User:Oskykins/Responsible use
- Rename "responsible drug use"?
They argue that drug users must understand and educate themselves on the effects and legal status of the drug they are taking, measure accurate dosages, and take other precautions to reduce the risk of overdose when taking drugs where an overdose is possible. If possible, chemically test all drugs before use to determine their purity and strength. As well, they argue that drug users should avoid driving, operating heavy machinery, or otherwise situate themselves directly or indirectly responsible for the safety or care of another person while intoxicated. When taking hallucinogenic drugs, they suggest that a user have a trip sitter (or "copilot"). They also propose some ethical guidelines, such as; a person should never trick or persuade anyone to use a drug; a person should not allow drug use to overshadow other aspects of their life (i.e. financial and social responsibilities); a person should be morally conscious of the source of the drugs that a person is using.
Duncan and Gold suggested that responsible drug use involves responsibility in three areas: situational responsibilities, health responsibilities, and safety-related responsibilities. Among situational responsibilities they included concerns over the possible situations in which drugs might be used legally. This includes the avoidance of hazardous situations; not using when alone; nor using due to coercion or when the use of drugs itself is the sole reason for use. Health responsibilities include: avoidance of excessive doses or hazardous combinations of drugs; awareness of possible health consequences of drug use; avoiding drug-using behaviors than can potentially lead to addiction; and not using a drug recreationally during periods of excessive stress. Safety-related responsibilities include: using the smallest dose necessary to achieve the desired effects; using only in relaxed settings with supportive companions; avoiding the use of drugs by injection; and not using drugs while performing complex tasks or those where the drug might impair one's ability to function safely.
Illegality causes supply problems, and artificially raises prices. The price of the drug soars far above the production and transportation costs. Purity and potency of many drugs is difficult to assess, as the drugs are illegal. Unscrupulous and unregulated middle men are drawn, by profit, into the industry of these valuable commodities. This directly affects the users ability to obtain and use the drugs safely. Drug dosaging with varying purity is problematic. Drug purchasing is problematic, forcing the user to take avoidable risks. Profit motivation rewards illegal sellers adding a cutting agent to drugs, diluting them; when a user, expecting a low dose, procures "uncut" drugs, an overdose can result.
Scales
- I wouldn't trust them for measuring literal milligrams. At lowest I'd trust them to 10mg. Simply breathing on them when the enclosure is open can send them off +/- 30mg. Vibrations on the bench can throw them off. Centrifuging on the high-speed machine across the room is noticeable.
- Simple things like make sure there are no windows open, a steadys solid surface, place an extra weight and then add your substance, etc.
- The weight and the substance need to be together on the scale. So:
- Empty scale
- Mark it zero
- Add weight and note the result
- Add substance and note the result
- Calculate delta mass
- Use the scale to get as close as you can and dissolve it in a good amount of solvent. The error in the initial weighing will be distributed between each dose you draw from the solution. This is the safest and most effective method. Never try to weigh milligrams.
- Basically if you're looking to accurately measure to the 1mg range, you going to have to spend thousands for a great scale. Anything below that you will be getting a strain-gauge based scale, which really can't guarantee readings accurate to 1mg.