Drugs, alcohol, Indoor Market, and Stourport plans

So a new insidious drug is sweeping the clubs, Nitrous Oxide otherwise known as Laughing Gas. Yep it's only been in use since 1790's as a 'party drug' and has come and gone ever since. It's dangerous, we know this because a man in a shirt with an authoritative voice told us so on the news. "People taking it can become giddy and fall over and hurt themselves" So totally unlike alcohol then? "It can cause them to lose conciousness" So still totally unlike alcohol then? "Inhaling directly can cause your throat to freeze and you'll die of suffocation" So just like inhaling any pressurised gas directly then?

Wait there's more. Following exhaustive research on what appeared to be a MySpace page the reporter turned up someone who's suffered permanent eye problems from inhaling this gas. Okay that's nasty, inhale one balloon and suffer eye damage! Oh wait it wasn't one balloon. Two? Four? Ten?! Nope, forty in one day. Okay take forty of anything during one day and I'd expect you to suffer.

Am I condoning what is an illegal practice? No, but there's a lot more nastier drugs out there and hey some of them are even legal.


Speaking of legal drugs, Alcohol Concern are pushing for a ban on drinking alcohol for the under-15s. As it stands the law proscribes under-18s from buying alcohol, but not from drinking it. At first glance Alcohol Concern's argument seems logical; how stupid to stop them getting hold of it, but not stopping them from drinking it. Except they're not looking to ban drinking on the streets out of the supervision of adults, they want a total ban. That means giving your kid a glass of wine with a meal will be illegal. It'll stop binge drinking by preventing them from getting a taste of alcohol early, they say.

They've got proof this will work, they're employing that scientifically enforceable test known as 'Common Sense'. Oookay, I'll employ my own 'Common Sense'. So living in a society where it's deemed a rite of passage to be able to go and get hammered legally upon turning 18 is suddenly going to change because they've been denied alcohol at an early age. Uh-huh. Watching adults drinking something you're not allowed to have will diminish the desire for you to sample it at the nearest opportunity. Yeah right.

So they're pushing for a law that's completely unenforceable except in public, and taking yet another responsibility from the parents. The Continent must be looking on at this in amazement.


So after commenting on the lack of coverage in the Shuttle about the closure of the Indoor Market imagine my surprise when I read the paper yesterday and discover a story about it. Have I wronged the Shuttle? Check the date on the story - 26th. So only six days behind the Express and Star and two days behind Central Tonight. Ah the local paper, bringing you the local news after you've probably already heard about it.


I'm still awaiting a copy of the plans mentioned here. If you've been looking at the comments from my previous entry you'll see Tav mentions the old Stourport Pride plans dating back to July last year and which have already been open to public comment since. Talking to my source though he informs me that the plans we're talking about have 82 pages, the July plans have 106. So we're definitely talking about some changes here if not different plans. If I don't get them by end of play today I'll see if I can poke my head into the Civic Centre or library tomorrow and see if they're available for viewing.