Drug "Shoot Up Rooms"

[Flashpoint 94]

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but an interesting concept to say the least.
 

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An alarming 47,000 American overdose deaths in 2014 — 60 percent from heroin and related painkillers like fentanyl — has pushed elected leaders from coast to coast to consider what was once unthinkable: government-sanctioned sites where users can shoot up under the supervision of a doctor or nurse who can administer an antidote if necessary.

 

 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/once-unthinkable-us-drug-shoot-rooms-serious-look-161521275.html

[dwcfireman 656]

We really shouldn't be perpetuating a bad habit as something that's okay to do.  Instead, we should be putting more funding towards helping these people come off the drugs through treatment and therapy.  Methadone clinics help a little bit, but we, as a society, would benefit greater from having programs that "unhook" people from drugs and allow for either group or individual therapy sessions to stay off of them (think of how Alcoholics Anonymous works).

[ARI1220 12]

I find it a bit troubling. Yes methadone, suboxone, subutex programs have pros and cons, however, they're end goal is to help make the patient a functioning member of society again. I.e. career counseling, ongoing therapy.....in a nutshell, changing the behavior that led someone to abuse. With these "drug rooms", all I see is a place where you can get high as a kite and not worry about overdose. They're not trying to change the behavior, they're saying it's acceptable.

[dwcfireman 656]

I just saw on Reddit (and can't find it again) that Sydney, Australia has had one of these "shoot-up rooms" for some years now, where over 4,000 overdoses have happened without a fatality.  Whereas that's great news, it still defeats the purpose of getting people off the drugs that they are addicted to.

 

2 hours ago, EmsFirePolice said:

Very good point. There is also a Narcotics Anonymous.

 

I did no know that NA was a thing.

[ex-commish 490]

When I worked for the corrections department the first thing the inmates wanted when they were booked into the system was methadone. The policy was they had to wait 24 hours until they can get it. It is a crutch. I started the job in 1986 and retired in 2011. Many of the same dope fiends coming in hooked on herion were still coming in throughout my time on the job. It just doesn't work.