Recreational Drugs
Portugal, once lauded for decriminalizing drug possession, is now mired in addiction and social decay.
Anthony Faiola and Catarina Fernandesgave Washington Post readers’ snapshots of the port city of Porto in their July 7, 2023 article, “Once hailed for decriminalizing drugs, Portugal is now having doubts.”
“Addiction haunts the recesses of this ancient port city, as people with gaunt, clumsy hands lift crack pipes to lips, syringes to veins. Authorities are sealing off warren-like alleyways with iron bars and fencing in parks to halt the spread of encampments. A siege mentality is taking root in nearby enclaves of pricey condos and multimillion-euro homes,” reads the catchy opener.
…
Read More“Craziest thing I’ve ever heard,” Mr. Ford said. “Go out to Vancouver, go out to San Francisco.”
“I will do everything I can to fight this,” stated the premier. “Again, this goes up to the federal government. They cannot be following up with [this] request,” the premier said on July 14 while appearing on 640 Toronto, a radio show with Alex Pierson.
…
Read MoreThe drug cartels in Mexico are operating on an “industrial scale,” according to an official at the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
“Mexican cartels have taken over fentanyl production,” Steven Cagen, an assistant director for countering transnational organized crime at Homeland Security Investigations, told a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday.
…
Read MoreThe Liberal government has pledged over $20,000 in taxpayer funding to a project devoted to raising awareness about “chemsex” – the practice within the LGBTQ+ community of using hard drugs like meth and cocaine to increase sexual activity.
A total of $21,031 in funding was provided to SafeLink Alberta Society by Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) on top of $108,159 already dished out to fund the “Chemsex Awareness Project.”
…
Read MoreA 44-year-old mother of two was innocently walking along Toronto’s Queen St. East last Friday afternoon when she was gunned down by a trio of men likely having a turf battle over a drug deal.
Tragically, Karolina Huebner-Makurat, a mother of two young girls, succumbed to her injuries en route to hospital.
She was caught in the crossfire while walking to get lunch, reports say.
…
Read MoreProviding a safer supply of drugs to those with addictions is akin to “abandoning Albertans,” said the province’s mental health and addictions minister
While announcing a 75-bed opioid recovery centre on the Tsuut’ina reserve, the First Nation’s chief and provincial leaders rejected the notion of using a safer drug supply to stem an increasing number of fatal overdoses.
…
Read MoreAlberta Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams took a political swing at the federal government on Monday after the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 declared a state of emergency requesting immediate support due to the opioid crisis.
Williams said every day the deadly disease of addiction devastates families and destroys communities in Alberta and across North America, and this is especially true in First Nations communities.
…
Read MoreMental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett announced the Canadian government will be allocating more than $20 million for 42 projects in Western Canada to tackle addiction.
“The toxic drug and overdose crisis in Canada, resulting from an increasingly toxic illegal drug supply, is heartbreaking for family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbours across Canada,” said Bennett in a Thursday press release.
“As we mourn those we have tragically lost, we must also commit to working together to further reduce the stigma around substance use and support communities in their efforts to reduce harms and save lives.”
…
Read MoreMore than 2.5 million youth used vaping products in 2022, including 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students. Most use flavored e-cigarettes. Fruit flavors are the most popular, followed by candy and dessert flavors
Flavored e-cigarettes appear to be the most harmful. Research shows vaping with mango- or mint-flavored pods increases the inflammatory process in multiple organ systems, with the most striking changes happening in the brain, which may contribute to behavior changes and mood disorders
…
Read MoreDr. Christopher Palmer, a Harvard professor of psychiatry, has been connecting the dots of thousands of research articles regarding the relationship between mental illness and mitochondrial dysfunction. According to Dr. Palmer, this collective research raises concerns about the current treatments used for mental disorders.
“We have hundreds of cases of people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia putting their illnesses into remission. Scientists are pursuing this. We have at least 10 controlled trials of the ketogenic diet for serious mental illness underway now. One is getting ready to publish their pilot trial results soon,” Dr. Palmer said.
…
Read More