Drug Awarneness Groups:
Mark.
following information.
Below are links of two drug awareness groups. These have been set up
mainly to warn people about the widespread use of Cannabis at house
parties along with the suspected dangers of the drug for certain
people with mental-health (or potential mental-health) conditions.
The theme here revolves around the fact that a number of people who
partake in such activities are mental health workers themselves!
1. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/againstcannabisandmarijuana/
2. http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Against-Cannabis_Keep_Yourself_Safe/
In the ‘Againstcannabis_Keep_Yourself_Safe’ group, (link 2), there is
a case study of a service-user whom was actually invited to a house
party by mental-health workers, who then offered them the drug.
Someone else at the party had made them feel stupid for not knowing
that Cannabis would be on the premises.
I appreciate that to many this just tells you what you already know,
however, the case study is based on a true story of a person who
didn’t know what to expect. If it can happen to one person it can of
course happen to others also.
Due to this, I urge people to not just assume that everyone would know
this in advance. Also please think on, if there is anyone you know who
might possibly benefit from this information. It may not seem like
much but it could make a big difference for someone. (For example
someone may be too embarrassed to admit that they didn’t know the drug
would be being used and fear that exposure to this may effect their
mental health).
There is the even more serious aspect of long-term community sections,
which work in a similar way to parole from prison. As Cannabis is
illegal, people unfortunate enough to be on such sections could
literally face years on a secure ward if caught in the possession of
the drug! If that sounds too far-fetched then I am sorry, but it is
true!!
Others on these types of sections sometimes have to give random urine-
samples and if they have been next to a group of people partaking in a
drug such as Cannabis (which is after-all airborne), then they run an
outside risk of testing positive due to passive smoking. Again this
could have disastrous implications for those on certain sections.
Please also see this website: http://nagasartcommunity.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/hello-world/#comments
A staff member who works (or at least used to work) at the above
Mental-Health Project smoked Cannabis around a service-user. I have
added a comment on each of the pages, in a similar way to here to try
and get the message across. My message appears at the bottom of the
page.
(If those on the site remove the above messages, I shall re-submit
them on each of the pages, as soon as I can!).
Regards,
Mark.