Lancashire life

Following the media reports of 'zombie' homeless drug users, paralyzed, standing or lying around on the streets of manchester, now we have reports of 'zombie' children of 'zombie' drug addict parents.
"The court heard that the youngsters did not show emotion and were for all intents and purposes dumb - described as like zombies."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4297974/Zombie-toddlers-covered-rashes-faeces.html
These descriptions of drug victims as like 'zombies' may be just media hoo-ha, but, perhaps it is a fairly accurate description?

if the parents or carers themselves are crippled with addiction there is very little hope for the children. That is why we have social services and the laws governing the welfare of the child. We do what we can do - we will never encompass all or remove the problem. It's a battle of 'keeping the lid' on and muddling through.

The media are fond of zombies, a whole genre of entertainment is based on them. The news today tells us -

"Dead men and women were walking the streets of central Manchester this week. Some of them, their faces wan and eyes open, but filled with a terrible vacancy, stumble forward with arms out-stretched. Others stand stock-still like shop mannequins, seemingly unconscious but upright, or slumped forward, as commuters scurry past with their heads down. These are the victims of Spice. - Now, a powerful strain has emerged that produces a terrifying zombie-like effect in those who smoke it. It is estimated that up to 95 per cent of the young homeless in Manchester are using it, many of them hopelessly addicted"

Crikey!

Illegal highs - which are chemical based - are illegal and therefore there must be a thriving black market going on for so much to be available to those that 'want' it. I know from personal experience that tobacco is getting in by the 'tip' load and is available at 50% the real cost to as many as want it. It figures that illegal highs are coming by the same routes. How to stop it? Simple answer - you wont. And so we go back to the 10% wastage of population to which I eluded in a previous posting. They are and will remain an acceptable part of the equation and will always be with us. My answer is simple - street clearing squads (in other words 'round-ups) every day and clear them away to sleeping come treatment centres where they are not 'on show' and a small effort at rehabilitation to keep the numbers down. One point I might also make is that quite a number of these people are suffering from psychological problems and a better system of mental health would reduce the numbers by at least half in the first place.