Aberdeen pub goers to be drug tested

[Lucius]

I'm definitely stopping drinking after the new year. It's not just because out legal system is stupid and hypocritical. It's mainly because, as a nation, we're majorly pished up bams and it needs to end IMO.

I came to this same conclusion last year and have not had a drink since.

One saturday night I was driving down Union St. and after swerving out of the way of several drunks I got pissed off. Looking at these twats and wondered if I looked as fucking stupid when I was drunk and decided i didn't want to risk it and I also failed to see the point of the whole friday & saturday night piss up routine we had all become part of.

This time of year is especially bad for "pished up bams".

[Flash@TMB]

It is deffinately a hugely ridiculous idea. The money could be spent in far better ways to improve public safety.

There are two things we can do;

Avoid attending the places which have these tests on principle.

Do not give the people in the council who approves these measures our votes (I cannot do this howevr as I live in Aberdeenshire).

From my much earlier post on this thread:

This won't be optional for the pubs and clubs, they are compelled to do whatever the police want them too. The police will just come in and set up shop. Their powers are draconian. They can force any pub or club to take part in this and there's nothing they can do about it if they want to hang on to our license.

If (like me) you are of an anarchistic mindset they you may wish to consider the following programme of civil disobedience:

1) Identify every common or garden substance than is known to cause a false positive for this device. This information will be readily available on the internet.

2) Coat hands in all these things. Or if you are so inclined coat hands in real drugs (it doesn't really matter).

3) Fill pockets with joke objects and/or seemingly unpleasant substances. Use your imagination with this part. Back in 1992 I got searched and they found 500 packets of assorted condoms and a tube of spermicide. That looked good in the paper when it went to court If you are really brave, and can spare 4 days of your life, then try carrying some fake drugs, that will cost them a lot of time, effort, and money... although there is always the danger they will substitute them for real ones back at the station.

4) Find out where the machine is in use.

5) Show up with 100 or so like minded people.

6) Make sure your mates have camera phones discretely rolling throughout.

7) Be sure and shake hands with the police before the test.

8) BONUS POINT: Pretend that though you are willing to be tested you are nervous of the machine (is the swab going to make you ill), and ask the police officer you shook hands with to demo it.

9) Post the video on YouTube then send the link to the newspapers.

10) Repeat this trick until the whole programme is scrapped.

[Flash@TMB]

I came to this same conclusion last year and have not had a drink since.

One saturday night I was driving down Union St. and after swerving out of the way of several drunks I got pissed off. Looking at these twats and wondered if I looked as fucking stupid when I was drunk and decided i didn't want to risk it and I also failed to see the point of the whole friday & saturday night piss up routine we had all become part of.

This time of year is especially bad for "pished up bams".

I've pretty much stopped drinking, this was due to health reasons more than anything else. For 10 years my intake was around 150 units per week. It took me 2 years to wean myself off of it. Now my weekly intake is around 0-7 units but occasionally, around once every 3-4 months, I have a blowout. I'm trying to increase the time between blow outs as they always go pear shaped.

If I could repeat the last 20 years then I'd make would learn to drink sensibly, and not to drink every day. I like drinking, just did it too often, and always using more than I needed to feel good, which resulted in feeling bad, acting like a tit, and losing a huge chunk of my life to hangovers.

While getting drinking relatively under control was a good thing, it's only really worked for me as part of a much bigger picture where I've stopped smoking altogether, taken regular exercise, changed my diet and eating habits.

Drinking in itself is not a bad thing, the problem is really down to:

a) what the person drinks

b) why they are drinking

c) when they are drinking

d) how much/frequently they are drinking

I only stopped because I lost control of b, c, and d!

[Pierre Von Mondragon]

If I hadn't cut down the drink, and switched to dope, I'd definitely be an alcoholic by now, as it is I can still enjoy a drink, so I win.

I'll register a false positive for skag, merely because of the bread I eat containing poppy seeds.

I hate authoritarians, their drug is fucking smug self-satisfaction, CUNTSSS!!!

[BobbyTheGorilla]

Y'know, I was discussing this whole business in Archibald Simpsons being quite loud and drunk (oooh irony!!!) and I got these reactions:

My friend doesn't think it's bad, would submit to it, even though he's a really infrequent pot user. Dumb dumb dumb.

Girl in the booth in front of us turned around and gave us the Aberdeen 'pod people' stare.

Something has definitely changed in this country, 20 years ago people would have objected to being asked to prove their innocence - now they react like if you object to your privacy being invaded you must be guilty and hiding something.

I don't think we, as a nation, deserve to live in a free society to be honest. Somewhere we lost appreciation for the freedoms others fought so hard to give us.

Anyway, I wonder what your friend would object to. Coming up positive for pot and being searched? Having some found on him and getting a criminal record? A bit of jail time perhaps?

[Ian_Brown]

This idea is ridiculous.

Many people responsibly use drugs and don't harm anyone.

[Flash@TMB]

It's a fact that 100% of serial killers breathe air. I say we ban air.

[saf-one]

If this is Grampain Police attempting to "clean up" Aberdeen streets it just demonstrates how totally stupid and naive they are.

The junkie scumbags who are creating the massive majority of drug related issues in the city dont go to bars and clubs.

They're too busy robbing, scamming the dole, begging, having unwanted kids and fucking up communities to go to bars and clubs.

And they're the real fuking issue that needs to be addressed!!

Not, typically, middle class, full time job having 18-35 year olds who are out on a weekend spending they're hard earned wedge and fancy a line, a pill or a joint. These folk can afford to buy a gram or whatever. They're not out robbing, just a bit of recreational use for fun @ a weekend. Not criminals. Ok its against the law but there needs to be a sense of perspective.

One of my friends is a defence lawyer and had a massive bitch at one of the chief Constables... Regarding the police clogging up the court system by prosecuting people who have a gram or a bit of weed on them...when they have full time, well paid jobs, educated, no previous, obviously no problem to the community...etc etc.

A total waste of the police time, the courts and tax payers money.

Can also totally ruin peoples lives. Its a joke. They need to get there priorities right.

And if they think its drugs that causes the all the trouble on a Fri/Sat night? Then again they are idiots.

The last thing ppl wanna do on drugs is fight. (well they typically dont with Es & weed. Sometimes folk get wound up on coke but usually they just wanna talk shit).

Booze is by far the worst trouble starter.

It's in venues, which are probably the most drug free, such as Jumping Jaks and Liquid who are the main offenders at providing our city center with its 3am Ricky Hattons.

This drug testing machine cost 25000! On the first test they did 750 people were tested and only 2 people were caught with anything...thats like 0.13%!!

And the Police PR dept issued a statement "Drug-detector trial hailed success" - honestly what the...?!! are they having a laugh?!! Do the math you tools!

A whole night testing people, two/four cops taken off other duties, man hours and 25000 grand to catch 2 recreational users...well done *clap* *clap* *clap*.

-

[Bigsby]

Do the math you tools!

Maths. But the rest of your post is valid.

[Pierre Von Mondragon]

I fluctuate between resignation and fulmination on this, its obvious that the reasons given by prohibitionists are bare-faced lying propaganda, and have been for the last 70 years, and we wonder why the public are so misinformed/fucking dumb on this issue. I repeat, the government have no right to regulate my brain chemistry (except driving, heavy machinery etc etc), and never will, and no sane person will take their word on this issue. Rant, out.

[Alkaline]

Maths. But the rest of your post is valid.

No, Math is correct.

[skuzzlebutt]

No, Math is correct.

actually i do quite a lot of it on a daily basis... the correct abbreviation for mathematics is maths. math is an incorrect american abbreviation. you will often find that the americans spell english words with fewer letters for some reason.... yo figu i ou....

[saf-one]

actually i do quite a lot of it on a daily basis... the correct abbreviation for mathematics is maths. math is an incorrect american abbreviation. you will often find that the americans spell english words with fewer letters for some reason.... yo figu i ou....

Are you trying to tell me Ali G was wrong?!! He <3s the Math.

"s" there you go.

[Bigsby]

actually i do quite a lot of it on a daily basis... the correct abbreviation for mathematics is maths. math is an incorrect american abbreviation. you will often find that the americans spell english words with fewer letters for some reason.... yo figu i ou....

Correct. The appropriate abbreviation for mathematics is maths.

If you were abbreviating mathematic then I guess it would be math.

And that's before you get into all the reasons about not wanting to sound like an American tosser.

[Ian_Brown]

Does anyone have a list of which substances will be detected and does anyone know if it includes 'research chemicals'. Much obliged