In November 2020, Oregon voters elected to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs, including heroin and cocaine. State-wide treatment centres would enable addiction to be handled as a healthcare, rather than a law enforcement issue. Law enforcement officers now report a drug-driven increase in criminality including assaults, possession of illegal firearms and prostitution on Oregon streets. Officers report a single arrest during which 500 fentanyl pills, 44 firearms, two of which were machine guns, and 1,000 grams of methamphetamine were seized. Further, criminal organizations operating in these areas have been largely legitimized through the adopted measures and gun violence has increased, with drug legalization having created an environment in which criminality is tolerated and is able to flourish.
LIFEAlerts
Fentanyl Drives Opioid Overdose Death Epidemic (USA)
In 2021 there were over 76,975 overdose deaths attributed to opioids (CDC) in the United States. Opioid deaths have increased nationwide in recent years the CDC reports that “…increases in synthetic opioid-involved deaths are being driven by increases in fentanyl-involved overdose deaths.” Fentanyl deaths are now on the rise among teens. According to a study conducted by JAMA, adolescent drug rates didn’t change much over the last decade (+ 0.2 percent between 2010 and 2020). Yet, overdose deaths among teens grew exponentially, with the overdose mortality increasing by 94.03% from 2019 to 2020 and then again by 20.05% from 2020 to 2021. The study found that fentanyl use among adolescents was “identified in 77.14% of adolescent overdose deaths.”.
Legalisation of Cannabis: Use Among College Students Hits a Record High (USA)
In 2020 cannabis use among college students reached its highest level during the 21st Century. The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s 2020, Monitoring the Future study, tracking substance use in adults between the ages of 19 and 22, revealed that in 2020 44% of college students used cannabis in the last year, compared with 38% in 2015. Of that number 8% admitted to “heavy” usage. Cannabis use is likely to increase among this and younger age groups, as it has become legal in many states. Nearly half of people 12 years old or older in the United States have used cannabis at least once in their lives, according to NIDA statistics, and almost 17% of all adults are current users.
Pornography is harmful and we need a new public health approach to it – as with alcohol and tobacco (UK)
Sophia Worringer, a parliamentary researcher, claims that pornography is harmful and must be treated with a public health approach. She asks the question that if pornography was not harmful as some people claim, why then did the Parish incident (Member of Parliament watching porn) spark such a public outpouring. Many women feel threatened when hearing that pornography has been viewed in their presence because they know the degrading and damaging nature of its essence. It is also difficult to separate the expansion of the multi-billion dollar pornography industry from the trafficking of young women and children around the world. Pornographic online videos, open the door for exploitation and abuse. Pornography is not passive. It changes expectations of sex, removes sex from consenting loving relationships, and rewires your brain meaning you are always wanting more.
LGBTQ+ Friendly Policy Set for Western Cape Schools in Near Future (South Africa)
The Western Cape’s Education Department’s (WCED) contentious gender identity and sexual orientation policy will be signed and adopted before the end of this year. Ground-breaking guidelines would make schools more inclusive and supportive for LGBTQ+ pupils. It allows pupils to dress in a uniform that matches their gender identity, makes provision for a unisex bathroom, also allows pupils to bring a same gender partner to school events (matric dances) and, “regardless of sexual orientation”, encourages pupils of all sexual orientations in school sports, free from bullying, harassment and discrimination. The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) welcomed the move. The guidelines are not formerly drafted as yet.
Assisted suicide laws increase suicide rates, especially among women (UK)
Posner argued: People who have no immediate wish to die by suicide get reassurance from knowing that they can exercise the option of suicide at some point in the future. The study used data from ten US states that implemented an assisted suicide law up to the end of 2019. Assisted suicide laws increase total suicide rates by about 18% overall and 40% for women and unassisted suicides about a 6% increase overall, 13% increase for women. One interpretation that women are more affected is that the higher take-up of assisted suicide reflects women being empowered to take control over end-of-life decisions. The other is the disempowerment of those who are more vulnerable to social pressure to die by suicide.
Assisted suicide bill rejected in Connecticut (USA)
Assisted suicide has been rejected in Connecticut for the tenth time, after a close vote by senators on the State General Assembly’s judiciary committee. The disability rights group Second Thoughts Connecticut and The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition USA strongly opposed the plans. They warned “offering suicide prevention to most people while offering suicide assistance to an ever-widening subset of disabled people is lethal disability discrimination”.
Application in the South Gauteng High Court to legalise euthanasia (South Africa)
Palliative care doctor Suzanne Walter and her patient Diethelm Harck started a court case to legalise euthanasia in South Africa. Walter was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2017, while Harck was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2013. Both wish to end their lives when they feel they cannot handle their illnesses any more. Due to their medical conditions, special arrangements were made in March for the evidence of Harck and Walter to be heard first via a commission headed by Judge Neels Claassen. Their application for an order directing the government to enact legislation which will allow for physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, is due to proceed in the South Gauteng High Court for six weeks from May 3.
Paediatricians respond to HHS assistant secretary Levine Gender transition surgeries are harmful to kids (America)
The American College of Paediatricians was founded to protect the health and well-being of children. None of our member paediatricians or health care professionals support social, medical, and surgical interventions which attempt to change the persona of the child to appear as the opposite sex. Each one of these modalities are proven to do far more harm than good. Instead of relying on the breadth of established scientific research, HHS Assistant Secretary Levine has obviously chosen to only rely on the weakest of references while ignoring the most valid science.”
European Court of Human Rights declares no right to assisted suicide (France)
The ECHR points out in a judgment opposing a Danish euthanasia activist, Mr. Lings, to the justice of his country that the European Convention on Human Rights man “does not enshrine the right to assisted suicide”. Svend Lings, an activist doctor, was sentenced in September 2018 for having prescribed lethal products to two people who wanted to commit suicide. He claimed to be the victim of a violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights relating to freedom of expression. The judges of the ECHR considered that freedom of expression was not in question. The Court further held that the Danish state indeed had a duty to protect the most vulnerable members of society.