Beschreibung
Time to do something about the needle situation!
O.k. people, it is time to quit giving needles away to addicts for free! I am so tired of having to keep my head down when walking in case I step on the hundreds of needles that are all over this city. I can't stand the thought of having to pick up the dirty filthy things but now that school has started I also can't stand the thought of leaving them on the ground for the kids to pick up and possibly hurt themselves. There has to be some kind of solution to addicts throwing them every where and anywhere. Why isn't there something being done and why does everyone just sit back and accept this dangerous filth? I just don't understand.
52 Kommentierens
me (Gast)
jes PA (Gast)
Fines (Gast)
Patricia (Registrierter Benutzer)
Egbert (Gast)
JanP (Gast)
Sowikal (Gast)
TJ (Registrierter Benutzer)
I think the people handing out the needles should be held responsible for cleaning up the mess they are making. And not just picking up the needles but also repairing the lives of all those they help ruin.
Shawn-Cody (Gast)
Far better than city worked dressing in B Movie Nuclear gear, making needles look scary as hell and burning every bush they find needles or homeless in.
-Shawn Cody
gimmeabreak (Gast)
I didn't get a response.
The city is not interested in acknowledging the issue and I believe they prefer not to put up more boxes as that would confirm the problem.
That's all I can take from that.
maxpower (Gast)
kim (Gast)
Maybe? (Gast)
bret2445 (Gast)
horrified (Gast)
. (Gast)
Cruzer (Gast)
Notme (Gast)
TJ (Registrierter Benutzer)
As for the idea of a refund...then taxpayer's money went to buy the needles to give away and now Taxpayer's money would go to get them back. Not a very good deal for the taxpayer is it?
I figure it should be an exchange, want a needle bring a needle.
And if anyone's kid get Hep C from a discarded needle I hope they sue the idiots who are handing the needles out.
horrified (Gast)
Injection drug addiction is difficult to treat. Users often remain addicted for many years or go through many cycles of treatment and relapse. Success rates for treatment are low. They are almost nil if the user is not motivated to stop using and does not have strong social support.
A review of needle exchange programs in Saskatchewan - Final report LTSC, Dec. 31, 2008
In Saskatchewan, there were 174 cases of HIV in 2008, a three-fold increase from 2004, according to data released by the Ministry of Health.
Aboriginal people are the largest group affected, and intravenous drug users sharing needles is the main way HIV is transmitted in this province.
Copied from PA Daily Herald, posted on Aug 19, 2009
During the time frame refered to above, the needle 'exchange' had already been in existence for years. Obviously, it is NOT working to reduce infections - which is what the objective of this entire program was in the first place! The Sask health departments acknowledged that Treatment Programs do not work either. So why I ask, are we wanting to throw even more money into programs which clearly do not work? We have the family based treatment center coming, and some have suggested that after handing out a free needle at almost one dollar each, now we should give them a 5 cent refund too?!? Nonsense! Do we want children out picking needles so they can take them in and get some cash like they do with pop cans? I for one resent $50,000 of our tax dollars being spent on handing out free needles which is not helping at all to eliminate HIV and Hep from our community, and actually increases the risk to others. I hope that Sask Health discontinues this ridiculous program and puts this money into say, cancer or MS treatment & research.
PIC-A-DILLY (Gast)
yikes (Gast)
hates_needles (Gast)
disgusted (Gast)
JanP (Gast)
Guest (Gast)
http://www.health.gov.sk.ca/needle-exchange-review
Education. It is a wonderful thing.
The misconception about syringe exchanges is that it is only for people who use drugs. JanP...do your homework, there is no sense in purchasing syringes for your husband, go and ask at the syringe exchange as it is a standard insulin syringe that is available for anyone who may have a medical or non-medical use for one.
It would be advisable to do some research before making claims about something you aren't sure about, or have limited knowledge on. Yes we have a problem in PA, complaining will not make it go away. If it were even possible for the program to be closed down, it wouldn't stop the influx of syringes laying around the streets. People can walk into a pharmacy and purchase syringes on their own, or get them from other sources.
The education is there for those who wish to access it, if you do find a spot with a large number of syringes, call the fire department with an address and description of the area, they will come and pick them up.
Do I agree with the program? Absolutely. Does it work perfectly? Absolutely not. Are there other benefits to the program? Absolutely. The focus is always on the negative aspects because they are easier to see than the positive results. Keep in mind that there is a lot more going on in places like this than meets the eye. Would a safe injection site work? Absolutely. You don't want to see needles on the streets, then that's probably a good solution that will make an enormous dent in the improperly discarded syringes. Not only that, it would be able to offer more supports and services to help these people with their issues.
http://supervisedinjection.vch.ca/
Shawn-cody (Gast)
Agnostic333 (Registrierter Benutzer)
Really? (Gast)
Shawn-cody (Gast)
I don't think that my minor contribution towards removing needles from the streets and Children's play areas is enabling anything, I just think it helps a tiny little bit. Don't be so quick to judge. These "parasites" as you call them are no more different than you or I.
cory (Gast)
Jalep11 (Gast)
Shawn-Cody (Gast)
concerned (Gast)
fabulousone (Gast)
guest#2 (Gast)
guest#2 (Gast)
jay (Gast)
Shawn-Cody (Gast)
gimmeabreak (Gast)
horrified (Gast)
To Shawn Cody, either you are outright lying or someone at the needle exchange lied to you! Info posted on their website says they hand out 50,000 needles per year and get 90% back!! That means about 5,000 needles are left strewn all over our city, and based on what I've personally seen, that sounds about right! I think PA might be the HIV capital of Canada (per capita) already! Question: if the needle exchange is so successful at reducing infection, then why do the numbers continue to rise??? In 2008, the number of infected tripled from 2004!! Food for thought:
en·abler noun \i-ˈnā-blər, -bəl-ər\
Definition of ENABLER
: one that enables another to achieve an end; especially : one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior (as substance abuse) by providing excuses or by making it possible to avoid the consequences of such behavior
kimmy (Gast)
easy fix (Gast)
go riders (Gast)
steve (Gast)
Shawn-Cody (Gast)
-Shawn Cody
justshootme (Gast)
theThinker (Registrierter Benutzer)
I have some comments:
1) the exchange one for one by addicts won't work. needles are being picked up by small children and being returned to pharmacies by the pail full, only to receive a pailful in return. they then give them to the pushers who preload the "SpeedBalls" to sell to the next addict. You are mistaken if you think it is the addicts getting all these new needles.
2) the problem is HUGE, and the only way I can think of to solve it, is to contact Dr. Leo Lanoie, Medical Health Officer at Parkland health, and let him know, on a separate phone call, where EACH and EVERY NEEDLE is that you have seen. Please be specific.
3) if you take the time to pick them up, take a pail fulll to Dr. Leo Lanoie's office and pour them on his desk. Afterall, they are HIS responsibility.
4) if you are a diabetic, EXCHANGE YOUR needles at any pharmacy. Tell them you are a drug addict, and get your new needles FREE!
Let the System work as it is now defined. Let the System call for change
theThinker (Registrierter Benutzer)
oh, and it is NOT true that there has never been an infection from a needle poke
google is your friend
ifawoigwi (Gast)
Wear Red December 1st (Gast)
theThinker (Registrierter Benutzer)
Wear Red December 1st
sounds good... I'm addicted to coffee.... can you give me a nice clean coffee mug every day? i'll just smash it on the street when I'm done my coffee
oh...and I'll need your address so I can break into your house, steal your coffee, or nice stuff so I can pawn it and buy my "Street Coffee" Speedball at Timmies...
Give your head a shake.
I've even gone to a pharmacy to get needles just to see if I could.... NO problems... How many did I want?