Resiliency, Substance Use & Sustainable Development Goals – A brief overview of impacts of AOD on no less than 14 of the 17 stated S.D.G’s and the imperative of building and sustaining resilient communities. 

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Sagely Speaking PODCAST| Guest: Harvard Medical Dr. Bertha Madras – Psychedelics, Cannabis & Rescheduling

No mention of preventing drug use engagement. No mention of active drug use exiting recovery. No real mention of rehabilitation processes. No mention of ongoing unaccountable harms generated by ‘normalised’ substance use narratives.

However, we do have more mechanisms being added to seemingly continue ongoing substance use.

Whilst Opioid SubsttuteTreatments (OST) have validity, without a sunset clause harnessed to a rehabilitative exit from substance use, then these vehicles are just replacing one humanity diminishing and still addictive substance, with another. Many recovering substance users refer to such treatments as ‘enslaving’, with many going to 12 step groups to get help to exit their new addiction.

#HarmReduction is supposed to the important, but last resort pillar in the National Drug Strategy. It was always meant to be a vehicle of damage management only, whilst facilitating exit from drug use. It was never meant to be hijacked by pro-drug activists who cynically use mantras like ‘saving lives’ to further their drug use normalisation agenda.

Concerningly the misuse of the, all important ‘saving lives’ focus, has meant the gold standard of Harm Reduction is never looked at, let alone worked toward. The gold standard of care is supposed to be better health, well-being that only drug use exiting recovery will bring. Avoiding death is only a very basic starting point, it is not a strategy for recovering the life those caught in addiction need and want assistance to achieve.

True harm reduction practitioners hate substances and what they do to not only the hapless drug dependant individual, but the wrecking ball it is to families and their communities. Drug use normalisation has no part in their deliberations and strategies.

The simple matrix that all drug policy strategies or interpretations should be put through, if not before implementation, then certainly in review is the following.

Does this policy and/or practice…

Reduce, Remediate, or facilitate Recovery from substance use?

Or does it

Enable, Equip, Empower or worse Endorse, ongoing substance use.

For the sake of those caught in the tyranny of addiction and their families – and for those young dabblers who have bought the normalisation narrative of drug use being  ‘normal experimental’ behaviour and are only in the ‘fun’ stage of courting addiction, we need to have a comprehensive health plan that reduces, delays and/or denies drug use.

Dalgarno Institute

See Also

• Drug Policy: Prevent Don’t Promote - Changing the Narrative Video Series
• TASKING THE NATIONAL HEALTH STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY WELL-BEING.

In observance of World Earth Day, the conversation around environmental impact has taken a sharp turn to address the burgeoning issues surrounding the cultivation and legalization of cannabis. The latest reports draw an inseparable link between this practice and the deterioration of public environmental health.

An authoritative analysis by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reveals that the carbon footprint of indoor cannabis cultivation is colossal, landing between 16 and 100 times greater than its outdoor counterpart. This difference stems from the energy-intensive nature of artificial cultivation environments. Similarly, laboratory-produced drugs such as cocaine leave a carbon trace 30 times wider than that of cocoa bean production.

The environmental ramifications of these findings are profound. Deforestation and rapacious water usage associated with the illicit cultivation of cannabis significantly contributes to these adverse effects. This hazardous pattern propagates unfavorably, affecting not only human communities but the entirety of the Earth's ecosystems. The UNODC report raises the alarm that other organisms and animals suffer indirectly due to such practices, which ultimately imbalance the delicate food chain.

Our reports inform us that while the cannabis industry burgeons and cannabis stocks soar amid North American and global legalization waves, there's a silent crisis unfolding. Advances in the market are in stark contrast with the escalating ecological footprint, further illuminated by wastewater studies that indicate tracking cannabis use is fraught with challenges.

In an attempt to contextualize the individual's accountability and the cannabis industry's responsibility within the climate change discourse, a recent journal article frames a compelling question. Which came first – the chicken of escalating drug demand driven by addiction and self-medication or the egg of catastrophic environmental damage propelled by drug cultivation and production?

The Dalgarno Institute, acutely focused on the intersection of public health and environmental stewardship, highlights the perils of normalized cannabis usage amidst such dire environmental consequences. It stands firm in its commitment to educating the community and legislatures about the net negative impact of cannabis growth on our planet's wellbeing—both ecological and human. On a day meant to galvanize action towards sustainability and respectful coexistence with nature, we are urged to consider the broader, often concealed, consequences of cannabis legalization.

In keeping with our duty to the community, it is essential for all stakeholders involved, from legislators to consumers, to closely examine the tangible repercussions of their choices. We must commit to the protection of our environment, fortify against public health decline, and resist the allure of unverified, and in many cases, clearly failed ‘Cannabis liberalisation’ solutions to the detriment of planetary health and a growing number of its most vulnerable citizens. As we move forward, the imperative for authentic, serious discourse on the environmental impact of cannabis cultivation is clear. The call to act responsibly and decisively has never been more urgent.

In light of these revelations, the Dalgarno Institute reiterates the urgency of integrating environmental consciousness into our policy-making and communal behaviors. Acknowledging the data presented by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that highlights the severe environmental implications of indoor cannabis cultivation and synthetic drug manufacturing, our conversation must pivot towards sustainable practices. Similarly, the alarming connections between drug demand, addiction, and environmental degradation necessitate a more profound communal and legislative introspection. It is no longer viable to overlook the ecological footprint associated with the drug industry, especially in the context of cannabis legalisation accelerating pace worldwide.

The challenge lies not only in advocating for policy change but also in fostering a collective responsibility towards environmental stewardship. At the very least we must encourage a transition to outdoor cultivation methods for cultivation of cannabis product for legitimate medicines, that significantly reduce carbon footprints and implement stringent regulations for waste management in drug production. Additionally, supporting research into sustainable licit drug cultivation and production practices can pave the way for innovations that align with our environmental goals.

Our commitment to the environment and public health emphasises the need for informed choices and actions. By recognizing the intricate link between our habits, industries, and the planet's health, we can begin to mitigate the adverse effects highlighted in the UNODC report. Together, as a community invested in the future of our planet, we call for a concerted effort to reevaluate and adjust our practices in favour of a more sustainable and healthy world.

The Dalgarno Institute's engagement with World Earth Day is not merely a call to action but a reminder of our shared responsibility to heal and protect our planet. Through education, policy reform, and community efforts, we can reduce demand and subsequently counter the negative impacts of drug cultivation and production on the environment. It is imperative that we act now, with conviction and collaboration, to ensure a thriving planet for future generations. Team @ Dalgarno Institute

“It’s a national disgrace, and it’s time we do something about it!...There is no doubt it is getting worse. We are seeing data that high-risk family violence filed in our courts was thought to be around 38%, but it’s more like 60%...” The First Round Table of The Federal Circuit & Family Court of Australia

(D.I Commentary – The siloing of violence from alcohol and other drug use and the often behavioural atrocities these, if not facilitate, then intensify is not merely an act of cognitive dissonance; rather it appears almost protective of the vociferous minority of drug use promoting activists agenda to liberalise greater substance use in our culture.  The correlation between greater and greater ‘permission’ models for substance use and the consequentially growing demand these models precipitates, is only adding to this crisis of family violence and neglect. UQLD has just released research confirming what we already intiuitively knew, that abuse by parents/care givers triples the chances of those children being admitted to hospital in adulthood with AOD issues - The substance use self 'medicates' the harms, and similtaneously primes the user to be another abuser - the cycle continues.  Reserach: Link between childhood maltreatment and adult substance abuse)

• Why aren’t courts and judiciary exposing this connection more?
• Why are lawmakers seemingly silent on this correlation and causation?
• Why don’t the media ask the hard questions on this?

Source

Also see…

• The ‘Unleashing’ Of Domestic, Familial & Intimate Partner Violence – The Drug Factor.
• Cannabis & Violence