Drug Dealers in Campbeltown

[Sweltered]

Govangirl, my nephew was still at school when he dabbled with drugs, 16 years old. He thought he could handle it. He tried several times to come off them, went to rehab, the lot. He just wasn't strong enough. About 7 years ago he tried to end his life because he could no longer afford to feed his habit but couldn't stop. In the end I think he just accepted that he couldn't stop. So, legalising these drugs is not the answer. The dealers are just greedy for the money they take. I don't imagine they use the drug themselves, they know the pitfalls.

I don't think there is a valid argument for the legalisation of class A drugs, and there is a desperate need for better education, and more importantly, a culture change. Like it or not but alcohol is being replaced by drugs as the diversion of choice by young people, and I hope the parents in the town are making concerted efforts to make sure kids are aware of exactly what a life on drugs can really mean.
Just imagine what it's going to be like when drugs really overtake drink, if it hasn't already. I hate the drinking culture, the druggie culture doesn't bear thinking about. As someone else mentioned, cocaine is not the rich man's drug anymore, just wait till crystal meth arrives http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/DrugIssue/MethResources/faces/index.html

[ionnsaigh]

About 7 years ago he tried to end his life because he could no longer afford to feed his habit but couldn't stop. In the end I think he just accepted that he couldn't stop. So, legalising these drugs is not the answer.

It would treat addiction as a social problem and medical condition. These class A drugs would have no street value. Drug reduction programs would be offered to all existing addicts. This takes out the need for money to feed the habit, and the resulting drug crime wave, that has become almost epidemic,particularly in deprived area's.

Nobody is arguing the problems of drugs in our society, hey remember the sixties man. However unless we attempt a radically different approach to this - more of our young people will ultimately fall victim.

SHOP A USER

[EileenH]

Treating the addiction is already being attempted. Doctors are prescribing methadone. My nephew was on this programme but the temptation of using 'the real thing' was too much. Maybe shopping a user is a good idea, then maybe they would shop their dealer! The problem of drug abuse has been ongoing for a very long time. Taking drugs off the streets would equally take just as long. You have to start somewhere and going straight to the source of supply is the best start.

[ionnsaigh]

If you can control the supply you can begin to control the demand. Cocaine would have no street value, it would be freely available to all registered addicts. Taking the drug off the street, would hopefully ensure no new addicts. At the end of the day society tolerates alcohol, it's addicts, and the problems associated with alcoholism. One only has to look at the prohibition period of American history, to see that it drove alcohol underground, into the greedy hands of gangsters. The current laws dealing with Class A drugs are no different and ineffective. Off now to buy a packet of tobacco, I'm addicted although I can go to the local shop, no need to go to the local mafia, for a packet of cigs, thank god.

[EileenH]

I can see where you're coming from in saying that if cocaine was available to registered addicts they would have no need to buy it on the street. But what about the 'up and coming' addicts who aren't registered? There would still be a market for it on the street. It will always be available from dealers whether we like it or not. There's too much money to be made from it. You only had to read in last weeks courier about the street value of the stash recovered. A drunk I could maybe put up with on the street but someone high on drugs? A totally different thing altogether.

[blueboyno1]

And who may i ask is expected to pay for this cocaine ,the NHS and the tax payer we are already paying out millions to keep them on Methadone ,goodness knows how much it would cost the country if we started handing it out .We would have addicts coming from all over the world to register here The only answer is tougher sentences and i dont mean a couple of years in a soft jail i mean plenty years hard time.To legalise it would send out the wrong message to every young person who wants to try it,all they would have to do to get it is to register as an addict .There are still plenty who will not try it both because it is illegal and is to expensive to buy.

[£3.73]

just a thought, but there's far more people addicted to legally available prescription medicines ... so I'm not really sure that the NHS argument is all that valid.

[ionnsaigh]

But what about the 'up and coming' addicts who aren't registered? There would still be a market for it on the street.

Two young men died this week after taking the legal drug Mephedrone, Plant Fertiliser. Apparently the use of this drug has become widespread. One of the reasons for it's popularity, is it's legal status. Generally speaking, young people given the choice, would rather not break the law and associate with drug dealers. The legal tag gives the false impression that it's safe. So from this point we can make a start.
Cocaine is derived from the cocoa plant, I have no idea the origin of mephedrone, other than a laboratory. So what we have are two drugs, one deemed illegal, the other not. It would seem that the legal above the counter concoction, of god knows what, is far more dangerous than cocaine. Part of this confusion is due to the current mess of the drugs laws, what is cannabis now ? being an example.

You see whether it sits comfortably on the shoulders of society or not, some young people will experiment with opiates,
they always will - such is human nature. If we accept that as fact, we can formulate a model based on two premises.
1. They will try drugs.
2. They would rather not break the law.
By making any substance illegal, you inadvertently give it a degree of street creditability. You drive it from the surface deep underground. Sending our young people to venture into a world, they would rather not. At this point I don't care about money or the dealers - they can both drop dead. Part of the problem is our own misunderstanding , of what horrors take place, within the moral squalor of the drug dealers world. Yet we continue with laws heavy on deterring dealers, by far outstripping, educational and safety measures, for young people, the buyers.

[blueboyno1]

Cocaine is only one of a vast amount of drugs used by addicts if you legalise cocaine then you would have to legalise all the rest ,where do you stop .Yes you would stop the dealers but you would only create more addicts.

[ionnsaigh]

Cocaine is only one of a vast amount of drugs used by addicts if you legalise cocaine then you would have to legalise all the rest ,where do you stop .Yes you would stop the dealers but you would only create more addicts.

The short answer is yes, control over the supply is central to any effective policy of tackling substance abuse. In other words take them off the streets. Control control control, the supply the demand and price. Of course this won't prevent new products hitting the street, however as a society we have a duty to protect our kids. Unfortunately we will never stop our young people taking drugs, however if they are educated to the dangers of some drugs, we can only then hope, they take the safer ones. Remember the scares over Skunk and Ecstasy, how dangerous they are, as it turns out they are, to a small number of people, perhaps in comparison, to those who suffer from peanut allergy. Absolutely no difference to all other drugs, that show side effects or contra indications. I'm not condoning drug taking, then again, I can't condemn it either. Human nature is too difficult a concept to legislate against.

[blueboyno1]

There is plenty of education in schools and television about the dangers of taking drugs and yet l young people still keep taking them .The fact that it is aganst the law to use them is at least a bit of a deterrent ,if you make them legal then you are sending the wrong message, they then think it is acceptable and therefore alright to use them.I would like nothing better than to see dealers of the streets ,but that will not stop these people taking drugs when they can get it from the NHS .I know adicts who are on methedone which is supposed to be a heroin substitute and they still use any other drug they can get their hands on as well as .I still say the only way to stop it is with harsher penalties .

[Sweltered]

You hit the nail on the head

There is plenty of education in schools and television about the dangers of taking drugs and yet l young people still keep taking them

Education on this topic HAS to start in the home, and an example must be set in the home environment too. There's no point lecturing a teenager on the dangers on drugs with a beer can in one hand and a joint in the other.

[EileenH]

There are 'safer' drugs on the street than heroin and cocaine. Take ecstacy for example. As in my nephews case, the kids take this thinking its ok to do so. After a while it doesn't have the same effect - so they try something stronger, and so it goes. Before they know it they're injecting and well and truly hooked. When they're young they think they have control. When I was younger, we tried drinking and smoking. There were a few 'junkies' as we called them, who smoked cannabis and sniffed glue. We all knew who they were. It's now getting well out of control. If legalising its use was the answer, it would have been tried. There are too many reasons NOT to legalise it. In my view, it would be far easier to spot the dealers in a wee town like Campbeltown than it would be in the bigger towns and cities because we more or less know everyone. I think it would be good to keep these drugs out of our town as much as we can. They are illegal for very good reasons. The only people who would want them legal are probably the ones that use them.

[ionnsaigh]

There is plenty of education in schools and television about the dangers of taking drugs and yet l young people still keep taking them .The fact that it is aganst the law to use them is at least a bit of a deterrent ,

Yes, although it does little to address the reason as to why. As seen from recent media reports, they will attempt to find a legal alternative - that may prove even more dangerous. I think there is a common misunderstanding regarding legalisation and access to these drugs. Scare stories of the horrors and dangers of drug taking, appear to have little or no effect on the youth. Why criminalise, take the dealers of the streets virtually overnight. Stop the drug supply, plastic ground glass, and cleaning agents, are regularly included in the drugs our children buy. ( to make up weight ) If they have to take drugs, then we as a responsible society, must ensure that these are pure and safe.

Education on this topic HAS to start in the home, and an example must be set in the home environment too. There's no point lecturing a teenager on the dangers on drugs with a beer can in one hand and a joint in the other.

Ideally yes , however tragically this isn't always the case. Of course the home is very much a micro environment of a bigger world, indeed influenced by the values of media. One of my son's was a regular cannabis smoker in his teens,
after getting over the immediate shock, that your own wee Johnny takes drugs, and so does all of his friends.
We had a bit of a dilemma at this point, lock him up, no chance of trying to keep a determined 6ft 15 yr old Charlton fan cooked up, listening to Happy Mondays morning through to dusk. We decided that if he was going to take drugs, he and his friends would be safer in the home. Maryhill can be a tough and dangerous place for young people at night. And no - we did not want him - or his pals arrested. We knew most of his pals from nursery school, and they all came from decent hard working families. So we allowed them to have a smoke in the bedroom. Right or wrong, as a parent I don't know whats for the best sometimes. No how could I lecture anyone on drug taking I have a beer in one hand, and a joint in the other.

The only people who would want them legal are probably the ones that use them.

Yes your right, and that is a huge number of people. At least you'd know that if they where legal, certain safety features would be in play. One couldn't pop into the local corner shop, for a packet of cocaine fruity mints. Control of these drugs is essential, if we are ever going to control this, we must forget about hanging high the dealers, forget about them for a minute, and concentrate on the victims. Please.

[EileenH]

You're a victim through choice. You choose to use drugs. You choose to let your son take drugs. My sister made the same mistake you are making. My nephew was allowed to smoke dope in his room and she said all the same excuses your saying. It was a different story when she walked into her living room to see him injecting. It was a different story when she watched him high, outside smashing car windows, being arrested. It was a different story when he started stealing to feed his habit. As I said earlier, it all starts with the smoking of dope, taking a few pills but it all escalates as time goes on. How long has your son been using? Come back in a few years and tell me he's still only sitting in his room smoking it. His dealer will soon be offering him the stronger stuff, more expensive, to fill his own pocket. He will live his life looking for his next high. Thats how it works. You should be asking him why he feels the need to use it - not encourage it. By condoning it you're telling him its allright. It's not. My whole family has watched my nephew self destruct and his lifestyle eventually leading to his death. If his girlfriend hadn't been high on drugs she would probably never have stabbed him to death!