Big brother

A while back I was talking to somebody about the new DIP (drug intervention program) in Cardiff. He had just had his prescription taken over by the DIP after, I think, being caught offending but I might have got that wrong.

It was what he told me about how he picks up his methadone that I couldn't get my head around. He said there was a machine that scans your retina and then dispenses the methadone to you. I thought this geezer had lost it - that he'd been watching too much Star trek or something!! So I politely nodded and made the right noises and didn't believe a word of it!

But, weeks later it was still on my mind. The thing was I couldn't bring myself to ask anyone about this for thinking I'd make a right tit out of myself! But I finally decided to find out once and for all and it was true. When you first go there it's all set up and the machine takes an image of your retina which is recorded, so then everyday when you want your juice all you have to do is go in, stick your head in the right place and out comes your meth - bish, bash, bosh, simple as that... right?

Well no, it's not right - retina scanning???? Bollocks to that!! What better way to implement totalitarian measures than on an already vulnerable element of our society. Let's face it, the DIP gets it's clients from people made to go there after they've been drug tested by courts. They've got to go otherwise they go to jail, then they're made to have their retina scanned and recorded to be able to pick up their methadone. 

The other way to get in the DIP is to refer yourself. But you might ask why would people refer themselves to something like that? Because they can get a script within 2-3 weeks rather than waiting 1-2 years going the NHS Community Addiction route. Most people think the only treatment for heroin addiction is methadone, that's what is banded about by so-called professionals. So, desperate to get off the gear they turn to the green saviour, methadone, thinking it'll make everything better well unfortunately that's not the case. If addiction was that simple we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. 

The next thing we know they'll be putting microchips in those seeking treatment for addiction. When is all the bullshit going to stop? How can the waiting list be so long at the Community Addiction Unit (where, incidentally, there's no retina scanning or finger printing) and so very short at the DIP where they employ such big brother tactics as this??

If they really wanted to help addicts and help communities then put some decent money into the kind of services that are going to do that, not just napalm people with methadone and record their retina scans so they can be kept track of in the future.

To pinch a quote from Stuart Honor - "Poverty isn't soluble in methadone hydrochloride"