Fox News in the US is fairly much what you would expect from a Murdoch owned TV station - heavily biased conservative spin, anti Obama/Democrats, anti-abortion, strong patriotic themes bordering on jingoism, pro-war, supporters of the "War on Drugs”, very Christian - anti-Muslim etc. But, apart from the show’s obvious bias, it derives much of it’s derision from it’s promotional tag line - Fox News … Fair & Balanced! It doesn’t take long for someone with an average intelligence to realise just how unfair and unbalanced Fox News really is. For the uninitiated, it would be very easy to mistake it as a self parody comedy sketch.
The latest Fox News outrage is a TV commercial by The Drug Policy Alliance(DPA) released last month. The commercial has upset 2 of their most outspoken commentators, Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Reilly and prompted them to lash out with some very interesting claims. The problem though, is that their claims are false even to the point of being ridiculous. Fox News is renown for misleading figures and bizarre claims when it comes to drugs but this latest effort shows how far some anti-drug pundits will go.
First, the DPA commercial.
DPA Commercial
Watch as Fox News makes their astonishing claims. Keep an eye on the statistics they put up as facts.
Fox News Clip 1
Fox News copped a lot of flack over their report but Megyn Kelly was on a mission. Especially when she found out that fellow Fox News employee, John Stossel agreed with Sting.
Fox News Clip 2
Boy, does that woman hate Sting. You had to laugh though at her “ivory tower” rant and the slur that some unnamed source told her, “Mr. Sting is a big fan of certain substances”.
But, it was Megyn Kelly’s attempt to ridicule John Stossel that was most appalling. Although every attempt was made to push out the usual misinformation and false figures as facts, Stossel stuck with the evidence and corrected Kelly several times for flat out lying. In typical style, Kelly kept changing the topic and throwing up straw man arguments but Stossel debunked every point she made.
-All this as you have California, Washington, New Hamshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts all considering or have passed laws legalising marijuana
-Alcohol has an addiction rate of 10%. Cocaine … 75%.
-The studies show that the places where it’s been legalised, crime has gone up, addiction has gone up
-- Megyn Kelly
The facts:
-Countries that had effectively legalised drugs had decreases in crime and addiction, not increases
-Alcohol has an addiction rate of 15% with cocaine at 17%
-No state in the US have passed laws legalising marijuana
John Stossel must have upset some Fox News heavies and Bill O’Reilly was sent in clean up the mess. And what better way to discredit the DPA commercials than through the founder, Ethan Nadelmann. Armed with their only fact - children are mistreated more often by those with substance abuse problems - Bill-O went into action a few days later.
Fox News Clip 3
Was it really a surprise that Fox News didn’t have a legitimate argument and their attack on illicit drugs was unfounded? As Ethan Nadelmann pointed out, alcohol is the main cause of mistreatment towards children, not drugs but Bill-O wasn’t going to admit to that blunder. His simply dismissed it as “Bull”. Like Megyn Kelly, Bill-O skipped from point to point as each of his claims were pulled apart with facts. Very shallow reporting from Fox News.
It’s sad that this is how many people are getting their information about drugs. The drug debate should be about what’s best for society and how to deal with the problem of drug abuse but it’s dickheads like O’Reilly and Kelly who are prepared to openly lie and criticise those who are doing nothing more than telling the truth. Supporters of prohibition have self serving reasons for their hard line stance on drugs and will go to extreme measures to push their opinion onto the public. That includes accusing a whole country of being morally depraved because of their liberal drug laws.
The attack on The Netherlands by Fox News last year, is a classic example of how a country with very successful drug laws is made to look as immoral and unsafe because it defies the old established views that tough penalties are the only way to fight drugs. This is not so much, a war on drugs but a war on culture.
Fox News - The Netherlands Report
You may have noticed the blonde factor at Fox News - Megyn Kelly, Monica Crowley and Margaret Hoover. Do they have a factory that spits out lying dumb blondes with ridiculous views? You may also be asking yourself, how can Fox News produce such dribble without a storm of criticism. Where were the media on this? Where was the outrage at such scandalous accusations? Why did it take a YouTube response to set the record straight?
Ho ho ho. Read the article below and ask yourself, would you admit to penning this crap? No wonder there’s no author’s name attached.
I might often target the media outlets under the control of Rupert Murdoch’s News Ltd but there’s usually a good reason ... they are atrocious and deserve the scorn they get. Fairfax newspapers though have traditionally kept their standards much higher than trashy media like The Daily Telegraph, The CourierMail, The HeraldSun etc. The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and The Brisbane Times from Fairfax are definitely several pegs above the competition but that seems to be changing. Their latest foray into the realm of trash media involves that old favourite of Murdoch’s journalists ... drug hysteria!
Parents have been warned to take a tough line on teenagers who smoke cannabis, with research showing even occasional use can lead to alcoholism and harder drugs.
Fairfax newspapers say about 2000 Australian schoolchildren were tracked over a decade in a study that found those who had used cannabis occasionally at age 13 and 14 were more likely to be taking ecstasy, cocaine or amphetamines at 24. They were also more at risk of addiction to cannabis, with one in 10 occasional teenage users hooked as adults.
Almost one-third of occasional cannabis users were taking harder drugs in their early 20s compared with 11 per cent of those who had not earlier used the substance.
The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, linked higher levels of alcoholism to cannabis use. It said 15 per cent of occasional cannabis smokers were addicted to alcohol in early adulthood, compared with only nine per cent of those who had not smoked dope.
The study contradicts previous research that suggested regularly smoking the drug could lead to adult substance abuse but was less harmful if used infrequently.
Lead author Louisa Degenhardt, from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW, said the study highlighted the need for early intervention to stop children taking up the habit.
"What it definitely says is that early onset occasional cannabis use is a marker for being more likely to be engaging in a whole range of drug use behaviours in young adulthood."
Australian Childhood Foundation chief executive Joe Tucci urged parents not to allow their children to experiment with cannabis.
"Patterns of behaviour start early in children, so these habits can be very hard to break. Cannabis can cause lots of detrimental impacts all the way through to psychosis as you get older, so the perception of cannabis as a softer, harmless drug is not right."
The article opens with, “Parents have been warned to take a tough line on teenagers who smoke cannabis, with research showing even occasional use can lead to alcoholism and harder drugs”. It’s the use of the word, “lead” that completely changes the findings of the study. The report from The Royal College of Psychiatrists does not claim this at all but instead says it’s an indicator of future behaviour.
Conclusion: Occasional adolescent cannabis use predicts later drug use and educational problems.
Not only is the reader disingenuously led to believe that these future problems are actually caused by early cannabis use but over half of the article highlights the scary outcome of what may happen to those young users. These tactics are downright misleading and reminiscent of Murdoch’s tabloid journalism.
Even more worrying is the supposed response by Dr. Louisa Degenhardt, who headed up the study.
Lead author Louisa Degenhardt, from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW, said the study highlighted the need for early intervention to stop children taking up the habit.
The reason why this is important is because most young people only ever engage in occasional cannabis use. What it definitely says is that early onset occasional cannabis use is a marker for being more likely to be engaging in a whole range of drug use behaviours in young adulthood. 'Where you're talking about drugs that are not legal, if you're using one illegal drug you're probably going to have greater opportunity to use and know more people who are using other illicit drugs as well.
The reasons for this association between occasional adolescent cannabis use and higher levels of drug use in young adulthood are unclear. Considerable debate is ongoing about the reasons why this is the case. It seems clear that in countries such as Australia, where cannabis use is the norm among young people, even infrequent cannabis use is related to later levels of drug use of all kinds. Whether this is due to learning processes, the influence of social networks or other factors, it is still the case that early onset occasional cannabis use is a marker for later drug use and drug problems.
--Prof. Louisa Degenhardt - Study Author
And this from The Age:
Professor Degenhardt called for caution in interpreting the study's results, saying it was unclear if cannabis was a ''gateway'' drug.
Mmm. A few issues here. Firstly, why does Fairfax dish up a casuistic, misleading article in the Sydney Morning Herald but print a slightly more balanced version in The Age? Secondly, the study revealed that cannabis use in early teens is a “marker” not a cause for risky behaviour in later years. Even Dr. Louisa Degenhardt herself warned of misinterpreting the results as a possible “gateway” to harder drugs and other associated problems. This was completely missing from the Sydney Morning Herald article.
Parents need to realise that even occasional use of so-called recreational drugs is really the first step in a slippery slope. Patterns of behaviour start early in children, so these habits can be very hard to break. '[Parents] need to monitor their children's behaviour and monitor whether they're using even so-called 'soft' drugs. Cannabis can cause lots of detrimental impacts all the way through to psychosis as you get older, so the perception of cannabis as a softer, harmless drug is not right.
-- Joe Tucci - Chief Executive of the Australian Childhood Foundation
I am wondering what the purpose was of including the generic, anti-drug comment from the Australian Childhood Foundation? I’m sure the comment, “Cannabis can cause lots of detrimental impacts all the way through to psychosis as you get older, so the perception of cannabis as a softer, harmless drug is not right” has been uttered several times previously and will be re-quoted several more times, regardless of the NDARC study. The comments from Joe Tucci might be irrelevant to the article and just fluff to flesh out the story but that’s not how Kate Devlin, the Medical Correspondent at The Telegraph saw it. Not only did her article include the same misleading interpretation of the study but included Joe Tucci’s “slippery slope” comment in quotation marks as if it was part of an official response.
Occasional Cannabis Use 'Can Lead Teenagers To Become Addicted To Harder Drugs'
By Kate Devlin - Medical Correspondent
They found that the drug could be a “slippery slope” to using other illicit substances.
Although frequent cannabis users were the most likely to go on to try other drugs, youngsters were at increased risk even if they used the drug only occasionally. The 10 year study followed 2,000 secondary school students, who were all aged either 13 or 14 at the start of the research. Professor Louisa Degenhardt, from New South Wales University, who led the research team, said: "Our study found a dose-response relationship where those students who used cannabis regularly when they were teenagers were most likely to have adverse outcomes in early adulthood.
"However, even those students who only used cannabis occasionally in their teenage years faced a higher risk of drug problems in adulthood too."
The findings, published in the British Journal of Psychology, show that infrequent users were three times more likely to have tried harder drugs by the time they were in their 20s. But teens who used the drug on a weekly basis were 12 times more likely. One in three of the youngsters admitted that they used cannabis regularly.
First we had Mike Rann and his deceitful attempt to criticise Isobel Redmond for telling the truth about ecstasy and now the Tasmanian Labor Party is wrongly hammering The Greens for wanting to legalise and regulate heroin. The problem is that The Greens’ policy does NOT support legalising any drug let alone heroin. Oops. The Greens changed their drug policy to be more mainstream before the last Tasmanian election in 2006. So what is it with Labor and the sudden burst of sleazy politics and drug hysteria. It’s usually the Libs who are masters of moral panic over the issue of drugs.
Well, it appears that drug hysteria might be in fashion at the moment. State premiers; Mike Rann, Colin Barnett, Jon Stanhope and David Bartlett are all responsible for lashings of drug hysteria over the last few months. The Barlett Labor government in Tasmania were caught quoting The Greens out of context and this comes just days after the SA Rann Labor government did the same. The ACT Stanhope government recently criticised the Liberal opposition for proposing “safe limits” on certain drugs when being tested for drug-driving. Much like 0.05 being the maximum blood-alcohol content for drivers. The irony being that Stanhope originally supported this logical and much requested requirement. Stanhope also quoted the opposition out of context by focussing on the term, “safe limits” which referred to the different impairment levels of different drugs. It might sound completely logical but what politician could resist saying “there is NO SAFE limit for illicit drugs”. And who could forget the WA premier, Colin Barnett and his abysmal attempt at rejecting science, research and evidence that the drug policy at the time was working as intended. As if straight from the Politician’s Handbook of Dodgy Policy Making, Barnett, attorney general Christian Porter and fellow Liberal Party hacks repealed a successful policy on cannabis and replaced it with a tired old rehash you would expect to find in North Queensland, Texas or Family First’s social policy.
What the political parties fail to comprehend is that drug prohibition and their “Tough on Drugs” rhetoric is causing massive damage to our society. What they do understand very well though, is that after decades of disinformation and scare mongering, it has also become a sure vote winner for politicians who push the “Tough on Drugs” message to an ignorant and misinformed public. Traditionally, only The Greens and The Democrats were brave enough not to play the popular political game of who’s tougher on drugs but since the near demise of The Democrats and a policy change from The Greens, there is no longer a mainstream party actively pursuing drug law reform. But there’s no need to lay in wait for a new radical drug policy to attack. This is Australian politics and you can just make it up.
THE State Government has resorted to a massive scare campaign in the last four days before the election.
The party's latest advertising pamphlet alleges the Tasmanian Greens plan to legalise heroin.
The Labor Party yesterday dispatched 40,000 of its "Extreme Greens" colour flyers across Tasmania, to be delivered by Labor volunteers into letterboxes.
The two-sided leaflet highlights what it calls the Greens' "plan to legalise heroin" and to give Tasmania's "worst criminals the right to vote".
The flyer tells voters: "Say NO to the Greens' extreme drug and criminals voting plans. Vote Labor."
The damaging claims against the Greens are accompanied by a large photo of a syringe and an image of a criminal's fists clutching the bars with his fingers tattooed "Extreme Greens".
Labor Party state secretary John Dowling claimed the Greens were hiding their extremist policies behind a moderate front, with Greens leader "Slick Nick" McKim deliberately keeping voters in the dark about his real intentions.
But Mr McKim said the pamphlets were desperate last-ditch lies being peddled by a panicking and dirt-slinging Labor Party.
He denied the Greens had any plans to legalise heroin or any illicit drugs and condemned the Labor advertisements as the "worst type of untruth".
He also said statements the Labor pamphlets alleged were said by Greens MP Cassy O'Connor in Parliament last year bore no relation to truth or to what Ms O'Connor had actually said.
But Mr McKim did acknowledge that the Greens party website reference to giving the vote to all criminals did not exactly reflect the policy he stated last week.
Mr McKim said the website could not be changed until grassroots Greens members had voted on the policy change but he described his position requiring judges and magistrates to make individual assessments about the right to vote as further detail of the existing policy.
Mr Dowling said more than 15,000 pamphlets had been sent to the North-West and West Coast electorate of Braddon.
Braddon is regarded as a pivotal electorate in the state election on Saturday, with the Labor Government desperate to retain its three seats and to prevent Greens candidate Paul O'Halloran entering Parliament.
The latest EMRS opinion poll released on Sunday showed Labor in danger of losing one seat in Braddon to the Greens.
The rest of the anti-Greens brochures will be posted to household letterboxes in Lyons, Bass, Denison and Franklin this week.
The Government is facing losing power on Saturday, with polls all indicating Tasmanians will elect a parliament in which neither Labor nor the Liberals hold a majority of the 25 House of Assembly seats.
In such a minority government result, the Greens appear likely to win five or six seats and to be left holding the balance of power.
Both the Labor and Liberal parties have repeatedly said they will refuse to govern in any coalition or joint agreement with the Greens.
Mr Dowling said it was clear from reading Hansard parliamentary debates last year that the Greens did have a plan to legalise heroin.
He pointed to comments made by Greens health spokeswoman Cassy O'Connor during a debate about amendments to the Poisons Act as evidence that the Greens wanted to legalise heroin.
It strings together comments such as "I accept that heroin is not the scourge on our society that it used to be" with another comment, "We know prohibition is not the solution -- it does not work".
But a fuller version of the debate suggests that Ms O'Connor's comments have a much less contentious meaning when read in context.
According to Hansard during parliamentary debate on the Poison Amendment Bill on May 27, Ms O'Connor said: "I accept that heroin is not the scourge on our society that it used to be, thank goodness, although today our young people are exposed to a frightening cornucopia of illicit drugs.
"Harm minimisation is the key. We know prohibition is not the solution. It does not work.
"In fact, for some, it makes the obtaining of a substance even more enticing."
In the same debate, Health Minister Lara Giddings also said she believed Tasmania had "little or no heroin use" although prescribed opioids were being misused in the state.
Mr Dowling said the leaflets were all about holding the Greens to account in the final week of the state election campaign, exposing what he called "extremist policies".
But a furious Mr McKim said Tasmanians were now presented with a choice, to trust either him or the Premier.
"They can either believe me or David Bartlett and I will put my integrity up against David Bartlett's any day," Mr McKim said.
"He is a premier who has continually deceived Tasmania but I am happy for Tasmanians to sit in judgment."
What the Greens drug policy says:
Support strong criminal penalties, including imprisonment, for the supply of illicit drugs and the possession of illicit drugs above quantities consistent with personal use; introduce disincentives for the personal use of illicit drugs to include diversion programs, compulsory treatment, education programs and penalties.
Tasmanian Health Minister Lara Giddings
Did you notice that the Health Minister Lara Giddings, said she believed Tasmania had "little or no heroin use"?! Not only does Giddings believe there is "little or no heroin use" in Tasmania but her ”expert advice” believes the same ... and according to her, so do the police. I am finding it hard to grasp that this comment actually came from a state government Health Minister. But it was not just her bizarre ignorance that was on display. It was also the disgraceful tactics from Lara Giddings .
Cassy O'Connor: Minister has suggested in her contribution that Tasmania has little or no heroin use. I believe it is highly wishful thinking to state that Tasmania has no heroin use. If we do not, we are unlike every other Australian state, and our society unlike any other in the Western world. Of course there are Tasmanians who are addicted to heroin, and are using it frequently. I accept that heroin is not the scourge on our society that it used to be, thank goodness, although today our young people are exposed to a frightening cornucopia of illicit drugs. Our culture encourages binge drinking of alcohol, a legal drug. I defy the minister to prove heroin is not being used at all in Tasmania. That is "notionally insane".
Lara Giddings:I want to know what circles you mix in?
Cassy O'Connor:Just get out and talk to normal people more.
Lara Giddings:I am just getting my expert advice here, but I'm just a bit worried about the circles you move in.
Cassy O'Connor:I am very comfortable with my circle of friends; I am in touch and I would suggest that if you think that there are no heroin users at all in Tasmania, you are way out of touch.
Lara Giddings:I am just saying that if you think it is widespread, that is not the advice that I am getting. I am reassured that police and my agency would know if it was more than that.
Cassy O'Connor:Do you think that every heroin user in Tasmania comes to the attention of police and/or the authorities?
This is appalling behaviour from Lara Giddings and if anything, it just firms up my belief that the integrity and standard of politicians has reached an all time low.
Giddings repeated the Labor line that voters needed to look below the "moderate and smooth" surface of Greens Leader Nick McKim, to the "bizarre and extreme" things the Greens are really promising.
"In one debate we actually had Cassy O'Connor saying we should be decriminalising heroin," Giddings said to the Mercury, four days before Labor released its shock leaflets featuring hypodermic syringes and claims that the Greens wanted to legalise heroin.
"I'm most concerned. Scratch the surface and you have a lot of extreme positioning there by the Greens."
The big question remains - how far is Labor willing to go this week to discredit The Greens when they might have to negotiate with them next week to form government. You have to wonder if Bartlett and co. have really thought this out.
Mr Bartlett refused to concede this was false or even acknowledge Labor had mounted a negative campaign. He said the Greens, who aspired to be kingmakers after the campaign, were evading genuine scrutiny.
''I don't understand why it is [that] when I'm scrutinised it's called policy, and when the Greens and Liberals are scrutinised it's called dirty tricks,'' he said.
In a frenzy to implement drug driving laws, the ACT Liberal opposition has pumped the serving Labor government for rejecting their bill. The ALP government criticised the bill for having varying minimum legal limits for different types of drugs. If it seems logical to you that the new laws reflect the level of impairment as opposed to just a zero limit then you are not alone. Some drugs can linger in your system for weeks or months while not having any effect on your capacity to drive. This was the main concern of rights groups who wanted drug driving penalties to reflect the level of impairment based on scientific research and not just a blanket zero limit policy. The problem being that some drugs can remain in your system after the effect has worn off but alcohol has a direct link between what’s in your blood and your level of impairment.
“His unfounded attacks are based on the false statement that the Canberra Liberals RDT Legislation would test for safe limits of illegal drugs rather than test for the presence of certain illegal drugs. This is incorrect. My legislation clearly tests for the presence of illicit drugs and states that for a prescribed illicit drug, ‘any concentration of the drug present in the blood’ would be an offence.”
Several groups made submissions to the government voicing their concerns that the bill proposal would overlook scientific evidence and any trace of illicit drugs while driving would become an offence. Like us all, they were well aware that hysteria, political posturing and ignorant politicians had great influence on legislation involving drugs. Apart from not setting in minimum limits for different drugs based on their toxicology, many were concerned that drug driving could be also used for criminal persecution.
Back then, ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope and the ACT government were in total agreement with the rights groups
The Minister said “I needed to be certain that the testing was about road safety and not about catching drug users and punishing them for using drugs rather than endangering other road users.”
“As a Minister, I will do whatever I can to improve road safety but I am not going to be involved in punishing ACT drug users for their addiction. The Government’s attitude is clear in relation to that – we have adopted a harm minimisation approach to drug users and will stick to that.”
So it was a surprise when ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope criticised the opposition’s proposal for setting limits on different drugs.
"This Bill deems that Canberrans cannot drive with even low levels of marijuana or amphetamine in their systems, but allows that when it comes to other illegal drugs - cocaine, or LSD for example - ‘safe' levels could be established. Labor's upcoming Bill, by contrast, treats all illegal drugs equally.”
From stupid to ridiculous. The opposition denies it has varying limits on different classes of drugs which makes them just as stupid as Labor ... only not as hypocritical. And if you examine closely the drugs mentioned, you may be even more baffled - “Canberrans cannot drive with even low levels of marijuana or amphetamine in their systems”. Cannabis is the main drug of contention because it can linger in your system for weeks. Both political parties are now pushing for a zero limit on all drugs which means you can be charged for drug driving even though you haven’t smoke pot for over a week. Logical and sensible? What do you expect from politicians?
Now You Can See The Movie!
In my last post, I discussed Mike Rann’s deceitful attempt to incite drug hysteria in the up coming election. For those who weren’t convinced, he made it into a TV commercial. Look out for the manipulation of Isobel Redmond’s quote.
Within the past few months in Sydney there have been reports one user tried to castrate himself while under the influence of the drug.
Another severed half a finger using a kitchen appliance and degloved his penis in an apparent circumcision attempt.
-Sydney Morning Herald (AAP)
Oh dear. Where do they get this stuff from? News of a scary new drug scourge called mephedrone that reportedly had users trying to rip off their own scrotum, perform self circumcision and even purposely trying to cut their fingers off. Is this for real? It is, according to several major news outlets including AAP, Sydney Morning Herald, The West Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The CourierMail, Nine News etc. Mephedrone has officially kicked off it’s career as a media celebrity.
Hehehehe ... trying to rip your own scrotum off! Pa-leeeeze! Are the media that desperate for a scary drug story that they will print anything without first researching it? It reminds of the Dihydrogen Monoxide hoax where several politicians were tipped off about a dangerous drug called Dihydrogen Monoxide and expressed outrage by taking a hard line on it. The problem was that Dihydrogen Monoxide is the chemical name for water.
So where did the information come from that a Sydney man had tried to castrate himself while under the influence of this dangerous new drug? First of all, it wasn’t Sydney but the UK. Secondly, it all stemmed from a UK copper researching a report and including some comments from a drug users web forum. Although the local police were only using the report for a reference, some media hack got his greasy hands on it and published it. The other claims about severing a finger and self circumcision is untraceable. I have searched far and wide but failed to find any truth in the rumour.
The article also links mephedrone to the death of 14-year-old UK schoolgirl, Gabrielle Price last November. Although this was highly publicised, the UK police later said she died from bronchopneumonia not mephedrone. For some reason, not many articles acknowledged this uninteresting fact.
But it wasn’t just the media who were relying on second generation news originating from an anonymous web forum. Some senior Australian police also failed to do some digging before giving stark warnings to the press.
But it does on occassion result in psychosis, there have been reports of individuals self-mutilating themselves and there have been reports of deaths
Although these horror stories involving self mutilation and death are just making headlines here in the Australia media, a quick search reveals that everyone’s favourite source of divine knowledge, the CourierMail actually published this “ball tearer” of a story last year.
A LEGAL drug known as 'meow meow' led one user to rip off his own scrotum, after he hallucinated for 18 hours and believed centipedes were crawling over his body and biting him. Police in the UK have warned people to stay away from the drug Mephedrone which is sold legally on the internet as plant fertilser.
-Drug User Rips Off His Scrotum (Nov. 2009) - CourierMail
And this.
Its chemical formula is one molecule different to ecstasy and as such dealers are claiming is not a controlled substance.
-Drug User Rips Off His Scrotum (Nov. 2009) - CourierMail
Without being too technical or elaborate, BULLSHIT! Just another myth that started when some journalist got his chemistry mixed up. And why would the media want to correct this mistake when linking an unknown substance to a well known drug like ecstasy, sparks instant drug hysteria?
In different forms it's been sold as plant food, but little is known about a new recreational drug hitting Australian streets, other than it prompts acts of horrendous self-mutilation by some users.
Within the past few months in Sydney there have been reports one user tried to castrate himself while under the influence of the drug.
Another severed half a finger using a kitchen appliance and degloved his penis in an apparent circumcision attempt.
The drug in question is 4-methylmethcathinone or mephedrone - but more commonly known as 4-MMC, MMCAT, bubbles, megatron, bath salt or miaow miaow.
As a derivative of methandienone, the drug is a prohibited substance in Australia.
Continuing to prove hugely popular on the UK clubbing scene, the drug is believed to be partly responsible for the deaths of a woman in Sweden in 2008 and a 14-year-old girl in England in November.
It has since been made illegal in some European countries.
The psychoactive drug creates a state of euphoria similar to, but not as extreme as cocaine, with an ecstasy-like hit at the end.
Reports of little after-effects and a mild "come-down" have made the drug popular among young professionals who like to party at the weekend before having to return to work.
Since September 2008, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), along with Australian Customs and the Border Protection Service, have detected 25 attempts to import a combined total of more than 20kg of the drug.
An AFP spokeswoman confirmed that mephedrone "is a new drug that has emerged in Australia".
While prohibited here, the drug is readily available for legal purchase abroad, predominantly in China and Israel.
In Tasmania, police have labelled the drug "Israeli's", because of its country of source, and report its popularity with people who believe it's legal to possess.
"We conducted an investigation at the start of the year and a number of persons were charged with trafficking," Tasmanian Police Detective Inspector Ian Lindsay told The Mercury newspaper in October last year.
He added that since those charges were laid there had been a "dramatic reduction" in the amount of mephedrone seized across the state.
In a report from the Tasmanian Department of Police and Emergency Management, the drug is said to have been possessed "in an attempt to circumvent existing legislation".
In the Northern Territory, a 16-year-old boy faced Darwin Youth Justice Court on January 15 for allegedly importing 1kg of mephedrone, ordered online from a legitimate chemical company in China.
The court heard the boy paid $8,000 and was expected to pay an additional $12,000 when the drug arrived, the NT News reported. The matter is ongoing.
Brisbane-based Rave Safe project coordinator Michael Brennan said use of the drug in Australia was "worrying" and people continued to consume the substance without knowing its effects or what's used in its production.
Typically, mephedrone is mixed with caffeine and the compound can take effect very quickly.
However, for users of other recreational drugs, Mr Brennan said the effect may not be as strong as that to which they've become accustomed.
"Reports are that it's incredibly more-ish, which can be a concern in itself," he said.
"It is one thing to pop one or two tabs of ecstasy, but taking this stuff, they could be inclined to take several hundred milligrams.
"In a way these things are more dangerous because people will take one or two doses and not get the effect they want so then they take a lot more of them.
"When a substance like this comes up that was really only invented only a few years ago, it's hard to say what the effects will be, so it's really worrying to me. It's just a real unknown at this stage."
Typically, the drug is purchased in crystal form and snorted for quick effect, but can also be taken orally.
Mr Brennan said mephedrone had proven popular among ecstasy users, but added that few seemed to move onto long-term use.
"I think some people are quite happy with that effect, that you don't get this terrible after-effect with it," he said.
"A lot of ecstasy users have been taking it for a try, but a lot of long-term users have gradually lost the attraction to it.
"And I would bet that 4M CC will slowly disappear into the background."
As a stimulant, the drug affects the human cardio system and users have experienced varying symptoms including palpitations, paranoia, anxiety, depression, insomnia, headaches and short-term memory loss.
In one case, documented in an online forum, following the consumption of about 100mg over a week, a male user noticed his fingers and knees turn a dark red to purple colour before he passed out.
After about six months, including a short stint in hospital, the discolouration disappeared, but the symptoms returned after again trying a small amount of mephedrone.
In the Sydney cases, it's unknown whether the male users were also under the influence of other substances, but online discussions about the drug frequently list paranoia as a common side-effect.
Both men were hospitalised for their injuries, but NSW Health does not have a system in place to record how many patients have been admitted to hospital due to the drug.
Nor is the use of mephedrone recorded by major agencies, including the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, or the Centre for Population Health.
The Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users' League in Canberra has only anecdotal data about the drug.
All agencies report having been made aware of the drug's existence in Australia since about 2008, but concede there is little or no information about mephedrone.
Online forums suggest Australian use or sampling of the drug is most popular in states along the eastern seaboard.
Part of the drug's appeal is its relative cheapness, with online advertisements for various forms of mephedrone available from $170 for 100mg.
How many times do we have to witness and ultimately pay for this ridiculous attempt to please an ignorant public, boofhead politicians and the moral police? Once again, at The Big Day Out, police caught only a small percentage of attendees with drugs while thousands got through. There were dozens of officers, sniffer hounds and public searches all meant to deter drugs from entering the festival. It happens all too often now with the costs mounting up and the shock value decreasing significantly.
Year after year we repeat the same warnings before the event starts, but every year there are still people who stupidly try to get past us and fail -Superintendent Rod Smith
Not only do the police re-enact the same old strategy but they try to turn it around and put it on the people who attend these festivals. This gets to the crux of the futile approach taken by our government on drug control. We are historically consumers of drugs and we are always going to partake especially young people at a music festival. Whether the constabulary are there or not, drugs are going to be smuggled in and unless every single person, including the staff, the musicians and the police themselves are stripped searched, there will be plenty to go around. That olden but golden observation becomes apparent once more - if we can’t stop drugs getting into prison, how are we going to stop drugs getting into ... the Sydney show grounds, the Melbourne show grounds etc.
A total of 381 people were arrested, with police laying 104 drug possession charges, 12 drug supply charges, six assault charges and one malicious damage charge. Police also issued nine cannabis cautions, ejected 11 drunk people and caught 18 people trying to jump the fence into the venue. -(AAP) PerthNow
It’s becoming all too common for the police to join the chorus of crooked politicians and agenda driven anti-drug zealots pushing out fear, exaggerated harms and lies. Droning on about “no drug is a safe drug” or “we’re putting drug dealers and drug users on alert ... we will catch you!”, might keep those “crooked politicians and agenda driven anti-drug zealots” happy but it’s not really productive. Like so much of the typical anti-drug rhetoric from the media and politicians, messages from the police are often produced just to please converts of the drug war or exploitable parents who have already been paralysed with fear. Think about the hundreds of thousands who use ecstasy, speed, cannabis etc. when they go out or on special occasions. Most of them have never had a problem with their drug taking or even seen any lasting negative effect. They have undoubtedly seen booze cause some major upsets but rarely does the same happen with recreational drugs. In fact, I’d dare say it’s the opposite and they have an absolutely cracker of a night. These are the supposed targets of these anti-drug messages but with the constant stream of dire warnings never coming to fruition, the message fails to make an impact. The truth is, and it’s a hard truth ... recreational drugs are taken so often because they are enjoyable, exciting and exhilarating with very little downside. You don’t hear this mentioned very much.
There is this idea with some young people that taking drugs enhances their day out, in reality, they are putting their lives at risk by taking illegal drugs sold by people out to make a quick buck. They might think this is just an ecstasy pill, but as police members, too often we see the tragic effect of these foolish decisions.
They might think this is just an ecstasy pill, but as police members, too often we see the tragic effect of these foolish decisions.
Make no mistake, there is no such thing as a safe party drug.
[...]
No overdoses were recorded among the 10,500 people that attended the event -Detective Inspector Mark Zervaas - (AAP) The HeraldSun
Yep, you read that right. After all the dire warnings, his last reported comment was, “No overdoses were recorded among the 10,500 people that attended the event”. And we wonder why these messages are over looked by the target audience as just more anti-drug babble.
Apart from being totally pointless, the attempt to stop drugs entering The Big Day Out raises a bigger issue. Why is such a dangerous drug like alcohol allowed to flow freely whilst so much effort is put into stopping safer drugs like cannabis, LSD and ecstasy? This elephant-in-the-room just keeps eluding us over and over as the anti-drug zealots come up with new, fanciful arguments over and over. Remember the constant grind about dope being a gateway drug? That took 40 years of repeated research proving it a myth. Then cannabis supposedly caused all sorts of madness including psychosis, schizophrenia and amotivational syndrome. After numerous studies, they too was finally narrowed down to effect only a tiny group of people with amotivational syndrome being a complete furfie. Since then, cannabis has been blamed for causing testicular cancer, lung cancer, making us sterile, changing personalities and being anti-social. They too are loosing out to science and research which means the anti-drug brigade will have to devise new symptoms of cannabis use to scare the public.
But it’s ecstasy(MDMA) that’s getting the fear treatment at the moment. It wasn’t too long ago that ecstasy was touted as the new drug scourge crippling society. Warnings of massive depression, holes in the brain as seen in CT scans and of course addiction ... all after even one pill. The hype was so intense that the anti-methadone campaign in the US, One Pill Can Kill was mistakenly taken up by anti-ecstasy groups, the police and local nutters.
Ecstasy was perfectly legal until it hit the dance scene in the US. The DEA in spectacular form, ignored a scientific court ruling and rushed through an emergency law to class it as a schedule I drug. This put an end to promising research into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other psychological problems. It seemed that too many young(and old) Americans were just having too much fun for the DEA. But it was a Newsweek article that put MDMA on the most feared list in the US. Newsweek cited flawed research that just one pill could create “holes” in the brain and they provided a CT scan to prove it. It was later revealed that the test subject monkeys had been injected with pure methamphetamine instead of MDMA and the hole in the brain scans really meant nothing. But the damage had been done. Much to the delight of anti-drug crusaders, ecstasy was now seen as a killer. It took over 2 decades of overseas research to eat away at the myths surrounding ecstasy and only now is the real truth coming out. Not addictive, very few deaths, very few problems, statistically safer than riding a horse.
Det-Supt Charlie Carver, of the Serious and Organised Crime Squad, said many seized ecstasy pills contained harmful chemicals such as chalk and washing powder. -The Sunday Times
The latest strategy by the anti-drug nutters is not aimed at MDMA itself but the contaminants that are mixed in by manufacturers to extend their product. You have probably read about ecstasy being be cut with glass, rat poison, cleaning agents, heroin etc. The reality is that ecstasy is now being cut more than ever but usually with other mind altering drugs like PMA, Mephedrone, caffeine and ketamine. As far as I know, the claims of glass, heroin and poisons being included in ecstasy pills are myths.
Ecstasy has never been cheaper or more dangerous in Perth, a major new study reveals. -The Sunday Times
Ironically, it’s the drug laws themselves that present the most danger. An unregulated industry(prohibition) breeds crime and a black market where there is no age restrictions, health guidelines or quality control. To top it off, the federal and state governments won’t allow doctors to run pill testing booths at music festivals or raves. This leaves users at the mercy of criminals and what they decide goes in the mix. If you have a complaint, don’t ring The Office of Fair Trading or contact a consumer rights group. The illicit drug industry handles complaints in their own special way - usually with intimidation and violence.
If we look to the club scene in London for setting the trends here in Australia, we should be worried. As MDMA is becoming scarce in London, most ecstasy pills are being filled with steroids, caffeine and mephedrone, a drug we know very little about. This has caused the arrest rate for possession of MDMA to drop significantly in London over the last few year. From 1,197 in 2006 to 773 in 2008. 2009 is looking to be less than 500. This is not a case of drug manufacturers trying to extend their profits but because of a crack down on MDMA precursors by the authorities`. China is now the sole manufacturer of the main precursor for MDMA with exports coming from only 2 countries. They are all heavily regulated and monitored with less than 5 litres in total being sold in 2008 and 2009.
This might keep the AFP, DEA and other drug enforcement agencies happy but as usual, their mindless obsession and limited thinking is killing people. In other words, cracking down on the relatively safe drug MDMA, has caused a surge in PMA, mephedrone, BZP, GHB and other more harmful drugs. Why are anti-drug agencies and groups so inept with logic? They think that if you simply make it harder to get a certain drug then users will just stop taking all drugs? Or when a certain area is targeted by the police - drug users just don’t give up and the dealers quit to get legitimate jobs. The drug scene simply moves somewhere else. Haven’t they ever heard of the Balloon Effect? - squeeze one end and a bulge appears somewhere else.
Insanity
So when will this farce stop? We have silly, ignorant politicians making all sorts of comical statements mixed in with deceitful politicians blatantly lying for some selfish agenda. Giving their support, are the moral crusaders who are mostly happy clappers from the religious right or the new breed of racist, Howard loving, pro-Israel, Tim Blair arse licking neo-conservatives. And in case you still have missed it, we have the sensational and heavily biased Murdoch media pumping out myths, lies and inane opinion pieces designed to brainwash a susceptible public.
Anyone with a hint of intelligence should be able to see the massive flaws in the current system. For example, why do we still have a major drug problem after 50 years of being “Tough on Drugs”? Why is alcohol still legal when it kills 10 times the number of people who die from all illicit drugs combined? Where are the masses of drug induced mental health patients? Why are there still so many drugs available when every week we hear that a new bust was supposed to greatly reduce drug supply?
Where is the common sense and pragmatism? Why do we spend billions on stopping drug supplies but drugs are now easier to obtain than ever before? Why do we keep rolling out the same expensive “Tough on Drugs” strategy when it never meets it’s targets? Why aren’t politicians caught out by the media for lying when they make brash, non-truthful statements? Most anti-drug claims by politicians are simply lies with no scientific evidence but for some reason, opposing political parties don’t just let it slide by but usually try to out do them. This childish banter of “I’m tougher on drugs than you” is purely political and only exacerbates the societal damage already inflicted. And the damage is real, costing many lives and causing incredible carnage. Why is this allowed to continue without any real scrutiny from the media?
While advances in science and medicine bound along exponentially, the approach to drug use lingers in the dark ages. Keeping the public ignorant and fearful of drugs is the prime objective for politicians because it’s a vote winner. That would change if the public were more aware of the facts but with decades of propaganda, myths and fear being forced on them, they don’t have hope. It’s spooky to think that just 10-20 minutes on the intertubes would expose a 100 years of misinformation and lies with the truth there for anyone who cares to find out.
Police Arrest More Than 300 People At Big Day Out (AAP) PerthNow
January 2010
MORE than 300 people were arrested over the two-day Big Day Out music festival in Sydney, with one person caught with 24 ecstasy tablets, police said today.
Police, including officers from the Dog Squad and Commuter Crime unit, targeted drug and alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour at the festival in Homebush on Friday and Saturday.
A total of 381 people were arrested, with police laying 104 drug possession charges, 12 drug supply charges, six assault charges and one malicious damage charge.
Police also issued nine cannabis cautions, ejected 11 drunk people and caught 18 people trying to jump the fence into the venue.
Ambulance officers were also kept busy, with 1587 people treated by St John Ambulance volunteers over both days, while 36 patients were taken to hospital.
Many of those revellers were treated for dehydration, as temperatures climbed into the 40's on both days.
Drugs seized during the police operation included cannabis, ecstasy, ice, LSD, cocaine and amphetamines.
"One person was found entering the venue allegedly in possession of 24 ecstasy tablets," police said in a statement.
Superintendent Rod Smith said most festival-goers enjoyed themselves responsibly, but some people still hadn't got the message.
"Year after year we repeat the same warnings before the event starts, but every year there are still people who stupidly try to get past us and fail," Supt Smith said in a statement.
"The results also show that anti-social behaviour won't be tolerated, and those charged over the last two days will have to face the consequences at court."
The Australian Heroin Diaries has been chosen as one of the top 8 blogs in 2009 by AllTreatment.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.
Australian National Archives The Australian Heroin Diaries was selected for preservation by the National Library of Australia. [Link]
2009 Bucket Head Awards In the ever evolving world of drug policy and treatment, there does remain one constant ... a continuous parade of murky politicians, selfish moralists and dubious opinion writers who share a common goal to demonise drug users at any cost. To recognise their efforts, this special award is for them.
Terry Wright Australia I am a recovering heroin addict. I am not homeless nor do I live in a crowded junkie house. I dwell in suburbia with my partner, two fluffy dogs and a cat. I have a mortgage, a car and go grocery shopping on Friday nights.
I don't break into houses or sell drugs to survive but rather I design computer information systems. Yes I work and I am considered a professional.
I was on methadone but I am now on slow release oral morphine which usually keeps me from using heroin. I don't smoke grass and rarely drink. I don't gamble, commit adultery or break the law (well most laws)... but I sometimes resort to heroin.
This site is dedicated to recognising heroin addiction as a complex medical issue and the need for a scientific heroin trial in Australia. It also aims to highlight the carnage caused by inappropriate drug policies and the ulterior agendas of the people who support them.
Please feel free to add your comments.
Addiction was diagnosed as an illness over 100 years ago ... Society has just decided to treat it as a crime.
