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A comment on British Columbia to recriminalize use of drugs in public spaces. Parent comment

Re:British Columbia to recriminalize use of drugs in public ... by jmyeet on Friday April 26, 2024 @11:57PM (#40177077)
This reeks of the American brain rot that views poverty as a personal moral failure. Some might couch it as "wealth is the result of hard work and talent". The latter is known as the myth of meritocracy. Those are two sides of the same coin.

Luckily, we have studies we can rely on rather than feelings or Youtuber anecdata eg [1]:

> In many instances, substance abuse is the result of the stress of homelessness, rather than the other way around. Many people begin using drugs or alcohol as a way of coping with the pressures of homelessness

[1]: https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/homeless

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:British Columbia to recriminalize use of drugs in public ... by BytesAndGears on Saturday April 27, 2024 @04:29AM (#40178327)
I know it’s just more anecdata, but that just does not match my experience at all. I’ve known over a dozen people who have struggled with this over the years, become homeless, had drug overdoses, and several who’ve died.

Every single one of them had a home when they started using the hard drugs, and many had a home through most of their addiction, and only became homeless after the addiction had progressed to severe levels.

If most people have personal experience like mine, then maybe there are issues with the research (people blaming their personal failings on things outside of their control, for example)

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:British Columbia to recriminalize use of drugs in public ... by squigz on Saturday April 27, 2024 @04:47AM (#40178428)
> If most people have personal experience like mine

This seems anecdotal too. Very meta.

In any case, I'd rather trust actual research rather than a random HN user and what they feel most people's experiences are like.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:British Columbia to recriminalize use of drugs in public ... by mistercheph on Saturday April 27, 2024 @08:53AM (#40179580)
It is silly to think that question is one that can be investigated by scientific inquiry. The only thing that study (which you haven't linked to) reveals are the opinions of those who funded it.
[ Parent | on HN ]