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Bridgeburner
Not spiritual at all.
Registered: 09/16/06
Posts: 20,010
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Drugs leading Victoria to crisis [AUSTRALIA]
#8851756 - 08/30/08 10:39 AM (15 years, 7 months ago) |
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link
VICTORIA is facing a new illicit drugs crisis as use of heroin, amphetamines and cannabis soars.
Data from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine released this week show drug use rising dramatically.
Experts at the institute say the epidemic is a "social time bomb" that will have costly consequences for Victoria in the next decade.
Statistics from the state's world-first drug-drive testing program shows an increase in drivers affected by amphetamines and cannabis.
Fifteen per cent of drivers killed in road accidents tested positive to cannabis and almost 8 per cent to stimulants such as amphetamines and pseudoephedrine - figures that have tripled since 2003.
Recent tests showed one in 50 drivers randomly tested were found to have illegal drugs in their system.
And heroin overdose deaths have increased, with 80 this year so far. There were 72 in all of 2007.
The latest was a 40-year-old woman who died in Sunshine on Thursday.
A separate study at The Alfred hospital shows more than a quarter of people admitted on weekends tested positive to the party drug GHB.
Institute manager of toxicology Dr Dimitri Gerostamoulos said: "Cannabis and amphetamines are the most popular illicit drugs and more and more people are using them and then deciding to drive."
Dr Gerostamoulos said the long-term effects of amphetamine use were as significant as heroin.
"They cause changes to the cardio-vascular system - with heart dysfunction, mental function is impaired with changes to the chemical structure of the brain. You get psychosis and early dementia," he said.
He said increased use of amphetamines and cannabis was "a social time bomb".
"In 10 years we will see real society-wide problems.
"We could see many more dysfunctional people and families, the health system stretched by chronic mental problems and an increase in people with chronic and expensive-to-treat heart problems."
Youth worker Les Twentyman said the impact of a flood of unusually pure heroin had become apparent in recent weeks.
"Heroin had gone off the radar since the late 90s, but it's returned with a vengeance."
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Coaster
BaĘżal
Registered: 05/22/06
Posts: 33,501
Loc: Deep in the Valley
Last seen: 12 years, 6 months
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Re: Drugs leading Victoria to crisis [AUSTRALIA] [Re: Bridgeburner]
#8852022 - 08/30/08 12:07 PM (15 years, 7 months ago) |
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lol they are so paranoid
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ReposadoXochipilli
Here, there, inbetween
Registered: 08/30/05
Posts: 7,501
Loc: Sand and sunshine
Last seen: 9 days, 15 hours
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Re: Drugs leading Victoria to crisis [AUSTRALIA] [Re: Coaster]
#8852713 - 08/30/08 03:11 PM (15 years, 7 months ago) |
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Like it hasn't been going on for the last 30 years huh?
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TheAxis
Run like a cantalope
Registered: 08/20/08
Posts: 812
Loc: New Jersey
Last seen: 9 years, 7 months
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shouldnt amphetamines improve your driving
-------------------- When you make your peace with authority, you become authority Jim Morrison
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lumibles
Lurker
Registered: 04/23/08
Posts: 142
Loc: In the rain
Last seen: 14 years, 2 days
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Re: Drugs leading Victoria to crisis [AUSTRALIA] [Re: Bridgeburner]
#8853403 - 08/30/08 06:44 PM (15 years, 7 months ago) |
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"Fifteen per cent of drivers killed in road accidents tested positive to cannabis and almost 8 per cent to stimulants such as amphetamines and pseudoephedrine - figures that have tripled since 2003."
Repeat after me, correlation is not causation. I bet 90% of them tested positive for caffeine or nicotine, OhNoes!
-------------------- Reality is a crutch for people who can't cope with drugs. ~Lily Tomlin Did you know America ranks the lowest in education but the highest in drug use? It's nice to be number one, but we can fix that. All we need to do is start the war on education. If it's anywhere near as successful as our war on drugs, in no time we'll all be hooked on phonics. ~Leighann Lord
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johnm214
Registered: 05/31/07
Posts: 17,582
Loc: Americas
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Re: Drugs leading Victoria to crisis [AUSTRALIA] [Re: lumibles]
#8853620 - 08/30/08 07:25 PM (15 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
lumibles said: "Fifteen per cent of drivers killed in road accidents tested positive to cannabis and almost 8 per cent to stimulants such as amphetamines and pseudoephedrine - figures that have tripled since 2003."
Repeat after me, correlation is not causation. I bet 90% of them tested positive for caffeine or nicotine, OhNoes!
Additionally, what the fuck does this prove?
I can only assume that they did not establish that the drivers were uner the influence of the drugs or impared by them, as they surely would have mentioned that right? What shitty reporting.
So I'm left to conclude that 8 percent had some detectable cannabis metabolites in their bodies which could have come from legal hemp products or smoking a joing two weeks ago.
What a terrible article. How about say what you mean, and relate relevant information. Were these people impared and physiologically affected by these drugs or did you find some metabolites or something in non-active concentrations?
I'm so sick of the news reporting that is so shitty on issues of chemistry and physiology w/ regard to drugs. Who couldn't know that a positive test for something means nothing re: affects on driving without knowing what the test was for and what the positive indicates?
What bullshit.
Legalize drugs and adopt uniform impairment tests that allow police to arrest folks who are actually impaired (like a reaction time type thing perhaps, concentration maybe) whether by drugs or stress/tiredness, or at least establish standardized testing regimens which punish only those signifigantly adversely affected by drugs, and don't lump the cannabis smoker who is not under the influence with thedrunki who can't walk while letting the mom talking on the phone and tired from no sleep plow into pedestrians.
I'm so sick of this reporting and attitude regarding substances. If you are a threat you should be prosecuted, but lets have some common sense, and stop acting like someone with carboxy THC in their urine is neccesarily an impaired driver.
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