19 May 2011

Smoking worse than shooting up smack?

| johnboy
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The Liberals’ Jeremy Hanson is aghast and agape following comments by the Chiefly Katy Gallagher about her priorities at the Monaro Marriott:

In extraordinary comments from the Health Minister of the ACT, the new Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher, has labelled smoking as a greater health problem than the use or prevalence of illicit drugs in the prison, Shadow Health Minister Jeremy Hanson said today.

This morning Katy Gallagher told the Health Estimates committee hearing;

‘I should say that out of the Burnet report and there is a lot of interest around illicit drugs. The most concerning thing for me around that report was the level of smoking, and if there is a health issue in the jail it is smoking, and for me it’s how to we deal with that, how do we encourage people to stop smoking.

Colonel Hanson wants to know what you think about this.

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Maybe a key sentence there is: “if there is a health issue in the jail it is smoking,”

Id guess the number of smokers in there would be 50x higher than the number of heroin users, in which case that smoking is much more of a health issue.

Hospitals dont allow smoking, but they do allow opiate injection…

Talking about ‘pure’ or ‘impure’ in the way that it has been discussed in this thread is just nonsense in terms of chemistry. It is more reflective of views about morality.

Something can be 95% ‘pure’, but if the remaining 5% is Drano, that’s not much help. If it is 50% ‘pure’ and the rest is something innocuous, that is something else.

“Pure” is a romantic junkie term.

Cheap said :

The Frots said :

Cheap said :

Heroin can be made to be just as pure as the aspirin or paracetamol you buy at the chemist. I am not talking about street heroin, I am talking about the heroin that is currently being used for medicinal purposes overseas.

Heroin is derived from morphine (hence the name diacetylmorphine) so if you are going to argue with me about the purity of medical grade morphine then you probably also believe in chemtrails, fake moon landings and that the carbon tax is a jewish plot to drive up the price of diamonds.

There really is no such thing as 100% pure heroin – it is simply impossible. Your correct with your naming of it – and there are many stages of extraction. Medical grade heroin just cannot be 100% pure becuase of the extraction process. Heroin for such use is grown in a lot of places (some of which surprise you!) but eh extraction issue remains.

Now, while I can’t speak with authority about fake moon landings, diamond conspiracies and the like, I am interested in your views on the ‘grassy knoll’…………………..what do you think??

The poppies are mostly grown in Tasmania aren’t they? I couldn’t find any sources one way or the other with regards to 100% purity, but I’m sure it would be so close to 100% as to be indistinguishable (but let’s not get into an argument about 0.99999…= 1)

Sounds good (it was a good exercise though – I had to hit the books again from Uni as well as some quick calls to a couple of collegues!). Gets the brain going!

Take care.

The Frots said :

Cheap said :

Heroin can be made to be just as pure as the aspirin or paracetamol you buy at the chemist. I am not talking about street heroin, I am talking about the heroin that is currently being used for medicinal purposes overseas.

Heroin is derived from morphine (hence the name diacetylmorphine) so if you are going to argue with me about the purity of medical grade morphine then you probably also believe in chemtrails, fake moon landings and that the carbon tax is a jewish plot to drive up the price of diamonds.

There really is no such thing as 100% pure heroin – it is simply impossible. Your correct with your naming of it – and there are many stages of extraction. Medical grade heroin just cannot be 100% pure becuase of the extraction process. Heroin for such use is grown in a lot of places (some of which surprise you!) but eh extraction issue remains.

Now, while I can’t speak with authority about fake moon landings, diamond conspiracies and the like, I am interested in your views on the ‘grassy knoll’…………………..what do you think??

The poppies are mostly grown in Tasmania aren’t they? I couldn’t find any sources one way or the other with regards to 100% purity, but I’m sure it would be so close to 100% as to be indistinguishable (but let’s not get into an argument about 0.99999…= 1)

Cheap said :

Heroin can be made to be just as pure as the aspirin or paracetamol you buy at the chemist. I am not talking about street heroin, I am talking about the heroin that is currently being used for medicinal purposes overseas.

Heroin is derived from morphine (hence the name diacetylmorphine) so if you are going to argue with me about the purity of medical grade morphine then you probably also believe in chemtrails, fake moon landings and that the carbon tax is a jewish plot to drive up the price of diamonds.

There really is no such thing as 100% pure heroin – it is simply impossible. Your correct with your naming of it – and there are many stages of extraction. Medical grade heroin just cannot be 100% pure becuase of the extraction process. Heroin for such use is grown in a lot of places (some of which surprise you!) but eh extraction issue remains.

Now, while I can’t speak with authority about fake moon landings, diamond conspiracies and the like, I am interested in your views on the ‘grassy knoll’…………………..what do you think??

and providing clean substance and apparatus is one step of a holistic approach to treatment that would of course also include behaviour modification training, controlled withdrawal, stress management and general education

Heroin can be made to be just as pure as the aspirin or paracetamol you buy at the chemist. I am not talking about street heroin, I am talking about the heroin that is currently being used for medicinal purposes overseas.

Heroin is derived from morphine (hence the name diacetylmorphine) so if you are going to argue with me about the purity of medical grade morphine then you probably also believe in chemtrails, fake moon landings and that the carbon tax is a jewish plot to drive up the price of diamonds.

colourful sydney racing identity11:35 am 20 May 11

neanderthalsis said :

colourful sydney racing identity said :

Not sure that people can suffer effects of passive heroin injection.

I’m not sure you can stab a prison guard with a Hep/AIDS infected cigarette butt.

You obviously haven’t seen MacGyver.

neanderthalsis11:29 am 20 May 11

colourful sydney racing identity said :

Not sure that people can suffer effects of passive heroin injection.

I’m not sure you can stab a prison guard with a Hep/AIDS infected cigarette butt.

PM said :

The Frots said :

Pommy bastard said :

The Frots said :

Aside from the fact that there is no such thing as ‘pure heroin’ (it simply doesn’t exist) your are trying to bait us aren’t you? I mean, really……………………….

It does exist. It is used, at a pharmaceutical grade, in medicine in the UK.

Sorry PM – but no. Heroin in any form does not have 100% purity. It can’t. There are always ‘impurities’ within the substance, no matter how pritine the conditions. On a street level, ‘pure heroin’ is heroin that is between 88 to 94% pure – you don’t get any higher than that.

For what you are talking about – the purity may increase – but it is still impossible to get 100% purity.

What do you mean?? I hadn’t made a single comment!

DOH! Sorry PM – blame my typing fingers! I meant of course Pommy B.

The Frots said :

Pommy bastard said :

The Frots said :

Aside from the fact that there is no such thing as ‘pure heroin’ (it simply doesn’t exist) your are trying to bait us aren’t you? I mean, really……………………….

It does exist. It is used, at a pharmaceutical grade, in medicine in the UK.

Sorry PM – but no. Heroin in any form does not have 100% purity. It can’t. There are always ‘impurities’ within the substance, no matter how pritine the conditions. On a street level, ‘pure heroin’ is heroin that is between 88 to 94% pure – you don’t get any higher than that.

For what you are talking about – the purity may increase – but it is still impossible to get 100% purity.

What do you mean?? I hadn’t made a single comment!

Pommy bastard said :

The Frots said :

Aside from the fact that there is no such thing as ‘pure heroin’ (it simply doesn’t exist) your are trying to bait us aren’t you? I mean, really……………………….

It does exist. It is used, at a pharmaceutical grade, in medicine in the UK.

Sorry PM – but no. Heroin in any form does not have 100% purity. It can’t. There are always ‘impurities’ within the substance, no matter how pritine the conditions. On a street level, ‘pure heroin’ is heroin that is between 88 to 94% pure – you don’t get any higher than that.

For what you are talking about – the purity may increase – but it is still impossible to get 100% purity.

I can’t understand why the government can’t treat people affected by drugs in prison, I was watching a programme last night, where in England it showed a women’s prison, these prisoners were able to go into detox and receive other forms of treatment.
Why can’t we do this here? Instead of giving them clean needles, it defeats the purpose of locking them up, as soon as these drug affected prisoners get out, they will be doing crime once again to feed their addiction.

Pommy bastard7:53 pm 19 May 11

The Frots said :

Aside from the fact that there is no such thing as ‘pure heroin’ (it simply doesn’t exist) your are trying to bait us aren’t you? I mean, really……………………….

It does exist. It is used, at a pharmaceutical grade, in medicine in the UK.

Please enlighten me; you’re not allowed to smoke in a restaurant, pub, bar or government building but ‘guests’ at the Hume Hilton are allowed to smoke inside the buildings there??

Does anyone else here picture a muppet when they read a story about Jeremy Hanson?

Cheap said :

Heroin (diacetylmorphine) itself isn’t actually as bad as people make out – it’s the impurities, addictiveness and overdose potential that causes the damage. A person could theoretically take pure heroin in a controlled environment their whole lives without suffering any ill-effects.

Aside from the fact that there is no such thing as ‘pure heroin’ (it simply doesn’t exist) your are trying to bait us aren’t you? I mean, really……………………….

Cheap said :

Heroin (diacetylmorphine) itself isn’t actually as bad as people make out – it’s the impurities, addictiveness and overdose potential that causes the damage. A person could theoretically take pure heroin in a controlled environment their whole lives without suffering any ill-effects.

The main problem with heroin is the stigma.

damien haas said :

Noone ever burgled my house to pay for a pack of cool refreshing Laramies.

That might change if they keep raising the prices…

damien haas said :

Noone ever burgled my house to pay for a pack of cool refreshing Laramies.

No but if you had smokes, they would have taken them. If people didn’t throw their good butts on the ground, then you might well have a rush of cigarette related crime. If heroin could be found lying on the ground, break-ins would plummet.

Heroin (diacetylmorphine) itself isn’t actually as bad as people make out – it’s the impurities, addictiveness and overdose potential that causes the damage. A person could theoretically take pure heroin in a controlled environment their whole lives without suffering any ill-effects.

Noone ever burgled my house to pay for a pack of cool refreshing Laramies.

colourful sydney racing identity said :

Not sure that people can suffer effects of passive heroin injection.

My thoughts exactly.

In the past I have often thought that it might be cost effective to provide prisoners with not just clean needles, but free smack as well? No one is going to smuggle it in if they can get it for free inside, and every fatal overdose* is a massive saving to the community…

* – I am of course not entirely serious in this suggestion.

colourful sydney racing identity2:59 pm 19 May 11

Pommy bastard said :

Hmmm.. if someone can prove they got cancer from second hand smoking at the Hume Hilton, and sue the govt, they could make a packet out of it.

this.

Pommy bastard2:56 pm 19 May 11

Hmmm.. if someone can prove they got cancer from second hand smoking at the Hume Hilton, and sue the govt, they could make a packet out of it.

colourful sydney racing identity2:54 pm 19 May 11

Not sure that people can suffer effects of passive heroin injection.

I can totally understand where she is coming from, can you imagine how distressing it is for a guard to open a cell and find a dead prisoner with a durry hanging out of their arm? And one could imagine how they got that ciggy in there in the first place.

Smoking in jails is a major concern………..? Well stick a fork in me…………………….I’m done!

Whats next…………………..the colour ‘drab green’ is too depressing for them? The use of ‘harsh tones’ must be stopped immediately lest we denegrate them?

Get a grip…………….like, a real firm one! Zero drug policy – full stop! As for ‘smoking’, use it as a behavioural tool – be good or ‘no baccy’ for little Bubba!

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