugs.  You know the type I mean. Arrogant, conservative, self-righteous, self-important, self-appointed guardians of all things moral. They use jargon like “family values”, “personal responsibility”, “do the crime … do the time” or remind us that things were different in 1956. They were once called wowsers. 

Wowser

[noun] Austral./NZ informal - a person who is publicly critical of others and the pleasures they seek; a killjoy

One common mistake made by wowsers / the media / the government / anti-drug zealots / the police / moral crusaders etc. is lumping all drugs together under the one umbrella. You often hear the police blame someone’s actions on being “under the influence of drugs” or the media describe erratic behaviour due to drugs. On Channel 7’s, The Force - Behind the Line, I heard one police officer describe a suspect as showing typical signs of drug use - hyperactive, extremely restless, nervous and pinpoint pupils. What drug causes that? The victim was caught with speed which explains most of the symptoms except pinpoint pupils are typical of heroin use not speed. Amphetamines(speed) make your pupils bigger, not smaller. This is a classic example of how all drugs are lumped into one category. 

But, all drugs are not the same. Some people perceive them to be like different kinds of liquor. e.g. whisky, beer, wine, cognac. They all look and taste differently but the effect is the same … you get stoned. Drugs though, offer a rich variety of effects, some of which can be compared to activities in the physical world. Jumping out of an aeroplane might thrill the adrenaline junkies but it doesn’t even come close to what first hooked a heroin addict. Being as cool as James Bond involves years of practice, exercise and training but why bother when a line of coke can give you same confidence? What about sex? Option one - Seven years in India learning the Karma Sutra, four years of attending the gym followed by two years of studying Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts or even A Couple’s Guide to Automobile Repairs. Option two - an ecstasy pill.

Another common misrepresentation is that unhappy people turn to drugs to dampen their emotional pain. That’s like saying all drinkers “hit the booze” to “drown their sorrows”. Of course, most drinkers indulge in alcohol because it’s enjoyable and it’s no different with drugs. And which “drugs” do they turn to? I find it hard to imagine that someone with a great burden on their shoulders will turn to ecstasy to block out the world. Or someone with suicidal tendencies overdosing themselves on pot in a half hearted attempt to end it all. I turned to heroin after the death of my wife when booze wasn’t killing me quickly enough or dampening the unbearable sorrow I was feeling. Before then, I had only used drugs like speed to enhance my night out or to experience the trippy pleasures of mushrooms, LSD and dope. The point is, I turned to a particular drug like heroin, not ice, weed or cocaine. Who knows what might have happened if I took up LSD instead of heroin?

What attracts people to different types of drugs? My experience is that people want certain drugs for different reasons. Alcohol is for socialising, dope is for chilling out, speed/ice/cocaine for partying, LSD/mushrooms for experimenting and heroin for multiple reasons. But according to many sources like the media, it’s irrelevant because … drugs are bad, mmkay!

This blanket approach to drugs has been enforced around the globe for the last 100 years. Now when any new drug appears on the market, it gets slotted under the “drugs” umbrella without any scientific examination or analysis of it’s social effect. Ecstasy(MDMA) is a classic example of how an over zealous organisation like the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) ignored all input from medical / scientific groups and pushed for a schedule I drug classification. This was despite a court ruling that it should not be banned, advice from medical experts and the successful trials that showed it to be a possible treatment for PTSD, depression and other disorders. The DEA used it’s special authority granted by the government to override the court’s decision, ignore scientific advice and make it’s own judgement. MDMA was banned and classed as a schedule I drug.

US Schedule I Drug:

(A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.

(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.

(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision

--Wikipedia: Controlled Substances Act

Many countries including Australia now just mimic any scheduling decisions made by the US and the UK. Not surprisingly, the only exception is when they lower the classification of a drug. It would have been interesting to see what happened if Proposition 19 in California was passed and cannabis became legal. If the example of how Australia managed the classification of UK legal highs or MDMA is any thing to go by, then we are doomed to retain only stricter scheduling of drugs but ignore any changes that reflect a loosening of restrictions.

But it’s not just government classifications that get the blanket treatment. The scheduling of drugs is also driven by how society views these substances. And this is where the sensationalist media and political rhetoric comes into action. These potent forces have been pumping disinformation into us for decades and now much of the public believes their spin. And why wouldn’t they? Just mention heroin or crack and watch instantly as normal, rational human beings turn into judgemental, irrational zealots. Try pointing out the facts and watch as disbelief overrides all evidence and reality. Listen up to the amazing array of myths that will used to attack your “extremist” views. Why is it is so damned hard to expose decades of propaganda from the government, anti-drug nutters and the media.

Just recently, Professor David Nutt was sacked from the the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), who are a group of scientists, academics and doctors commissioned by the UK government to advise on drug policy. His crime was telling the truth. Prof. Nutt was simply providing evidence that some drugs like cannabis, LSD, mushrroms and ecstasy(MDMA) are much safer, and that alcohol is far more dangerous, than the official government position or the public’s perception. The UK Home Secretary decided that maintaining flawed information about drug harms was more important than the facts so he sacked Prof. Nutt claiming he was out-of-line for criticising government policy. Can you imagine any other scientific issue that would prompt a government to dismiss the evidence and remain fooling the public with flawed information? 

Professor David Nutt has since created his own group called, the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. Last week, they published a scientific paper in the respected Lancet medical journal that measured the rates of harm from illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The results showed that alcohol is the most dangerous drug in the UK, overshadowing heroin and cocaine. At the other end of the scale, mushrooms, ecstasy and LSD were well down the list. As expected, the report has caused a frenzy of newspaper articles. 

Background

Proper assessment of the harms caused by the misuse of drugs can inform policy makers in health, policing, and social care. We aimed to apply multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) modelling to a range of drug harms in the UK.

Methods

Members of the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, including two invited specialists, met in a 1-day interactive workshop to score 20 drugs on 16 criteria: nine related to the harms that a drug produces in the individual and seven to the harms to others. Drugs were scored out of 100 points, and the criteria were weighted to indicate their relative importance.

Findings

MCDA modelling showed that heroin, crack cocaine, and metamfetamine were the most harmful drugs to individuals (part scores 34, 37, and 32, respectively), whereas alcohol, heroin, and crack cocaine were the most harmful to others (46, 21, and 17, respectively). Overall, alcohol was the most harmful drug (overall harm score 72), with heroin (55) and crack cocaine (54) in second and third places.

Interpretation

These findings lend support to previous work assessing drug harms, and show how the improved scoring and weighting approach of MCDA increases the differentiation between the most and least harmful drugs. However, the findings correlate poorly with present UK drug classification, which is not based simply on considerations of harm.

Funding

Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (UK).

Source: The Lancet

What this report doesn’t cover though, is how these drugs would rate in a world without prohibition. By far, most problems from drug use is attributed to our drug laws. It’s the illegality of these substances that causes more damage than the drugs themselves. Heroin, for example is basically non toxic and can taken for decades without much physical damage. Cocaine, speed and GHB taken occasionally will not greatly impact on your health unless of course, it’s cut with drain cleaner. Smoking naturally grown cannabis in moderation will not usually hurt any adult who doesn’t have a history of mental health disorders. Popping an ecstasy pill (pure MDMA) every few months is not going send most people to rehab. Although moderation is the best defence against the potential, nasty side effects of illicit drug use, prohibition is the real culprit. Prohibition removes all the safe guards that could be included with regulated sales of these drugs. Prohibition puts the safety of drug users in the hands of criminals and dealers who offer no quality control or age restrictions. Even that junkie stereotype is purely a result of drugs being illegal. It’s not the drugs that make junkies look skinny, dirty and homeless - it’s the desperation from dodging police, being maligned by the public and that never ending search for money that leaves very little for rent, food etc.

For many, their deep-seated views on drugs are not going to change anytime soon. Most of the population has never experienced a world without drug prohibition and after a lifetime of misinformation and the constant drone of anti-drug sentiment, the demonising of drugs has been very effective. Separating substances into groups based on their harm might go a long way to educating the public and hopefully provide some sanity in the drug debate. We don’t want a repeat performance of Liberal hack, Chris Pyne dribbling on about pot and heroin being equally as dangerous. These theatrical performances might appease dorks like Pyne but they do nothing to keep people safe. Nor does the popular trend of outing one’s self as having tried pot at university but declaring it’s now unsafe to do so because of the latest research. Over the last few years, we have had Australia’s top politicians admitting to smoking the evil weed but warning others not to follow suit. Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Wayne Swann and Malcolm Turnbull have all made this admission but it took the current US president to actually come clean. When asked if he “inhaled” - a reference to former US president who said he tried pot but didn’t inhale - Obama said, “that’s the point, isn’t it”.

We have to end the “drugs are bad … mmkay” mentality. All drugs have specific harms when abused but some, more than others. Inexperienced people shooting up hard drugs is not a good idea but overall, binge drinking causes more harm than intravenous drug use. Dozens of night-clubbers taking ecstasy in it’s pure form will not cause anywhere near the carnage inflicted by boozers in the same venue. Smoking pot each night for years on end will only produce a tiny group of dependant users compared to drinkers who consume similar amounts to achieve the same intoxication. And contrary to popular beliefs, methamphetamines like ice cause a fraction of the violence that alcohol bestows on the community each week. 

These facts need to be explained to the public along with the truth about legal drugs like alcohol, tobacco and prescription medication. Although it’s changing slowly, all illicit drugs are still seen as something that only desperate, low life druggies will consider while incredibly, booze is considered a safe alternative. The facts are out there but if our leaders and the media are not prepared to tell us the truth then the public will remain victims of deceit and agenda driven policy. We deserve better.

Ecstasy - Not Just For Ravers

Not many people know this, but ecstasy(MDMA) was originally a successful treatment for several psychological disorders including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

MDMA was first produced about 100 years ago but it wasn’t examined for it’s potential until the 1960s. It took another 10 years before it’s promising future was realised when a Californian psychotherapist postponed retirement to study it and started introducing it to therapists in Europe and America. In 1985, the DEA stepped in and banned MDMA after it started making the rounds of the dance club scene. Without any investigation into whether MDMA was being used for research, an emergency classification was made to have it classed as a Schedule 1 drug - the most restrictive category for drugs with “a high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use”. This was despite a court ruling that recommended MDMA should not be banned but left to medical experts for continued research.

Because of US drug policy and the DEA, thousands of people have missed out on a potential cure for PTSD. But this is just a fraction of the real damage caused by an ignorant and fanatical DEA. The worldwide crack down on ecstasy has seen the rise of dangerous fillers replacing the relatively safe, MDMA, resulting in a massive increase in deaths and related harms. But, with the current shift towards more evidence based policies and the realisation that current drug laws have failed, we may start to see drugs like MDMA once again put back in the hands of medical experts and scientists.

Researchers Use Ecstasy to Treat PTSD

US Health News

By Madonna Behen - HealthDay Reporter

July 2010

A small study suggests that the illicit "club drug" Ecstasy may have one positive use: making psychotherapy more effective for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The drug, also known by its chemical acronym MDMA, appears to benefit patients for whom standard treatments have failed. But experts stressed that the study is preliminary and safety issues must be resolved before any recommendations can be made.

"PTSD treatment involves revisiting the trauma in a therapeutic setting, but many patients become overwhelmed by anxiety or numb themselves emotionally, and so they can't really successfully engage," said study lead researcher Dr. Michael Mithoefer, a psychiatrist in private practice in Charleston, S.C. "But what we found is that the MDMA seemed to temporarily decrease fear without blunting emotions, and so it helped patients better process their grief."

In PTSD, the sufferer typically "relives" the trauma via flashbacks or in other ways, such as becoming hyper-vigilant to everyday sounds. Other mental health issues include depression, anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder and alcohol and substance abuse.

Mithoefer and his colleagues studied 20 patients who'd had PTSD for an average of 19 years but had failed to get relief from psychotherapy and medications. The study participants underwent two eight-hour psychotherapy sessions scheduled about a month apart, with 12 patients taking MDMA, and eight taking a placebo. Subjects were also given psychotherapy on a weekly basis before and after each experimental session. An independent psychologist evaluated each patient's symptoms of PTSD prior to and after the sessions.

At the end of the trial, more than 80 percent of the patients who received a combination of MDMA and psychotherapy no longer met the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, compared with only 25 percent of the placebo group. In addition, the three patients who reported being unable to work due to post-traumatic stress disorder were able to return to work following treatment with MDMA.

During the trial, none of the patients had any drug-related side effects or neurocognitive problems related to the drug, the researchers reported.

The study is the first completed randomized, double-blinded clinical trial to evaluate MDMA as an adjunct to psychotherapy in any patient population, the researchers said. It was sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a Belmont, Mass.-based nonprofit group that focuses on the medicinal uses of psychedelic drugs.

The phase 2 study, the second of three phases of research required by the federal government before approving a drug for a specific use, was published online July 19 in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Before MDMA began to be used recreationally under the street name Ecstasy, many psychiatrists and other therapists in the United States and Europe used the compound as a catalyst to psychotherapy, the study authors noted. However, the drug has been illegal in the United Kingdom since 1977 and was criminalized in the United States in 1985.

People with post-traumatic stress disorder who may want to experiment with the drug should know it can be dangerous when not used properly, Mithoefer said. "It needs to be taken in a therapeutic setting with careful monitoring and a lot of follow-up to help patients integrate the experience successfully," he said. "I've had patients with PTSD outside the study tell me that they've used MDMA at a party and had bad experiences, because when feelings about the trauma came up, they weren't prepared to deal with them."

One important limitation of the study, Mithoefer said, was that most participants guessed accurately whether they were in the treatment or the placebo group, and trial investigators could detect raised blood pressure and other symptoms in the MDMA group. He added that an upcoming phase 2 trial -- looking at the effects of MDMA-assisted therapy on veterans with PTSD -- will hopefully avoid this problem, since all patients will receive the drug, but in different dosages.

Related Articles

MDMA/Ecstasy Trial for PTSS (Sandra Kanck Was Right)

Top Drug Advisor - Ecstasy is Safe as Riding a Horse

Drug Hysteria Ignores Trauma Suffering

2009 in Review

What a way to finish the decade!

Walt Disney’s grandson on drug charges, China executes a mentally ill drug smuggler - the first European to be put to death in China in 50 years, Pete Doherty again caught with heroin, Drugs found at St Kilda Rd police headquarters, another Australian arrested with drugs in Bali, Brittany Murphy dies from prescription drugs, another Home and Away star is caught using cocaine, UK prison guards unwittingly allowed a convicted drug dealer to grow marijuana in his cell - and even decorate the four-foot plant as a Christmas tree, Victoria Police announce that motorists having any trace of illegal drugs will be fined and have their driver’s licence suspended, Queensland doctors will be required to dob in colleagues suspected of illegal drug use, Charlie Sheen is on drugs again, heroin laced with anthrax kills 3 and most shockingly ... an Adelaide man spent his Federal Government stimulus payment on drugs.

Not surprisingly on the last night of the decade, the cops and sniffer dogs will be out in force to catch those dangerous party people taking party drugs like ecstasy, speed, pot and cocaine. The target is Melbourne's Etihad Stadium, where Sensation, the largest dance party in Australia is being held. Once you get past the moral police, you’re free to then tank up on as much booze as you want. Last year, 10 people overdosed out of a crowd of 38,200. I wonder what the alcohol overdose number was?

We are not out to dampen celebrations. Our primary aim is to ensure that those attending have a safe and enjoyable night
-Operation Commander Inspector Stephen Beith

Of course that’s smelly horse shit. If they were really concerned they would allow a pill testing booth and restrict alcohol.

So where are we at the end of 2009? In brief, the US is motor scooting ahead towards cannabis legalisation while Australia is fighting the tide and going backwards. Latin America seems to be leading the pack with drug decriminalisation followed by a progressive Europe. Russia and Asia are firmly stuck in the 1980s.

Looking back on 2009, like any other year, brings back memories of the good, bad and indifferent. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in March should have been the highlight but as predicted was a tad early for too much radical change. After the failure to meet any goals set at the last UNGASS meeting in 1998, many were optimistic that a more rational and logical plan would be drafted. But the meeting was once again hijacked by the US and fellow prohibitionists including the head of the UNODC, Antonio Costa. However, there were major cracks appearing and this is probably the last of prohibition as we know it. Just for the record, the 1998 meeting produced the slogan, "A Drug-Free World - We Can Do It" and set about to wipe out all drug crops - from marijuana to opium to coca - by 2008. Not only didn’t they reach their goals but their projections went backwards. Drug use increased, more crops were planted and the black market continued to explode.

The Year of the PADDs
It’s been an interesting year for PADDs or Passive Alert Drug Detection dogs as they are now called. Even after the NSW ombudsman in 2006 concluded that the dogs were not very successful and they regularly violate the right of all citizens to be free from arbitrary search and detention, the police simply made some minor changes and ramped up their use. The report from the ombudsman said:

•73% of people identified by the dogs are not carrying drugs
•Most drugs detected are small amounts of cannabis
•Dogs are failing to detect drug dealers

In February, the unthinkable happened. 17-year-old Gemma Thoms died after collapsing at the Big Day Out music festival after she swallowed several ecstasy tablets to avoid detection by drug dogs. The response from the WA Premier and WA police commissioner was disgusting with them both dodging any blame. Gemma’s death was even used for political gain with the police commissioner attacking the Greens after they went public with the news that they had regularly warned the government that such an incident would happen.

I extend my sincere condolences to Gemma’s family, but I cannot allow misinformed people like NSW Greens MP Sylvia Hale and the Youth Affairs Council of WA’s Executive Officer Lisa Laschon to apportion blame on police for this tragedy.

Police do not accept responsibility for this death.

Some of their propositions are quite frankly absurd and suggest that police should turn a blind eye, do nothing about drug possession, and ignore the State’s laws regarding illegal drugs.

Police in this state will not be modifying their tactics when it comes to people who use or deal in illegal drugs, and I believe the community of Western Australia supports that approach.

Both the State and Federal Governments put a great deal of effort into drug awareness and education, and for their part police will continue to target both drug dealers and users.

Operations such as that in relation to the Big Day Out will continue.
-Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan

PADDs are now a common sight around some train stations and entertainment areas. As you would expect, the reports of abuse and over zealous cops are coming in as more polished spin is applied to the problem. But some cops are having a hard time justifying to themselves the use of sniffer dogs and other weapons in the "War on Drugs". LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) is an organisation made up of current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities who are speaking out about the failures of existing drug policies. They now have over 15,000 members including police, judges, prosecutors, prison wardens, FBI and DEA agents and others.

It was one the year’s high points when LEAP member, Dr. Norm Stamper was brought out to Australia by Dr Alex Wodak, the President of the ADLRF. Norm’s busy schedule included various debates, group talks and media engagements to discuss sensible drug policy. The main feature of Norm’s visit was to be part of the Australia Festival of Dangerous Ideas at the Sydney Opera House, where he was part of a discussion titled: "All Forms of Drug Use Should Be Made Legal". His team included Greg Barns and Dr. Alex Wodak.

I must say his itinerary was the busiest I have ever seen. 93 appointments in 28 days! Try and get your head around the following 28 day schedule.

Norm Stamper’s Australian Schedule:
October 27, Canberra, Australia Presentation to Australian Parliamentary Group for Drug Law Reform, Annual Meeting
October 27, Canberra, Australia Meeting with Mal Washer, MP, Chair, Australian Parliamentary Group for Drug Law Reform
October 27, Canberra, Australia Meeting with Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens
October 27, Canberra, Australia Meeting with Kay Hull, Member of Parliament
October 27, Canberra, Australia Interview with West Australian
October 27, Canberra, Australia Interview with Sydney Morning Herald
October 26, Canberra, Australia Public Meeting, ACT Legislative Assembly London Circuit
October 26, Canberra, Australia Meeting with The Hon. Duncan Kerr, MP, and The Hon. Mal Washer, Chair of Australian Parliamentary Group for Drug Law Reform, Commonwealth Parliament House
October 26, Canberra, Australia Meeting with Mr. Richard Pieper, Crime Manager, Drugs, Australian Federal Police
October 26, Canberra, Australia Presentation to Center of Excellence in Policing and Security, Australian National University
October 26, Canberra, Australia Discussion at Australian Injecting Users League
October 25, Cooma, Australia Return trip to Canberra
October 24, Cooma, Australia Dinner with Rotarians
October 24, Cooma, Australia Presentation to Rotary International Conference
October 23, Canberra, Australia Dinner with Drug Policy Reformers
October 23, Canberra, Australia Meeting with senior officials, Department of Health and Aging
October 23, Canberra, Australia Meeting with senior officials, ACT Government
October 23, Canberra, Australia Presentation to Australian Crime Commission
October 23, Canberra, Australia Meeting with Australian Federal Police, Headquarters
October 22, Brisbane, Australia Presentation to QulHN/QulVVA, Fortitude Valley
October 22, Brisbane, Australia Meeting with Lee and Chris Rush (re: son Scott on death row in Bali)
October 22, Brisbane, Australia Presentation to QulHN/QulVVA, Fortitude Valley
October 21, Brisbane, Australia Dinner with Drug Policy Reformers
October 21, Currumbin, Australia Visit to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
October 21, Brisbane, Australia Lecture at Law School, University of Queensland
October 21, Brisbane, Australia Meeting with Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart and senior staff
October 20, Brisbane, Australia Presentation to 1800 Annual Gen'l. Mtg. Qld Council of Civil Liberties, Irish Club
October 20, Brisbane, Australia Presentation to Rotary and Chamber of Commerce, Fortitude Valley
October 20, Brisbane, Australia Meeting with Members of State Parliament, Old Parliament House
October 19, Brisbane, Australia Dinner with Brisbane Drug Policy Reformers
October 19, Brisbane, Australia Presentation to Biala Needle & Syringe Programme
October 19, Brisbane, Australia Presentation to Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Edu. Ctr, University of Queensland
October 19, Brisbane, Australia Meeting with John Herron, Chair, Australian National Council on Drugs
October 16, Perth, Australia Presentation to Public Meeting, Royal Park Hall, North Perth
October 16, Perth, Australia Meeting with WA Chief Justice Wayne Martin, former Chair of Law Reform Commission
October 16, Perth, Australia Meeting with Roger Cook, WA Shadow Minister for Heath and Paul Papalia, Shadow Minister for Corrective Services
October 16, Perth, Australia Presentation at Western Australia Substance Users Association
October 16, Perth, Australia Interview with ABC Radio
October 16, Perth, Australia Testimony to WA Legislative Assembly, Education and Health Standing Committee on Adequacy and Appropriateness of Prevention and Treatment Services
October 15, Perth, Australia Dinner with Drug Policy Reformers
October 15, Perth, Australia Presentation to National Drug Research Institute Seminar, Curtin University of Technology
October 15, Perth, Australia Interview with ABC WA Statewide
October 15, Perth, Australia Meeting with Police Minister Rob Johnson
October 15, Perth, Australia Lecture at Edith Cowan University, Joondalup Campus
October 15, Perth, Australia Meeting with Assistant Police Commissioner (Traffic & Ops) Mr. Shayne Maynes
October 14, Melbourne, Australia Meeting with Mr. Brett Curran, Chief of Staff to Victorian Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Corrections
October 14, Melbourne, Australia Presentation to Harm Reduction and D&A Workers, Moonee Valley Civic Centre
October 14, Melbourne, Australia Presentation to Lord Mayor and Moonee Valley City Councillors
October 14, Melbourne, Australia Meeting with City of Melbourne City Issues Team
October 13, Melbourne, Australia Meeting at Convenience Advertising
October 13, Melbourne, Australia Meeting with Victorian Child Safety Commissioner Bernie Geary, and other leaders
October 13, Melbourne, Australia Video interview, Institute of Public Affairs
October 13, Melbourne, Australia Meeting with Acting Chief Police Commissioner Kieran Walshe and senior staff
October 13, Melbourne, Australia Presentation to Office of Police Integrity and Victorian Police Force Officers
October 12, Melbourne, Australia Meeting with Wade Noonan, MP at Parliament House
October 12, Melbourne, Australia Testify at Victorian Parliamentary Joint Houses, Investigatory Drug and Crime Prevention Committee
October 12, Melbourne, Australia Lecture, Monash University, Clayton Campus
October 12, Melbourne, Australia Meeting with Senior Officials, Victoria Police Association, Brian Rix, President
October 12, Melbourne, Australia Meeting with Police Commissioner the Hon. Bob Cameron
October 12, Melmbourne, Australia Interview with ABC Morning Show, John Fain
October 11, Melbourne, Australia Private briefing dinner with Bill Noonan, OAM National Men's Health Ambassador
October 10, Melbourne, Australia dinner with Davis Stanley and family
October 10, Sydney, Australia, Interview with Kate Pinnock, Jailbreak 2SER
October 9, Sydney, Australia Dinner with Dr. Alex Wodak, et al
October 9, Sydney, Australia Presentation to Users and Health Workers and AIDS Assoc.
October 9, Sydney, Australia Video interview with User's News
October 9, Sydney, Australia Interview with Australian Police Journal, Sr. Sgt. Victoria Williams
October 9, Sydney, Australia Interview with Hungry Beasts (Zapruder's Other Films/ABC)
October 9, Sydney, Australia Interview with Fiveaa (Adelaide talk radio)
October 9, Sydney, Australia Presentation to Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Australia-NZ-wide videoconference
October 8, Sydney, Australia Presentation to Centre for Independent Studies, St. Leonards
October 8, Sydney, Australia Discussion with Deputy Lord Mayor of City of Sydney Ms. Marcelle Hoff, Councillors and Advisors
October 8, Sydney, Australia Lecture, University of New South Wales Law School
October 8, Sydney, Australia Interview with NSW Police News, Nicola Silva
October 8, Sydney, Australia Roundtable discussion, Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, national video linkup
October 7, Sydney, Australia Briefing to City of Sydney "Safe City Unit" and Local Area Police Commanders
October 7, Sydney, Australia Tour of St. Vincents Hospital Alcohol and Drug Services
October 7, Sydney, Australia Meeting with Detective Superintendent Tony Cook, Commander Drug and Alcohol Coordination
October 7, Sydney, Australia Interview with World Today ABC Radio, Shane McLeod
October 7, Sydney, Australia Lecture, University of Technology, "Principles of Forensic Science," law students
October 6, Sydney, Australia Visit to Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, Kings Cross
October 6, Sydney, Australia Meeting with Rev. Harry Herbert, Executive Director, UnitingCare
October 6, Sydney, Australia Meeting with Philip Kelley, Policy Advisor to Minister for Police and Mike Bailey, Policy Advisor to Attorney General and Minister for Justice
October 6, Sydney, Australia Lunch at Parliament House Dinning Room with Drug Policy Reformers
October 6, Sydney, Australia Lecture, NSW Parliament House for State Government representatives
October 5, Sydney, Australia Interview with Tony Jones, "Lateline," ABC Studios
October 5, Sydney, Australia Meeting with Dr. Wodak and Leah McLeod
October 4, Sydney, Australia Dinner with Dr. Alex Wodak
October 4, Sydney, Australia Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Panel: "All Forms of Drug Use Should Be Made Legal," Sydney Opera House
September 30, Herald Sun (Australia), phone interview with Alan Howe
September 29, Seattle Weekly, phone interview with Nina Shapiro
September 29, Conference call with Drug Policy Alliance
September 29, Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), Interview with Michael Duffy

Australian Politics
On the downside in the global push for rational drug laws in 2009, Australia showed the world how far our narrow minded politicians were prepared to go when enforcing their ideology on the people. WA led the revolt, turning back the hands of time that delighted conservatives everywhere. I imagine the likes of John Howard were just thrilled to see any drug policy progress being ripped out of the history books by absolute morons like WA Premier, Colin Barnett and WA Attorney General, Christian Porter. The standout act of stupidity involved repealing state cannabis laws that had actually led to a drop in use. WA’s cannabis laws were once hailed as one of the best drug policies around the globe where possession of up to 30 grams, two non-hydro plants, or smoking equipment only attracted a fine of up to $200 with an option to attend a cannabis education session. In their wisdom, Barnett and co. are pushing through a bill that will lower the amount to 10 grams and excluded growing any plants. Those caught for possession will have to pay a fine and attend compulsory treatment within 30 days or face jail. Fines for selling drug paraphernalia will increase to $5000 for sales to an adult and up to $10,000 for sales to a minor.

It’s probably no surprise that they blatantly lied about why they increased penalties for cannabis.

Research continues to show that cannabis can lead to a host of health and mental health problems including schizophrenia, and can be a gateway to harder drugs
-WA Premier, Colin Barnett

During 2009, pushing the old “Tough on Drugs” rhetoric was constant by most of the Coalition and other dorky politicians from Labor, The Christian Democrats and Family First. Shadow Minister for Customs and Justice, Sussan Ley had 104 media releases in 2009 with nearly a third of them mentioning illicit drugs. While Sophie Mirabella MP was Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare, Women and Youth, she had 4 media releases and wrote at least one news article about the Rudd Government putting our youth in danger to illicit drugs. Then there was Jamie Briggs, Nick Goiran, Mike Gallacher, Mike Horan, Barry O'Farrell etc. demanding everything from banning the term “recreational drugs” to mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders. Not one new idea amongst any of them. Nearly every demand has been tried locally or overseas for decades without any success whatsoever. Declaring you are “Tough on Drugs” has always been a sure vote winner but without any positive outcomes ever being realised, the cries of “won’t someone think of the children” or “we must get tough on the drug scourge” just becomes hollow rhetoric.

There were many swipes made at the Rudd government throughout the year for ignoring the "War on Drugs" and focussing too much on Alcohol. There were even calls to revisit The Bishop Report: “The Winnable War on Drugs”. After 11 years of Howard’s “Tough on Drugs” rhetoric which gave our 2nd biggest killer drug a pass, The Rudd government should be congratulated for finally targeting booze. And target booze it did. This was not some 6 month anti-drug campaign aimed at pleasing parents and moral crusaders but a conscious decision to change our drinking culture over the next few decades. The alcohol industry was accustomed to the previous government making excuses like the claim that drinking is an important part of society which provides many jobs etc. but all the crying in the world was not going to change Rudd’s mind. Such a powerful lobby group not used to loosing were not going to let something as trivial as government policy or the health of our nation get in their way. They simply produced their own statistics which were readily lapped up by the lazy media.

The Alcopops war raged on as the public started to learn more and more about the damage caused by alcohol, especially with violence. Not to miss a trick, the trash media turned up the heat on alcohol violence as well and soon it was a national problem with opinion writers, sport journalists, Neil Mitchells, state premiers and police ministers stumbling over each other to decry this scourge. The more the media reported it, the more the public demanded action ... the politicians were happy to oblige. More police, 2am lock outs, advertising campaigns, a freeze on late-night liquor licences, electronic ID and databases of thugs and even a weekend police blitz covering the whole of Australia and New Zealand. This was also a great opportunity to squeeze in some blame on drugs. Have you ever wondered why during a crackdown on alcohol and street violence that drug sniffer dogs are so prominent? WA again led the drug warriors into war with a new proposed bill for “stop and search” laws. The bill would give police the power to search people for weapons in entertainment precincts without proving grounds for suspicion. Coincidentally, it also includes searching for drugs. Yes, those dangerous party people, hugging and dancing their way through the troubled Perth suburb of Northbridge were just too much for Christian Porter and Colin Barnett to handle.

Strangely enough, the “Ice Epidemic” stopped making the headlines in 2009 as the main cause of substance induced violence. Yes, that nasty, frightening drug called ice, that caused users to rip apart emergency departments, had magically disappeared. Now, everywhere you look, the problem of alcohol aggression is being analysed by someone whipping the public into a frenzy. Is it a coincidence that a few years ago, a hospital worker reported that upper management had been convinced to blow their whole department budget on a safety room to deal with crazed ice addicts only to later reveal that the room had just been used a few times in 12 months ... for aggressive drunks.

Alcohol was the much needed “epidemic” of 2009 and probably will be in 2010. Scaremongers like the media and politicians will make sure of it. With all this frenzy over alcohol violence, there was only one problem ... violent crime has actually been decreasing since 2000!

The public's perception is that violence is increasing, but trends in violent crime reported to police since the early 1990s reveal a mixed story. Homicide has decreased by nine percent since 1990 and armed robbery by one-third since 2001, but recorded assaults and sexual assaults have both increased steadily in the past 10 years by over 40 percent and 20 percent respectively. The rate of aggravated assault appears to have contributed to the marked rise in recorded assault, and for both assault and sexual assault the rate of increase was greater for children aged under 15 years, with increases almost double that of the older age group. Neither population changes among young adult males nor rates of offending seem to explain the trends in recorded violent crime, and indicators of change in reporting to police provide only a partial explanation. Based on self-reported victimisation and reporting to police, it would seem increased reporting of assault is somewhat responsible for the rise in recorded assault rates against adult victims.
-Judy Putt: General Manager, Research - Australian Institute of Criminology

Overseas
There was a lot more good news overseas than in Australia. Germany passed into law, heroin assisted treatment (HAT) after a successful 4 year trial. Denmark concluded that there was enough evidence already to implement a HAT program without the need for a local scientific study, Both Canada and The UK had major successes with their own heroin trials. Mexico and The Czech Republic decriminalised small amounts of all drugs and a report by Glenn Greenwald of the CATO Institute showed that after 8 years of similar drug decriminalisation in Portugal, drug use had actually decreased while those seeking treatment increased. In the US, the effects of a new, saner president were being felt as the DEA were told not to raid medical marijuana dispensaries and the ban on federal funding for needle exchanges was lifted. 15 US states now support medical marijuana with another 20 considering it. 6 states have bills proposing full legalisation. The DEA were also hit for a six when the American Medical Association(AMA) released a statement that medical marijuana was indeed real and for the DEA to re-evaluate the classing of cannabis as a schedule 1 drug.

The American Medical Association urges that marijuana's status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines and alternate delivery methods
- The American Medical Association (AMA)

Instead of updating the DEA website titled, Exposing the Myth of Smoked Medical Marijuana by replacing the previous AMA denial of medical benefits from cannabis with the new update, the DEA just deleted any reference to the new AMA statement. To make matters worse, the DEA didn’t change their website until they were hounded by LEAP via an email campaign. But the shifty DEA are fanatical and will stoop to any level to push their propaganda. One website, stealthily owned by the DEA, Just Think Twice, kept the link to a now defunct 2001 report from the AMA that marijuana should be retained as a Schedule I drug. The AMA had to put up a special note on their own website that they had changed their position.

Mexico dominated the bad news overseas in 2009 as the war between the drug cartels and authorities continued. The media was kept busy with shocking stories and pictures that exemplified the core failure of the "War on Drugs". Drug prohibition creates so much money that not even a country like Mexico can compete with the local crime cartels. Over 49,000 troops are deployed across Mexico including contributions from the US but still the 6 major cartels reap in billions each year. Since the Mexican government announced a crack down in 2006, 15,000 people have died including many innocent civilians.

China also made the news a few times with the execution of prisoners on drug charges. As more westerners are being caught with drugs overseas, the issue of the death penalty is finally being given some media time. To celebrate International Anti-Drug day, China executed 20 people convicted of`drug offences including several foreigners.

March 2009 figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, show that 970 Australians were arrested abroad in 2008-2009, and 507 are serving time in foreign prisons. Overseas arrests have increased by 38 per cent in the past five years with most charges related to drug offences. The CourierMail was unable to resist this moral outrage and wrote an article warning us about the tough laws overseas.

Laws All Aussie Tourists Should Know

Indonesia
• Penalties for drug trafficking and possession are severe and include the death penalty
• Gambling is illegal and the penalty is deportation
• The penalty for masturbation is decapitation

WTF??! ... The penalty for masturbation is decapitation? Wanting to confirm this, I referenced my trusty old copy of The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality. Nope ... No surprises here ... it wasn’t true.

Schapelle Corby remained in the news frequently as her mental state deteriorated. The year started off like it was going to be a bit more bearable for Schapelle with a request to the jail authorities to start a beauty school for the female inmates. As usual though, the lowlife Murdoch Press gave the dog whistle and the hate mongers came running. The readers section quickly filled with the typical cruel, vile comments we have come to expect from bogans reading the Daily Telegraph, Adelaide Advertiser, HeraldSun, CourierMail etc. Not long after, the pressure took it’s toll and Schapelle was again hospitalised with major depression. Once more, the bogans came crawling out of their sewerage pits as the Murdoch press started again on Schapelle.

I feel for the families of Schapelle Corby, The Bali Nine and others in overseas prisons for drug offences. Most of these prisons are not fit for animals with cruelty, disease and corruption being commonplace. It must be beyond description how they would feel seeing their loved ones in such conditions. Fuck these countries and their sovereignty. I’m sick of comments in the opinion pages saying that we should respect the laws of other countries and their sovereignty. Just like I’m sick of that constant redneck chant, “do the crime - do the time”. These people are doomed to spend decades of their life in sub-human conditions, often for drug offences that are hugely out-of-sync with civilised countries.

Questionable Raids, Shonky Figures and other Bizarre Events
Like every year, there are some completely bizarre stories that hit the papers. Like the drug raid by police at the Cheech and Chong show in Sydney. Up to 25 officers and 4 cannabis canines not only searched the crowd and the queue at the door but went to local pubs and the train station looking for dangerous 50+ year old criminals. The NSW police wasted tens of thousands of dollars, catching 6 middle age parents with small amounts of cannabis. They were all let off with a caution.

The Cheech and Chong show was just one in a series of many raids from police last year. And according to the police, nearly every raid was upsetting the drug trade in Australia and having a huge impact on illicit drug supplies. One such blitz in SA dubbed “Operation Dial” proclaimed their success especially in the South East region of SA around Mt. Gambier:

South East police snared several alleged offenders during the statewide anti-drug campaign Operation Dial on the weekend.

The crackdown, involving 250 police officers across South Australia, saw the region’s police make one arrest and several reports of illicit substance possession, sale and cultivation.

Aided by Customs officials, Mount Gambier CIB arrested a local woman for taking part in the alleged sale of methyl amphetamine, while Naracoorte police issued three fines for possession of cannabis and related equipment, a drug diversion for amphetamine possession and reported persons for the sale of prescription drugs.

Keith police also reported one man for cultivating two cannabis plants.

South East operations manager Sergeant Andy Stott said he was pleased with the results.
-Border Watch(Local newspaper for Mt. Gambier in SE South Australia)

While the massive drug busts around Australia, totalling hundreds of millions of dollars were having very little effect on drug availability, comparatively small operations were being hailed as successful. I lost count how many times the police said they were “sending a message to drugs dealers”, “stopping the flow of illegal drugs” or “putting a huge dent” in local drug markets. Like “Operation Dial”, that for the whole of SA, confiscated 9kg of cannabis, 193 cannabis plants, 9g heroin, 11g cocaine, 12g amphetamine and 93 ecstasy tablets with a supposed street value of about $60,000.

South Australia Police will continue with dedicated operations such as Operation Dial to target the detection and seizure of illicit drugs and those associated with drug related offences. The result from Operation Dial sends a very clear message about the way we view the illicit drug trade and our efforts to get these drugs off the streets.
-Detective Superintendent Scott Duval, officer in charge of the Drug Investigation Branch

The hard drugs in reality, are worth only $11,000. 9Kgs of cannabis is worth about $25,000 which leaves the plants making up the remaining $24,000. Yep, $11,000 worth of hard drugs off the street will send shock-waves through SA. And of course, the 13 arrests, 39 reports and 53 cannabis expiation notices might just cripple the drug industry completely. I wonder what Superintendent Scott Duval was thinking when he went on to say:

It's not so much about the dollar value, it's the harm these drugs cause
-Detective Superintendent Scott Duval, officer in charge of the Drug Investigation Branch

Earlier in the year, not only were Queensland police also stopping the flow of drugs onto the streets but weapons as well with 11 people arrested for a total of 22 charges. “Operation Mamba” was a success!

We believe we've obstructed a number of individual suppliers of drugs ... and it's obviously resulted in some type of reduction of the flow of drugs onto the street.
-Sergeant Laurie Shevlin. Gold Coast Police

What was this big bust reported in the media that reduced the supply of drugs and weapons onto Queensland streets? “Operation Mamba” netted a grand total of 120 grams of pot. Note that it is grams not kilograms and 120 grams at the full street price of $25 each is $3,000. And the weapons? A taser stun gun ... AND ... a baton ... AND ... a slingshot.

The year of the PADD was probably most noted for PADDs at music festivals. Right up until the last night of 2009, there were warnings that anyone taking drugs into public music festivals and dance parties were going to get caught. 50 caught here, 80 caught somewhere else ... the number of people caught with ecstasy, speed, LSD and cannabis were mounting up. But when compared with the total audiences approaching the million mark, several hundred arrests is just piddley. This raises the question ... what’s the point? The simple answer is publicity. Most of the public are now under the impression that anyone taking drugs into music festivals are bound to get caught. It keeps the parents happy I suppose.


The Australian Heroin Diaries
The readership rose again for 2009 and is approaching dizzy heights although my family are sick of leaving anonymous comments. I have noticed a lot more hits from Canberra, government departments and strange countries. Stuffed if I know what that all means? I also noticed several active readers who visit at least once a day but I don’t know who they are. Maybe you could drop me an email or comment? Another increase in hits came from the police. Several states checked in including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) but I haven’t been dragged away screaming yet. They could be plotting a national effort though or even arranging a plane for Egypt where they can question me properly. I’ll have to wait and see.

The 2 most common search requests though are “Chinese executions” and “What does heroin feel like”. I still receive hundreds of hits each month for my June 2009 article, Mass Executions - How China Celebrates Anti-Drug Day. Sadly, it seems it’s not for my salubrious writing skills but for the pics I lifted borrowed from another site called Charonboat.com. About 75% of the Chinese execution hits come via the image searching facility from Google. But the most amount of hits for a text search is via “What does heroin feel like” or similar.

Award
One thing I was not expecting was an award. Jeepers. The Australian Heroin Diaries was chosen as one of the top 8 blogs in 2009 by AllTreatment.com:

http://theaustralianheroindiaries.blogspot.com/ - This is a news driven blog, that writes about and commentates on different countries drug policies. The author is a recovering heroin addict which gives a unique view and a much different one from politicians on drug politics. A must read for anyone interested in the politics of drug use and substance abuse.

Unfortunately there was no prize money but I am willing to sell my award if anyone is interested. Any takers? I can photoshop out “The Australian Heroin Diaries” and put your name there instead if needed.


What Does It All Mean?
The future for drug law reform looks bright for once. Hopefully, at the next UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in 10 years time, prohibition will be just another dirty mark on history like alcohol prohibition is. Cannabis is only a year or 2 away from finally being legalised somewhere although it won’t be Australia. Amazingly, it will probably be the US that first steps out triggering the dominoes to fall in rapid succession. Decriminalisation will also continue be taken up by many countries over the next few years. Aside from that, heroin assisted treatment (HAT) will become more common with Australia at the top of the list.

Resistance will come from the usual suspects - politicians, conservative media loudmouths, religion and moral crusaders. Science and evidence based government policies are the key to success but anti-drug zealots will attempt to muddle logic with family values, morals and “think of the children” type drug hysteria. Not much different to how it happens today.

Ultimately, the public gets smarter every year about complex issues like drugs and as the population ages, almost all of society will have experienced drugs at least once in their life. The typical propaganda and exaggeration that we are currently bombarded with is already being questioned by a large cross section of the community, That will only grow as the truth always comes out in the end. I pity the children and grand children of hard-liners who will have to face the history books with family members being exposed as dangerous liars who ignored the facts for personal gain resulting in the death and misery of many thousands.

The biggest local issue will be what the Rudd government does with drug policy. Apart from the $20 million one-strike illicit drugs policy for sporting codes, spending $18 million on a rehashed advertising campaign from the previous government and the recent media release stating that $4 million will be dished out for tracking drug use and trends, there has been no major drug policy announced. With the push for another heroin trial and calls to establish medical marijuana provisions, it will be interesting to see if Kev’s promise of evidence based policy will prevail.

DEA Shoots Themselves in the Foot

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has long had the reputation as a paramilitary police squad. Their arsenal of crime fighting goodies include tanks and other armoured vehicles, helicopters, military grade weapons including hand-grenades and rocket launchers. But they also have a reputation for something else ... bungling things up. There are dozens of stories about the DEA turning up at the wrong house and shooting some poor innocent sod or arresting whole families only to discover they had dodgy information. In an attempt to clean up their image, they attend public meetings or local schools to help us learn more about those evil drug users and how the DEA is there to stop them. Surely they can’t stuff this up as well?