Do all the druggies need a swift kick in the behind rather than help injecting their drugs?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Pekan

I bet it would take about 2 hours of police work to catch the dealers who are selling the homeless these drugs. Just one undercover cop to wait for the zombies to flock to the car that pulls up.

Don’t assume it’s that simple they have laws to follow and dealers don’t. Also realize that that the guy meeting these junkies to sell is low on the ladder and replaceable. Second don’t assume the dealer is stupid they often exploit the laws the police have to follow to prevent getting charged. The third issue is when a low level dealer is caught it’s a slap on the wrist and they are at it again. Many have been caught multiple times

I was on my own at 16 and could only afford to live in a real crap hole of a neighborhood in the lower mainland. The things I learned and experienced living surrounded by criminals, junkies, and dealers was a real eye opener. The stuff that actually takes place vs what the average joe thinks is very different.

Things I can promise you as long as there is demand and money to be made there will be drugs/dealers. Also you can create as many safe injection sites, programs and laws to deal with addiction but once an addict reaches a certain point 90% are lost

Only true way to make an impact on this is tackle prevention of early addiction.

The war on drugs is never going to be won and reality is when most cross the line into addiction being a life priority they are a loss cause.

[zabbo]

Originally Posted by Ackleyman

Canada is way to passive. If i was King there would be a 3 month warning to the scource , the sleeze ball in country major distributors and dealers pushing Fentanyl, Meth etc.....Your killing Canadians of all ages , destroying families. Your caught you face firing squad , were not paying Thousands to put your sorry ass in a soft jail. Time to quit putting a bandaid on a very serious problem.

This!! Eliminates the need for more jails as well. Win, win, win!!

[Pekan]

Originally Posted by Sledhead71

Unfortunately there is no easy solution to addiction, there is not nearly enough resources to put even a dent into the drug problem.

Many here want immediate and simple solutions to this problem, many of these same people suffer from addiction as well. How many members here are addicted to social media ? How many of these people spend hours and hours on platforms like AO, X, Facebook, extra... These platforms are not drugs and many can't stop themselves from this simple form of addiction.

Sure, there's all kinds of negative behaviour and addictions. The main difference is the social disorder that's been allowed to fester with the opioids. Lethbridge is like zombieland in their downtown. Calgary C-train routes are spreading these people out along their lines.

Seems like a perfect storm of opioid abuse, with the police being under the microscope, with cost of living increases, with cult of victimhood going on. There's a race component that makes homelessness even more of a political grenade.
Some real leadership is needed on this issue.
City parks were created as a common place for every citizen to use and enjoy. But now city parks are usually places that productive citizens don't want to go to.

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by zabbo

This!! Eliminates the need for more jails as well. Win, win, win!!

Just think of the reduced strain on our health care system.

[zabbo]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams1

Just think of the reduced strain on our health care system.

Yup! That too.

[Strait Shooter]

Originally Posted by Pekan

I bet it would take about 2 hours of police work to catch the dealers who are selling the homeless these drugs. Just one undercover cop to wait for the zombies to flock to the car that pulls up.

The ones selling at street level are likely fellow addicts or juveniles, you won't catch the big fish on the street. Watch The Wire to understand how it works.

[Hunter gatherer]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams1

Just think of the reduced strain on our health care system.

This is so true,maybe ambulances need to stop for a coffee on their way to an OD call. Recent story about a 2 year old girl going to the hospital because she picked up a used needle and pocked herself with it. These junkies don't care where they leave their garbage. A lot are too far gone now to be of any use to society.

[I’d rather be outdoors]

Harsher penalties are needed all around. ESP related to private property/theft. The lieberals hate that one though.

[Albertadiver]

First hand observations from myself.

I spent 3 years working in and around the Calgary Alpha House Society and saw first-hand all sorts of things related to drug use.

I've spent cumulatively several years working in and around various AHS locations seeing the effects of drug abuse in ER's and hospital wards.

I've spent cumulatively a year or two working in Federal prison's and front line law enforcement detachments seeing bad guys being dealt with directly as a result of drug abuse and drug selling.

I've spent cumulatively a few years working in and around various provincial queen's bench courts and provincial supreme courts with various trials.

(edit: I also have family that deal with addiction and have seen the effects on them individually and what it does to those around them including family)

I don't see any one simple answer, but over my time in these locations my sympathies for the users and especially the sellers has decreased considerably. If law enforcement was empowered to be able to enforce existing laws, and the judicial system responded as they should and kept law breakers away from the public, that would probably assist in getting bad people off the street and potentially some treatment for the few that are wanting to get off the drugs.

I'm sick and tired of worrying about the safety of co-workers and family and even myself that have to interact with these folks.

[warriorboy10]

Lost my youngest son to the drugs. Tried everything, some many times he was even in remand on several occasions, come out looking, feeling great and with a much better attitude only to do it all over again until he ran into drugs laced with Fentanyl, as per Medical Examiner. Was just a matter of time a conversation I had with him many times but to no avail.
Drug user mental state is so incredibly alterted after doing such nasty zhit I don't honestly know if there is a fix for this horrific situation.
It's easy to talk tough regarding these individuals until you have lived the pain.
I lost my sledding, hunting and fishing partner but most of all my son my little man! Nearly six ago now and it's been pure H-LL everyday single day, TORTURE actually. I wouldn't wish this type of situation on anyone or the users themselves!!

[Sledhead71]

Originally Posted by warriorboy10

Lost my youngest son to the drugs. Tried everything, some many times he was even in remand on several occasions, come out looking, feeling great and with a much better attitude only to do it all over again until he ran into drugs laced with Fentanyl, as per Medical Examiner. Was just a matter of time a conversation I had with him many times but to no avail.
Drug user mental state is so incredibly alterted after doing such nasty zhit I don't honestly know if there is a fix for this horrific situation.
It's easy to talk tough regarding these individuals until you have lived the pain.
I lost my sledding, hunting and fishing partner but most of all my son my little man! Nearly six ago now and it's been pure H-LL everyday single day, TORTURE actually. I wouldn't wish this type of situation on anyone or the users themselves!!

I am very sorry to hear your son was taken way too early. Never easy to speak about this kind of loss, thank you for sharing your real life experience.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by Cement Bench

when they used to have firing squads that is a job I could volunteer for

Inject them with a double does of whatever they are selling on the spot.

[muirsy]

I don't think there's one good solution to any of it.

For the king-pins who are at the top, importing & selling millions of dollars worth of drugs, the penalties need to be orders of magnitude more harsh than they currently are.

For the street-level addicts who are living in tents, committing theft and are generally posing a risk to public safety, I think the idea of mandatory treatment centers is probably a good idea. There was mandatory 'lockdowns' and vaccines, so I see no issue with some sort of mandatory time in a program like that.

It sounds like the current government is in the process of building a bunch of treatment centers, which from my understanding aren't mandatory, but a good place to start compared to simply establishing more 'safe' injection sites which appear to not work very well for most of these individuals.

Cutting off most of the supply has to be a priority though, because those treatment centers aren't free!

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by warriorboy10

Lost my youngest son to the drugs. Tried everything, some many times he was even in remand on several occasions, come out looking, feeling great and with a much better attitude only to do it all over again until he ran into drugs laced with Fentanyl, as per Medical Examiner. Was just a matter of time a conversation I had with him many times but to no avail.
Drug user mental state is so incredibly alterted after doing such nasty zhit I don't honestly know if there is a fix for this horrific situation.
It's easy to talk tough regarding these individuals until you have lived the pain.
I lost my sledding, hunting and fishing partner but most of all my son my little man! Nearly six ago now and it's been pure H-LL everyday single day, TORTURE actually. I wouldn't wish this type of situation on anyone or the users themselves!!

My heart is crushed for you. Hard to be a dad and I can’t and don’t want to imagine what you went through and continue to go through. Sharing your experience hopefully can change minds and not start drugs.

[HyperMOA]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Things I can promise you as long as there is demand and money to be made there will be drugs/dealers. Also you can create as many safe injection sites, programs and laws to deal with addiction but once an addict reaches a certain point 90% are lost

Only true way to make an impact on this is tackle prevention of early addiction.

The war on drugs is never going to be won and reality is when most cross the line into addiction being a life priority they are a loss cause.

I agree with you here 100% I think most addicts didn’t become an addict by mistake. Some will want to change, but most will never leave their chosen lifestyle.

That is why I always point out those wretches to my kids and tell them that is where drugs lead. They are 10 & 12 and are seeing how differently those people live. Hopefully, these encounters drive the lesson home.

[Red Bullets]

Heartfelt condolences to Warriorboy 10 for having to endure such a loss.

There could be one way things could be improved for people struggling with addiction. If our global government community would fund pharmaceutical development of a drug or drugs that counteract opioid and other drug effects. In essence an addict wouldn't get high on the drug they abuse. Although addicts have rights anyone that is flagged as an addict needing supports would have to agree to an under the skin long lasting drug. It might give an addict a better chance to overcome an addiction without relying on services as much.

As far as homelessness and tent cities, having designated areas with organized fenced tent camps could make everything more manageable. It would be easier to identify those with severe needs and those that are just down on their luck. Not all homeless people are troubled or are they addicts. organized tent cities would save a cities public areas cleaner and usable without fear.

What really amazes me using North America as an example is that our borders cannot be better controlled. Much of the fentanyl coming into North America comes from certain oversea countries. Our border security should be able to monitor things better. if it takes more resources then so be it. It would keep our populations healthier and safer.