Ecstasy-like drug is a killer warns HSSD pharmacist
Saturday 13th August 2011, 2:29PM BST.
Health and Social Services’ chief pharmacist Ed Freestone yesterday urged people to avoid the class A drug PMMA which is similar to ecstasy, pictured, but has killed 19 people in Europe. ( 0495075)
A LETHAL drug, which has already caused 19 deaths across Europe, should not be taken by islanders, HSSD’s chief pharmacist Ed Freestone has warned.
Class A paramethoxymethylamphetamine – known as PMMA – has re-emerged after disappearing from the drug scene for the last 10 years.
However, since it has resurfaced two people have died in Scotland, and there have been further deaths in Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands.
Mr Freestone said the substance was a highly toxic stimulant.
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Unfortunately there will always be some idiots in the world,and indeed in the island, who feel that they cannot get by without smoking, swallowing,injecting,or any other method of inserting unknown poisons into their bodies
Much of this activity is funded by crime against their fellow citizens and businesses.It wrecks lives,devastates families and comes at a very high cost to the taxpayer
This latest highly toxic substance has apparently caused several deaths and I suppose it is HSSD’s duty to warn local smackheads of its potential dangers …. but on the other hand is anyone else thinking what I am thinking?
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Can’t help but agree with Ray – we all make our choices and those that are taking these substances will not take any notice of what HSSD say- they just want a fix. Also with costs being an issue at HSSD who paid for the big ad in the Press about this drug? Could that money not be used elsewhere?
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@Ray.
What a narrowminded and bitter post.
What are you thinking? – that people who are unfortunate to become addicted to drugs ought to be left to kill themselves? Just because it costs you – as a taxpayer – money?
You should keep your bigoted and misinformed opinions to yourself. What do you think that adding your two pence worth is of any value to society? Well let me tell you that as someone who works with those struggling to beat addiciton, judgemental and misinformed opinions like yours – do no good in helping those in need of rehabilitation.
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M
Keep working at it mate.You’ve got a job for life
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M
From what i hear from those who like to dabble in drugs is that they say it`s their body`s and its up to them what they choose to do with them. Ive even seen such comments posted on here.
So its nobody`s business what they choose to do with their own body`s (which i agree with to a point) but many of them are quick to shout about the lack of help (it now becomes others business when it suits)when it all goes wrong.
I wouldn`t put all drug users in the same boat as some are in desperate situations and turn to drugs then there are others who will only use them at certain times and in a responsible manner.
M you could have changed “unfortunate” to stupid eh?.
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M
Please expand on the parts of my post which are misinformed ..
Is it ‘much of this activity is funded by crime’?
Is it ‘ it wrecks lives’?
Is it ‘devastates families’?
Is it ‘ comes at a very high cost to the taxpayer’?
I should think many hundreds of millions have been spent on anti drug education in the last 30 years so I’m not sure that the term ‘unfortunate’ applies to the majority of drug users who find themselves suffering from self inflicted wounds
What happened to the very simple slogan ‘Just say no’?
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30,000 people die each year in the UK from alcohol,and your worried because 19 people in the whole of the EU have died from taking Es.
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Just because some people who use drugs do it “for teh lulz” or “cuz itz my body innit” doesn’t mean that’s why everyone gets into it.
Given the state of the mental health care (or lack of) over here I wouldn’t be at all surprised if people on illegal drugs were simply trying to self medicate. A lot of anti depressants are not actually available from a GP unless you’ve been prescribed them previously by a psychiatrist, and being seen by a psychiatrist can take anything up to 2 years.
It might seem “stupid” to you but unless you’ve had a mental illness or known someone who suffers from one you really cannot comprehend how difficult it makes your life and how desperate you can get. If your that sad that you need something to pick up your mood and you hear that ecstasy is supposed to make you feel happier then what reason do you have no to try it?
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Leliya
I think your post is in response to mine?
First of all my brother suffes from mental illness and he doesn`t take e`s or anything else.
Secondly if you read my post you would see that i did say that there are different reasons for taking drugs like when someone is in a desperate situation.
But the vast majority i would bet take them just because they can or want to try them and those are the ones that i think are stupid, just like i was when i took up smokeing when the only reason was because my mates done it.
Some i have sympathy for but most of them i dont.
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Ray – of course we should warn people. Many otherwise responsible young people try ecstasy occasionally or convince themselves that it is a good thing to do regularly. This does not involve “smackheads”. Whilst most Es are generally safe (in terms of mortality at least – I think that their negative effects on general lifestyle and brain function are worth worrying about) this variety is not, and so the added dangers need to be highlighted
M – we are talking about ecstasy (and similar) drugs here. You cannot paint ecstasy users as unfortunate drug addicts, they take the drug through choice because they like it.
Just a thought – the article is not talking about normal Es, but a particular type which seems to have a high kill rate. Anyway, your thinking appears a bit odd – hundreds of thousands will die in Somalia this year, so on that basis I suppose we should stop bothering to avoid any avoidable deaths, should we?
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All I know is prohibition doesn’t work. Current drug laws aren’t working. We need a change of tact but the holier than thou namby pambys have fairly simple little brains can’t handle change and a bit of pragmatism.
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bcb,
I’m confused by your opinion. Firstly you use the standard islander attitude – “First of all my brother suffes from mental illness and he doesn`t take e`s or anything else.” – as if one person’s experience with one mental illness (of which is a blanket term encompassing anything from Anxiety, to bipolar disorder, to Alzeimers, to Major Depression, to Schizophrenia, to literally any other mental disorder/illness ever…) is applicable to all people who have any mental illness.
But you then say “Secondly if you read my post you would see that i did say that there are different reasons for taking drugs like when someone is in a desperate situation.” – and a desperate situation could be classed as a mental illness such as severe depression or social anxiety where you may feel you have to, or have a severe compulsion to, take the drug to take you away from the world that pains you, or to try to become something/someone different for a while. As someone that’s used alcohol as a way to escape major depression for a long time (which, of course, is an endless loop), and becoming close to a lot of people in the drink/drugs culture, I quickly realised that everyone who takes the drugs (that I met, at least) was doing it to try to fill some kind of gap in their lives; loneliness, depression, physical pain, social anxiety, even just stress – many like to put on this front of just shooting up because they feel like it, but I disagree with your assessment that “the vast majority i would bet take them just because they can or want to try them and those are the ones that I think are stupid” – because that’s just flat out wrong, and frankly, ignorant.
The average drug user, that I’ve met, has been more intelligent by far than the average person on the street, and are often incredibly philisophical and thoughtful on life, and like I said, although they might give off the image that they don’t care and just do it because they can, the reality is, it’s a way to escape from something, in nearly every case that I’ve seen. Perhaps you don’t know anyone effected by drugs, or perhaps you do, but not all that well. There are certain people who do it for the image or for a peer-pressured social status (like you with smoking), but again, this is a way of curing a weak-mindedness and social insecurity that can surely lead to self-detriment.
I think you’re confusing a front put up by certain drug-users as fact, and to be honest, whether it’s the occasional spliff, or the constant injection, there is very, very often a strong and painful reason behind it. Leliya’s post is completely right. You say in your earlier post that people who get caught up in drugs are stupid, but in reality that just exposes you as highly ignorant. Tell that to the future doctor and future dentists that I know, who are battling alcohol and illegal drug dependencies, while putting up the front to their family and work/course-mates that everything is fine. Or the depressed astronomer that has a couple of Russian’s portions of vodka every night when he gets home. You simply cannot lump everyone who gets caught up in drug use irresponsibly into the “from “unfortunate” to stupid eh?.” classification that you suggest…
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Terry I was just making a point.Around 5.4 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco,far more than the number of people who starve to death in Somalia. Cigarettes are openly sold to anyone over the age of sixteen ,30,000 people in the UK die from the use of alcohol each year. If you are caught bringing Es into Guernsey you will be given a long prison sentence (and rightly so),but fags and booze can be legally bought and they are just as dangerous (if not more than banned substances). I was just making a point !
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Just a thought – I know that you were making a point and it has been made a million times before. In my view, the point is misguided and irrelevant.
Despite what some people would have you believe, recreational drug use is still only practised by the minority and is not generally accepted. Being drunk is also not generally accepted except by a minority (most of society does not go out and get smashed on a Saturday night, or reach for the vodka at 10am). So drug use cannot be equated with the responsible use of alcohol but should be equated with the abuse of alcohol. Banning booze would be detrimental to lives of the many millions of people who use it responsibly, and would unfairly punish them. It would be like stopping driving in order to save the lives of people killed by bad drivers.
Tobacco is different as it serves little useful purpose, and a large proportion of smokers would give up if they could. If it was discovered today it would probably be banned, but you cannot just ban it when there are still so many people who have been using it legally. That would be an attack on their civil liberties – hence the gradual efforts to make it fade away.
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Just a thought
So are you proposing we ban everything then??
Because thats worked in the past eh ;0
Terry
You missed one out, surely responsible drug use can be equated with responsible alcohol use.
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Terry ,”So drug use cannot be equated with the responsible use of alcohol but should be equated with the abuse of alcohol. Banning booze would be detrimental to lives of the many millions of people who use it responsibly, and would unfairly punish them. It would be like stopping driving in order to save the lives of people killed by bad drivers.”, what utter drivel ! there is no connection with the use of drugs and driving a car. “Banning booze would be detrimental to lives of the many millions of people who use it responsibly”, you can say the exact same thing of the people who use drugs in the same way.im afraid the pot is now calling the kettle.Steve-O NO!im not saying that all drugs should be banned ,in fact I used cannibis for over 40 years. I was just making a point .People who use alcohol are just the same as any other drug user except they want to make it look different (under the guise of “its legal”)to try to make their consumption respectable.
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Steve-O – no, I missed that out on purpose. I think that there is only one major proscribed drug out there that can be used responsibly – and I am speaking as someone who used drugs recreationally for some time. I realised that I and those around me were not firing on all cylinders. We were having a great time, but we were wasting our potential.
The only exception in my view is cannabis, and even then it is only if taken in very small quantities. I have seen people become permanent mongs as a result of smoking too much of the stuff. At least with booze you throw up and get a hangover which stops most people going too far.
Ecstasy screws you up – not necessarily due to the chemicals, but due to the disrupted sleep. There is only so long you can hold down a decent job while staying up all night at the weekend. And if you’re not staying out all night when taking ecstasy, then what is the point in taking it?
I honestly think that recreational drug use is most equivalent to alcohol abuse rather than alcohol use, and I say that from personal experience, not due to some blinkered reactionary dogma.
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Matt
I was just makeing the point that because there is mental illness involved it doesn`t mean someone will take drugs.
But the ones who feel so desperate for whatever reason that do feel its the only way out or offers relief are the ones i feel sympathy for.
I dont understand what you feel is so confusing about that.
There are another group who knowing all the facts about drugs and what harm they can do will still go on to use them irresponsibly and get themselves hooked, those are the ones i feel are stupid.
How do you know that i am “flat out wrong or ignorant” have you done some kind of survey?.
I have met and know many people who take drugs and i can assure you that most of them take them for the buzz they get, but thats just the ones i know so unlike you i could be wrong and am happy to admit it.
If it is not a stupid act to take and get hooked on drugs what would you rather call it? i dont actually mean the person is stupid but rather a stupid act.
But i suppose being someone who doesn`t do drugs i must be less intelligent than yourself? :)
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Just A Thought
Apologies, I had misinterpreted your posts.
Affter re-reading them I now fully understand your point
I find the arrogance of people who happily drink Red Wine and occasionaly have the odd fag quite breathtaking in the way they will abuse anyone who would have a joint!
Terry
One thing I will say as a response to your post is that everyone is different.
I know people who can just drink and drink, they dont ever throw up, they just carry on, and beleive me, this does effect their ability, potential, brain, liver etc etc. They wouldnt fall into most peoples category of alcohol abuser because its once a week, however its once a week that takes them a good few days to fully recover from and is doing untold damage to their internal organs.
Yes these are exceptional cases, because most people do end up being sick and going home; however I would argue that about Marijuana also. I know people who could smoke and smoke until they decide to stop, however most people I knew (past tense) will “whitey” long before they take enough to have a serious lasting effect.
Similarly with E’s, I know people who have taken them, taken too much and taken a few days to recover, however, the next time they have taken less, so that they can sleep, so that their ability to function the next day isnt impaired. I know people in very senior positions who still do and on Monday morning they are clear headed, motivated and relaying their orders out to their staff, no-one is none the wiser.
This is where I cannot agree with your last paragraph, its possible to take most (clearly not Heroin or Crack for example) substances responsibly, the only difference in most cases is the legal status.
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2 years to see a psychiatrist this is totally untrue depending on the urgency one can be seen almost immediately and there are hundreds of people with mental health problems who do not take illegal substances Leliya you are obviously trying to justify taking drugs and blame the very system that helps those who get in trouble. You have got it mixed up illegal drugs can lead to mental illness not the other way around. Guernsey has an excellent health service and the island doesnt need people like you slandering it when you obviously have no idea what you are talking about.
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I surprised Mr Freestone didn’t recommend some of the online inter-active ecstasy testing sites. These give regular warnings about toxic substances masquerading as ecstasy.
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This wouldn’t happen is E’s or MDMA were legal, and there is no reason why they shouldn’t be.
More people die each year from eating fatty foods or drinking alcohol.
Which rather overshadows deaths from Pot, E’s, Cocaine and ice put together.
Alcohol, tobacco and fatty food cost the tax payer more each year than illegal drugs.
Take a look at this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rational_scale_to_assess_the_harm_of_drugs_%28mean_physical_harm_and_mean_dependence%29.svg
Do note where E’s and Cannabis fall on the chart compared to Tobacco and alcohol wont you?
So if we took E’s and Pot, we would all be happier, there would be less social cost, less personal damage and less addiction – compared to booze and fags. (before someone points it out you don’t have to smoke pot)
If this was legal, dangerous mixes wouldn’t exist, hence my point.
But don’t worry Ray and Karen, I’m sure you will get to keep you ignorant status quo!
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here is one more about the social impact:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HarmCausedByDrugsTable.jpg
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Sanguine
Careful, you have reasoned arguements backed up with fact and research.
We dont like that when it comes to drugs, we prefer unsubstantiated scaremongering as a basis for our opinions.
I’m sure someone will shoot your valid point of view down with nothing more than good old fashioned hearsay and Dogma!
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