Needle Disposal - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

rubecube · 03-26-2007, 02:12 PM

So I just went to use a payphone in the Petro Canada building and I found a used needle on top of the phone. I don't know if it was used for smack or just for insulin, but either way it was absolutely disgusting. I let the building security know about it but I just don't understand why someone would leave it there like that.

Kybosh · 03-26-2007, 02:16 PM

Personally, I don't think there are enough safe needle disposal areas in the city. If they put it in a normal trash can it could easily poke someone handling that trash. The person may have thought they were being considerate. . .

Log · 03-26-2007, 02:23 PM

I heard on the radio today the the Regina Fire Department safely picks up and disposes over 8,000 needles a year that are reported found laying in alley's or where ever.

That is crazy!

SpitFire40 · 03-26-2007, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kybosh

Personally, I don't think there are enough safe needle disposal areas in the city. If they put it in a normal trash can it could easily poke someone handling that trash. The person may have thought they were being considerate. . .

Yeah if they're fricken HIGH... Put it on a public telephone.. that's good. Yeah really considerate.

Drop in in the corner of an alley or something.

GrrlGoalie33 · 03-26-2007, 02:30 PM

Safe injection sites are a good idea...

ken0042 · 03-26-2007, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpitFire40

Drop in in the corner of an alley or something.

Is that really better? Hide it slightly so that somebody with open toed shoes can get poked.

Dion · 03-26-2007, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frankster

Safe injection sites are a good idea...

I'm in agreement. There needs to be more of these sites.

Other than that i'm not sure how you deal with this problem.

Daradon · 03-26-2007, 02:58 PM

Yeah they have a few of those yellow needle drop boxes around Vic Park and the east end of downtown, but I've never really seen any others anywhere else, except for the ones at the airport washrooms

Bring_Back_Shantz · 03-26-2007, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

I'm in agreement. There needs to be more of these sites.

Other than that i'm not sure how you deal with this problem.

See, I'm not entirely sure that that is going to help for a few reasons.

1) I don't like the idea of giving people a place to do something that is destructive and illegal. There's no such thing as a "If you're gonna beat your wife, beat her hear" site, so why should there be one for drugs?

2) Do heavy drug users actually use these sites? I'm fairly certain I'd still avoid them if I was hooked on heroin, on account of the fact that it's still illegal, and I wouldn't want to be doing it out in the open.

What's the solluion? I'm not sure, but I doubt safe injection sites are the answer.

That being said, needle drop boxes are a good idea, for the really slummy places. Of course there is still the problem of dope fiends not being the most considerate folk who will make sure they dispose of their needles properly.

rubecube · 03-26-2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

See, I'm not entirely sure that that is going to help for a few reasons.

1) I don't like the idea of giving people a place to do something that is destructive and illegal. There's no such thing as a "If you're gonna beat your wife, beat her hear" site, so why should there be one for drugs?

Because beating your wife is harming someone other than yourself.

Quote:

2) Do heavy drug users actually use these sites?

Not exclusively but yes.

Quote:

That being said, needle drop boxes are a good idea, for the really slummy places. Of course there is still the problem of dope fiends not being the most considerate folk who will make sure they dispose of their needles properly.

Agreed. I'm not totally sold on safe injection sites either but more drop boxes are definitely needed.

Dion · 03-26-2007, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

See, I'm not entirely sure that that is going to help for a few reasons.

1) I don't like the idea of giving people a place to do something that is destructive and illegal. There's no such thing as a "If you're gonna beat your wife, beat her hear" site, so why should there be one for drugs?

Until a better solution comes alomg safe injection sites are the best alternative we've got. Those that use drugs are going to do it anyway so why not provide a safe place that is away from public areas. Imagine if a child found that needle in the phone booth and he pricked himself with it?

GrrlGoalie33 · 03-26-2007, 03:29 PM

The safe injection site in Van had some sort of agreement with the cops that the users wouldn't get busted...mind you...that kind of describes all of E. Hastings...

JiriHrdina · 03-26-2007, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daradon

Yeah they have a few of those yellow needle drop boxes around Vic Park and the east end of downtown, but I've never really seen any others anywhere else, except for the ones at the airport washrooms

We all like to think that its only the riff-raf that do drugs. The idea of an high ranking oil executive popping into the bathroom to shoot up isn't something society is comfortable with. Which is why you only see the needle drop boxes in the expected areas of town. Though I'm sure cost is a factor as well. To a degree it only makes sense to put the boxes where there is your highest population of users, but I also think there is an image factor to it all.

rubecube · 03-26-2007, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

We all like to think that its only the riff-raf that do drugs. The idea of an high ranking oil executive popping into the bathroom to shoot up isn't something society is comfortable with. Which is why you only see the needle drop boxes in the expected areas of town. Though I'm sure cost is a factor as well. To a degree it only makes sense to put the boxes where there is your highest population of users, but I also think there is an image factor to it all.

That seems silly to me. We all know diabetics and people with other kinds of medical illnesses use needles to take their medicine, so providing a safe disposal for these people in public places would be a courtesy, IMO.

kipperfan · 03-26-2007, 03:34 PM

I cant say for sure as I have never been a addict, nor felt the effects of smack or other such drugs.....but it stands to reason to me that even if the government or the cops say it is "safe" to shoot up at these injection sites...many of the addicts are not going to believe it.....that or they might not want to get high inside of some building with Sally Government watching 10 feet away.

JiriHrdina · 03-26-2007, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rubecube

That seems silly to me. We all know diabetics and people with other kinds of medical illnesses use needles to take their medicine, so providing a safe disposal for these people in public places would be a courtesy, IMO.

Oh I agree...but...that's not what a lot of people think about when they see those yellow boxes.

It's also a public service for those people that work in environments where they encounter used needles. My father worked in the disaster restoration business and would find needles in the most unexpected places.

More needle disposals reduces the risk for these people as well.

rubecube · 03-26-2007, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Oh I agree...but...that's not what a lot of people think about when they see those yellow boxes.

It's also a public service for those people that work in environments where they encounter used needles. My father worked in the disaster restoration business and would find needles in the most unexpected places.

More needle disposals reduces the risk for these people as well.

Yep. Too many people have a bad stigma towards needles and I think it really does damage to the safety precautions that should be taken.

J pold · 03-26-2007, 03:57 PM

So basically this thread breaks down too, rubecube being hopped up on smack and trying to get someone on CP to hide it for him

But seriously folks safe needle disposal is must in this city, in the 4 months I worked downtown I saw about 5 different used needles its just disgusting

kipperfan · 03-26-2007, 04:00 PM

Maybe the Guardian Angels can help pick up the used needles...

Bring_Back_Shantz · 03-26-2007, 04:04 PM

Because beating your wife is harming someone other than yourself.
Clearly that isn't the case. This debate is about how someone was put at risk becasue of a behaviour that he says there should be sanctioned sites for. Besides that, there is the inherant lifestlye that comes with the sort of people that would be using these sites. Mostly homeless and people who are willing to comit crimes to do them. If you can clean up the drug problems, you can clear up these problems, which are at least on par with someone hitting their wives. Sure it's not a direct affect, but I'd wager it's overall detriment to society is much greater. Is doing away with safe injection sites going to do anything about the drug problem? Probably not. But I can guarantee that having sites where drug use is condoned, does absolutley nothing to help the problem. Sure it may make things a little clearner, but it does nothing to fix the fundamental problem. And in my eyes makeing it easier for people to engage in this activity, is likely making the problem worse.

Either way, the comparision I was making is that these are both illegal activities, and making arrangments to say that it is okay to do it in one places sets a dangerous precedent. To me the seem like the same thing. "Doing drugs is horrible, and shouldn't be tolerated.....unless you do it somewhere I can't see you". To me that is no different than "You can't hit your wife in the street like that....take her home and hit her". The similarity is not in who it affects, but the fact that crime is being tolerated as long as it is out of sight.