NYC Funded a Guidebook for Heroin Users

New York City funded a guidebook for heroin users that gives detailed instructions on how to prepare drugs for injection and how to limit risks of infection. The guidebook has the DEA all up in arms about the "Take Charge Take Care" guide; the DEA special agent-in-charge John Gilbride commented on the handbook to the Associated Press, claiming the handout was a "step-by-step instruction on how to inject a poison". This revolutionary guidebook will certainly set precedence for any other state health agencies to get approval for similar handbooks. The DEA must think that giving instruction on safe injections will further addiction, ultimately leading people down a worse road than they were already on.

However, the NYC guidebook "Take Charge Take Care" will help facilitate in the battle of infectious diseases. Not to mention the amount of taxpayers' dollars that will be saved by helping avoid infection, thus keeping addicts away from emergency rooms. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene printed about 70,000 copies of the controversial guidebook with the hope saving lives. The combination of needle exchanges and the new guidebook will certainly show positive results. Assistant Commissioner Daliah Heller said to the AP, instructions on how to perform injections were included because there's "a less harmful way to inject." Education is the greatest weapon against drug addiction despite how contrary it may seem at times.

Addicts caught in the depths of despair often feel like there is no option available and that they will die at the hands of their addiction. Providing addicts the opportunity to acquire clean needles, instruction on injecting, and free HIV tests will help facilitate many addicts in finding treatment. That is the ultimate goal of the creators of the new guidebook - help people help themselves!

I encourage you to watch the short video below. The video echoes some of the common misconceptions about heroin users. The fact is that many heroin users do not know how to correctly inject drugs which causes terrible health issues both short and long term. There are a lot of people damning Mayor Bloomberg's decision to approve the guidebook; but, in the end this guidebook will do more good than harm.

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Mary Bono Mack Will Take Drug Addiction Right To Washington D.C.

Health Care reform in America seems to be a heated debate these days. What to include, what not to include and just how do we go about real change in the health care system. California Representative Mary Bono Mack will give a speech on Saturday, October 17, 2009, at Riverside Community College District's Moreno Valley Campus. She will be discussing her son's struggle with drug addiction . Mack believes that addiction prevention should be one of the main topics in the health care debate. Unfortunately, her son Chesare, began abusing pain medication shortly after his father, Sonny Bono, died in a ski accident in 1998. What started as Oxycontin abuse, progressed as most opiate addicts do, to using harder opiates such as heroin. Chesare went to two drug treatment centers before the recovery process began to take hold. Mary Bono Mack will take drug addiction right to Washington D.C..

Mack, according to The Press Enterprise, "began speaking out after she and her son, Chesare, went public in a People magazine story in February about his struggle with drug addiction and recovery". Since that article she has become, by default, a voice for the drug and alcohol community to help shed light on the disease of addiction. We can no longer keep the subject of addiction in the closet, we need to open the conversation so there can be a solution found in a health care system that does not currently understand addiction. "In Washington, D.C., Bono Mack is set to testify Thursday about narcotics trafficking during a House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere meeting. She also said she's pushing for tighter Food and Drug Administration controls on Oxycontin", stated The Press Enterprise. Bono Mack has opened her ears to the countless families that have loved ones addicted to drugs, she feels that it is necessary to step up and speak out.

There needs to be more courageous people like Bono Mack who are willing to go as far as it takes to get the information out there regarding the dangers of prescription medications. The longer we ignore what drugs like Oxycontin do to people, the longer families will continue to be devastated. Prescription drugs are just as addictive as illegal drugs and have the ability to ruin just as many lives - if not more. "A lot of parents don't know prescription pills are a dangerous substance," she said. "They need to educate themselves about what's out there. It's a tough battle", reports The Press Enterprise.

If you are interested in participating in this discussion, here are the details:

Substance Abuse Conference
What: Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, as well as public and mental health officials will speak during the conference aimed at youths, young adults and parents.
When: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Riverside Community College District Moreno Valley campus, 16130 Lasselle St., in Student Services room 101
Cost: Free and no reservations needed
Information: 951-571-6100

Vaccines For Drug Addictions Are Showing New Promise

The disease of addiction is a biological disorder in the brain that affects the award system and is in no way a moral failing by any means. Science has shined a new light on addiction and has given us the ability to understand what is operating in the human brain. Addiction is inherited and is not something that anyone asks to have, new developments in science have shown us that it may be possible to create a medical solution to the disease. Vaccines for drug addiction are showing new promise; it may not be long before we have a vaccine for all addictive substances. A report in the LA Times stated, "Vaccines to help people recover from such addictions as nicotine, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines now appear scientifically and medically achievable after doctors reported Monday that a vaccine to treat cocaine dependence had produced a large enough antibody response to reduce cocaine use in 38% of addicted individuals". 38% is an amazing number and one that reaffirms the promise of these kinds of scientific pursuits.

A vaccine for addiction will not work the same way as normal vaccines. If you are born with a hereditary disposition towards drugs and alcohol there is no way to reverse it. However, a vaccine could potentially keep drugs that enter the body from reaching the brain thus preventing the high from ever being experienced. The vaccines stimulate the body's immune system to create binding antibodies that will attach themselves to the drug preventing them from ever reaching the brain. Unfortunately, creating vaccines does not equate to dollars for pharmaceutical companies to create these vaccines. They can make a lot more money from addiction maintenance than they could off a vaccine. This problem makes it very hard for certain studies to take place because of the lack of much needed funding which is in the 100's of millions. An ethical dilemma is clearly visible and I am sure will be addressed in the coming years.

Studies with the goal of creating a vaccine is a huge step in modern science and shows us that with understanding we can treat the most baffling of diseases. In the coming years we will see what role vaccines for drug addiction will have around the world and whether the pharmaceutical companies will set greed aside and hop on board. I encourage you to watch a Dr. Nancy Snyderman video on the subject:

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'Basketball Diaries' Author and Punk Icon Carroll Died

Jim Carroll, author of the famed Basketball Diaries, died on Friday of a heart attack. Carroll's life was forever shaped by his extensive Heroin use which is what most of his prose consisted of. Despite dying at, what many would consider, a young age, 60, he left behind a legacy that we all can cherish. He gave the world a close up, in depth, view of the trials and tribulations of an addict. In the 1970s, Jim Carroll played a major role in the New York art scene, where he mixed with artists such as Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Larry Rivers and Robert Mapplethorpe. The 'Basketball Diaries' author and punk icon died from a heart attack at his home in Manhattan, his ex-wife Rosemary Carroll told The New York Times.

Carroll's poetry and other works were amazing, but, it was his gritty autobiographical tale of growing up in New York and ultimately becoming a drug addict, who went so far as to prostitute himself, that drew the most attention. "The book, which began life as a journal, was first published in 1978 and then became even more popular, particularly on college campuses, when it was issued as a mass-market paperback two years later", according to the NPR. It was adapted into a film in 1995 and it starred Leonardo DiCaprio. I always will remember the story as giving, arguably, the best portrayal of the progression of the disease of addiction; moreover, it showed people there was a way out if one so chose to do what was needed.

Jim Carroll starting writing poetry at a very young age. "Carroll was in his teens when he first received recognition for his poems, especially "Organic Trains" in 1967 and then "4 Ups and 1 Down" in 1970. Among his other works are collections such as The Book of Nods (1986), Fear of Dreaming (1993) and Void of Course: Poems 1994-1997 (1998)" reports the NPR. You can feel the pain in his words and you can hear his cries for help. So many pop icons have passed away this year it is almost unbelievable. However, it is uplifting to know that Carroll, unlike so many suffering from this disease, remained a productive member of society until the end of his days.

Afghanistan has become Riddled with Drug Addicts

War torn and covered by a blanket of despair, the country of Afghanistan has become riddled with drug addicts. A staggering number of addicts estimated to be 1.5 million, 120,000 of which are females (according to the Ministry of Narcotics) can be seen across the country. The Opium crop in Afghanistan is believed to be the main ingredient in 93 percent of the world's Heroin; despite that fact, there are many advocates attempting to legalize Opium crops throughout the country. The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) has been promoting the legal cultivation of opium for many years. ICOS claims to have no affiliation with global drug companies trying to get a hold on the market for morphine. "Yet ICOS is no longer welcomed by the Afghan government. And, despite ICOS claims, the International Narcotics Control Board counters there is no worldwide shortage of heroin for medical purposes. Nineteen countries legally produce it; only India exports it." according to The Toronto Star.

In the last eight years both the United States and Great Britain have set out to eradicate the Opium fields in Afghanistan; however, despite their best efforts it has done little to curtail the enormous market. "Washington last month announced it was pulling out of the eradication scheme" despite the fact that 18 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces are believed to be Opium-free. Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has said eradication "didn't reduce the amount of money the Taliban got by one dollar. It is almost as if the United States is given up the fight against Opium cultivation and this can only do more harm than good on a global scale.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's domestic drug problem continues out of control while people continue to prosper off the drug. There are very few drug treatment facilities in Afghanistan and entire families are hooked on the drug in one form or another. "These men – and the addicted women shuttered inside their houses, routinely given opium during childbirth, even blowing heroin fumes into the mouths of colicky babies – can see no further than their next fix". Mothers and fathers try and get their children into treatment despite being addicted themselves. Heroin is a much more potent refined form of a Opium which has caused an epidemic in Afghanistan and many other countries as well.

Fortunately for those who suffer from addiction in America the option for treatment is readily available for those who want it. Please share your thoughts with us regarding this subject...

Michael Jackson Death Has Been Ruled A Homicide

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office report on the death of Michael Jackson has finally been released. Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide as a result of the findings. The fact of the matter is that Michael Jackson was indeed a drug addict for many years with ample opportunity to receive help; time and time again he refused help and continued to abuse prescription medication with the help of his doctors and particularly Dr. Conrad Murray who is now most likely facing homicide charges. "I'm a little bit surprised," Jane Brackley of London told MTV News in Times Square. "Then again, you knew he was taking quite a few prescription drugs, and somebody had to give them to him." However, we have to ask ourselves whether or not we charge drug dealers with homicide, let alone attempted homicide, when people overdose and die from the drugs they were sold. Michael Jackson, despite being highly intoxicated, was well aware of the choices he was making and was urged to check into treatment; but, the choice to go to treatment has to be the patients and his doctor (whose salary was $150,000 per month) was not just going stop prescribing Jackson drugs that he was addicted to.

"According to the affidavits lodged with the search warrants, Jackson had a roster of half a dozen doctors who prescribed him drugs, excluding two in Germany who had allegedly introduced him to propofol." reports the Australian On-Line Newspaper. Do we punish all of those doctors or just the one who gave him the medications that Jackson already had a dependency for? While being interviewed by detectives, again according to the Australian: allegedly Dr. Murray said Jackson "was very familiar with the drug (propofol) and referred to it as his 'milk'". Sedatives and pain killers can be extremely dangerous drugs if not properly managed by a doctor who specializes in that field, so it is not all that surprising that something like this happened. Dr. Murray claims that after realizing Jackson's dependence to Propofol he attempted to get him off it. The Australian reports: "He became concerned about the possibility of addiction to propofol and decided to wean Jackson off the drug. For two nights before the death, he administered a different drug cocktail and Jackson was able to sleep. But the night before his death, Dr. Murray gave Jackson Valium at 1am and stayed beside him all night, trying different drugs to induce sleep. Finally, at 10:40am, he relented and gave Jackson propofol." After Jackson stopped breathing it took 82 minutes before an ambulance was called, which clearly shows that Murray knew that he was in trouble and tried everything he could to fix the problem on his own.

One thing seems very clear, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle of Jackson's death and there is not just one responsible party. It is easy to agree with the idea that Murray is liable for the pop star's death, but, to say that one doctor should be charged with homicide for the death of a person who had a lot of help along the way by multiple doctors and even "friends" seems absurd. There is no question in my mind regarding the negligence of Dr. Murray on that fatal night; however, he was given a patient to fix who had already been broken by several other doctors over the years. Michael Jackson's drug addiction was facilitated by many family, friends, and doctors for over twenty years and it was only a matter of time before his disease got the best of him. The question that remains now, is whether we punish the doctors or change the legislation regarding the ability for private doctors to prescribe certain drugs?