Darwinism, Drugs and Anthrax

[gavintc]

It looks like the heroin addicts of Scotland have a secondary threat to their lives. The risk from the heroin has now been supplanted by a new threat of anthrax from their needles.

We now have 6 addicts who have died from Anthrax with more cases under treatment. Is this a case of Darwinism removing the afflicted from the gene pool of our societ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8445662.stm

 

[Globalti]

What a can of worms that question opens up!

 

[Hacienda71]

I would have thought having come across a few heroin users in my life (three of whom are now dead) that they might find it difficult to stop straight away, and they may be taking it out of necessity rather than choice, even if there are support networks available. So I am not sure how much notice the users will take of Dr Colin Ramsay's advice.
I don't think Darwin was thinking along these lines of natural selection when he did his research, but if you end up in the downward spiral of Heroin addiction you are clearly in a much higher risk group than a non user, be it via overdose contaminated supply or other associated risk.
You will get some people arguing that it is down to the criminalisation of drugs and politics and that it is avoidable. As R R says what a can of worms.

 

[tyred]

It's hardly fair to assume anyone with a drug problem is stupid. A sizeable proportion of the population smoke and drink, the only difference is that is legalised drug addiction which the government make lots of money from.

 

[Globalti]

There are certainly more alcohol addicts than controlled drug addicts. As tyred rightly notes, the government makes money from alcohol so it's alright for half the population to be smashed every evening.

I find it astonishing that outside the BP garage near me there's a permanent illluminated sign advertising four cans of Carlsberg for £2.99. How can this be allowed?

 

[Davidc]

IMO it doesn't matter that the victims of this are heroin users. The murdering scum doing the anthrax poisoning need to be caught and locked up, just like any other would-be killer.