Why do I have to pay for Party Pills?
Greymouth man Ben Rodden has been hospitalised after taking Party Pills. Thankfully, it looks like he will survive, although he may have permanent brain or organ damage. (Let's hope not.) But in the meantime it's taken a lot of effort by the public health system to keep him alive.
One of the arguements put forward by those opposed to a ban on Party Pills and other substances is that it's the personal choice of the pill taker/joint smoker/shooter to ruin their lives. (And their choices can ruin the lives of others when they have irrational reactions while their mind is fried - but that's another matter.)
But I choose not to use drugs and I drink moderately - I didn't become an All Black so I rely on my brain to make money - but I'm left picking up the tab for people like Mr Rodden who have bad reactions or overdose on drugs.
If drug users had to pay for all the medical costs they incur from their choices, and if their brains fogged up so much they wouldn't get a Sickness Benefit, I could have some sympathy for the personal choice arguement.
One of the arguements put forward by those opposed to a ban on Party Pills and other substances is that it's the personal choice of the pill taker/joint smoker/shooter to ruin their lives. (And their choices can ruin the lives of others when they have irrational reactions while their mind is fried - but that's another matter.)
But I choose not to use drugs and I drink moderately - I didn't become an All Black so I rely on my brain to make money - but I'm left picking up the tab for people like Mr Rodden who have bad reactions or overdose on drugs.
If drug users had to pay for all the medical costs they incur from their choices, and if their brains fogged up so much they wouldn't get a Sickness Benefit, I could have some sympathy for the personal choice arguement.
posted by Michael at
9:20 PM
6 Comments:
Ok, just ignoring the "fried brains" comment - which shows a poor level of knowledge on "drugs" in general - the fact is that everyone pays their taxes, and for the most part people will not get value for money in return.
Taxes spent on the health system are invariably used up by a minority, and even if this one guy took an ill-advised mixture of MDMA and party pills, why is that any different to someone who is hospitalised after falling from a horse, or into the sea while fishing from rocks, or any other number of pastimes? A lot of people hurt themselves doing things that I have no interest in, but certainly don't begrudge them their stay in hospital. That you choose to focus on this one man shows that you are being played for a mug by a sensationalist media who focus on a few isolated cases of misuse, rather than the fact that 24 million pills have been consumed so far with no problems whatsoever.
By
Richard, at 2:07 PM
One man? See href="http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/118-1227/1784/"this medical article describing 3 patients having brain seizures after having party pills and the number of emergency admissions in 3 months in Christchurch during 2004. It includes the quote "BZP appears to induce toxic seizures in neurologically normal subjects".
In addition the study says "users should not drive for at least 8 hours after ingesting BZP" - how many more admissions have been classified as 'road accidents'?
I should point out that I consider taking party pills as a reckless behaviour, just like drunk driving, just like fishing off rocks at Piha where there are signs advising you not to do so, just like going tramping while ill-prepared, like cycling/horse riding without correct safety equipment.
If you do anything like that, you should get the bill for the emergency services you use, or case others to use. I'm not just picking on Party Pills here.
By
Michael, at 9:51 AM
Yep Michael, you don’t need to sympathise when it’s someone’s personal choice to ingest something that results in a prolonged hospital stay in an induced coma - lungs, kidneys, liver and possibly brain damaged. You can also choose not to be concerned about how many of your hard-earned tax dollars are going into the big medical health box of money to pay for Ben’s care and possibly ongoing treatment. You don’t have to choose to feel any empathy for his friends who also suffered because of where he's ended up, or when another of their friend’s died a week before Xmas because he also chose to take too many pills in the name of “getting on the waste”. You don’t have to choose to use Ben’s plight as a lead-in to your opinions and tell us what a good boy you were/are for choosing not to over-indulge in the consumption of alcohol. However, you could choose to tell us how sensible and moderate you were 10 to 20 years ago. Were you making choices rationally when you were a young ‘un? I know these kids and I've seen them over-indulge because that’s what a lot of their generation is doing and it's “normal” and they're told the stuff is harmless. There are more readily available ingestible substances out there than I could poke a stick at and they're all easily accessible and relatively cheap. None of them stop to think that they might collapse and die, or end up in hospital because of their choice. However, there are a few of Ben and Tim’s friends who are reconsidering what they are doing and how they are doing it. They’re learning to make ‘better’ choices the hard way, and I’m sure you’ll be relieved if your tax dollars don’t have to be wasted on any more wasted youth…
Have a go at the armchair greenies, professional protesters and soap opera politicians and their beehive shenanigans, (if you haven’t already). They’re always provocative and worth a laugh. Besides that, they're grown ups who have supposedly learned the art of choosing for the best possible outcomes...
By
Dayglozine, at 3:14 PM
I don't know Mr Rodden but at 23 you'd hope that someone had enough sense about using drugs to realise that the side effects can be serious - I certainly did and chose not to use drugs except moderate amounts of alcohol at that age (and earlier). I've drunk too much on occasion, but apart from embarassing myself once or twice, I've never spent a night in hospital since I was a new born baby.
My point is that all those resources could have been used treating those who didn't make choices to be in the position they're in - like those with cancer or needing joint replacements. Instead our hospitals are full of people who put themselves there.
And if we all knew someone who couldn't go out on Saturdays because they were still paying off a hospital bill we'd think twice about some of our more foolish actions.
Finally - If you don't like what I say, don't read it anymore. I've stopped reading Jordan's blog because he's so grumpy!
By
Michael, at 6:48 PM
Come on Michael, everyone blogs because they want the kind of attention this is getting.
As far as the three brain seizure patients go, that's hardly much of a climb from one is it? There have still be 24 million party pills consumed since they came on the market - even if there had been hundreds of incidents, it would still be an insignificant minority.
You should also beware of weasel words from people quoted in newspapers - a doctor saying that BZP "appears to induce toxic seizures" is an opinion not based on any scientific study. Even proper studies disagree on the effects. Your comment on the effect BZP has on driving is a case in point, as one study has concluded that it actually improves driving.
Finally, as far as reckless behaviour goes, well that's a grey area. Pretty much all the reports I've read on the matter suggest that problems occur when the pills are used incorrectly. If we stopped marginalising drug use, and actually told people the truth, they could be better informed about proper usage. Well informed and prepared drug users are not a problem to society.
By
Richard, at 11:51 AM
Actually I'd like to correct my previous comment a little as I initially couldn't get your link to work. I notice that you have quoted a proper study, fair enough. My comments on being careful about what you read in papers still stand though.
However, there's a section in that study that outlines what I was saying about being informed and prepared:
"Those with seizure disorders or coronary disease should avoid BZP as should those taking prescription sympathomimetics or anticholinergics. Coingestion with MDMA or amphetamine should also be cautioned against."
This is exactly what I'm getting at. Instead of emphasising this important information, it's passed over in favour of a prohibition message that doesn't work.
By
Richard, at 11:58 AM
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