Sewage Doesn't Lie

[Lemur]

Finally, a reliable method for checking a community's real drug use.

Public health officials may soon be able to flush out more accurate estimates on illegal drug use in communities across the country thanks to screening test described here today at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. The test doesn’t screen people, it seeks out evidence of illicit drug abuse in drug residues and metabolites excreted in urine and flushed toward municipal sewage treatment plants. ...

Preliminary tests conducted in 10 U.S. cities show the method can simultaneously quantify methamphetamine and metabolites of cocaine and marijuana and legal drugs such as methadone, oxycodone, and ephedrine, according to Aurea Chiaia, a graduate student who is working to refine the process and described details at the ACS meeting.

“Because our method can provide data in real time, we anticipate it might be used to help law officials undertaking surveillance to make intervention or prevention decisions or to decide where to allocate resources,” Chiaia says.

This seems like the best of all solutions; no invasion of privacy, since there's no way to track the sewage back to an individual residence. Certainly, I would worry if law enforcement wanted to monitor homes on a one-by-one basis ... hmm, there is a potential for abuse.

Still, seems a lot more reliable than surveys. What do the Orgahs think?

-edit-

I see both Townhall and Slashdot have picked this story up.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Hmm - how long before they test the individual pipes leading from your house? Just do it on the part that isn't on your property, and there's naught you can do. Heck, just put a sensor that checks every house's sewage every now and again and send the SWAT team out anytime one picks up drugs.

Absurd, you say? Perhaps as absurd as sending police with military weapons to arrest a suspected bookie.

CR

[Uesugi Kenshin]

If it were to be limited to monitoring the sewage plants and not put into any use anywhere else I don't see how it would be a problem, unless someone had their own personal sewage plant anyway. But I bet they'll work to expand that sooner or later, more likely sooner than later.

[Papewaio]

If the water is getting recycled you definitely would want to know it if it getting additives.

Why not put a sensor at every connection point from home to the sewers?

It would be as predatory as reading every email...

[Gregoshi]

We could have the neighborhood watch monitor the sewer pipes. The Citizen's Potty Patrol comes to your town - if you give a crap, they'll take your crap. Flush tainted pee and urine trouble... <cue Dragnet theme>

[Peasant Phill]

Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves here? I think that a system that monitors every house in say a city would be to expensive for the benefits it would provide. Think of the costs of the hardware, the placement, the maintainance, the monitoring, ...
And what are the benefits? The government could bust some people who are drugging themselves in their own home. I think that when this system would be placed a lot of people would start using an out house again.

[Tribesman]

Hmm - how long before they test the individual pipes leading from your house? Just do it on the part that isn't on your property, and there's naught you can do. Heck, just put a sensor that checks every house's sewage every now and again and send the SWAT team out anytime one picks up drugs.

If you are not breaking the law you have nothing to fear .

Absurd, you say? Perhaps as absurd as sending police with military weapons to arrest a suspected bookie.

Hold on , thats guns that is , you like guns
Oh but its people having bigger guns in case the people they are after have guns .
I thought you said that wouldn't happen

[InsaneApache]

IIRC the Italians did some testing on the river Po for charlie, it was full of the stuff. Likewise in The City of London they tested tenners (£10) and around 90% showed traces of the old Columbian marching powder.

Great times we live in.

[Ronin]

All I can say is that the rats are having a great time down in the sewers!!!



like whoa....the walls are melting!


now we know were Speedy Gonzales got that way!
*rim shot*

I&#180;m here all week folks!

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

If you are not breaking the law you have nothing to fear .



Hold on , thats guns that is , you like guns
Oh but its people having bigger guns in case the people they are after have guns .
I thought you said that wouldn't happen

Ditto what Tribes says, how is testing you for illegal drugs without actually bothering you a problem? You could claim it's invasive but you only need to worry if you've been naughty.

[Blodrast]

Oh, what horrible times we live in, where even your crap isn't yours anymore!




(seriously, though, this has the potential to become an issue, in the slippery slope frame of mind. It isn't inconceivable that sensors be put in place for each house, and have cops knocking on your door because your poop smelled funny. errr, I mean....

Although, it could be pretty interesting - what if you had a party the night before ? Do you have to turn in a list of your guests, so that the police can go and "probe" each one of them ?
This opens an entire list of interesting possibilities...)

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Ditto what Tribes says, how is testing you for illegal drugs without actually bothering you a problem? You could claim it's invasive but you only need to worry if you've been naughty.

Well say the police pick the lock on your door and search your entire house? If you haven't done anything illegal you don't need to worry...

Besides, a lot of drugs are illegal that shouldn't be.

[rory_20_uk]

So, there might be fears that a non-invasive test might be able to help catch those that use drugs...

Screening a sample sounds like a great idea. If people think they will get caught they can either stop, or lobby to have it legalised.

[Don Corleone]

Finally, a reason to be happy for your own septic tank & leaching field!

[Don Corleone]

Ditto what Tribes says, how is testing you for illegal drugs without actually bothering you a problem? You could claim it's invasive but you only need to worry if you've been naughty.

I'm not certain, but I think Tribes' first line was meant a bit tongue in cheek. That's something "Law and Order Republicans" (American Republican) tend to say, something I'm quite certain Tribesy isn't.

[Crazed Rabbit]

So, there might be fears that a non-invasive test might be able to help catch those that use drugs...

Screening a sample sounds like a great idea. If people think they will get caught they can either stop, or lobby to have it legalised.

Ooo, ooo, can we send the police to search your house every day to make sure you're not doing anything illegal? After all, you shouldn't complain unless you're committing illegal acts.

CR

[Tribesman]

I'm not certain, but I think Tribes' first line was meant a bit tongue in cheek. That's something "Law and Order Republicans" (American Republican) tend to say, something I'm quite certain Tribesy isn't.

It wouldn't happen to be a line that was used by many during the discusions about things like the Patriot Act would it

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Finally, a reason to be happy for your own septic tank & leaching field!

Oooo. I never even thought of that. Time to be thankful for living in the middle of nowhere!

Not that I do any illegal drugs, unless you count illegally drinking a beer every now and then with my parents because I became fond of it in Germany...

[rory_20_uk]

Ooo, ooo, can we send the police to search your house every day to make sure you're not doing anything illegal? After all, you shouldn't complain unless you're committing illegal acts.

CR

Do you really think these two utterly different cases are the same? Nice strawman there.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Well say the police pick the lock on your door and search your entire house? If you haven't done anything illegal you don't need to worry...

Besides, a lot of drugs are illegal that shouldn't be.

Not the same, your poop has already entered the public domain, it's like the Police searching your rubbish. You chose to throw it out.

Also, I'd like to know about these drugs that should be legalised, if you're talking about Pot or it's derrivative skunk you can pull the other one because that stuff is evil.

[rory_20_uk]

Also, I'd like to know about these drugs that should be legalised, if you're talking about Pot or it's derrivative skunk you can pull the other one because that stuff is evil.

Whereas ethanol and nicotine are risk free???

Any substance can be a poison - it depends on concentration. You'll die on 100% oxygen if you're on it for too long; too much water can be fatal.

If things are legal, people can know what they are getting: most people drink spirits in a different way to beer; I see more people having overdone the alcohol than drugs.

Legal doesn't mean that the person is not responsible for their actions. If they break the law the penalty should be greater, as it is with drink driving.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Whereas ethanol and nicotine are risk free???

Any substance can be a poison - it depends on concentration. You'll die on 100% oxygen if you're on it for too long; too much water can be fatal.

If things are legal, people can know what they are getting: most people drink spirits in a different way to beer; I see more people having overdone the alcohol than drugs.

Legal doesn't mean that the person is not responsible for their actions. If they break the law the penalty should be greater, as it is with drink driving.

I've seen what cannabis does to your brain longterm. and tobacco should also definately be illegal. Alchohol maybe as well, though I admit I do drink occasionally.

[Don Corleone]

I'm with Rory on this one...

Imagine a guy who's drank too much beer, and then imagine his buddy who smoked too much pot. I know which of the two I'd have to spend time with (neither, but if it must be one, it'd be the pothead, hands down).

I've never heard of anybody getting weed muscles, weed-goggling, or any of the other sorts of violent/semi-violent behavior that happens when people drink too much.

I love beer as much as the next man and I haven't 'experimented' in over 15 years, but if we're talking strictly logic, it makes more sense to ban alcohol than marijuana.

[Husar]

Not the same, your poop has already entered the public domain, it's like the Police searching your rubbish. You chose to throw it out.

Yeah, you can always keep your poop inside if you want.

[Gregoshi]

Public sewage must have been a government plot years in the making. "Its 'progress', yeah, that's it, 'progress'...hehehe."

I'll bet the guys manning the "honey trucks" are in cohoots with the FBI (Fecal Bureau of Investigation?) too, so even those with septic tanks aren't safe. They must know many ways to pump information out of you.

This issue gets fouler by the minute.

[ajaxfetish]

I've seen what cannabis does to your brain longterm. and tobacco should also definately be illegal. Alchohol maybe as well, though I admit I do drink occasionally.

I don't know about Britain, but in America we've seen what happens when we make something like alcohol illegal. We've also seen similar results in our more recent 'war on drugs.' It's proved even less effective than our 'war on terror.' I'm right with Rory and Don on this one. Legalize the drugs (at least some of them, e.g. pot) and up the penalties for crimes committed while under the influence.

Ajax

[Lemur]

Legalize, tax, control. The war on drugs has been an abject failure, and I dare anyone to post evidence to the contrary.

Sheesh, when I think about how much we're spending just to keep drug users in prison, I break out in hives. $20k minimum per year per prisoner. Add it up, suckers.

For what it's worth, I don't smoke, drink sparingly, and I haven't done a recreational drug since the Clinton administration. So this is a clean lemur saying, for crying out loud, legalize.

[naut]

"War on Drugs" is silly, those with the cash just end up travelling to the Netherlands anyway.

However, I can understand why Ice etc is illegal though.