Unbelievable : Vancouver - drug infestation.

[stinkynuts]

Good point. That seems to be a common attitude with homeless people. I can find a little sympathy for people who have hit rock bottom, even if largely due to their own doing. But that sympathy evaporates quickly when someone has an abrasive attitude as cherry on the pie.
I had a shitty experience like that on one of my trips to Canada. After a good day of business, I treated myself to a nice dinner in one of Montreal's great restaurants. Came out of the place feeling good and on my way to the car I passed by a homeless guy, who was sitting on the sidewalk. I has $15 cash in my pocket as change from the restaurant bill. Felt bad for the guy and handed the $15 dollars to him. He looked at the money while I walked on and he yelled at me: "Why dont you give me $30?" It must have been 4 years ago, but it was the last time I gave anything to a homeless person. And as we say in this hobby, I will not repeat.

Very similar things happened to me, years ago.

I was at a McDonald's and a homeless man asked me to buy him something. I said, "sure", and he said he wanted a Big Mac Meal, plus an extra Big Mac. That was more than I was willing to get him, so I said, "That's too much, can you just get the Big Mac meal?" And he shot back, "That's not too much!" I just ordered my meal, and left him there. He became angry and upset. I felt very bad, but I also was so turned off by his entitlement and lack of gratitude.

Today, I feel guilty. It must be incredibly difficult to be homeless and I had the opportunity to bring a bit of joy in his life. He may have been really hungry, or just wanted to save the other burger for later. And in all honesty, another $5 would not have killed me. Homeless people are homeless for a reason, sometimes it's a mental issue. Not all of us are fortunate to not have mental disease.

 

[bazokajoe]

OK, so the province specifically asked for approval? The feds didn't force it on them? So why exactly is this Justin's fault? Does it not fall on the Premier and various mayors in BC? My point still stands that this isn't JT's fault. If he said no to the province he'd be the bad guy for not allowing provinces to govern. He approved their request so it's his fault?

Yes, of course it's his fault. Should have said no. Plain and simple.

 

[Robert Mugabe]

Many of the homeless people who congregate around Sherbourne and Dundas East know me as 'the water guy', because during the summer months, I hand out a lot of bottles of frozen water to random individuals in the neighbourhood. When someone who didn't get one tells me I'm supposed to give one to everyone, I tell them "I'm not a Care Bear.".

I saw a documentary from around 1948 showing that exact intersection with the winos and bums congregating on the corner. I used to work close to that area in 1979. Same scene.
Watched another documentary filmed in Vancouver also around 1948. Street bums were there in force. One guy said he moved from back east. He described the scenery and climate in Vancouver as being unreal, or whatever phrase was current at the time.
Showed the workers getting off the street cars or trolleys or whatever mode of transport they had then, in the early morning going to work side stepping all the bums, who were at least on their feet and walking, and the bums just bumming around. No tents. Nobody actually living on the sidewalks.

 

[icynaps]

Are you suggesting that people choose to become junkies and addicts? Really?

No, obviously nobody would with their full conscience choose that route. But freedoms come with responsibilities. I am all for the freedom to choose your vices, whether it is drugs, alcohol, gambling or sex. But you have the responsibility not to let it get out of hand to the extent that you negatively impact others. You choose to partake in any of these vices and you choose how far you take it. In my opinion it is your responsibility to make sure you stay away far enough of the point of no return.

If I personalize, gambling never appealed to me. Drugs have been a hard no-go area. I never even tried marihuana because I consider it a gateway to hard drugs. If I stay away from that grey area, I will never come close to junkie / addiction levels. That being said, I do consume alcohol despite the misery that I know it can cause. There are periods in life where I have consumed too much but after bad experiences learnt to set my limits. It is similar with sex which ties into the hobby why we are here on this forum. It is always a great feeling but you have to know your limits. It is a choice how much money and time and emotional involvement you put into it. I have met people who were alcohol, drugs and gambling addicts but until today I can not understand how they got to such a destructive point.

Dont get me wrong, I am not of the mindset that we should not care about addicts. But I dont see addicts as mere innocent victims either. In my view they let it happen. But if you have another opinion or experience, please share. As I mentioned in my post, after watching Painkiller on Netflix, I have changed my view a bit.

 

[onomatopoeia]

 

[icynaps]

 

[icynaps]

 

[Ceiling Cat]

When I was in my first year of high school an organization called SPERA sent a couple of far gone drug addicts to the school to tell the kids not to do what they did. The guy did not have muscle control of his lips when he spoke. His undulating lips barely got the words out. The girls face was pock marked and showed the signs of a hard life. After school that day I was with a bunch of guys, I told them that I would never touch drugs after seeing that. They all said the same, yet a few year later they were all experimenting with weed, hash and other chemical substances. Drugs have always been harmful, but I think today drugs are far more harmful and addictive.

Personally I believe that many drug addicts are far beyond the help that I can give them. You just do not know which ones are dangerous to you. They may cut and slash at you or stab you with a needle. The minds of a substance abuser can be so far gone that the only reason for them to exist is to look for drugs so that they can get high. The reason that addicts sometimes have delusions is because their minds have been damaged and they have been on the constant search for drugs for so long that they have not had enough sleep for weeks. The combination of these two conditions can cause their minds to have dreams while they are awake. An example of this is in the first post on the video there was a drug addict picking up leaves thinking it was money. In another delusional episode they may do harm to innocent people.

When you can see addicts that are bent over with distorted and deformed spines from methamphetamine, fentanyl, crack cocaine use, in what condition are their minds.

 

[Insidious Von]

The irony of Fentanyl, it's saved more lives than taken away.

Fentanyl was first developed as a heart procedural drug to replace morphine. Prior to fentanyl the death rate from stent placement was at 40%+, morphine was too unpredictable. With fentanyl, the death rate from stent placement has dropped to 3%. It is a blotto drug, you are in a zombie state as the stent is being inserted. It is commonly given for open heart surgery.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7880850/

 

[dirtyharry555]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1726295370375033004

 

[silentkisser]

Trudeau has normalized the use of drugs.

First with the legalization of weed and allowing it to be smoked absolutely anywhere, even driving down the road.

To now making possession of hard drugs legal, further encouraging more drug use. And no longer enforcing any laws with respect to trafficking.

Ummm....No. First, you cannot legally smoke pot in public (only in the privacy of your own home) and you sure as fuck cannot drive while puffing a J. Who ever told you this was legal is an idiot. Now....are the cops arresting people who are sparking up a blunt on Yonge St.? Probably not. But I am sure if they saw you smoking pot while driving, they'd throw the book at you.

As for normalizing drugs, I don't think anyone has done that. I supported the legalization of pot, after all, its a mostly harmless drug and causes fewer social issues than alcohol. But, the government FUCKED it up by making it too expensive. Now, on one hand, you know you're getting pot that won't be laced with pesticides or fentanyl, but they made street pot appear cheaper...

 

[bazokajoe]

Ummm....No. First, you cannot legally smoke pot in public (only in the privacy of your own home) and you sure as fuck cannot drive while puffing a J. Who ever told you this was legal is an idiot. Now....are the cops arresting people who are sparking up a blunt on Yonge St.? Probably not. But I am sure if they saw you smoking pot while driving, they'd throw the book at you.

As for normalizing drugs, I don't think anyone has done that. I supported the legalization of pot, after all, its a mostly harmless drug and causes fewer social issues than alcohol. But, the government FUCKED it up by making it too expensive. Now, on one hand, you know you're getting pot that won't be laced with pesticides or fentanyl, but they made street pot appear cheaper...

You sure about smoking pot in public is illegal?
I think it is.
Click on the public use section.

Cannabis - What's legal?

Information about what cannabis is legal in Canada and what's not.

www2.gov.bc.ca

 

[silentkisser]

You sure about smoking pot in public is illegal?
I think it is.
Click on the public use section.

Cannabis - What's legal?

Information about what cannabis is legal in Canada and what's not.

www2.gov.bc.ca

Ok, I may have been mistaken. I thought you could only puff in the comfort of your own home, but apparently you can do it wherever cigarettes are allowed to be smoked....with the exception of a motorized vehicle (even if you are the passenger).