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The first edition. Illegal!

Drug addicts sell 10,000 copies of Denmark's Illegal! magazine

Being a magazine vendor is, according to the owners, the “best alternative to (giving fellatio) on the street”.

DANISH DRUG ADDICTS have started to sell a magazine launched to help them fund their habit, in the hope that they will turn away from prostitution or crime as a way to pay for their next hit.

The drug and culture magazine, Illegal!, is the brainchild of self-styled social entrepreneur Michael Lodberg Olsen and states openly that its vendors will probably use their income to go out and buy more drugs.

“It has two aims: we want to (help) decriminalise drug users, and we want to give them job opportunities to reduce crime and prostitution,” Lodberg Olsen told AFP.

A headline on the latest cover reads:

The best alternative to (giving fellatio) on the street.

The magazine has featured stories on what it says is the failed war on drugs, Portugal’s decriminalisation of heavy drug use – billed as a success – and a top 20 list of the most dangerous drugs, topped by alcohol.

By campaigning for the legalisation of drugs through the magazine, Lodberg Olsen wants to make drug addiction an issue for the health authorities rather than the justice system.

In its launch issue, Illegal! estimated that a drug user funding his or her substance abuse through theft costs society half a million kroner (€67,000) per month.

“An iPhone with a retail price of 5,000 kroner costs 500 kroner on the street…A drug user has to steal for 10,000 kroner to make 1,000 kroner,” it read.

In a phony advertisement, the second issue showed a flyer on a windshield saying: “Empty the car before we do! Regards, criminalised drug users.”

The magazine costs 30 kroner, out of which 20 kroner goes to the vendor.

“Many of those who can make ends meet by selling Illegal! without turning to crime are heroin users,” Lodberg Olsen said.

He estimates that a heroin addict typically spends 300 to 600 kroner per day on drugs.

In contrast cocaine addicts could use up anything from 4,000 to 7,000 kroner per day, making it virtually impossible for them to finance their habit by selling the magazine.

‘Culture change’ for drug addicts

Getting hard drug addicts to stay committed to their new job is easier said than done.

Mikael, 44, who became addicted to heroin in prison when he was 19 before turning to methadone, a relatively cheap and powerful pain reliever, said he had tried his hand at being a vendor.

“But I gave up. It was hard to sell,” he said, outside a non-profit café for drug users.

In the past he also tried selling Copenhagen’s street magazine for homeless people, but stopped because it was “degrading”, he said.

Many of the addicted vendors struggle to stick to a routine.

On a cloudy afternoon on the streets of Vesterbro – a seedy but gentrifying area behind Copenhagen’s main train station that is home to Scandinavia’s most open drug scene – not a single vendor of the magazine was to be seen.

“They are much less stable than (other) homeless people. It’s a culture change for the drug users. They are used to thinking about how they can commit crimes to get money for their next fix,” Lodberg Olsen said.

He says he first became involved in drug addicts’ rights after moving to Vesterbro and witnessing first hand how they were treated as outcasts by society.

He previously drove a van where drug users could inject in a safe environment, a forerunner to the tax-funded drug consumption rooms launched by the city last year.

“It’s going to take a few years before we have a stable network in Copenhagen, so that Copenhageners have a rough idea of where and when they can buy the magazine,” he added.

Currently there are about 40 vendors of the magazine, whose circulation has soared from an initial 5,000 to 10,000 copies of the second issue.

About half of the vendors are Eastern European migrants – largely drug-free – hired by “Illegal!” after Copenhagen’s street magazine for the homeless refused to employ them because they weren’t Danish citizens.

“The Eastern Europeans have shown a really strong interest … so they are a good partner for us,” said Lodberg Olsen.

© AFP, 2014

Read: Police raid of Justin Bieber’s house finds cocaine ‘in plain view’

More: The positives and negatives: How marijuana affects your brain and body

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    Mute Frederick Constant
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:21 AM

    Interesting idea. Not sure if the scobes here would have enough ‘work ethic’ to actually work to buy drugs – much easier to rob.

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:03 AM

    You patronising idiot Frederick.
    You sit on your high horse and presume to know the ‘work ethic’ of all heroin addicts – they are people – individuals – all different. Your attitude is part of the problem

    70
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    Mute upthepylons
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    Jan 19th 2014, 2:45 PM

    Dave, when’s the last time you seen a junkie working? Me neither.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 19th 2014, 5:16 PM

    Junkies have to go to their methadone clinics during the day, so they can’t work days. They’re such wasters.

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    Mute Richard Sweeney
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:22 AM

    Nice to see a pragmatic approach for a change

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    Mute Sean Hyland
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:26 AM

    No to prohibition and let addicts get help from charities set up with tax breaks for businesses. Keep the state out if it and make sure same charities are set up by volunteers with no pay off overheads. Ie people who care.

    18
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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:26 AM

    I like it when people get creative and aren’t afraid to try something different because whats in place isn’t working.

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    Mute Lar Cooney
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:02 AM

    You would need the army to stop junkies robbing houses and anything else up In Dublin. Make drugs available for these people. Put real criminals out of business. I haven’t seen a Garda on foot in my area since the recession began. Bad enough a family has to deal with a drug addict then for him to be cast straight into low level crime. I couldn’t imagine what it must feel like Address the issue. What we are doing now is not working.

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    Mute R
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:22 AM

    Actually fascinating. A good idea if it works definitely.

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    Mute joe power
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:53 AM

    Why do people giv a f#@k about these scobies.you break the law you go to jail simples

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    Mute Scoby Watson
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:02 AM

    Did someone say my name?

    78
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    Mute Luke Daly
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:32 AM

    Who are you? Ross O’Carroll Kelly? “Scobes” is not a word.

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    Mute Tom the Bomb
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:34 AM
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    Mute Luke Daly
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:50 AM

    It may well be a word but the urban dictionary “kinda isn’t” the place to prove it.

    I’m not a grammer Nazi I just think that Scobes is a silly term that snobs(you’ll find that in a real dictionary) use to describe poor people.

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    Mute Tom the Bomb
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:29 PM

    It’s a colloquialism. You probably won’t find it in the Oxford English Dictionary, but it has been in general use for years. I think it refers to the more anti-social types, not poor people. It has been largely replaced by the term ‘Chav’.

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:40 AM

    Interesting idea. Can you imagine a tac head trying to sell you a magazine on Abbey street? You’d run a mile.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:42 AM

    With that attitude you would

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:51 AM

    If you have sense you would.

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    Mute Cannabis Freedom
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:54 AM

    But wouldn’t it be better than them running off with your iPhone? Personally, I’d admire a drug addict who opted to sell the magazine, rather than commit crime to feed their habit.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:54 AM

    No you wouldn’t. Knowing that buying a magazine may prevent a mugging, theft or shoplift is all the incentive you need. They are human beings selling magazines what’s the issue?

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:23 PM

    How about instead of having a habit you stop being a drain on society and yourself. Point is they are people with an illness who I personally don’t want to be associated with.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:28 PM

    Heroin is recognised by the world health organisation as a disease and should be treated as such. Until the government realises this it’s up to voluntary organisations and volunteers to help and this magazine is a great idea.

    You stick to your stigma but remember our current way of dealing with this problem excluding the addict from society does not work.

    17
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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:58 PM

    The WHO recognises the diseases which can be developed from heroin use as diseases. Nothing about the actual drug. I will continue my belief that they should be allowed to use drugs as the freely wish, however they are fools for doing so, as are all drug and drink users who believe in living in societies care when they can’t handle something they choose to use.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:02 PM

    So you are in favour of continuous criminalisation or not? Last comment was contradictory to others

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:06 PM

    De criminalisation without support. How is that contradictory?

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:08 PM

    The point of decriminalisation is to take a medical approach instead of a criminal one meaning you clearly have no idea what your on about. Decriminalisation without support is like criminalisation without enforcement

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:12 PM

    That’s your view of de criminalisation. Mine is that you are not arrested for drug use. After that you’re on your own.

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    Mute upthepylons
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    Jan 19th 2014, 2:48 PM

    Birch, don’t bother with them. They probably think that said heroin so be given to the junkies at the tax payers expence.

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 3:53 PM

    I know, they seem to love suckling off the tax payers teat.

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    Mute paddydunne
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:19 AM

    I think cocaine and heroin should be legalised. That would take the power away from the criminals, coupled with more power for the people. Stand your ground law. This would have a huage impact on our society for good.

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    Mute Trevor croft
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:52 PM

    ˙uʍop ǝpısdn ǝɹɐ sǝʌıן sǝuo pǝʌoן ɹnoʎ puɐ ǝɟıן ɹnoʎ ʇı ʍouʞ noʎ ǝɹoɟǝq
    ‘spıʞ bunoʎ ǝɹɐ ʎǝɥʇ uǝɥʍ sʇɔıppɐ uıoɹǝɥ ǝɯoɔǝq oʇ ǝsooɥɔ ʇ,uop ǝןdoǝd

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    Mute Dave Dson
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    Jan 19th 2014, 3:54 PM

    You can get a cream for that, clear you up in no time.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 19th 2014, 5:18 PM

    Very clever! But.. People DO choose to become heroin addicts.

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    Mute SSDP Ireland
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:38 PM

    This is a public health issue.

    We need schools not prisons.

    http://www.ssdp.org/ireland

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    Mute Jim
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:39 AM

    That’s heavy Tac!

    6
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