The New Poland Express I Friday 15th October 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Designer drugs fan to lobby cause
Friends and colleagues of Dawid Bratko, Poland’s so-called ‘Designer Drugs King’, are set to lobby in parliament in favour of legalizing designer drugs. “I want to help protect the freedoms and the rights of ordinary people who are addicted to psychotropic substances,” says Tomasz Obara of Poland’s ‘Free Hemp’ movement - an organisation aimed at promoting the legalisation of cannabis. But Obara, who has already officially registered as a lobbyist in Parliament, adds that he is also taking part in order to represent his mother who, he claims, is a constant victim of police harassment. “Police officers keep raiding my mother’s house in order to look for cannabis. That’s one of the reasons why I want to protect my mother’s interests.” However, while actively confirming that he is still lobbying on behalf of Bratko’s cause, Obara claims that he is in fact anti-designer drugs.
“I’m against designer drugs but I signed an agreement with [Bratko] that if we manage to persuade the authorities to legalise cannabis, then he will stop trading them.” Designer drugs, known in Poland as ‘dopalacze’ have made the headlines recently due to a fierce government clampdown on the booming sector which has seen around 900 shops closed down. Last week Bratko, dubbed ‘the Designer Drug King’ by the nation’s media for his large influence throughout the industry, was arrested for selling a number of proscribed substances. Despite a number of fatalities being linked to the new craze, numerous loopholes have kept the government’s hands tied. However it stated recently that it would try to push through legislation quickly in order to deal with what it sees as a growing problem.
What do you think of the whole campaign against designer drugs?
Is it just a part of political campaign?
Statistics say that in Poland more people day because of alcohol abuse than designer drugs but the media just do not talk about it.
Present your opinions please.
I wasn't aware of the "designer drugs" term in English. For me, it would be good for people to know if something is harmful. Nonetheless I'm afraid that there's no way to check all things for that. Is alcohol or tobacco checked before going to stores?
ReplyDeleteDesigner drugs have been a real problem for few previous years, due to the fact that it involves especially youths and even children from primary school. In my opinion a good solution to solve the problem of designer drugs will be legalization of soft drugs such as cannabis. Many research results describe that cannabis are less dangerous for them users than alcohol and cigarettes. Further more, much more often people under the influence of alcohol behaves more aggressive and could be a real danger for society and them selfs.
ReplyDeleteI find it odd that the war against designer drugs started when a couple of people died. From what I've read these type of drugs were on the market for over 2 years and noone seemed to be interested in fighting its distribution.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol is ok in the eyes of the government because they can control it in some way (taxes) while drugs are out of their reach.
I think everyone is responsible for themselves and you can't expect stores to stop selling knives because you can kill with them.
Kult "Wódka" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkG6ENGfWO8
To me designer drugs campaign is unnecessary. More important is to talk about danger that goes with taking them than to close down the shops. The problem with alcohol abuse is bigger because it’s more common and accessible and also people aren’t aware of how easy it is to get addicted. I don’t care about all those people who take designer drugs and then die. It’s their business what they do. If you’re stupid, c’omon, take it and die
ReplyDeleteIt is about time to solve problem of designer drugs. It is just another form of easy available durg and another type of addiction. None of the drugs mentioned in the article should be legalized.They destroy peoples minde and body and we should not make it easy for those people to get them. Alcohol is as bed and destructive as the drugs themself.The only reasone people do not do anything with it is that it has been common in the societies of this world for centuries and there is now way to stp people from drinking. Knowing that we can try to protect young generations from new addictions.
ReplyDeleteWe have to decide now how the world will look like in the future.
I am shocked with how such a large number of our society who known the effects of afterburners tried it. What is the worst thing is that they were tried by children that were very young. Bratko himself said that his clients are morons. Unfortunately, we are lagging behind the West and as long as nothing changes we will suffer because of the incompetence of our government.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion ,,designer drugs,, are dangerous special for the young people , which
ReplyDeleteNo have idea what bad influence this kind of drugs can have on their health and their life .
Easy access to ,,designer drugs,, was a cause many accident among young people and even children.
I think that this kind of political campaign is necessary due to limit access to designer drugs and stop to treat it like some usually things which people use it due to get some fun.
In my opinion designer drugs are more dangerous than alcohol , because in this drugs are more harmful substances…in other hand everybody have free will , and if he want get it he will do it and even state would not prevent .
s5258
In my opinion legalization of soft drugs and designer drugs is the only way to control it AND to protect kids against buying it. Legalization would be a huge punch against mafia who controls this market nowadays. If something is illegal they can enforce enormous prices and control the addicted. If we really want to destroy mafia we should take this dangerous tool from their hand.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol and cigarettes can be harmful too, but we already know the effects of prohibition. At the moment designer drugs is an alternate topic for government.
Hi,
ReplyDelete1) It's good that politician started to control that business. We all need to know that thoses so called "legal drugs" will be back on the market. At least it will be more difficult to sell it.
2) I think it's not. Those shops were like a baloon that wanted to grow to fast.
Jacek
"Drug Law" is very important and it shold be written very carefully and after great work. Such law shold be designed by specialist. It's a pity, that now this law was made in hurry, without any consultations with specialist.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, alcohol and cigarettes are not good too, but drugs are more dangerous because it is not controlled by any institution now.
The idea of campaign against designer drugs is perfect, but unfortunately most of methods are hard to implement. When we put a strong restrictions for a one kind of product, they will automatically find hundreds of similar ones with the same effects but different components (not being illegal). The worst thing is medical helplessness – if we do not have ingredients we do not know how to fight with them. That topic will take several years, I think, to find the best solution. According to that I’m rather expecting solution from European Union then from local government. Nearly every topic is good to engage it in political campaign. Everything to promote and praise individual political party.
ReplyDeleteDifferent thing is with alcohol and cigarettes – they are also unhealthy but much more popular. So statistics could be a little bit inaccurate. In my opinion we have two very different elements that we cannot easily compare.
Alcohol is strongly written in our history (it’s a part of it) so that’s the reason why many people often overusing it. According to popularity, alcohol and cigarettes are become more accessible especially for children and that is really dangerous. The government should also put a bigger restriction for the methods of accessing such kind of stimulants. Nowadays we have a knowledge how to fight with alcohol diseases and alcoholic abuse. Also I’ve never heard about situation that somebody died because of overusing cigarettes – this is a long process that take many years of harming the body. Opposite situation is whit drugs, they are killing fast and still don’t know how to cure the results.
In my opinion "drugs" such as alcohol and tabaco have been known for ages and there effects on the body are known to doctors while this designer drugs are unpredictable and can be much more dangerous. I think that cannabis is also known for very long time and the death rate is lower than that of the designer drugs. I am not sure if marijuana should be legalized but I am positive that designer drugs should not be available since they are so dangerous. It is better if people use "drugs" that are known to scientists.
ReplyDeleteTo me designer drugs campaign is necessary. But we should make this campaign at home. We have to remember that we are responsible for the education of our children. Even if we do not have them now, we need to think about what would happen if we had. For me it is obvious that even if we prohibit the designer drugs, there still will be the opportunity to buy them. It only depands on how brilliant people are.
ReplyDelete