Vancouver combats heroin by giving its addicts the best smack in the world

It seems counterintuitive that the city of Vancouver is trying to cocmbat its heroin problem with supplying higher quality heroin. This might seem strange, but the idea is to reduce harm. Addicts won’t need to do dangerous things to get their heroin, like stealing or selling themselves. This approach comes from Europe and is only for the most severe addicts. Some people say it helps them lead better lives, while others think it’s like blackmail, accepting that they’ll always be addicts. In Vancouver, there are different opinions. Some rehab experts think they can help addicts quit, while others believe this approach is kinder but not the solution.

It’s good that the government understands that some addicts struggle deeply with their drug problems. So, if they can’t quit, giving them a safer version of the drug is a sensible idea. It helps protect both the addicts and the community while respecting the difficulty of addiction.

Source: https://theworld.org/stories/2015-02-04/vancouver-combats-heroin-giving-its-addicts-best-smack-world

Why Not Regulate Guns as Seriously as Toys?

The article talks about making stricter rules for guns in the United States because it’s a public health issue. Right now, we have more guns than almost any other country. People buy guns, thinking they’ll be safer, but it actually makes them more likely to get hurt.The article suggests a few things to make it safer. First, only let people buy one gun a month to stop illegal sales. Second, make it harder to erase gun serial numbers. Third, make background checks better and wait 28 days before getting a handgun. Lastly, get rid of big magazines so shooters have to reload more often. We can learn from Australia, where they banned certain guns and bought them back. After that, gun suicides and homicides went down a lot. In the end, the article says we should treat guns like we treat cars or toys, with strict rules to keep people safe.

Many Americans already own a lot of guns, which makes it hard to limit who can buy them or add new rules. Plus, in the U.S., guns are a big part of the culture, and many people feel strongly about their right to have them. This makes it tricky to get everyone on board with stricter gun laws. Also, powerful groups like the NRA fight against tougher gun rules, and that makes it even harder to change the laws. So, while the article’s ideas make sense for public safety, actually making them happen is a big challenge because of the number of guns and the strong gun culture in the United States.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/opinion/13kristof.html?src=me&ref=homepage

Does Using Paper Take CO2 out of the Environment?

Recycling paper is often seen as an eco-friendly thing to do, but there’s a surprising twist to it. Paper comes from trees, which take in carbon dioxide and store it. Even after making paper from trees, it can still keep some of that carbon. This makes paper like a storage place for carbon. Last year, all the paper products, even the ones in landfills, stored about 16.7 million tons of carbon. That’s like what 10.7 million cars produce in carbon dioxide in a year. When paper ends up in landfills, it breaks down quickly and releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. This process makes it harder for paper to keep carbon effectively. Still, if you recycle paper, it can keep carbon for a bit longer, which is kind of strange when we think about fighting climate change.

It’s kind of shocking when we think that paper, which many people believe is good for the environment, might not be as great as we thought. Paper can store carbon, which sounds good for the environment, but here’s the surprise: when we throw it away, like in the trash, it can make a strong greenhouse gas called methane. This kind of cancels out the good things it does for the environment. So, it’s a bit of a puzzle, and it shows that we need to think about the whole story when it comes to things we use, even if they seem good for the environment at first.

Source: https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/04/paper-carbon-dioxide-sequester/