Opinions - Article : COCAINE, ANYONE?

[Alfa]

COCAINE, ANYONE?

Is There Anything Wrong With Recreational Drugs? the New Head Of
Scotland Yard Says There Is. But, Says Leo Benedictus, the Rise of The
Middle Class User Will Be Difficult to Stop

Rarely is the appointment of a new Metropolitan police commissioner so
interesting. On his first day as Britain's most powerful policeman,
Sir Ian Blair decided to let the nation in on a little secret: "People
are having dinner parties where they drink less wine and snort more
cocaine," he said. (How he knows this he didn't explain.) "I'm not
interested in what harm it is doing to them personally," he continued,
"but the price of that cocaine is misery on the streets of London's
estates and blood on the roads to Colombia and Afghanistan." In other
words: boycott cocaine. Just say "no thanks". Skip the charlie like
you would pass the cheeseboard. A hundred years ago, cocaine was not a
moral issue. Ernest Shackleton was propelled on his Antarctic
adventures by Forced March, a product largely composed of cocaine, and
we now know that Queen Victoria could have given Jimi Hendrix a run
for his money. It was only during the first world war that the drug
began to be imagined as a social problem.

In fact, the legislation that first made possession of cocaine or
opium illegal in this country was an ad hoc wartime gesture to prevent
soldiers on leave in the West End from having too much to distract
them. With its reputation and its legal status confirmed, the idea of
cocaine itself as a morally degenerative substance took hold. The
Catholic church even weighed in, pronouncing in the catechism that the
use of drugs "except on strictly therapeutic grounds" is "a grave
offence". Ninety years later, now that powder cocaine has become more
widely used, the argument that it leads inevitably to ruin has become
difficult to maintain. "It is wrong-headed for a government to tell
the entire population that they cannot be trusted to drink after
11pm," said the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, in the Commons last
week, speaking of another piece of outdated wartime
legislation.

Until Blair's remarks on Tuesday, there seemed to be just one argument
left: because cocaine is potentially addictive and can be harmful,
even the most sensible members of society - those who go to dinner
parties, indeed - cannot be trusted to use it.

The problem, again, is that drug users know better. And even non-drug
users, especially those who have to deal with the drug laws'
consequences, may question the sense in devoting vast resources to
catching and punishing people for having a joint or a line. Might
being caught not do more harm to a user than the drug he or she was
taking?

Here's a certain Sir Ian Blair in a letter to the Times from January
2004, expressing his support for the reclassification of cannabis:
"During the 30 years of my police service, the policing of possession
of small amounts of cannabis has become increasingly pointless. It was
grossly inefficient for officers to spend hours processing individuals
for the possession of cannabis in amounts about which neither the
courts nor therefore the CPS were prepared to take any action."

Now, with cannabis so widely tolerated that the government has been
forced to place advertisements reminding us all that it's not legal,
the focus has switched to cocaine - and with good reason. Despite its
price, cocaine is now the second most popular illegal drug in Britain,
with the Office for National Statistics estimating that 475,000 people
in the UK use it. And the number of users has nearly tripled since
1997, according to the Independent Drugs Monitoring Unit. These people
cannot all be destroying their lives, so by saying, "I'm not
interested in what harm it is doing to them personally," Blair seems,
for the first time, to be withdrawing the "save them from themselves"
argument. A sensible decision.

Most tellingly of all, though, the price of a gram - from which you'd
get about a dozen lines - is now around UKP40 in London, down from about
UKP60 a decade ago, when a number of Colombian cartels are said to have
first moved their attention away from the saturated US market to
concentrate on Europe. "What chance do we have of keeping drugs out of
Britain," Billy Connolly once asked, "if we can't keep them out of
prisons?"

Cocaine's success - and thus society's increasingly relaxed attitude
to it - should come as no surprise. From a business perspective, it is
by far the most attractive drug to deal in. As a concentrated white
powder, it is much easier to smuggle than bulky, smelly goods such as
cannabis. It is also easy to adulterate with another neutral
substance, which means retailers can double their profits at a stroke.

It is an effective product, too, that produces a number of pleasurable
effects in the short term, such as self-confidence, sexual arousal and
chattiness.

The drug also, frankly, enjoys a strong prestige positioning, thanks
to decades of countless, usually inadvertent, celebrity endorsements.
As a result, people are prepared to pay more for it than for any other
drug. And, as if all this wasn't enough, it can always be purified
into crack with bicarbonate of soda and sold in to the less affluent,
but unfailingly loyal, junkie market.

What Blair seems to have realised is that this country's coke problem
- if it is a problem - is economic. Suppliers have found that they can
sell cocaine for huge profits without getting caught, and consumers
have responded with a steady increase in demand for a product they
evidently feel free to enjoy, whether or not it is wise to do so. The
only argument left is an appeal to the consumer. And don't
middle-class people at dinner parties, people who buy Fairtrade coffee
and drink organic wine, just love to be ethical?

It may be a clever idea, but it is based on a myth. Where are all
these cocaine dinner parties he talks about? The passing round of the
silver tray to appreciative noises - "It's Peruvian flake. I bought it
in an alleyway behind Borough Market" - is a fantasy. And if the
powers that be feel so strongly about unethical business practices,
why are battery chickens still legal? How about a lecture on where our
chocolate comes from? This is, at last, the first intelligent excuse
since the war on drugs started. But soon it will be time to consider
an exit strategy.

The line on cocaine 'So rife it's boring'

Sarah, 31, writer

I don't use cocaine any more, as I became an addict in my mid-20s. But
I still know lots of middle-class people who use it and think it's not
dangerous. I think they are in denial.

My cocaine use was entirely a social thing at the beginning. I would
use it with friends from college or people I met. We would all
disappear to the loo together in a bar to do a line, or people would
come to my house and we'd take it. I would go out and buy five or six
grams, which at the time cost about UKP300, and invite my mates to come
and get it. It was all terribly middle-class; we thought we were doing
something hip, decadent, pseudo-60s. Certainly nobody was watching the
money.

Janine, 30, mental health worker

In certain circles of friends it's so rife that it's got boring. Some
parties you just know people will be huddled in the loos or snorting
off mirrors in bedrooms. I dabble, but have only taken it twice in the
past 18 months.

I don't think, in general, users think about the broader implications
of cocaine use; neither did I until I read an article describing a
dinner party where the entire menu was organic and for dessert they
served coke, which probably involved people shooting each other
somewhere along the production process. I've not actually bought it
since.

Part of what makes it attractive is the fact that it's illegal and you
have to do it in the loos. But the law needs to be clarified because
coke has become so accessible that people forget it's class A. To me
it's as common as spliff.

Despite all this, I agree with Ian Blair. I'm sick and tired of
feeling unsafe walking down my street. I'd rather get drugs off the
streets.

Martin, 37, cartoonist

I think I see less of it around now than I did a few years ago, but
that's probably because of my age. But I know people who will always
have some on them on a Friday night, and if I'm with them I may have a
line or two, but I hardly ever buy it. These people can just call
someone and it will be there in half an hour or so. It's like a
courier service.

It could happen at a dinner party, but not necessarily - sometimes
it's just round at someone's house, with a few drinks. And sometimes
in the pub, and we'll just go into the loo to do it, maybe before
going on somewhere.

Do I ever worry about where it comes from? Well, yes, more so now than
I used to. You don't know what you're putting into your body. Oh, I
see, worry about what's happened to get it to me, wars and things? Oh,
God no. It's that old thing of whether you'd be prepared to kill a
chicken to eat it. I wouldn't, but I still eat chicken.

Cheryl, 41, a manager

Ian Blair's comments are so draconian. I imagine those comments will
have lost him a lot of support from a lot of middle-class recreational
drug users, and at the end of the day we're a powerful group of
people. I would rather not fund organised crime to buy my cocaine, and
I'm not proud of going to find it that way. I know people have been
killed and threatened along the way to get illegal drugs on to the
streets and that's why it's so important to start looking at
alternatives to keeping drugs illegal and alternatives to clamping
down on those who use them.

Jimmy, 28, lobbyist

In my experience, if there are eight people sitting around a table and
someone pulls out a gram of coke, six people will have a bit. Within
that you've got different grades: some people will look forward to it;
others feign surprise.

It always seems to be the same person who makes the trip to the pub,
or on to the estate to meet the dealer. I used to be that man and I
found it kind of intimidating. If you don't actually buy the stuff you
don't really acknowledge the downside. As for the fact that there are
private armies carving up South America to provide this stuff, forget
about it.

Bryony, 30, senior civil servant

I've been taking coke for 15 years and I must admit I've never really
thought about where it came from and where my money's going to end up.
Thinking about it now, I can see there are pushers making money, but
then lots of people are doing it. You can't stop it. I don't feel like
I'm personally harming anyone by taking coke. Although I'll probably
consider the implications more now that the issue has been raised.

I fear getting caught now I have a responsible, grown-up job. Even
though lots of middle-class people are doing it, I think being caught
would have a huge impact on my career. My fear is more about my
reputation than breaking the law.

[tony.montana]

was this printed in any publications?

where is it from?

who wrote it?

not that I want to side track but this part I question

-------------------------------------------------------------
"It is an effective product, too, that produces a number of pleasurable
effects in the short term, such as self-confidence, sexual arousal and
chattiness."
--------------------------------------------------------------

The sexual arousal part is usually hit or miss. Sometimes it could be fully functional and extremely enjoyable. Excellent. Other times it could be impossible to do anything. Sucks.

I was thinking about trying to compare this to some kind of legal drug. Say viagra for instance, if that pill only worked sometimes, and you could never be certain when it would or wouldn't work, would it be such a success?

I was also curious as to the death rate in Europe, like what percentage of deaths are due to cocaine. Do alot of people die from heart attacks in Europe? What are the negative effects it has on the population and are they worse than the positives?

Very intriguing story.

Excellent.

[stoneinfocus]

Cocaine doesn´t do much and forget about that it´s the best feelin´/ like an orgams shait.

1. time you might feel nothing much, unless you get a clue what it really is, that this drug´s action´s about.
You´d probably feel it best, when being exhausted and a line will make you feel absolutely normal and awake again, with maybe some euphoria that´s also not distinghuishable from "normal" euphoria, while a lots of cocaine will give swim a buzz, like there´s too much contrast in the TV-Screen, which wears down to a state of relaxation after 20-30min. and then maybe more creativity.

chatiness is in swim more with lower doses like 5-15mg of pure cocaine.

[Butmunch]

Originally Posted by VicoNoNo

If it's called the "Best drug ever/feeling" I wanna at least see/feel what it's about at least once....

Well if swiyou really wants that "omg this shit is the single greatest feeling ever" feeling, Swim finds that the first time he did X was one of those "omg this shit is the single greatest feeling ever" moments. Allthough its not worth using X more than once a month or so because tolerance becomes an issue quite quick and after the first time the others dont compare so well allthough Swim believes they are still pretty enjoyable.

Swim finds cocaine useful if Swim is at a party and has had waaay too many drinks, a line or two sober Swim up in a few moments and the drinking can comence again. Allthough Swim wouldn't recomend doing this often as Swim only did it for this new years party. Swim doesn't like cocaine, his heart begins to really race and Swim sort of likes his heart and doesn't want to fuck it up with such a pointless drug.

[darawk]

Article appears to have come from here:

http://society.guardian.co.uk/drugsa...404731,00.html

Good to see this in the guardian.

[dbjay417]

SWIM thinks the beauty of cocaine is not feeling anything at all. SWIM refers to being geeked as being comfortably numb. Not only is SWIMs nose, throat and some of swims mouth numb, but SWIM also finds himself emotionally numb. Not feeling much of anything one way or another. A lot of times I find myself thinking "I bet this is what those Vulcans from Star Wars feel like."

[chattTNdt]

Exactly... questions like "Whats the best thing to do when you're 'geeked'?" make no sense to me.... my lifeguard tells me that the beauty of cocaine is what I call the ultimate "apathetic confidence". That's the only words he can find for it. A heightened sensibility.

[ProtectedByTheGods]

Originally Posted by dbjay417

"I bet this is what those Vulcans from Star Wars feel like."

Sorry about being somewhat of a geek here, but the Vulcans are from the
Star Trek universe, not Star Wars!

[dbjay417]

LoL SWIM knows that, cause SWIMs a bit of a geek too, problem is, this geek was geeked while typing and typing way faster than SWIM could think at the time. SWIM even remember the internal dialogue SWIM had while typing, must have made up SWIMs mind too late. LMFAO.

[Alekseev]

"I'm not
interested in what harm it is doing to them personally," he continued,
"but the price of that cocaine is misery on the streets of London's
estates and blood on the roads to Colombia and Afghanistan." In other
words: boycott cocaine.

Afghani Cocaine??? Really?

"Despite its price, cocaine is now the second most popular illegal drug in Britain,..."

Welcome to the party!!!

"The Catholic church even weighed in, pronouncing in the catechism that the
use of drugs "except on strictly therapeutic grounds" is "a grave
offence."

I disagree with the Catholic Church on this point. I can't see how cannabis, mushrooms, cactii, coca, poppies; etc., are bad when it is God who created them (or so I believe). It is bad/wrong when people take in excess or fail to control their use (their punishment is their subsequent addiction), but I truly believe that drugs are not wrong in and of themselves...

[dbjay417]

SWIM feels that the blood shed in other countries caused by the drug trade, is not the fault of the manufacturers or the consumers, but rather the Governments who try foolishly to stop the drug trade. The man would like to flip it and put it all on us, but the truth is particularly in America, we're just capitolist consumers doing what we do best, purchasing and consuming whatever goods are offered to us. I'm not the one burning crops and ruining peoples livelihood.

[KomodoMK]

Originally Posted by dbjay417

SWIM feels that the blood shed in other countries caused by the drug trade, is not the fault of the manufacturers or the consumers, but rather the Governments who try foolishly to stop the drug trade. The man would like to flip it and put it all on us, but the truth is particularly in America, we're just capitolist consumers doing what we do best, purchasing and consuming whatever goods are offered to us. I'm not the one burning crops and ruining peoples livelihood.

You've just done there what you accused the governments of doing, flipping it. Regardless of weather you manufacture or consume it, you still have your part to play, and the consequences (direct or indirect) still partly fall on your hands. If you didn't consume the manufactures wouldn't manufacture. You may not be the one burning crops and ruining peoples livelihood directly, but indirectly you are without a doubt.

[dbjay417]

LoL

SWIM can live with being indirectly involved, as SWIM is American, and pays Federal Taxes that are used to wage wars against underdeveloped nations anywayz. Even indirectly, SWIMs already covered in blood.

SWIM uses paper to wipe his butt, and washes his hands afterwards. SWIM is also indirectly responsible for deforestation and water pollution too no doubt.

Good thing "indirectly" amounts to a technicality that doesn't stop anyone from sleeping at night.

[opiatewonder98]

Junkies!

[Benga]

alright already...
take this one to the drug politics forum for more but as of now this is going nowhere here.
swim wiggles his wig and says :
closed

[Rio Fantastic]

The ethical implications of cocaine abuse are being highlighted in a police campaign targeting festival-goers.

Revellers are being urged to boycott the class A drug because of its impact on people involved in its production and trafficking.


A spokesman for the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) said middle-class cocaine users were "morally irresponsible".


The agency will promote its message at this weekend's T in the Park festival.


Posters will be placed across the festival site at Balado in Perthshire.
The initiative is based on fair trade campaigns for goods from developing countries, which call on consumers to consider the origin and methods of production of goods such as coffee and tea.


Det Supt Willie MacColl, the SCDEA's national drugs co-ordinator, said: "People boycott disposable nappies, choose organic vegetables and fair trade goods such as coffee but these same people think nothing of having a line of cocaine that's caused immeasurable harm."


The anti-drugs agency claims there are 18,000 murders a year in Colombia - 50 each day - associated with drug trafficking.


Unicef published a report in 2006, "Children in the Coca Areas", which highlighted the plight of children involved in the coca trade and exposed poverty and violence.


The report told of "an army of children and adolescents" being used to produce the drug, exposing them to poverty and violence as well as abuse and rape.


Vulnerable people are coerced into becoming drug "mules", risking imprisonment or even death as they try to smuggle packages of cocaine inside their bodies.


Couriers may swallow up to a kilo of cocaine, and one ruptured package mid-air would lead to a certain and painful death.


Det Supt MacColl said: "Children are mercilessly exploited and thousands of people murdered in the horrendous violence connected with the production of cocaine.


"People who use cocaine should think about the consequences of how this drug is delivered to Scotland. It's morally and politically irresponsible.
He added: "If people were truly socially and morally aware of their lifestyle choices, they would never take cocaine."


Tayside police said cocaine had gained a foothold among "ordinary people" as well as the chaotic or problem drug users whereas it was previously seen as the drug of the rich and famous.


By many, it is often seen as a 'clean' and a more respectable drug as it can be snorted and need not be injected like heroin, although the effects and dependence can be catastrophic.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6272684.stm

[Felonious Skunk]

This whole diatribe is a lie. The authors of this nonsense don't want to admit that irresponsible drug policy is what's really behind a monetary exodus.

The fact is that billions of pounds sterling and US dollars flow into third-world South American countries. Not all of those funds go to the cartels' mansions and sports cars. In his heyday, Pablo Escobar literally built villages and schools from the ground up, something that would have never occurred if it depended on concern of the US and British governments "for the welfare of the poor Colombian children."

This is not to say that Escobar cared about anyone or anything other than himself, but was quite willing to use poor children to make himself look good, traits he shared with the aforementioned governments who have been doing the same thing for decades.

Reputation Comments on this post:

True.

[UberDouche]

Originally Posted by Felonious Skunk

This is not to say that Escobar cared about anyone or anything other than himself, but was quite willing to use poor children to make himself look good, traits he shared with the aforementioned governments who have been doing the same thing for decades.

SWIM think that sums it up nicely. A nice demonstration of the 'reality based on facts' mode of reasoning.

[sunyata]

A lot of rainforest is cut down to produce cocaine, this probably wouldn't change if it was legal.