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What they should do is sell heroin legally along with cigarettes and alcohol, and that way people won't overdose as much because they'd know exactly how much to

by xyzzy4 11y ago

What they should do is sell heroin legally along with cigarettes and alcohol, and that way people won't overdose as much because they'd know exactly how much to use.

bluedino 11y ago
And then more people would be hooked on it.
- rwmj 11y ago
  Do you have evidence for that? Legalizing cannabis (marijuana) has resulted in slightly reduced rates of use amongst teenagers in Colorado. Now, cannabis is not opiates, but we need to see evidence before leaping to conclusions. Going with "obvious" solutions and "gut feel" answers is what got us to the place we are now.
  - knowaveragejoe 11y ago
    I don't have any evidence of the trend, but Opiates are much more addictive than Marijuana in general.
    - rwmj 11y ago
      Would you start to use heroin if it were legal? In 1955, the UK had 48 registered heroin addicts [source 1]. Today it's a lot more -- 33,000 seems to be a reasonable figure [source 2]. The UK prescribed heroin to addicts in the 1950s. But those are just two numbers, you really need good evidence before claiming that regulating heroin, possibly by prescribing it through doctors, would necessarily increase the number of addicts. "Opiates are much more addictive" is a true statement, but not evidence of that. [1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4647018.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4647018.stm [2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27235470 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27235470
      - mason240 11y ago
        I know many people who would.
      - knowaveragejoe 11y ago
        I don't know for sure. All I know is that you will almost definitely have a great time on opiates your first time, and it won't seem like a problem to do them again. It's a slippery slope for many from there, most people have poor self control when it comes to something like this.
  - api 11y ago
    Cannabis is not particularly physically addictive.
boondoggler 11y ago
That might help to some extent, but people still overdose with prescription opioids, which are much more uniform in strength. An effective dose, especially for someone with high tolerance, often just isn't that far from a lethal one. Supervised injection sites, with medical professionals equipped with naloxone would help, at least for people willing to use them.
- Alex3917 11y ago
  > people still overdose with prescription opioids It's relatively rare though that someone accidentally fatally ODs on a prescription opioid other than fentanyl and that's the only drug in their system. (Especially since in the U.S. it's very difficult to buy prescription opioids without acetaminophen, promethazine, etc.)
tokenadult 11y ago
As a historical matter, heroin used to be sold over-the-counter.[1] In some places, it was welcomed as a cure for opium addiction. Historical experience with drugs that were formerly unregulated is often part of the background for current drug regulation. [1] https://www.historytoday.com/ian-scott/heroin-hundred-year-habit https://www.historytoday.com/ian-scott/heroin-hundred-year-h...

by xyzzy4 11y ago

What they should do is sell heroin legally along with cigarettes and alcohol, and that way people won't overdose as much because they'd know exactly how much to use.

bluedino 11y ago

And then more people would be hooked on it.

rwmj 11y ago
Do you have evidence for that? Legalizing cannabis (marijuana) has resulted in slightly reduced rates of use amongst teenagers in Colorado. Now, cannabis is not opiates, but we need to see evidence before leaping to conclusions. Going with "obvious" solutions and "gut feel" answers is what got us to the place we are now.
- knowaveragejoe 11y ago
  I don't have any evidence of the trend, but Opiates are much more addictive than Marijuana in general.
  - rwmj 11y ago
    Would you start to use heroin if it were legal? In 1955, the UK had 48 registered heroin addicts [source 1]. Today it's a lot more -- 33,000 seems to be a reasonable figure [source 2]. The UK prescribed heroin to addicts in the 1950s. But those are just two numbers, you really need good evidence before claiming that regulating heroin, possibly by prescribing it through doctors, would necessarily increase the number of addicts. "Opiates are much more addictive" is a true statement, but not evidence of that. [1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4647018.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4647018.stm [2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27235470 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27235470
    - mason240 11y ago
      I know many people who would.
    - knowaveragejoe 11y ago
      I don't know for sure. All I know is that you will almost definitely have a great time on opiates your first time, and it won't seem like a problem to do them again. It's a slippery slope for many from there, most people have poor self control when it comes to something like this.
- api 11y ago
  Cannabis is not particularly physically addictive.

boondoggler 11y ago

That might help to some extent, but people still overdose with prescription opioids, which are much more uniform in strength. An effective dose, especially for someone with high tolerance, often just isn't that far from a lethal one. Supervised injection sites, with medical professionals equipped with naloxone would help, at least for people willing to use them.

Alex3917 11y ago
> people still overdose with prescription opioids It's relatively rare though that someone accidentally fatally ODs on a prescription opioid other than fentanyl and that's the only drug in their system. (Especially since in the U.S. it's very difficult to buy prescription opioids without acetaminophen, promethazine, etc.)

tokenadult 11y ago

As a historical matter, heroin used to be sold over-the-counter.[1] In some places, it was welcomed as a cure for opium addiction. Historical experience with drugs that were formerly unregulated is often part of the background for current drug regulation. [1] https://www.historytoday.com/ian-scott/heroin-hundred-year-habit https://www.historytoday.com/ian-scott/heroin-hundred-year-h...