ATM Inside

Drager ban won't let drivers off hook

The recent decision by the National Prosecuting Authority to withdraw or suspend provisionally all cases in which a Drager breathalyser test has been used to measure drivers’ blood/alcohol levels should not be viewed as just another way for drunk drivers to avoid penalties.

This advice comes from Helen Szemerei, CEO of insurance company IntegriSure, who says that South African insurance underwriters have become very vigilant in repudiating claims in a country where “drunk driving has become a socially acceptable practice”. (It's not just socially accepted - it's the national sport)

“The South African insurance industry does recognise the result of breathalyser tests,” says Szemerei. “A written statement from a traffic officer at the scene indicating that the driver appeared intoxicated may also be acceptable for some insurers to reject a claim.”

Some insurance companies go to great lengths to repudiate claims where alcohol involvement is suspecte..... (IOL)

There have been a number of questions about the German Drager machine’s reliability since its introduction more than ten years ago.

Its use was suspended in Gauteng in 2010 after a forensic investigator tested the Drager on 37 people and found that the results varied enormously, even when testing the same person twice. Among his concerns were that the Drager was affected by ambient temperature, so the results would vary if it was a cold night or a hot afternoon.

Rat Park: Addiction is a situation, not a disease

Thousands of studies have been done claiming that addiction is a disease, mostly by putting rats in a cage with some drugs and noting that they’ll repeatedly take the drugs, even if it means starving to death.

Bruce Alexander was skeptical about these results. He noticed that the rats in the experiments were stuffed alone in a boring cage with little else to do. “If I was strapped down alone in a cage,” he thought, “I’d probably want to get high too.”

So he built a rat park — a large, intricate, brightly-painted and heavily-padded structure to make the rats actually happy. He put half the rats in the normal cages and half in the park and gave both equal access to drugs.

The rats in the cage got addicted, while the rats in the park stayed away.

Then, even more strikingly, he took rats who’d had 57 days to get addicted to the drugs and took half of them out of the cages and put them in the park. The rats, even though they’d been addicted in the cage, suddenly stayed away from the drugs. They even voluntarily detoxed — trembling and shaking, but still staying off the drugs.

The top-shelf journals like Science and Nature rejected the study. It did end up getting published in a peer reviewed journal (Pharamacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, impact factor 1.5), but received little public attention. His university pulled the funding for the project. (from SciencethatMatters)

Citizens getting involved in Police work

Ho Ho Ho!!!!










A Tactical Cannabis

South African Police gardening and pruning service









Burning the evidence... job done I suppose? Medals and Noddy badges for everyone

Medical Cannabis research in South Africa.

(with thanks to Prof Charles Parry and David Bayever)

Die Russe se krokodil

Russia has the world's largest heroin taking population. Krokodil is a cheap heroin substitute for those who can't afford the real thing. (from the Independent)

Atlantis facing booze 'evil'

As the city’s Liquor Unit prepares to intensify its crackdown on illegal shebeens threatening the safety of women and children, one of the most troubled areas is waging its own war against the drinking establishments.

Atlantis residents say shebeens are destroying the West Coast town, with families who live nearby saying they have become dens of social evil, luring children as young as 12 to sell drugs.

Even legal shebeens, they charge, are resulting in a sharp reduction in property values.

Local ward councillor Barbara Rass has warned that the drive to encourage investment in the area could be scuppered by the introduction of more licensed shebeens deterring potential investors.

This week residents handed a petition to Rass to oppose the opening of another shebeen.

Rass submitted the petition to the local sub-council, which falls under Durbanville. She said the sub-council would hand the petition to the Liquor Board.

The city’s Liquor Unit said the area was one of the most problematic, along with Kraaifontein and Macassar.

Nathan Ladegourdie, assistant chief of the city’s specialised law enforcement services, said the unit started operating in Atlantis towards the end of last year. At that time, there were 148 illegal shebeens. Following a series of operations, 66 shebeens closed.

But Ladegourdie said there was still a stream of complaints from residents. He said across the entire city there were about 2 800 shebeens.

Atlantis resident Kenneth Rhodes said he and his family had been living in Atlantis for more than 20 years. A few years after they moved in, a shebeen started operating next door. When those tenants moved, the new owners applied for a licence for a shebeen.

Residents said they were told the application notice was published in local newspapers, but said they did not see it.

Now about 40 residents in the surrounding area have submitted a petition opposing the licensing of the shebeen.

Rhodes said he and his family were aware of the trouble associated with living near a shebeen. His wife, Denise, said the shebeen caused upheaval in the road.

“There were fights all the time. Our daughter, who was studying for matric, had to move out. When I came home, my driveway was always full of cars,” she said.

When new tenants moved in two years ago, they hoped the problems would be over, but Rhodes said they began to notice an increase in crime.

“People’s cars were broken into, things that didn’t happen before. Then we realised they were selling drugs.”

He said young children were working on the premises.

Another resident, Joyce Thomas, and her son, Jeff, live directly behind the premises.

Jeff said the new tenants had closed off sections of their yard with iron plates.

“It is against our property. They don’t even ask for permission. I’ve been to the police so many times about this, but nothing happens,” he said.

Joyce, who is 79, said she was unaware of any permission having been sought to open a shebeen on the premises.

“We are also paying rates here. Sometimes I can’t open my back door because of the smell of the drugs,” she said.

Ladegourdie said 99 illegal shebeens had been closed across the city between January and April. Fines amounting to R110 000 had been issued to shebeen owners during the same time period.

“The Liquor Unit is constantly attending to complaints in all areas throughout Cape Town, and will continue operations to address illegal shebeens. These operations will specifically be centred on complaints received from areas where women and children are adversely affected.”(from IOL)

NPA postpones all Drager cases

All court cases where evidence was obtained using the Drager breathalyser device have been provisionally withdrawn, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Sunday.

“The NPA is going to have all cases where the evidence was obtained using a Drager provisionally withdrawn or postponed, pending the Western Cape High Court ruling,” spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said.

“The ruling will set a precedent... we are confident that the NPA has a strong case in favour of the Drager.”

The device measures the volume of alcohol vapour in a drinker's exhaled breath.

In the Western Cape High Court Clifford Joseph Hendricks is currently challenging the validity and accuracy of the Drager (SUBS: Umlaut on a) apparatus used during his arrest last year. His alcohol vapour count was 0.95mg. The maximum allowed is 0.24.

A Durban man was cleared of drunken driving this week after his lawyer challenged the law regarding the use of the breathalyser device, the Sunday Times reported.

The Durban Magistrate's Court found hotel manager Aveer Inderjith, 22, not guilty after the State failed to “produce any evidence regarding the instruments used”, according to court documents containing the ruling.

His lawyer Anand Nepaul was quoted as saying: “This was the first time I dealt with the legality of using that instrument to adduce evidence in court. The transport minister must sort the act out and get reliable equipment. You can't charge people where there is no law allowing the use of the equipment. First it has to be legal, secondly, reliable.”

Durban police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker told the newspaper the city stopped using the Drager system in April, and was now using blood tests. (from IOL)

(The Drager is no more than a useful indicator someone is intoxicated. The problem is the police aren't allowed to take the blood required for the test to prove they're drunk: Not that I'd allow the police to take blood!)

Buying medical marijuana on credit?

A little-noticed move by American Express to ban the purchase of medical marijuana with its credit cards has reignited a longstanding debate: How much can a credit card company control what you buy?

To the surprise of consumers, major credit card companies are making decisions about what they can and can't buy with their credit cards. What's off-limits? Legal purchases like gambling chips and donations to at least one controversial non-profit organization; in some cases, buying pornography is also restricted, and so, increasingly, is medical marijuana. Last month, shortly before Delaware became the 16th state to legalize medical marijuana, American Express told merchants that its cards could not be used to buy it.

Companies say they're protecting themselves against legal risk, but critics say this kind of corporate policy is an inconvenience for merchants, infringes on consumers' rights and amounts to moral policy-setting. "You ought to be able to use a credit card for any legal purchase," says John M. Simpson from the non-profit Consumer Watchdog. "It seems to me that credit card companies are imposing their moral values on the world." (from SmartMoney)

Noose tightens on club, pub and restaurant owners

The finger of blame has finally been pointed at the owners of establishments who serve drinks as long as their customers have money to hand over and then wave them goodbye as they walk out the door with their car keys dangling from their hand.

Cape Town restaurants, pubs and clubs will be targeted by traffic officers if they routinely allow drunk patrons to leave their establishments and get behind the wheel, the Western Cape Transport Department has warned.

And today, as part of its LeadSA campaign, the Cape Argus publishes the list of names of the most recently convicted drunken drivers sentenced in Western Cape criminal courts. These names have been handed over to the provincial transport department by magistrate’s courts to be capture on the eNatis database.

This “Name and Shame” campaign is in partnership with the provincial government’s “Safely Home” campaign.

At the Brandhouse Responsible Drinking media awards last week, the Cape Argus won the print category for its contribution towards reducing drunken driving.

As the latest 58 names are published today, Western Cape Transport MEC Robin Carlisle announced that he was to ramp up the pressure against drivers who abuse alcohol. Now restaurant, shebeen, club and bar owners are in his sights.

Carlisle has called on owners of these venues “to take responsibility for those who drink at their establishments”.

“Every club, pub, shebeen or restaurant has a responsibility to help me to eliminate drunken driving,” said Carlisle.

“I am giving notice that I will, in the future, use roadblocks and other methods to target certain localities where people consume large quantities of alcohol.”

The MEC said he would give establishments “time to get their house in order before the onset of these roadblocks”.

But he warned that the roadblocks would start soon.

Until now, it has not been common practice for traffic authorities to target specific establishments, but Carlisle said this would now change.

“I do not accept a situation where people are plied with massive amounts of alcohol and the proprietor looks the other way when they stumble out the door to climb into their cars.

“As proprietors you are morally responsible to ensure that the person that gets drunk on your premises does not drink and drive, endangering their life and the lives of others.”

Carlisle said the roadblocks would be followed up by meetings with the owners of pubs and similar establishments at which he would explain what he believed to be their responsibilities.

Tourism MEC Alan Winde said of the plans: “I’m in support of this.

“It makes good sense for an establishment owner to intervene.”

He said owners not only had a moral obligation but “it makes good business sense for an establishment owner to prevent patrons from going out on to the road and driving drunk or, worse, hurting and damaging other people.

“I convened a meeting late last year between Fedhasa (Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa), big liquor producers and the taxi industry to discuss this.

“I envisage a restaurant going into a partnership with a transport company – it would be easy to work out a business model – and for a restaurant owner to be able to direct patrons to a taxi service, if necessary,” he said.

Winde added, however, that the primary responsibility would always remain with the drivers.

Fedhasa Western Cape’s Dirk Elzinga sounded a warning in response to the news: “The minister should not exaggerate. Responsible restaurants are already doing this – that’s what good restaurant and good bar owners do.

“Yes, there may be some ‘not-so-responsible’ owners who are not doing this, and we would have no problem with them (being targeted). But the minister should not be draconian against those who are being responsible.”

Winde cited the impact of “last drinks” campaigns in New Zealand and Australia, where law enforcement officers would find out where drunk drivers had been prior to their arrests and then investigate whether action could be taken against proprietors. (from IOL)

Scare story about tik from the Voice

Parents beware! Sly drug dealers may be targeting your kids with a new type of tik that is specifically made to be attractive to children.

Instead of the usual white grainy substance, this form of tik is pink and looks like children’s sweeties.

It’s even named Strawberry Quick because of its colour and texture - similar to powdered pink cooldrink or pop rocks that crackle in your mouth.

Drug experts and community workers warn that the new form of tik is just as addictive as the original and could be even more devastating to youngsters.

Strawberry Quick is said to be a cheaper form of tik because it is mixed with colouring.

The substance comes in different colours and flavours and is believed to be a hit on Cape Flats school playgrounds.

Narcotics experts tell the Daily Voice that kids are taking the drug thinking that it’s sweets and then fall ill.

Cape Flats residents who have heard about the drug say it’s been around since last year but has been kept quiet.

A community activist and Mitchells Plain resident says primary school children have become easy targets for Strawberry Quick dealers.

“People are talking about the drug but no one has gone to the police to report it to anyone,” says the concerned man.

“We first heard about it when it was used at a Mitchells Plain school, and since then nothing much has been done about it.

“However, primary school children are the easiest targets and drug dealers are getting them hooked so they can become addicted to the drug and from there they start stealing from their parents.”

Baronise Henry, from Mediator Strandfontein drug support and counselling group, says she initially thought it was a prank when she found the warning about Strawberry Quick in her mailbox.

“But then I contacted the South African National Council of Alcoholism and Drug dependence who confirmed that it is a poor quality tik that’s dyed with food colouring to make the drug more ‘kinky’,” she says.

But Baronise makes it clear that the drug is just as dangerous as its notorious relative.

Parents have been urged to warn their children not to take packets of sweets from strangers and to tell teachers if they are offered any suspicious substances at school.

Experts abroad - where the drug has been around for at least two years - say it tastes like strawberry and comes in a bright pink colour.

There are growing concerns that the younger crowd will find the drug more attractive because of the variety of colours and flavours it comes in.

And dealers cut the drug with battery acid and other harmful substances to make it go further.

Flavour and colour are added to the meth during the cooking process, instead of afterwards, which means the drug does not lose potency.

The substance can be ingested by snorting, smoking or injecting.

The drug is more popular among new users who snort it because the flavouring can cut down on the bad taste.

A US police official says the drug is particularity aimed at the younger crowd.

“If dealers can get younger people using it, they can get long-time buyers,” he says. - (Daily Voice on IOL)

Unnamed community member makes sensational claims about drug without evidence. Independent drug expert confirms claims having received an email from an unknown source. Finally, US drug official is quoted "as authority".

SAB launches "How to be a good drunk" program

Well it's not called that, but it's basically the same thing:
Twenty-five-year-old Sibusiso Chapi is one of 100 Umlazi men to participate in an R8-million project aimed at teaching men to behave better after a few drinks.

Chapi heard about the Tavern Intervention Programme for Men, known as TIP, at his favourite drinking hole, popular Umlazi tavern Max's Lifestyle.

The programme, led by SA Breweries in partnership with Men for Development in South Africa, includes workshops over six weeks to change men's beliefs and their behaviour towards women and children, to create awareness of HIV/Aids and to promote drinking responsibly.

Chapi yesterday said he wanted to change.

"I tend to become forgetful after a few drinks and end up giving my belongings to people I do not know. Just last week, I gave away my phone. I want to be responsible." (from Timeslive) (Too drunk to even know that someone stole his phone.... oh dear)