Drugs - where's the harm?

By Ray Schaufeld

Mon, 18 Apr 2022
  • 766 reads
7 comments
 

In Devon our chief of police talks about busting 'County Lines' the drug trafficking that often crosses county boundaries. She's right.

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My short fictional tale of Exmouth's trade routes stays within two streets in the ordinary suburb of Brixington.

Elle aged 18, a sixth former at the community college goes round to Jack's door when his Mum and stepdad are at work of Saturday afternoon. Jack who is also at the community college is 16.

'Here's Josh' she says.

Jack buys a small amout of 'Josh'. Later Jack and his friend Ryan smoke it with tobacco down at the beach,

2 years on

 

Jack no longer smokes Josh. He got wrecked once too often and missed a shift at the coffee shop where he works as a barista. His stepdad Andy took the the opportunity to have a word with him,

'I'm just going to tell you the once' he says' 'Be careful'

'No, you're all right Dad' says  Jack ' When I go with a girl...

'I'm not talking about girls' says Andy. Andy speaks in a measured tone and looks young Jack straight in the eye. Jack tells Ryan that Andy 'gave him an evil'. He is referring to that look.

How the f**k can Andy know? He is only a bus driver who works for Stagecoach.

Anyway Jack no longer smokes. When his long hours of work allow it he gets pissed down the F and L with Ryan. He has put himself forward for management training at work. 

'Drugs are s*it' says Jack 

Jack 'knows'

But what about Elle?

Elle, now 20 and a law student in Bristol is deeper into the drug using life. On her placement with a recognised law firm she hid her shock when she saw the quantity of cocaine that the flashy young lawyers in their late twenties and early thirties snorted up their nostrils in the toilets at work.

What if they get arrested? Won't they get barred from practising law?

Elle does not want to tell her mum. It would only stress Debbie out. Debbie works as a legal PA in Southernhay, Exeter's law district. She is so proud of her daughter for going to uni. Debbie has also been the sole income earner in the house for five years after going through a bitter divorce.

Elle says no except on her leaving night do. She only does a single line and then another later on in the night.

She does a bit more with her student pals.

Elle's one attempt at county lines to date has failed miserably. When she went home for the Exmouth Festival at the May Bank Holiday she made the mistake of approaching her former friend Jack at his work.

 Jack was setting up the coffee shop early in the morning. She suggested that Jack meet her new friend 'Charlie' after he has finished his shift

.'We could go down the beach, have a good time'

''Go away' says Jack, using strong words to the same effect. 'I don't touch none of that s*it'

That's where my story ends

My tale is pure fiction and I know very little. Compared to most of my friends I was pretty much 'a straight'* I'm alright about it. I know that 'Charlie' can be slang for cocaine. Perhaps 'Josh' can be slang for hash. Perhaps not. 

And what does Andy, the stepdad who drives a bus know? I've no idea but IMO he was right to speak to Jack when he did.

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This is a community site. I hope some of you will be inspired to develop some of my themes and to create your own,

* A 'straight' is old hippy slang for a person who does not 'do illegal substances.'

 

 

 

Certificate 15
Other
Exmouth - It's the South West's Best Kept Secret
Unclassified

Comments

Submitted by celticman on

reads a bit like character -eveleopment notes. Could develop into something more substantial. 

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Your comment seems harsh but fair, CM. Now which character would I 'go to town' with? ...If  I had a PSV licence I would join Andy on the Stagecoach Devon route 6 from Exeter across the Tamar to Bude.

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thought-provoking To develop further, you'd have to go into a lot more thought about how each is affected. It may be best left like this to just point out the dangers and possibilities and subtle 'friends' who can influence when someone is feeling weak. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Rachel,

I had a young life of being caught up with people who took drugs, but never felt pressured by them to join in. I once took acid and had an incredible eight hour trip, but never took it again after. I've only ever smoked once and coughed so much it put me off for ever. 

I don't know how people function on hard drugs, it's sad to think that even right now someone somewhere is taking them and is living at rock bottom having no idea how to escape. 

Jack was lucky, he's escaped that life, but there are so many that are hooked and have no idea where to turn, and then there are those that don't even care...very sad.

A thought provoking piece of writing Rachel.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Rhiannon Jenny, thank you both for your feedback. Much appreciated.

I wrote this to provoke thought and I hope stories from other writers who know more.

Jenny, like you I 'dropped acid' once. I was 21, an idealistic student doing voluntary work to help the homeless at the Belfast Simon Community in my summer vacation

 I took half a tab with a man who was a work colleague and a small-time criminal who I fancied more than he fancied me. Phil may have been in denial about liking men more than women.. I was working in a demanding workplace where I was out of my depth. I was a long way from home in every sense of the word.

My attitude was 'to heck with everything I might as well try it'

Due to the small quantity and probably due to it being weak in strength I did not have a bad trip! I wrote back to a friend of mine that acid was 'a load of old cobblers because it went to my head and not my heart' I was seeing green flashing lights under my fingernails at the time so I guess I had my moneys worth. I don't remember it costing much.

For the next couple of days I would burst into tears over every little thing. This was not like me and I never bothered with it again.

I do not think LSD is safe. What saved me from lasting harm was probably the weakness of the product.

That's the problem with illegal substances. We do not know the strength of what we are taking or even what is in the pill or powder. For this reason I think there is a case to be made for age-restricted licensed sales of some products, for example over the counter in a tobacconists shop.

And I don't think I can develop this piece much further because of my lack of relevant experience. I have not experienced lasting delight or lasting harm from drugs for months or for years on end because I have never been deeply into the drug-using life..

I repeat my point. I am pretty much 'a straight'

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What I would dearly love to know out of sheer nosiness is to what extent do trade routes take place on public transport. Think about it - the cops will stop and search a car if they suspect drug trafficking but I have never seen then board a bus or a train in England in order to carry out a stop and search operation. I have also heard some interesting talk when I travel with my bus pass. Those 2 skinny hoodies aged about 20 on Easter Sunday who jumped on the X38  bus from Exeter to Plymouth at the Drumbridges roundabout and started chatting about how one of them 'had some eggs Four eggs, scrambled eggs, guffaw, ha ha' They then jumped of the bus soon after their chat and before they reached any major destination. Hmm

Submitted by marandina on

It's still a relevant subject to debate in public. I agree that this could be developed into something bigger/longer. The groundwork is all there. I enjoyed the real life scenarios in a curious way. I think we've all been affected by drug taking either directly or indirectly at some point. Paul

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Thanks Paul. It's an old topic.

In America they had Prohibition. It stopped some people drinking alcohol. Others made their own. Some  may have killed themselves from drinking too much of a bad batch or maimed themselves for life. When my father was in a displaced persons camp after WW2 he saw a man drink a lot of home-brewed hooch and go blind.

IMO licensed sales of the milder products over the counter with age restrictions would be a wise move.

As for my fictional tale I'm stuck. I'm saying this againagain I can't extend this myself because I do not have relevant experience. I want other Abc writers to write their own separate tales because I want to learn more.

The only way I could give my piece a leg forward would be to have a bus pass person who spots something or who intercepts something while on her way from A to B.

Besides I want to complete putting up my piece about the New Scottish Parliament, being there, in the polling station, in the heart of Edinburgh at the heart of times of change.

That's real, that's me. I was there. My journal has been sitting in my box file since 1999.

All the best

Rach

 

 

 

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