Zoned out and frozen on a busy Manchester morning (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)

submitted 5 months ago by Emperor@feddit.uk to c/manchester@feddit.uk

2 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The images capture a woman in a hauntingly familiar pose. On one of Manchester's grandest streets, outside a department store, she is bent as if she's trying to pick something up.

Almost touching her toes, she remains motionless for minutes. Before long, she collapses to the ground, and bystanders are calling police for help.

The disturbing scene is eerily reminiscent of another time. The time when the Manchester Evening News first reported on a scourge that was leaving vulnerable people frozen in 'zombie-like' states across the city centre.

The sight of people wasted on synthetic cannabinoids would become so familiar, seven years ago, that national headlines would go on to dub the city 'Spicechester', home of the 'living dead'.

top 2 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] rah@feddit.uk 11 points 5 months ago

experts were bracing themselves for a deadly new wave of synthetic opiates

I'm bracing myself for a deadly new wave of anti-drug moral panic.

She says there are ‘so many people’ on what she calls ‘legal highs’ - despite the government having banned them back in 2016.

Almost as if the idea of treating drug abuse as a criminal issue rather than a health issue is fundamentally flawed.

[-] YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

That's fucked. I knew when these designer drugs became super cheap and available that this was going to happen. I'm pretty sure it's the same reasons some people stick to alcohol mostly, it's widely available and cheap and it basically turns off reality for a period of time. It's no wonder when other drugs are taken off the streets that people turn to shit like this. Prohibition does NOT work.

this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2024

15 points (94.1% liked)

Manchester

194 readers

1 users here now

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

Bread@feddit.uk