What is xylazine, the dangerous new drug fuelling Canada’s opioid crisis?

Re:What is xylazine, the dangerous new drug fuelling Canada’... by arcticbull on Sunday April 09, 2023 @09:13PM (#35508139)

> Portugal’s policy rests on three pillars: one, that there’s no such thing as a soft or hard drug, only healthy and unhealthy relationships with drugs; two, that an individual’s unhealthy relationship with drugs often conceals frayed relationships with loved ones, with the world around them, and with themselves; and three, that the eradication of all drugs is an impossible goal.

> “The national policy is to treat each individual differently,” Goulão told me. “The secret is for us to be present.”

If you want to learn more the article I linked is very good. It goes into great detail and I think covers how long it took to work.

But the reality is it's not just enough to decriminalize, you also have to provide appropriate care. Oregon didn't do what Portugal did - they only did part of it.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:What is xylazine, the dangerous new drug fuelling Canada’... by LawTalkingGuy on Monday April 10, 2023 @01:40AM (#35509496)

Portugal didn't decriminalize, they merely stopped giving criminal records to people who chose and completed rehab. They certainly use the police to apprehend any public drug user.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:What is xylazine, the dangerous new drug fuelling Canada’... by arcticbull on Monday April 10, 2023 @01:43AM (#35509510)

No, they decriminalized. They didn't legalize. It's the subtitle of the article I linked, and if you google for five seconds, you'll see that's what everyone else calls it too. You're welcome to call it whatever you want I guess.

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Re:What is xylazine, the dangerous new drug fuelling Canada’... by LawTalkingGuy on Monday April 10, 2023 @03:29AM (#35509984)

And yet the architect of the Portuguese anti-drug response explains how the courts and police are used to enforce this "decriminalized" system.

Vancouver has taken away the police's ability to confiscate a drug that has just killed someone, or to arrest the dealer. This is directly opposite of what Portugal does, dishonestly borrowing the words without their original meaning or critically the other 90% of the Portuguese response like actual rehab in a drug-free society.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:What is xylazine, the dangerous new drug fuelling Canada’... by arcticbull on Monday April 10, 2023 @03:47AM (#35510063)

That's great, you should take it up with them. Like I said you can call it whatever you want, but to quibble with the common name and the one used it all references to it - you're probably fighting the wrong fight, or at least with the wrong target.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:What is xylazine, the dangerous new drug fuelling Canada’... by LawTalkingGuy on Monday April 10, 2023 @01:37PM (#35514941)

It's the common lie, not the common name. I'll take it up with whoever uses it by showing them how it's not true. Once you realize Portugal uses the law to enforce their "decriminalization" you can't in good faith keep supporting or even repeating the lie yourself.

Our cities, SF, Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, LA, Victoria, etc know they're distorting the meaning by claiming it's what Portugal does. They've been told that they're wrong in this by journalists with experience in Portugal and by the very architect of the Portuguese system and they refuse to choose other language or admit that they are in actuality enacting the exact opposite to Portugal.

[ Parent | on HN ]