Posts by Russell Brown
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I do like the Daily Rupert …
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PS: I’ve copy-pasted the quoted passages straight out of the original posts, hyperlinks and all, and many of those links are now dead. I guess there’s a lesson there about the nature of internet permanence. Everything is somewhere, but it might not be where you left it.
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A little more on MDMA's safety, from MAPS:
MDMA is not the same as "Ecstasy" or "molly." Substances sold on the street under these names may contain MDMA, but frequently also contain unknown and/or dangerous adulterants. In laboratory studies, pure MDMA has been proven sufficiently safe for human consumption when taken a limited number of times in moderate doses.
I guess the question is how you regulate for "a limited number of times" in the field. Does everyone get a limited number of Best Nights Ever?
I think it can pretty persuasively be argued that regulation of dosages would significantly decrease harm though, especially in Europe, where pills can currently (and unexpectedly) be crazy-strong. It'd still be hard to stop some people necking five of them, but it would be five of a known quantity.
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Hard News: Drug Intelligence, in reply to ,
All good questions. It's hard to conceive of LSD being sold without some duty of care in the bargain.
Of course, what can definitively be said is that LSD is much safer than the NBOMe drugs being sold as "LSD" at the moment.
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Hard News: Drug Intelligence, in reply to Shane Le Brun,
So what MoDA regulated products would pass the low risk test, MDMA? Cannabis? shrooms? BZP?
Cannabis would be the obvious one and the Act provides a decent structure for its regulated sale– but it could fall foul of the "low risk of harm" test as a smokeable product.
There's a fair bit of evidence that could be ranged as to MDMA's harms. But it's less harmful than any of the analogues or substitutes that moved into the market when its supply was constrained by the drug control system. It's quite the philosophical problem.
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Hard News: Drug Intelligence, in reply to Thomas Lumley,
Acetone isn’t especially toxic
Wellllll ... drinking a half a glass if it will probably kill you.
and it’s extremely volatile, so if the leaves aren’t actually damp there’s probably no more than a trace present. And it’s extremely flammable, so it will go up in the smoke.
Also, I’m pretty sure that acetone has always been one of the solvents of choice for synthetic cannabis even back in the days when it was the less-nasty JWH series of compounds being used.
Yeah, good point.
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A winter sunset from Westmere yesterday. I missed the big fiery orb by about 120 seconds, but it’s still pretty nice.
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Hard News: Back in Christchurch, in reply to Sacha,
Word returns
Yep! I had a little meeting with Rachael King while I was there. Totally amped for that weekend.
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Hard News: Back in Christchurch, in reply to Jeanette King,
Kia ora, Jeanette.
So, this is a Pollyanna post – and not to brush over all the pain that has happened and continues. Nevertheless, I feel that I’m getting to live in a new city without having moved.
That's a very valid point. There is something exciting about the rebuild. It's just a shame central government has let the city down so badly.
Just to add: we couldn’t have survived without the gap filler art and events – the sudden serendipity and joy that brought/brings was what we needed. Never let anyone say that the arts aren’t essential.
Tautoko that! I really felt good about the art gallery being back in business too.
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Hard News: Monday Music! Outrageously right, in reply to Emma Hart,
As they started mixing in the real footage of that day, I found myself starting to tense.
Interesting story there. TVNZ treats its library material as a commercial asset and it's very expensive to buy. The breakthrough came when the keepers of Merata Mita's estate were able to give permission to use footage from Patu!.
Merata's generosity helped NZ On Screen a great deal in its early days. It's nice to know she's helping even now she's not with us.
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