Shetland's broken society.

[the pursuit of oblivion]

Is anyone else concerned about where Shetland is going?

 

I guess from previous posts it is clear I have a major concern about the lack of real focus into the hard drug problems in Shetland.

 

Having observed the new chief executive in action over the past year I don't see any realisation or awareness of the biggest threat to quality of life in our community for years! Or the biggest sign that we have serious flaws in our society - whatever way you look at it.

 

Anybody watching the scheme on BBC 1 Monday evening will see a guy shooting up heroin for breakfast along with 30 diazepams and a can of extra strong cider. Looks unreal - yet this would not be out of place up here.

 

We have our own Onthank and Knockinlaw schemes starting to develop in Lerwick and some other parts of Shetland already. Once these become established heroin will never be eradicated far less controlled and we will all suffer the consequences.

 

IMHO the dogs are a complete false prophet giving the wrong impression that something is being done to tackle this issue. This then gives the council a getout and an excuse for not providing proper solutions. As hard drug use has steadily grown since their introduction it is clear that sniffer dogs are not the answer.

 

The council needs to wake up to this problem, get into the families, work out why this is happening and find ways of slowing it down or preventing it. Authentic, serious, properly researched, professionally delivered initiatives are urgently required. I see no evidence that this is happening or even that the problem is recognised.

 

Even the sheriff making a statement against drug dealers as he locks up another patsy who has been forced by the real dealers to carry their hash to Shetland. How can that make a difference to anything? Every smack addict in Liverpool is a potential drugs mule so it's not likely they're going to run out of couriers any time soon.

 

In my view Alistair Buchan came up from Orkney where nothing like this exists. The councillors are all at the other end of society and have no notion of this problem and I don’t think they would even believe it could happen in their cosy world of fiddle music and Norsemen’s homes. Alistair has been told he is here to save money and in the enthusiasm to carry out his instructions this critical issue has been totally missed.

 

But waken up, this is happening on your watch. Meagre resources seem to be allocated to sorting it and you seem unaware that the problem even exists. There is a sub society out there in Shetland and it is growing fast. It can maybe be kept under a stone for now but soon it will be a massive problem and concern. And never mind cuts to schools, the longer this goes ignored the higher the cost to solve it.

 

We have had the opportunity to tackle it and done nothing. If it continues to grow at this rate we will not be able to afford the money required to deal with it and we will end up like Kilmarnock and other mainland towns with these ghettoised schemes and all the problems and cost to society they bring. Then the £700,000 to close Scalloway JHS will be small fry. Don't think this is scaremongering, read this post in five years time!

 

Any councillor or senior council official who may read this forum and hasn't seen the scheme, watch it on Monday evening. This is where we are heading in Shetland at the moment, and with gathering pace and little restraint!

 

Alistair Buchan will probably be back in Orkney before the BBC decides to choose Shetland for their next voyeuristic documentary on lost society. But he should be aware that he was the man in charge in the middle of it, and did nothing!

[hairyian]

When something is broke beyond fixing you throw it out.

What is so special about drug addicts ?

Rather than spend our money on this lost cause we should spend as little as possible. Preferably, nothing.

Drug addicts are a plague on our society and should be eradicated.

[the pursuit of oblivion]

Problem is that a society with a large proportion of drug addicts costs loads of money to sustain.

 

We have to pay for the costs of crime, health treatment, lost income, because many don't/won't work and contribute taxes. Plus they don't make a contribution to society - they don't create any wealth to the community at all. This is a generalisation and doesn't apply to all hard drug users, but I think this is a problem with the type of core hard drug using community we currently have in Shetland.

 

And of course unless there is some radical change to greater society we tax payers have to pay their benefit costs etc. that most of them qualify for.

 

So it's a huge cost to society whatever your view is on them. If the council is trying to cut costs then a good idea would be to work with this segment of society and the kids at risk of turning to drugs later. In my view the problem is so acute up here that the savings in doing this could easily equate to the costs of running schools and could be an argument against further closures.

 

Why do we have so many young people turning to hard drugs up here? Whats the reason? If we could solve that then we would be some way to a solution. At the moment nothings happening and this is only going to get worse.

 

Do nothing and this only gets worse for everbody.

[George.]

If all drugs are legalised then they are controllable. Alcohol proved this in the 30's in America. As long as it is illegal then it's attractive and appealing to the masses and it's out of control. Legalise the lot and retain control.

[Guest Anonymous]

And how did alcohol being legal help you George you are after all an alcoholic.

was it any less glamorous to you because it was legal? Or were you able to get a hold of it while still at a young age because it was legal?

Just wondering

[JustMe]

When something is broke beyond fixing you throw it out.

What is so special about drug addicts ?

Rather than spend our money on this lost cause we should spend as little as possible. Preferably, nothing.

Drug addicts are a plague on our society and should be eradicated.

Now I will agree that drug addicts can be a pain for their neighbours but I do think we all need to remember that they were someone's well loved child (well most of them anyway) and they probably have relatives who still love them even though they wish they would change their ways. And drug addicts can and do change their ways. I know of users of hard drugs who are now "clean".

 

Perhaps the best approach would be to remove addicts from their circle of drug using and dealing friends starting with the addicts who cause the most problems in the community. Not sure how exactly. Prison seems a total failure and I believe that we lack specialist treatment centres needed to cope with addiction.

 

Of course there is always the solution proposed by some. Export the problem to some big city which I need hardly point out is unfair to the inhabitants of the cities and indeed to the addicts.

[jz]

Drug addicts are a plague on our society and should be eradicated.

 

That's pretty tough on all the tobacco smokers - these are the drug addicts that directly affect my health.

 

 

 

 

(Declaration of interest, I'm a former smoker whose mother died of a smoking related illness).

[Ghostrider]

Nope, I'm not concerned about where Shetland is going, as I think its already gone there, one way or another.

 

There's not much that can be said that's not been said elsewhere on here. Although, even if I believed the council were actually competent enough to "do" something, which I don't, I'm not sure its really on their remit. The problem, as I see it is a national one, and its the Government and NHS that needs to become familiar with reality and practicalities, and do the jobs they've appointed themselves to. It would be a difficult task anyway, but as things stand anything worthwhile the council or anyone else could do would be fighting against the refusing to acknowledge reality and inertia of greater powers more than the issue itself.

 

One thing is for sure, and that is the Sheriff is as clueless about the problem he's dealing with as any other part of the "establishment", unless of course he actually wants to encourage more and more teens on to smack.

 

If he had the first clue, he'd realise that denouncing the story of woe of the latest to appear before him as "not cool", and profess to fail to understand how "young people" can possibly find such antics "cool", is just the kind of rhetoric that gives many the motivation they need to take the step of trying it. Very, very little has the ability to make me cringe come this time of life, but he's been reported as doing it now twice, and both times I could not but help wince.

[the pursuit of oblivion]

Before the mods merge this with the other drugs thread I just want to say that this thread was meant to be about Shetland ignoring it's own devestating hard drug problem - especially amongst young people. The result being that a catastrophic situation is being created up here.

 

Even with the cuts, Shetland is still one of the wealthiest local authorites in Britain. It seems sad that the council can't recognise this problem and come up with some serious iniatives to resolve it. After all any solution will save money in the long term. Because if it continues to grow at this rate it's going to cost the Shetland communtiy a hell of a lot, both in money and degradation of our society.

 

I recognise fully that global drugs policy is flawed but that doesn't stop SIC from trying something different, they have the means and the resources if they wanted to.

 

It seems crazy to me that with all this cost cutting one of the areas where money could definitely be saved is admitting to this problem and tackling it.

 

That's the point of this thread. Dealing with the growing sub society in Shetland which is being ignored and hence the Shetland broken society title.

 

As a thought, could it be the cycle of poverty, followed by the instant wealth from oil money then salmon etc that has affected the community up here in some way. Has that lead to a outbreak of hedonism and reckless lifestyle which has culminated in the situation we have now? Once we had the money to enjoy ourselves did we just eat all the sweets in the sweetie shop on our first visit? This is the kind of thinking I would say should be applied to the problem.

[hairyian]

 

.......

As a thought, could it be the cycle of poverty, followed by the instant wealth from oil money then salmon etc that has affected the community up here in some way. Has that lead to a outbreak of hedonism and reckless lifestyle which has culminated in the situation we have now? Once we had the money to enjoy ourselves did we just eat all the sweets in the sweetie shop on our first visit? This is the kind of thinking I would say should be applied to the problem.

 

Excuses ... Excuses

[hairyian]

Drug addicts are a plague on our society and should be eradicated.

 

That's pretty tough on all the tobacco smokers - these are the drug addicts that directly affect my health.

 

 

 

 

(Declaration of interest, I'm a former smoker whose mother died of a smoking related illness).

 

I thought the noose was tightening on smokers ?

[hairyian]

When something is broke beyond fixing you throw it out.

What is so special about drug addicts ?

Rather than spend our money on this lost cause we should spend as little as possible. Preferably, nothing.

Drug addicts are a plague on our society and should be eradicated.

Now I will agree that drug addicts can be a pain for their neighbours but I do think we all need to remember that they were someone's well loved child (well most of them anyway) and they probably have relatives who still love them even though they wish they would change their ways. And drug addicts can and do change their ways. I know of users of hard drugs who are now "clean".

 

Perhaps the best approach would be to remove addicts from their circle of drug using and dealing friends starting with the addicts who cause the most problems in the community. Not sure how exactly. Prison seems a total failure and I believe that we lack specialist treatment centres needed to cope with addiction.

 

Of course there is always the solution proposed by some. Export the problem to some big city which I need hardly point out is unfair to the inhabitants of the cities and indeed to the addicts.

 

How about transportation? St Kilda ? That should help them kick the habit.

[jz]

 

I thought the noose was tightening on smokers ?

 

Yes, it is more difficult for smokers now, but I don't think you support their eradication. To be consistent you should support the eradication of smokers as well. After all, tobacco is by far the most damaging drug in our society in terms of premature death.

[shetlandpeat]

Parents have a big part to play in this. We got a clip round the ear for littering, swearing or commin home late,even though parents in some cases stit hit their children, they still do wrong, what does that say?

The respect has gone, from nasty postings on forums, social site and email to face to face abuse.

When we were young, dad went to work and Mam got a part time job when we were at school.

More emphasis it put on property and status, that is why it is so expensive.

A 3 bed house is nearly 10 times more than many earn and the social housing is lagging.

[Daegerty]

Heroin? In Shetland?

It's more likely than you think.