Re: drug abuse among the homeless

Al Lewis wrote:
> Brother Nate wrote
> > If those homeless people had used their filthy syringes

> Why would they be using filthy syringes if they didn't have to?

Making drugs legal wouldn't place sterile free clinics
at the beck and call of drug abusers.  As long as these
people live in those conditions they're not going to
ever be able to afford a new needle for every derelict
who comes along and asks to get high.

> > I can't help but notice that you
> > just repeated an earlier empty mantra in response to
> > my comment, but apparently had nothing at all to say
> > about Adam's question.

> I was replying to you, not Adam.  And they would be easier to deal with.

How?  The way Randy was?  (i.e.- by just waiting for
him to die with a belly full of maggots?)  I'm glad I
wasn't the paramedic who had to respond to that call.

> > How DO you help people like Randy the alcoholic and
> > all of the others who have been led by people like
> > you to believe that there's either nothing wrong with
> > their choice of "lifestyle", or that there's no hope
> > for them to even try entering a rehab program?

> I didn't lead them on or even suggest those things.

If you think there's something wrong with a lifestyle
of drug abuse then now might be a nice time to say
what that might be, otherwise I'm just going to assume
that you're ducking the question.

> > These are people who are literally dying in the gutters
> > of San Francisco.  The article Adam cited gives names
> > of these otherwise faceless wretches, and a location
> > where you yourself could go and see them if you wanted.
> > Their lives have little independence, almost no freedom,
> > and are utterly devoid of dignity.  How would would
> > legalizing their self-administered lethal injections
> > help them, or help us?

> We would have more resources to treat them, and they wouldn't be spiking
> unkown quantities of unknown substances.

Neither Tommy nor Randy nor any of the other people
specifically mentioned by cause of death in the article
died of an overdose (spiking).  They died from filth
and degradation and poverty, even Randy whose drug of
choice was legal and cheap and abundant.  Their very
"lifestyle" itself is toxic.

> How would you help them?

I have already stated my views about that, but for your
benefit I'll repeat them: get these people off the streets
and into drug rehab (and don't take "No" for an answer).

--
Brother Nate               Electron Juggler
[EMAIL PROTECTED]     http://php.indiana.edu/~nengle
"Some Assembly Required"