Posts by Virginia Brooks
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Thank you David, for telling your story about your friend Charlotte, it is a great tribute to her. You have the courage to be raw and honest and tell us how she died in a simple straight forward manner. Your telling has dignity.
Sorry Maggie B, but there are many reputable studies which question the validity of the copy cat effect.
And as the chief coroner has pointed out, not reporting suicide in a realistic manner is NOT working. More people die annually from suicide in NZ than they do from car accidents. Hello NZ!!!!
Where's the public acknowledgement / discussion?? The advertising campaigns for public awareness?? The effective mental health systems??As for the copy cat effect (or contagion) - it is but one factor in a complex puzzle - not the answer. And not a factor in all cases. If only it were that simple.
I feel I can comment on the 'copycat effect' as I live alongside it. I cant say I know everything about it, but I'm learning. My 22 yr old son committed suicide last year. He was suffering from depression and much like Charlotte, was an astute observer of the world and its many contradictions. He was smart. He would approve of open dialogue and less of an ostrich head in the sand approach.
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Hard News: Not so insane, in reply to Russell Brown,
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 does not necessarily equate with healthy).
Meanwhile our courts spend time and money prosecuting marijuana users, medical marijuana is banned, etc. Why is the red carpet being laid down for synthetics?? Is it just politics?? Or does corruption have something to do with it?
Maybe I've watched Hong Kong crime thrillers & 'underbelly' once too often - maybe I'm having a conspiracy theory tanti - nah - maybe I'm just pissed off. Seriously. -
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 gives? Questions need to be asked. Like, who rubber stamps this and cynically profits? Is it really just a case of – pass the tissues, start wringing the hands – ‘the synthetic industry is just too hard to keep up with. Better to allow it in a regulated fashion, save the poor kiddies’. Please, someone tell me.