Posted by Elizabeth on April 23, 2002, at 23:15:24
In reply to Re: It is safe and much maligned-don't freak out » cmcdougall, posted by beardedlady on April 21, 2002, at 5:42:19
> I am wondering how many former or current heroin addicts you know. I ask because I know quite a few.
So do I. I don't think that's terribly relevant (it could even result in bias, one way or the other).
> I also snorted heroin once when I was in my twenties, and I have probably tried every drug known to man.
Can you provide a list? I know someone who probably has tried more (unless you work for a pharmaceutical company and routinely steal, ah, "office supplies," that is :-) ).
> I picked my favorites and stuck with them. Speedy drugs, mostly. No, it doesn't make me an expert, but I suppose I am as knowledgeable as you about the subject. And I see things differently.
I don't think that trying drugs is what gives one knowledge of how they work,
> Sure it is much maligned. No, it is not safe.
There's no such thing as a completely "safe" drug. All drugs have side effects, many can have dangerous effects if taken in overdose, and many have dangerous but rare effects in usual doses. I think it's pretty clear that what's meant here is that diamorphine is safe when it's pharmaceutical-grade (unadulterated, amount in a single dose is fixed and predictable, etc.). As Cisco said, street drugs, being unregulated, aren't going to be reliable, and therefore aren't safe. Similarly, the availability of sterile injection apparatus would eliminate risks of disease transmission, injecting particulate matter, etc. This doesn't necessarily say anything about whether the drug is safe in its own right, independent of cultural factors (such as laws); these dangers result exclusively from unregulated drug traffic.
> When pain is an issue, there are many far wiser choices than heroin. In fact, that one, in my opinion, is a bad choice.
Obviously it's not the right choice for a mild headache! But what makes you think that diamorphine (pharmaceutical diamorphine, mind you) is so terrible compared to, say, Dilaudid? (As an aside, have you ever taken Dilaudid, NuMorphan, fentanyl, or the like?)
> P.S. After fifteen years as a smoker, I haven't had a cigarette in five years.
Hey, congratulations. (Now *there's* a dangerous drug.)
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:103502
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020416/msgs/103951.html