Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Not so insane

Hands

Thu, 03 Oct 2013 09:36:36 +1300

I tried 25i nbome a couple of times earlier this year. Actually it is not a bad time at a lower dose, elevated mood, slight acid style visuals and notably increased appreciation for music. At a higher dose the visuals become much more intense, but without the feeling of profundity…

"chris"

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 22:46:51 +1300

You’re game Ben, that doesn’t sound at all like what the doctor ordered.

it’s certainly the case that the law causes anyone who would use dope to use synthetic instead

I wonder how much of a spike in sales the synthetics dealers enjoy during that dry period (Februrary/ March?) just…

BenWilson

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 15:41:15 +1300

if that read like a rant Ben, it certainly wasn’t directed at you or anyone here.

I didn't read it like that, don't worry. As for horse tranquilizer, the one time I tried Kronik, I formed a belief that something like that might be in it. I had a sense…

"chris"

Mon, 30 Sept 2013 19:41:39 +1300

by which vendors will be allowed to distribute products containing novel, not-yet-controlled, recreationally-used substances

Perhaps it's willful misinterpretation, but to me that reads as 'Government sanctioned experimentation on humans'.

Russell Brown

Mon, 30 Sept 2013 19:27:38 +1300

Very good Erowid backgrounder on the risky NBOMe drug series which has filled the psychedelics gap since the authorities managed to make LSD too hard to obtain.

It also says this:

The best hope on the horizon for stopping this recurring cycle of drug criminalization and new drug development comes…

"chris"

Mon, 30 Sept 2013 19:17:57 +1300

I’m sure some people might choose a synthetic high, even if both were legal, as I’ve heard that some of them leave you feeling less lethargic when they wear off than dope,

On the flipside, now that six new substances are prohibited, will the matured demand for these ‘advantages’ simply…

BenWilson

Mon, 30 Sept 2013 08:41:49 +1300

the potential ramifications of being busted for possession of cannabis would seem less attractive than the alternative: losing consciousness, having a psychotic break and inadvertently calling the armed offenders squad to one’s domicile, or far worse.

Yup, the law is that stupid. The safer (but not totally safe) drug that…

"chris"

Mon, 30 Sept 2013 02:24:24 +1300

Thanks for taking the time Ben, that was very coherent. I’m pleased to hear he’s (hopefully) not using that now and I was struck by this:

using it in preference to dope because it was a lot easier to get, and you didn’t have to take precautions carrying it, storing…

BenWilson

Sun, 29 Sept 2013 11:14:27 +1300

Firstly I guess the real question is did he stop using Kronic after the second incident?

He says so, but I can’t know for sure. Gut feeling is that he would rather just use cannabis, which has never led to the police pulling a gun on him. But then people…

"chris"

Sat, 28 Sept 2013 20:35:57 +1200

I’m quite interested in this Ben, given that this was not the first time he had used Kronic or for that matter experienced serious issues while under the influence:

In another incident, the same fellow (yes, he was this foolish) found himself confronted with armed police at his door, having…

BenWilson

Fri, 27 Sept 2013 21:02:30 +1200

The manager of the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority, Dr Donald Hannah, says the six products were all assessed to pose more than a low risk of harm.

Anecdotally, I'd say this is a good idea. It was one of those 3 that caused a friend of mine to lapse in…

Russell Brown

Fri, 27 Sept 2013 16:03:37 +1200

Interesting – Authority refuses approval for six psychoactive products:

The Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority has refused applications for six products seeking interim approvals under the new Psychoactive Substances Act.

The products refused approval are the psychoactive product G-13, three Kronic brand products (Kronic Skunk, Kronic Tropical Explosion and Kronic Pineapple…

"chris"

Thu, 26 Sept 2013 19:24:17 +1200

Perhaps I just brought it back because I like to see my name under the heading “Not so insane” but…On topic:

What’s being done here looks a lot less “insane” on close inspection

Not to dispute your findings here, as I agree, but compared to the relative sanity that is…

"chris"

Wed, 25 Sept 2013 18:06:50 +1200

I don’t know the price of a pack of cigarettes

It’s been a while since I’ve had to, but as I recall, at the lower end, Derby’s can be purchased for as little as 2.5¥ (50c) a pack, most of the brands you see young people smoking cost between 5-10…

Chris Waugh

Wed, 25 Sept 2013 12:57:15 +1200

Big Red Tobacco, yes. And Big Red Tobacco is state owned, so there does seem to be a revenue stream there. I have read, though, that smoking costs the government more than it collects in tobacco income, but others have argued that the health system has been purely market since…

Rich of Observationz

Wed, 25 Sept 2013 10:52:56 +1200

Any idea *why* smoking is so much more prevalent in China?

I assume Big Tobacco wasn't allowed in during the Communist era? Were the population already addicted by the 1950's? Did the government tacitly encourage smoking as a relief valve or revenue source?

Is any national effort being made to…

Russell Brown

Wed, 25 Sept 2013 07:50:55 +1200

The big drug bust reported in today's Herald underlines the extent to which novel psychoactive substances are already flooding in to the New Zealand market:

A total of 379 suspected psychoactive substances totalling more than 500kg were intercepted during Operation Static which ended this month, Mr Williamson said.

This included Class…

Chris Waugh

Wed, 25 Sept 2013 00:17:33 +1200

I tell my students to quit smoking before they head overseas because it's too expensive and there's no way anybody would tolerate them lighting up inside. Now I'm going to add "smokefree campus" to the list of threats – "You guys will be getting really fit if you go study…

Geoff Lealand

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 22:47:25 +1200

I have noticed this with my Chinese students here too. It will be difficult for them when the smoke-free campus begins (like the Univ of Auckland).

What are the rates of smoking-induced lung cancer in China?

andin

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 21:48:29 +1200

When does use become abuse?

When someone else says it is...?

Richard Stewart

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 16:43:02 +1200

So why is drug use always described as 'drug abuse'? There are plenty of people who use recreational drugs in a 'responsible' manner. When does use become abuse?

Chris Waugh

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 16:42:49 +1200

My small world is the exact opposite. Whenever I call break time or class is over, an awful lot of my male students sprint out into the corridor to light up. I've even seen my boys warming up for a basketball match cigarette dangling from their lips.

Islander

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 16:28:11 +1200

ery few people consume tobacco in a safe, responsible way. So the policy response ha

In my small world, people who consume tobacco do so in small amounts – I would have 1 or 2 pipes OR cigars a week, and only provided I didnt have cracked lips...
and I…

Keir Leslie

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 16:01:37 +1200

I don't know. I think that alcohol's different from tobacco, in that lots of people consume alcohol in a responsible and safe way. Very few people consume tobacco in a safe, responsible way. So the policy response has to be different and take that into account.

Rich of Observationz

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 15:54:44 +1200

I'd imagine the next thing is going to be distributed, anonymous social networks.

HamMer

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 15:53:30 +1200

I agree. Some tobacco control advocates reckon we never started making strong gains in that area until addressed sponsorship and marketing elements in the 1990s, so that we could look at the product more clearly/objectively. The same would help with alcohol

Craig Ranapia

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 14:32:12 +1200

But it is socially acceptable to be drinking a bottle of wine every single night, when children live in the same house.

It's not in my house, but you know... I'm an alcoholic and my partner is on medication for which alcohol is contraindicated. Thank God we're not stupid plebs,…

Geoff Lealand

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 13:36:43 +1200

And in another legislative advance for another Australian state, Queensland is bringing in legislation (it may have already) to impose hefty fines and the prospect of prison for people found to have organised 'FaceBook parties' ie spread about news on social media about knees-ups or hooleys. This potentially includes the…

Simon Adamson

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 11:23:02 +1200

Steven it was the change in drink driving legislation that allowed for random breath testing plus the aggressive enforcement of those rules that led to changes in social attitudes. When people saw they were likely to get caught drink driving and the consequences were very inconvenient _then_ the norm shifted.…

BenWilson

Tue, 24 Sept 2013 00:19:51 +1200

Ironically, pot would probably fail the risk assessment because of the smoking part, but I think Matt Bowden is planning to submit an a cannabinoid inhaler product.

This is the main thing that puts me off harm minimization approaches. The end game is banning everything. That doesn't seem like a…

Virginia Brooks

Mon, 23 Sept 2013 23:24:58 +1200

According to the Saturday Herald article he is also developing cannabis pills. Along with the inhalers, he is going to make a mint. But it still seems F'd up. Those particular synthetics are ugly (and yes I know, lots of useful and necessary substances are synthetic while 'natural' / herbal…

Russell Brown

Mon, 23 Sept 2013 22:46:49 +1200

But what gets me is the hypocrisy of outlawing genuine marijuana and allowing synthetic crap.

That's the elephant in the room. Nothing outlawed under the Misuse of Drugs Act is eligible for this process, even though natural cannabis is better understood and quite probably safer than the synthetic alternatives. It…

Virginia Brooks

Mon, 23 Sept 2013 21:40:18 +1200

Thanks for explaining the minimise harm thinking behind the psychoactive substances act. Its not stupid. But what gets me is the hypocrisy of outlawing genuine marijuana and allowing synthetic crap. The synthetic drug industry is ugly and worth billions of dollars and rapidly growing. Its sidestepping traditional drug laws. What…

Luke Williamson

Mon, 23 Sept 2013 15:56:52 +1200

There is nothing like an alcoholic (Pam) getting hysterical about “harmful drugs”. The new Act is a small step in the right direction but – he said, sounding like broken record – you simply can’t have a rational discussion about drug management unless you include alcohol. And nobody in government…

Public Address

Mon, 23 Sept 2013 15:56:52 +1200

Discussion from blog post.