What does Dr. Julian Somers actually? – Hemp | weed | marijuana

What does Dr. Julian Somers actually?

dr Julian Somers is a researcher and professor in the field of mental health and addiction in British Columbia, Canada. He is currently Professor at Simon Fraser University and Research Director of the Mental Health and Addiction Research Program.

In addition to his research, Julian has received numerous awards and recognition for his contributions to the field of mental health, including the Applied Public Health Chair in Urban Health from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Scholar Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and Best Paper Award from the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research.

But recently he was retweeted by a “right” – deduction warning – Jordan Peterson and Pierre Poilievre for his criticism of government policies and mainstream “safety of supply” narratives.

Of course, as is so often the case, reality is more nuanced. I met Julian the other day via a Zoom call. I wanted to know: what does Dr. Julian Somers?

Are his critics right?

What does Dr. Julian Somers actually?

What does Julian Somers actually think? In short, he believes what Portugal said when it decriminalized drugs: “There is no such thing as addiction treatment.”

But what does that mean?

“They don’t say that overcoming addiction means stopping using drugs,” says Julian. “They say overcoming addiction means becoming socially reintegrated.”

And indeed, that is the essence of what Dr. Julian Somers actually believes. And that is based on decades of intensive research.

How to solve addictive behaviors

Social inclusion is when a person feels connected or involved with their community. This can be as simple as meaningful conversations with friends, attending social events, and contributing to local activities.

The idea is that as you build relationships with others, you can create a sense of belonging. After all, humans are social animals. Not surprisingly, research suggests that social inclusion improves sense of purpose and overall quality of life.

And for many researchers, from experts like Dr. Julian Somers to amateurs like me, the evidence suggests that “addictive behavior” stems from this lack of purpose and belonging.

“Social inclusion is very close to what it would mean to have good mental health,” says Julian. “It means you have a job, you have a place to live and you are part of a community. You feel good around other people and other people feel good around you.”

What does Dr. Julian Somers actually? This addictive behavior is a mental health problem. That repairing Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside means addressing drug demand, not supply.

“If there’s one thing we should have learned from the drug war,” says Julian, “it’s wasted trying to focus on supply.” Instead, “our whole emphasis should have been on demand. About what is going on with the mental health of people in our population.”

reasonable positions. And yet, “if I raise this up one way or another, I will be crucified.”

What does Dr. Julian Somers actually? Research

Why is Julian Somers being criticized for his research? Adopt secure supplies and indigenous communities. He said:

“Right now, based on all the available evidence, it seems obvious to me that giving these communities better access to addictive substances would not help them. It would help them the most to support their growth in the things they desire: autonomy, resources, the ability to make decisions.”

rat park

This is not a controversial statement. Researchers have known about the “Rat Park” since the 1970s and 1980s. The studies, conducted by Canadian psychologist Bruce K. Alexander and his colleagues at Simon Fraser University, challenged the prevailing narratives that said drug addiction was primarily a result of the pharmacology of the drug itself.

Researchers set up two environments, a standard lab cage with access only to water and cocaine; and the other “rat park” filled with toys, food, and other rats to talk to, as well as cocaine. The researchers found that the rats in Rat Park were less likely to become addicted to cocaine.

Brain Disease Model is junk

Of course, rats are not humans. But the general notion that social and environmental factors play a significant role in addiction is supported by numerous other studies. Somers cites the number of American soldiers who used heroin in Vietnam. When they returned after the war, less than 5% continued using.

And there’s neuroscientist Mark Lewis’s research on brain imaging and the addiction model of brain disease. Mark’s research highlights the importance of environmental factors in addictive behaviors. He argued that addiction is not just the result of brain changes, but is influenced by social and cultural factors. He also suggested that social isolation and stress increase the risk of addiction.

Who are Julian Somers’ critics?

(Maggie McPherson/CBC)

This Press Progress article demonstrates the mentality of the people attacking Julian Somers’ position. It’s understood Somers and others are in for the money.

At no point does it deal with Julian’s ideas, but repeats the open letter that his work, in which he criticizes the safe supply, is “of critically poor quality”.

“It’s a reinvention of ad hominem attacks,” says Julian, recalling one of his professors many years ago. He taught that you can smile when your critics shift the discourse from the ideas to the person making the ideas. Because you know they have nothing.

And that’s probably the case here. The criticism that Somers and others like him are only in it for the money is either deeply ironic or overtly hypocritical.

During their research, Julian and his team found that “almost all of the work in which authors advocated so-called safe care was based in BC. They were people without an addiction background, they came from an HIV center. And they seem to have just rolled out a business model that worked for HIV. Which of course is very pharmaceutical.”

Pharmaceutical public-private partnerships are the name of the game.

“They appear to be using the same business model, partnering with industry to launch a presence in the addiction space… Their work was strikingly pharma-intensive.”

“Yet none of them mention in their documents, in their peer-reviewed publications, the fact that people need housing, people need help to find work. People need help coping with their mental illness. Instead, they say we need secure supplies immediately. In fact, it goes further. We need secure supplies across North America.”

Any why is this the case? Julian Somers believes this could be a consequence of the money story.

What does Dr. Julian Somers actually? follow the money

Julian imagines a scenario that cannot be ruled out. A conversation like this has undoubtedly happened more than once.

Somewhere in a New York office, the suits are swaying from the Oxy scandal. One of them is thinking about taking diet pills or maybe vitamins. But another suit convinces him otherwise. “There’s this group out there in BC,” he says, and they’ve figured out how to sell not just opioid compounds, but stimulants and benzos as well.

“They call it secure supply.”

The British Columbia government promises to produce Wall Street’s product before the Nicaraguans and Colombians. It’s a new era in the drug war.

“It’s outrageous how this has happened over a period of ten years,” says Julian. “There are people along the way who support their agenda and I think it’s notably doctors.”

Doctors know very little about addiction. It’s a small part of the medical school; When taught, it is the brain disease model. As a result, doctors approach addictive behavior as if it were a diabetes diagnosis.

What does Dr. Julian Somers actually?

Julian Somers believes that if the country could have a mature conversation about drugs and addictive behaviors and take the necessary steps to create a population with better mental health, we would be “very close to making heroin available for purchase”.

The fact is, says Julian, “Most people who get addicted don’t have it later and they don’t all die.”

Brain imaging does not support the addiction model of brain disease. “What [Mark Lewis’ research] What has pointed out,” Julian says, “is that the changes that occur before, during, and after addiction are consistent with our understanding of how the brain reflects learning.”

“Actually, it’s enormously inspiring, optimistic knowledge,” says Julian. “We are versatile!” And Julian Somers actually believes that.

That the brain disease model of addiction is “void and offensive” as it creates a disconnect between treating the rich and poor.

While the rich are sent to places like the Betty Ford Center to work on their mental health, the poor are kept isolated and given medication.

“It’s like two different worlds. And if you’re a doctor, you kind of know that,” says Julian.

So the question remains: What are the excuses of his critics? Especially the left-wing populists who claim to work and fight for the poor, oppressed and helpless.

Don’t they know that “safe care” lines the pockets of drug companies without addressing the mental health problems of people with addictive behaviors?