Posts by Virginia Brooks
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Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
Thoughtful of you, but I am not seeking 'answers' per se. Synthetic LSD use was just one factor in the lead up to my sons death. His situation was complicated by multi-substance drug abuse and mental health issues. There is no conclusive 'answer'. My point in sharing his story was to highlight the fact that there is a lack of info and accurate data in our health services, therefore a lack of adequate treatment.
My sons story is just one of many. At present, screeds of valuable data (in the form of untested synthetic substances) is being wasted because it is not systematically collected / collated. We do not even have adequate testing facilities or tests. Its not a good situation.
As for 'joining uni and doing a paper'... I already have a couple of degrees and am currently engaged in further postgrad study at Auckland uni. I live in Auckland and am aware of Auckland uni's centre for addiction research. All very nice but none of this is the answer and no-one should have to 'do a paper' when (a) the govt needs to be taking more responsibility and (b) many fine and dedicated experts in medicine, pharmacology, toxicology, addiction issues, mental health issues, govt policy making already exist.
What is needed is a way to utilise the knowledge that is already out there + political will + financial means to sustain useful services.
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Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
sorry Sophie, you've lost me on this one:
I was about to type “why are you googling me? :) I understood why you are keen. Hope you find some answers. You may have to go study up yourself, then you could get back to us next year . Take care.Go 'study up' what exactly and 'get back to us' means....???
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Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
Replying to Sophie and Russell...
Thanks Sophie, it sounded very ungracious of me in the above post 'Really? who and where? Just give me the info…'
Its the momma bear in me roaring... raw-ing...Russell, re:
...Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM) in Dunedin, which collates reports on products covered by the Psychoactive Substances Act. But if you can wait a few days, I’ll ask the MoH person I’ve been dealing with whether there’s a better place to try.Thank you, that would be really excellent.
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Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
Really? who and where? Just give me the info...
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Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to debunk,
Thanks muchly Debunk. Let me know how you get on with your enquires.
Russell and Ross also mentioned websites like Erowid and Trip me - they are excellent and there are other sites also which have communities of users sharing info & experiences - its a form of self education and peer learning.
But our medical staff are excluded from the dialogue. Where are the medical journal articles, the info databases, accurate toxicology screens (like the boy outside the legal high shop in the Campbell live show explained, legal highs are great for work because they don't show up in conventional drug tests)...
Matt researched chemicals he was interested in and used sites like Erowid. As a result, the times he ODed, he knew what he had taken (more or less) & what drugs were needed to counter the effects and could tell A & E staff. Needless to say they would refuse. They had no idea what he was talking about and his behaviour looked like drug seeking (which it was, but with a purpose). All they could do was put security on his room (he was erratic and very high) & wait till visible effects wore off. And thank you to Auckland Hospital A & E, they do an incredible job, day in, day out. As a parent I was grateful they would always do what they could.
But that's the crazy thing. We have users / legal high industry players / illegal producers who are streets ahead of mainstream services.
This is where a service like Checkit is invaluable. Users get the benefit of amnesty and accurate checking / support / education, while up to the minute data is shared with educators / universities / medical facilities / drug, alcohol and mental health services.
The psychoactive substances act is a step in the right direction because it makes ingredient identification and testing mandatory. This info can then be more widely used. But a service like Checkit would also pick up the wider black market products - which is the bigger market.
Of course the other key thing about the act is it allows the govt to collect revenue from the legal highs industry. Shouldn't a percentage be channelled back into providing access to services like Checkit?
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Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to Ross Bell,
re: a great service called Check It.
I checked it, it looks amazing. This is what we need in NZ. Please someone make it happen...At the moment we have so little medical info and we are wasting info by not analysing, archiving and disseminating info to both users and health professionals.
I speak from experience. Some yrs ago my son had a number of very unpleasant overdose experiences with phenazepham, its a benzo / pure powder, he was using it to make kronic type blends but ended up using the powder on its own.
I had to google info at the hospital A & E desk to show the medical team because they hadn't even heard of synthetic marijuana at that point. They couldn't relate to what I was showing them.
The same thing happened last yr with synthetic LSD. Health professionals looked back at me and spoke slowly ' you know LSD is naturally synthetic'.
Again, they had no official or otherwise info on NBOMe or any other such synthetics.Matt died 3 wks later.
It was suicide but where synthetics a contributing factor?
I offered his leftover hoard to the coroners office for testing / making medical data available to others. The response was its not worth it, we'll only bin it. -
Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to debunk,
re: The UK toxocologist John Ramsey “has spent decades collecting more than 27,000 samples of narcotics” etc (www.theguardian,com/society/2013/apr/26/hidden-dangers-of-legal-highs)..
Thanks, that is the article I was looking for. When I first read it I was amazed at the size of Ramsey's project and its value as a data base in detailing the geography of synthetics. We (society) need this info.
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Hard News: Sorting out our thinking on drugs, in reply to Shulgin,
Re the vaporising blends - thanks for bringing it up because it's a major problem that's barely begun showing impact here but it will, I'm sure.
There are the vape blends with illegal nicotine content, but also vape blends containing synthetic psychoactives.
Stargate products are out there but also black market products which are not tested under the psychoactive substances act.
Again, if someone wanted to donate vape products for analysis - and share this info with health professionals - where can you do this? -
Keep up the debate everyone and thanks Russell for creating a space to do it in. Thanks Ross Bell for your opinion piece in this mornings herald and Shulgin for your insight.
What I would really like to know is - can anyone tell me - do we have anywhere in NZ where synthetics can be analysed and their content quickly identified? Like maybe even an amnesty box system as used in Manchester's Warehouse Project:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/01/drug-testing-warehouse-project-nightclub
The data yielded could be used to track what chemical compounds are in use - both those approved for use by the psychoactive bill and those on the black market.
The info could be used to enable GP's and hospitals to quickly identify what chemicals are in a users system and to administer treatment. The data could also be used for education purposes and harm prevention strategies. For example, info re bad batches of synthetic LSD can be circulated informally. As in look out for this, you'll recognise it by ...
Right now so much data is being ignored / lost. Many people may have psychoactive substances in their possession which they would happily get donate to get tested (on an amnesty basis) to find out exactly what the f is in that stuff.
I also read somewhere on the net a while back - cant find the article now - but someone else might know about it - about a psychopharmacologist who operates an amnesty system in the UK - anyone can donate any street drugs (plus they are collected from rubbish bins after concerts, dance parties, events, etc). He analyses all samples and keeps a massive comprehensive data base - which medical professionals can access. It enables informal tracking of just what the heck is out there and developing. Not from a policing point of view but from an information perspective. Has anyone else heard about this? Because its a great idea.
So someone please tell me, do we have an equivalent system in NZ ???
And if not, can we cut thru the red tape and make it happen? -
Hard News: The perilous birth of the…, in reply to Rebecca Williams,
There is a thriving black market where old stock is being sold on. But new (illegal) product is also for sale in the NZ black market.
A key problem with many of the synthetics is they are made at mass volume to sell cheap. This is achieved by using inexpensive compounds chemically unfit for human consumption / and in cocktail combinations that are toxic. Fit for human use isn't the point. Making money is. Its business, pure and simple (uh no, not ethical). The manufacturing is part of the same counterfeit industry known for bringing us cheap bags, clothes, parallel imports of all shapes and descriptions including food and legal medicines.
The Psychoactive Substances Act may be forward thinking legislation. Prohibition doesn't work. Hopefully the Act will drive demand for 'safer' products and educate as it goes. But much like the official economy, it will only ever control part of the market.