1. Drug culture – We have been looking at various ways that drug culture can be thought of and understood. Have a look at the 39 minute video, Prescription for Addiction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vG9ZOLhGy8&t=1s
. How does the understanding you are developing as we explore addiction in this course fit with the stereotypes and popular images of heroin addiction and addiction to prescription analgesics (pain killers) that are out there in the public realm?
^ Answer that
AND CHOOSE ONLY ONE QUESTION TO ANSWER FROM BELOW : 2.a, 2,b, or 2,c
2.a. Drug treatment – People typically think that people with drug problems should simply stop and never use again. Yet there is no more effective treatment of heroin addiction and severe opioid dependence than medication-assisted treatments using methadone and buprenorphine. What are your views on these approaches, which substitute a pharmaceutically prepared drug that can be prescribed and regulated for people who meet diagnostic criteria for opiate dependence? Should we be offering people who are opiate dependent such substitution treatments? Why do you think these treatments are effective?
2.b. Safe Injection Sites – started in Vancouver, and now in a number of cities, intravenous (I/V) drug users can use their drugs in safe injection sites, where they get supervision and clean using equipment when they inject. You can find out more about this issue at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insite. The Wikipedia article highlights some of the political aspects related to this attempt to take a harm reduction (rather than an prohibitionist) approach to drug use. Recently, in Ontario, there has been much controversy about the Provincial Government’s stance on Safe injection Sites. https://globalnews.ca/news/5310911/canada-safe-injection-sites/ What do you think of this approach to responding to the problems related to injection drug use?
2.c. How has the ‘fentanyl crisis’ impacted your life?
