"Concerning" Rise in Needles

[LiamHaddock]

You continue to give out completely false information Liam in your desperate attempt to convince people that the health hazard caused other people by addicts warrants taking money away from other existing programs and putting it into supporting addicts.

IN REALITY THE NEEDLE COUNT INCLUDES THOSE PROPERLY DISPOSED OF IN A SAFE CONTAINER. You do not seem interested in the truth. Only that which helps try to remove the blame for your own demise.

What link or source do u have that specify the needles in the bins are all needles and others are not still being disposed of inproperly and children aren't still stepping on needles. Even if counts are of needles properly disposed of. Staff maybe collecting the needles and putting them in bins..number of needles collected are still going up meaning more needles are being found and problem has been getting worse. You have yet to offer a suggestion to help reduce needles...

your suggestion is we have enough resources, no more are needed and unused needles is not the issue everyone is making it out to be...

anything to support your belief doing nothing and continuing on same path will somehow reduce harms of drug use and number of needles on ground.

your making no suggestions as always you suggest we continue on the same failed path of prohibition and war on drugs. not surprising.

thankfully others are talking about was to reduce the concerning rise of needles and harms associated.

money spent reducing harms is better than throwing more money away at failed war on drugs.

[Donald G]

*removed*

[pepsilover]

I agree with you Pepsi, addicts created their own demise...but there is a success rate if help is available..

now if you're talking about an addict who's been in and out of treatment many times, then yes, you had your chance and you *bleep* it away..you get what you deserve

they also took the DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) out of schools a few yrs ago..which made very little sense..teaching elementary students at a young age that doing drugs is dangerous and just dancing with the devil was a very smart idea...start teaching those little brains right away to make the right choice and don't even try it was a great idea..stopping the program was just plain stupid...

But help IS available. I listed all the resources in this thread. Help IS available. At some point we need to get honest with ourselves that most addicts are NOT making the CHOICE to take advantage of that help.

I agree with most of your points but I'm not so sure that talking in school to an 8 year old about meth is a good idea. Impressionable minds. Maybe they have issues at home and see drugs as an escape. I can see the pros and cons in that particular program. I will say it doesn't seem to have stopped the number of addicts in our province since they are obviously on the increase.

Here's something that will *bleep* people off probably. Get a job. Get creative. Get a goal. Go to a meeting. Phone for an appt. with a drug counsellor. Drop your friends who are using. Stay home instead of going to the bar or downtown. These are all CHOICES that start with simpler ones than putting a needle in their arm.

When people feel like they are contributing (ie via a job or career) they are happier, more content, less need for drugs. Not always of course, but it sure helps. When people are left to their own devices and have nothing else to do, that's when drugs and alcohol will enter the picture. (again NOT ALWAYS, but it certainly doesn't help). Get kids INVOLVED in youth groups, sports, boys and girls clubs etc. - Parents need to do their bit too here. Many parents are sitting around drinking and drugging themselves and setting poor examples for their kids, not putting the kids' activities first. It's a FAMILY DISEASE and looks like the next generation is coming up fast...............sorry to say.

[LiamHaddock]

*removed*
maybe we could increase/add deposits/fees on approved drugs like alcohol and tobacco and use that extra income to help with cleaning up needles and harms of other non socially accepted drugs. A tax on all legal drugs to help offset harms of illegal ones... just thinking of more ways to actually help with topic on hand which is increase in needles.

[pepsilover]

Honestly i don't really think we should be bussing them around either but pepsilover mentioned a valet so i just rolled with it and poked the bear a bit.

I do indeed think we should have more staff going around from high use site to high use site cleaning up needles and handing out information/offering support for addicts. At very least less needles would be on the ground.

Pepsilover was being facetious (look it up) when she said that. As you very well know.

btw why aren't you going around picking up needles? You said you aren't working. Get to steppin'! Help those kids!

Why should there be more STAFF? Why not VOLUNTEERS such as yourself who seem so intent on enabling their habits?

[LiamHaddock]

But help IS available. I listed all the resources in this thread. Help IS available. At some point we need to get honest with ourselves that most addicts are NOT making the CHOICE to take advantage of that help.

I agree with most of your points but I'm not so sure that talking in school to an 8 year old about meth is a good idea. Impressionable minds. Maybe they have issues at home and see drugs as an escape. I can see the pros and cons in that particular program. I will say it doesn't seem to have stopped the number of addicts in our province since they are obviously on the increase.

Here's something that will *bleep* people off probably. Get a job. Get creative. Get a goal. Go to a meeting. Phone for an appt. with a drug counsellor. Drop your friends who are using. Stay home instead of going to the bar or downtown. These are all CHOICES that start with simpler ones than putting a needle in their arm.

When people feel like they are contributing (ie via a job or career) they are happier, more content, less need for drugs. Not always of course, but it sure helps. When people are left to their own devices and have nothing else to do, that's when drugs and alcohol will enter the picture. (again NOT ALWAYS, but it certainly doesn't help). Get kids INVOLVED in youth groups, sports, boys and girls clubs etc. - Parents need to do their bit too here. Many parents are sitting around drinking and drugging themselves and setting poor examples for their kids, not putting the kids' activities first. It's a FAMILY DISEASE and looks like the next generation is coming up fast...............sorry to say.

yes you've explained how help is availble, we've explained how its underfunded and wait lists are not helping to reduce and encourage recovery.

educating kids on drugs is far smarter than them figuring it out themselves in middle/high school..

Obviously non addicts who have good lives have less need to use drugs lol.

Thats why we should be supporting and increasing resources to help addicts stay alive, get clean and become productive members of society.

Again the topic of thread is about reducing the increase in needles.

We all agree addicts should get clean and the world would be better with out drug users and drugs lol.... not the point... point is addicts use and leave needles... how can we reduce the numbers of needles left since as subject of thread states its a "concerning rise"

Thankfully some are staying on topic trying to find ways to lower numbers of needles and children getting pricked.

[LiamHaddock]

Pepsilover was being facetious (look it up) when she said that. As you very well know.

btw why aren't you going around picking up needles? You said you aren't working. Get to steppin'! Help those kids!

Why should there be more STAFF? Why not VOLUNTEERS such as yourself who seem so intent on enabling their habits?

i know just like you purposely avoid my valid points..... just having fun with each other... atleast i can support my opinions and arguements.

There should be more staff as clearly there isn't enough volunteers if issue is of concern. Volunteers are great, since your so concerned and don't feel we should pay to have this taken care of you'd be first to sign up to collect needles right??

I don't use needles, don't want to pick them up, but would sure be happy to have paid staff ensuring needles are picked up to prevent some child stepping on them. If i'm not going to clean up needles, addicts aren't, you aren't and we all are just wishing someone would clean them up, who do u think will be lining up to volunteer their time and whos gonna clean up the needles???

[LiamHaddock]

How much are YOU willing to pay?

You don't work. You live at your parents' house. What do you know about PAYING for things?

Worked every day pretty much since 16, been at same job for over 4yrs and will be returning to same job after being off on great long term disability benefits while I wait for surgery and recover..

I've lived on my own for over 10yrs as well so all your false opinions on me are wrong.

I'd pay lots, I'd rather funds go to reducing harms of drugs and helping people instead of going to failed war on drugs caging people with no success...

again people with no support for their failed beliefs attacking poster instead of forming valid supported argument,and no suggestion to reduce the conerning rise of needles... not surprising....

[Donald G]

Unread postby Rwede » less than a minute ago

How much are YOU willing to pay?

You don't work. You live at your parents' house. What do you know about PAYING for things?

Liam has made it clear time after time that he does not expect addicts to pay for anything or in any way be held responsible for their situation. They are to be given a completely free ride and held blameless as per his collective comments. They are not even to be expected to safely discard their needles.

[LiamHaddock]

Liam has made it clear time after time that he does not expect addicts to pay for anything or in any way held responsible for their situation. They are to be given a completely free ride and held blameless as per his collective comments.

and you've made it clear you'd rather people od and die and profits go to criminals instead of reducing harms of drugs, profits going to criminals and lives lost.

your almost sounding like Hitler separating, dividing and categorizing human life on the false belief some life is less valuable, you'd like us to simply not care about addicts, watch them die and ensure criminals get rich.

The whole time you have managed to stay off topic and make no recommendation to reduce concerning rise in needles.

[Donald G]

I wonder when the last time was that a child in a Park in Kelowna got poked with a dirty needle ?? I wonder how many times in the real world (rather than Liams theoretical world) that actually happens ??

I wonder if a child has ever been infected with a communicable disease as a result of being accidentally poked with an adults dirty needle in Kelowna ??

[LiamHaddock]

I wonder when the last time was that a child in a Park in Kelowna got poked with a dirty needle ?? I wonder how many times in the real world (rather than Liams theoretical world) that actually happens ??

it was mentioned earlier in this thread it recently happened to a child... i guess your lack of reading comprehension prevented you from seeing that..maybe go back and actually re-read what people post...

if it happens once a year or once a month should we not try to stop it.

If increase of needles is a problem as city is stating it is and is why they are putting in more sharp bins how can you not clearly see needle use and discarded needles is causing a risk that should be addressed to prevent unneeded harm.

Do you not care about the children donald...think about the children....!!!!

at very least stop going off topic please and recommend something that would reduce the increase of needles as that is the topic "concerning rise in needles"

[Donald G]

I am not sure about smarter than Liam but IMO everyone else commenting is definitely far more aware of reality and the truth as to used druggie needles.

[Jo]

This needs to stop: ENOUGH with the personal attacks.

If you lack the strength to post without attacking the other members, then excuse yourself from the thread. Yes. It's that easy.

[Donald G]

Does anyone actually know how many children have ended up with ANY communicable disease as a result of accidentally stepping on a dirty needle in the public areas of Kelowna in the last 10 years, or 5 years or one year ??

Or are we getting sucked into catering to drug addicts "for the good of the children" by a theory that has little basis in reality ??

Granted one is too many but considering approximately 1,250 sons, daughters, mothers and fathers are killed by drunk drivers each year should we not keep the ACCIDENTAL drug related deaths of completely innocent people in perspective. Using children stepping on needles to warrant all but unlimited support for addicts is IMO completely dishonest.