to alice
11/27/2007 11:12:12 AM
pro alcohol is pro drug. I'm sure many of you who post here are drinkers, or an occasional social drink. An occasional social drink is just an excuse to put the alcohol(drug) into your body. If It was one or the other, I would rather see my son smoking pot than boozing anyday.

to mb fan
11/20/2007 9:20:30 AM
first off, you spelt hippocrate wrong as well, so maybe you should come over and smoke a joint with me. and my friend leaving drunk is not my responsibility because I didn't feed him the alchol, nor was there a party at my house. So you may want to grab a dictionary as well sir. Your addictions are different than mine, so for you to jam garbage down my throat makes you a "as you would say HYPERCrit???

to mb
11/8/2007 10:04:17 AM
not every person that deal pot or smokes pot moves on to harder drugs. Just as not every person that drinks beer moves on to hard alcohol. We have a problem in society and it's how people perceive such things. Do you realize actually how bad alcohol is for your health, and also for our society? It's okay that our society promotes it's use, and advertises it all over the place? It's okay that I can walk into a liquor store and get whatever I want and when I walk out, is it okay that I pass it over to a minor? Is it okay the I drink myself stupid, and start running my mouth, getting out of control, or even get behind the wheel of my car? God forbid if I sit on my couch and smoke a joint and watch a movie. You know what? I've been doing that for many years, probably more than you have been alive, and for one, I have never had the urge to move to harder drugs. 2 I have never had the urge to run my mouth and start trouble. 3, I have been able to drive without any concerns of getting into an accident. In fact, I have been pulled over because of a light out in my car just after I had smoked a joint on my couch. I was let go with a warning to have the light fixed. Now, if I speak of marijuana in public, it raises the eyebrows of all the people that think it's taboo. The people that probably love to sit and have their glass of wine after work. The problem is that all of these are substances folks. each and every one of them. They enter our body, and once they are in our body, they have an effect on our mind. If we are going to bash one, and say that it's so bad for our community and health, we need to bash them all. I don't support hard drugs what so ever and we need them off our street. I don't support the way we advertise alcohol either. So if you are going to moan and groan about one thing or the other, think that they are all bad and don't be a hippocrit.

Idea. Why not legalize marijuana and sell it and tax it?
If we can do this with alcohol, why can't we do it with marijuana?
Put these two side by side and the reality is that neither one are really good for your health, but I can tell you that alcohol has done way more damage to our society and our health than pot has. It's the stigma attached to it. We are a bunch of whining hippocrits and we will keep banging our heads because as a society we are completely ignorant about this. Also, It's my body, not yours. What gives you the right to tell me that I can't open my mouth and place a joint in it in my own living room? Just as what gives you the right to tell mr. alhocolic that he can't open his mouth and swallow a shot of southern comfort in his living room? messed up we are. That's what is great about America. In NH it's live free or die. Leave me alone if i'm not hurting my neighbor. We don't want our children growing up drinking? Lets advertise some more. We do, and it's okay because we have many programs out there to prevent minors from drinking. oh...but they don't work. Same ole song and dance... Since I just got done enjoying my time on the couch while writing this, I think I'll take a nice walk through the park with my dog. While my buddy on the other side of the couch doing shots, he's all upset and getting mouthy because he wanted to take my dog for a walk. Now he's getting in his car and driving off with a buzz from alchol.

sounds like a bunch of ongoing gibberish? this post? that's our thinking ... and my mind after smoking.... but i'm not violent, not a danger to anyone, and ready to make some new friends...

MB
11/2/2007 8:11:50 PM
I have a sister who is hooked on heroin along with other drugs. It didn't start with heroin. It started with alchol and pot. Your kidding yourself if you think smoking pot isn't harmful to other people and you are just getting high on your couch. Buying drugs supports some drug dealer somewhere and they aren't just selling to adults. They are selling to younger and younger kids. It's a cycle. Those drug dealers get greedy and move on from selling pot to cocaine and heroin. I think the law enforcement fight against drugs is a tough one. They are doing a good job. I think the legal system leaves room for improvement. Drug addicts are way to sneaky and outsmart the justice system. It seems to me the problem is so big they just get a slap on the wrist when they should be slapped right back into rehab.

Liberarians Misguided
9/27/2007 11:18:43 AM
And to think the Libertarians suggest that by making drugs legal, we would have fewer problems.

Jay
8/29/2007 8:15:06 AM
I posted this back in June for the crime post...

JAY
6/2/2007 11:27:19 AM
Sorry to say it folks but this is what happens to a small town with big city government. City Hall wants to run with a big city mentality but only provide funds to realistically serve Mayberry. Everyone posting about a heroin problem in Keene is 100% correct. The Fire Department paramedics are getting pretty good at saving a heroin addict's life post overdose. Everyone posting that the police are short staffed is also correct. Not just a police thing though, don't forget the fire department has to deal with all the carnage from this hidden epidemic.

Just like the horrible tradgey that occurred in Swanzey on Route 12. Terrible waste of many lives...

I grew up in Manchester, in the 1970's-80's with what is just starting here in little old Keene. This was life for me in junior and senior high schools. Surviving beatings, stabbings, and shootings were the norm along with seeing abuse of cocaine and heroin useage. When you are strung out and can't get your next fix, then you do stupid things. Home invasions on the rise? Remember the cops house that had a guy beating in the door with a shovel? Hmmmm, Crime up in Keene, (bank robberies, purse snatchings at the grocery store?)hmmmmmm, How about Stabbings, (Asheulot Park and Lee Street ring a bell?) do we need to go on.....

Amazing that City Hall can only see as far as there noses on this, with all big issues in Keene. Yes, we have seen minimal growth in population (for total tax payers) but come on people... everytime someone builds another multi-family building, apartment complex or a big box store, you have a single taxpayer with up to 200-300 occupants taxing "the system". The Police and Fire Department's have to deal with these issues everyday and unfortunately be funded by the powers to be on a 1950's Mayberry mentality.

They want to build another 250 unit complex near the new jail site for low income? Want type of impact is that going to have on the "system" for municipal services? Police (crime) Fire, EMS, (drug use), need for more rehab clinics, etc. I hope the Marlborough residents continue to blast the city council about this project.

You get what you pay for here, if you need to wait longer during a shooting for an officer to arrive or wait a few extra minutes for an ambulance while you are bleeding to death, then remember who caused this mess. YOUR ELECTED PODUNK OFFICIALS WHO WOULD RATHER SOLVE A SLIGHT DELAY IN TRAFFIC AT MARLBORO AND WINCHESTER STREETS.

Services are doing their best with what they have available to them, daytime population in Keene is in reality 60,000.

Natalie Darcy
8/16/2007 4:18:59 PM
No one ever addresses the personal "hell" that parents go through with an addicted teen or child who is now an adult still addicted. No help is available for the addict. Drugs have been in Keene, Swanzey and throughout the area schools for years and everyone looked the other way. No one wanted to deal with it. Police told us once to "let the kids do what they want and they won't get into trouble". Get a life Keene, Swanzey and surrounding areas. My daughter almost died due to addiction, the Cheshire County Jail is full of addicts and still no one wants to believe there is a problem. I trusted the school with my child, and the result was drugs were found throughout the school, and are still there. I tried to get my daughter help with medicaid for a treatment center and was told that medicaid doesn't pay for that. To get disability benefits takes months, where an addict could be dead by then from over dose. It was her decision to take drugs and ultimately be responsible for her own life, but watch out -- it may be your child next who can't get help, or dies trying.

Joshua Hils
8/15/2007 9:09:18 PM
Heroin has been in NH, let alone the Cheshire County region for years. It was just done in a quieter and less obvious manner. In 1998 the NH Drug Task force had a close watch on the Brattleboro, Keene, Walpole, and Bellows Falls area as I - 91 is a direct oute from NY, CT, to Canada. With college towns like Keene, Hanover, Norwich, and Burlington there is easy money to be made while trafficing drugs to and from NY to Montreal.

This is another reality that Keene has failed to face and deal with in a real sense as it tries to hold onto the Mayberry image it has had for years. Keene and the Keene area used to have several area rehab clinics which have now closed, leaving just the Brattleboro Retreat to bear thew brunt of the rehab services in the area.

Keene can't ignore the issue and reality that drugs, especially Heroin, is in the community. The right steps need to be taken othwer than building roundabouts.

Sue
8/8/2007 9:28:30 PM
Just a week ago my family discovered my nephew was addicted to heroin. Although he isn't from Keene some of our family is. The two articles have been shared with other family members and have given all of us a better insight into what he and the rest of his family are dealing with. We appreciate the informative and timely articles.