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Ecstasy deaths lead to calls for new approaches

September 27th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Ecstasy deaths lead to calls for new approaches)

The federal government reinforces criminalization, parents call for education, and doctors and others encourage accurate knowledge about MDMA

22 British Columbians have died in the last 18 months after using the popular party drug Ecstasy. The drug had been, in some case, been tainted with paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), a substance five times more toxic than ordinary Ecstasy, or MDMA.

The tragic deaths of the young people involved has led to a range of responses. Some schools are hoping to increase the drug literacy of their students, using curriculum prepared by The Centre for Addictions Research of B.C. at the University of Victoria. (more…)

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War on drugs is implicated in the spread of HIV

September 13th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on War on drugs is implicated in the spread of HIV)

International experts, activists, and health professionals agree that ‘we cannot end AIDS until we end the war on drugs’

The 18th International AIDS Conference, held in Vienna in 2010, included a high-profile statement called The Vienna Declaration. The declaration, which has since been endorsed by over 20,000 groups, organizations, and individuals, rests firmly on the principle that drug policy should be based on science, not on ideology. It states that “the criminalization of illicit drug users is fuelling the HIV epidemic and has resulted in overwhelmingly negative health and social consequences.” (more…)

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Master sax man brings inspiring message

September 6th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Master sax man brings inspiring message)

Juno award-winning master musician and composer Phil Dwyer has battled with addiction and mental illness

Phil Dwyer’s 2012 Juno award for the incredibly ambitious Changing Seasons is the latest in a “resume full of examples of his genuinely adventurous creative spirit,” says the Juno website. Changing Seasons was awarded “Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year.”

The Changing Seasons suite marks a new stage in Phil Dwyer‘s development as an artist, writes Nou Dadoun at VancouverJazz.com.  The theme running through the composition is change, described by Phil as:  “Changing weather, changing climatic conditions, the changing economic structure of the world and some big changes in my own life.  It’s a call to acknowledge the fact of all these changes taking place and a query as to what are we going to do about it.” (more…)

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Master sax man brings inspiring message

September 6th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on Master sax man brings inspiring message)

Juno award-winning master musician and composer Phil Dwyer has battled with addiction and mental illness

Phil Dwyer’s 2012 Juno award for the incredibly ambitious Changing Seasons is the latest in a “resume full of examples of his genuinely adventurous creative spirit,” says the Juno website. Changing Seasons was awarded “Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year.”

The Changing Seasons suite marks a new stage in Phil Dwyer‘s development as an artist, writes Nou Dadoun at VancouverJazz.com.  The theme running through the composition is change, described by Phil as:  “Changing weather, changing climatic conditions, the changing economic structure of the world and some big changes in my own life.  It’s a call to acknowledge the fact of all these changes taking place and a query as to what are we going to do about it.” (more…)

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A mother’s story of her son’s addiction

March 22nd, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on A mother’s story of her son’s addiction)

June Ariano-Jakes shares a search for answers and the lengths she went to in trying to help her drug-addicted son

June Ariano-Jakes is the mother of five adult children and the grandmother of four. While she worked by day as a Licensed Childcare Provider, June spent literally thousands of nights poring over books and articles in the search for answers to help her son Nathan battle what would become a twenty-year-long heroin and cocaine addiction.

Addiction: A Mother’s Story is June’s account of addiction through a mother’s eyes. The book portrays the progression of Nathan’s addiction as the chapters unfold, how his addiction progressed to devastating and life altering circumstances and how it affected Nathan, his family and his mother. (more…)

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The social costs of policing Victoria’s poor

March 8th, 2012 | Posted by pfmarchive in uncategorized - (Comments Off on The social costs of policing Victoria’s poor)

A peer research project confirms that police have become the de facto first responders for drug and mental health issues

Cuts to health services and income supports for people living in poverty, including those with disabilities involving mental health and illicit drug use, have contributed to a situation where police now act as de facto “first responders” to health-related issues on city streets. The costs of policing poverty are high, and are not limited to the financial costs of spending more on approaches that do not work. (more…)

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