Legalisation of drugs

[smudge]

The only problem (for me) in the government controlling/regulating/taxing drugs, is then what do the criminals then do? Do they move towards the sex trade? Do they become 'old fashioned' criminals again?

Most criminals looked at the drug market & realized there was a LOT of money to be made. What will they turn to next?

Also, I do like the old conspiracy theory's, but I truly believe that criminals around the world control the Government/Officials when it comes to drug trafficking & distributing. Which in my opinion is why legalizing will never happen.


Lets not forget - in an ideal world, there would be no drugs, no alcohol, no tobacco, no cannabis etc. All of these are fundamentally BAD for your body & mind.

Look how our whole country is being conditioned to not smoke. 50 years ago, smoking was the norm, now fewer & fewer people are even starting, mainly down to education, taxation & criminalisation.

It wont be long before no-one smokes. ( when I say long I mean perhaps 80-100 years )
Then will we seem the same with alcohol? I think so, eventually yes!
Another reason whey the drug trade will probably become more & more popular before it eventually goes down the same road as everything else.

 

[BigT]

Say, there's a pilot who's addicted to cocaine. At the moment, he's not got any incentive to seek help like he would do if he was an alcoholic. As taking cocaine is illegal, he could reasonably lose his job. Now, if you decriminalise the taking of class A drugs and educate people about help and support out there to kick their habit, you immiediately give the pilot a reason to seek help rather than let his drug taking further spiral out of control.

I can see sence in that now, shame you didn't put that example in your original post. (I'm not having a go here just trying to give you constructive criticism.)

I'm still not sure it would work for majority of junkies though, but that's just my opinion and I have no evidence to back that up.

Lets not forget - in an ideal world, there would be no drugs, no alcohol, no tobacco, no cannabis etc. All of these are fundamentally BAD for your body & mind.

Look how our whole country is being conditioned to not smoke. 50 years ago, smoking was the norm, now fewer & fewer people are even starting, mainly down to education, taxation & criminalisation.

There has been a number of studies over the years that suggest alcohol in moderation is actually good for you and 50 years ago smoking wasn't considered a health risk either.

What is to say if we allow cannabis to be legal that in 50 years time that that won't be seen as a health risk too.

 

[Dave]

Im for legalisation but i do think some pro legalisation supporters underestimate the risks with cannibis. Its as addictive as nicotine, not because the drug itself is but it is predominantly blended with tobacco so you lose out there. A number of studies have shown it has potentially higher carcinogenic effects that tobacco and it has significant psych effects.

I believe that legalising is the best option but people shouldn't trivialise the drugs themselves.

 

[Martin]

The only problem (for me) in the government controlling/regulating/taxing drugs, is then what do the criminals then do? Do they move towards the sex trade? Do they become 'old fashioned' criminals again?

Most criminals looked at the drug market & realized there was a LOT of money to be made. What will they turn to next?

Also, I do like the old conspiracy theory's, but I truly believe that criminals around the world control the Government/Officials when it comes to drug trafficking & distributing. Which in my opinion is why legalizing will never happen.


Lets not forget - in an ideal world, there would be no drugs, no alcohol, no tobacco, no cannabis etc. All of these are fundamentally BAD for your body & mind.

Look how our whole country is being conditioned to not smoke. 50 years ago, smoking was the norm, now fewer & fewer people are even starting, mainly down to education, taxation & criminalisation.

It wont be long before no-one smokes. ( when I say long I mean perhaps 80-100 years )
Then will we seem the same with alcohol? I think so, eventually yes!
Another reason whey the drug trade will probably become more & more popular before it eventually goes down the same road as everything else.

The sex trade should be legal too. People can have sex for whatever reason they want. Why should it be illegal to pay for something you can get for free legally? Legalising it would make it far safer, as would regulation. Most prostitution isn't actually the clichéd image of curb crawling and red light districts. But all this is for another topic.

So in your ideal world there are no substances which have an effect on the body? Well you best not like chocolate then, because that's a drug and can be fundamentally bad for you as well. More than that, drugs induce states of mind that are attractive to people, it's why they start taking them in the first place; to get away from how crushingly terrible the world is. Most people at the end of a hard say will have thought "I really need a drink" or something along those lines.

As far as education about drugs is concerned, we're doing a pretty bad job of it. The idea that all drugs are really bad and evil and you should never go near them ever is not only false misinformation and propaganda, it also glamorises drugs and makes the sound interesting.

 

[Bear]

Im for legalisation but i do think some pro legalisation supporters underestimate the risks with cannibis. Its as addictive as nicotine, not because the drug itself is but it is predominantly blended with tobacco so you lose out there. A number of studies have shown it has potentially higher carcinogenic effects that tobacco and it has significant psych effects.

I believe that legalising is the best option but people shouldn't trivialise the drugs themselves.

That's what I said in my epic post on page one, but I think it got overlooked because of the immense mass-debation going on

 

[adsyrah]

The sex trade should be legal too. People can have sex for whatever reason they want. Why should it be illegal to pay for something you can get for free legally? Legalising it would make it far safer, as would regulation. Most prostitution isn't actually the clichéd image of curb crawling and red light districts. But all this is for another topic.

I know it's a bit of a tangent for this thread, but prostitution is actually perfectly legal in the UK - a woman or man can indeed accept money for sex.

What's illegal is everything else around it: pimps, brothels, kerb crawling etc.

 

[Harv]

I'm not coming across a crack-whore or hippie but I honestly believe that softer drugs should be illegal. Cannabis carries very few dangers if used in moderation. This is a principal I believe most people fail to understand.
For example, if you eat too many chips, you become obese and put your health at risk. Chips are not illegal. This is because the vast majority of the public are responsible enough not too eat so many chips that their body is at risk. If we eat chips in moderation they can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.
Likewise, cannabis can become part of life. However, it is unavoidable that some people will push the limits of what is safe, overuse the drug and it will be seen as unsafe. The government know that most people would use it recreationally, as it is less addictive than tobacco/alcohol. . In the few times I have been in an environment with cannabis, I have never witnessed anything but personal enjoyment and a relaxed atmosphere. When people learn to use it in moderation, perhaps the decision can be reversed.
Life is short and on matters that don't actually harm people, I believe it should be a personal choice.

However, I am firmly against the use of the drugs LSD, Cocaine, and heroin. All these drugs appear to me as a physical evil and they tend only to bring out the worst in people, whereas cannabis, khat and other softer drugs only tend to create pleasant situations.

 

[Martin]

The sex trade should be legal too. People can have sex for whatever reason they want. Why should it be illegal to pay for something you can get for free legally? Legalising it would make it far safer, as would regulation. Most prostitution isn't actually the clichéd image of curb crawling and red light districts. But all this is for another topic.

I know it's a bit of a tangent for this thread, but prostitution is actually perfectly legal in the UK - a woman or man can indeed accept money for sex.

What's illegal is everything else around it: pimps, brothels, kerb crawling etc.

That's what I mean. Not so much pimps, because they're bad people, but legalising everything would probably cut down on that problem because there'd be no need for them.

 

[josht]

I think there Hasn't been enough research into the effects of drugs personally I think they should be more aware of what can be bought. Also I think be I'm not sure I watched a programme in how America has legalised cannabis for medical reasons. So I support the reaserch and possible Future outcomes for drugs

 

[Sam]

Sam's found a study. May as well lock this now, case closed!!

Your anti-intellectualism is scary.

smudge, your argument against legalisation of drugs is that the criminals might go on to another form of crime instead?! That's a bit weird. "Let's not make murder illegal, all the murderers might become bank robbers instead". ???

 

[smudge]

The sex trade should be legal too.

What about minors? Child sex slaves? Surely that is worse then selling some dope?

smudge, your argument against legalisation of drugs is that the criminals might go on to another form of crime instead?! That's a bit weird.

My point was poorly demonstrated there, but I was more concerned about the financial implications.
The drugs trade is worth approx $320billion, this will surely cause some drastic measure to be taken, especially by those select few who take a large proportion of that.

Will this industry then concentrate onto something else was my question?

My argument was simply not "Let's not make murder illegal, all the murderers might become bank robbers instead", but what will they put their energy's into next, which would surely be something, no?

For the record I am pro legalization - even being a non-user.

 

[Sam]

I think when Blaze said "The sex trade should be legal too", it was assumed he was excluding child prostitution. :

If drugs were decriminalised, a lot of the people involved wouldn't necessarily turn to another form of crime. I know a few dealers who are also students, and do it for a bit of extra cash on the side.

 

[smudge]

I think when Blaze said "The sex trade should be legal too", it was assumed he was excluding child prostitution. :

We would hope so... :

If drugs were decriminalised, a lot of the people involved wouldn't necessarily turn to another form of crime. I know a few dealers who are also students, and do it for a bit of extra cash on the side.

Oh I completely agree, and a lot of the time this would be the case, but then when you start moving up the chain ( not always that far ) these people RELY on the money, and would be forced to make it elsewhere. $320billion is a fecking lot of money, as I don't need to point out, but we are not talking a 'bit of extra cash on the side' anymore.

So in your ideal world there are no substances which have an effect on the body? Well you best not like chocolate then, because that's a drug and can be fundamentally bad for you as well. More than that, drugs induce states of mind that are attractive to people, it's why they start taking them in the first place; to get away from how crushingly terrible the world is. Most people at the end of a hard say will have thought "I really need a drink" or something along those lines.

The thing is, I wasn't saying MY ideal world, infact I would say I'm quite a heavy drinker & used to take 'party drugs' regularly so I KNOW how good these can be, and would never begrudge anyone enjoying any drug, but ideally, yes, these things would not be needed, therefore no need to exist.
If people already had a state of euphoria, with no inhibitions and no problems, drugs would be redundant. This is the IDEAL WORLD I was referring to.

And right now I feel I "need a drink"

 

[pluk]

Sam's found a study. May as well lock this now, case closed!!

Your anti-intellectualism is scary.

Being able to read other peoples theories does not make you intellectual.

---

I'm not so sure of the prostitution side of this. It certainly does go hand in hand with the drug use, so many girls do it only to pay for their habit. That's where the line blurs regarding if they are choosing to be prostitutes or not, if it weren't needing to pay for the drugs I'm sure a lot of them wouldn't. But regulation could make it safer. It would have to be done very carefully.

 

[Martin]

The sex trade should be legal too.

What about minors? Child sex slaves? Surely that is worse then selling some dope?

Well yes, as visiting a brothel is rather different to child prostitution. I'm only referring to consenting adults and expected that to be understood.

The thing is, I wasn't saying MY ideal world, infact I would say I'm quite a heavy drinker & used to take 'party drugs' regularly so I KNOW how good these can be, and would never begrudge anyone enjoying any drug, but ideally, yes, these things would not be needed, therefore no need to exist.
If people already had a state of euphoria, with no inhibitions and no problems, drugs would be redundant. This is the IDEAL WORLD I was referring to.

And right now I feel I "need a drink"

Oh I see, sorry, I didn't get that was what you meant. :-[

 

[Adam]

I have always believed that adults should be able to make their own choices in life, as long as it isn't going to seriously harm or effect others.

While it could possibly harm yourself, injecting whatever the hell you want into your own body isn't going to make anyone else drop dead, and you should have that choice to make yourself. As long as it's you're property, you should be able to do whatever you want to do. (as long as it isn't going to seriously harm or effect others)

Sadly, this joke of a government doesn't allow people to make that choice, so I am very in favour of any form of drug being legalised for both private use and (for the less harmful and addictive drugs like Cannabis or Tobacco) to be able to be smoked in pubs as well as Alcohol.

 

[Dar]

My issue with that is that I don't want to smoke either tobacco or cannabis, but I would be exposed to other people's second hand smoke. That's why I'm all for the ban on smoking in enclosed places.

I don't have anything against people smoking either substance, it's just doesn't appeal to me.

 

[JaykeAT]

I believe drugs should be legalized because if someone is stupid enough to take them,they should be allowed to. Also don't know if its's been mention because I cant be bothered to read everything but russle brand is doing a documentary about rehabilitation for people overcoming drug use on BBC3,after seeing the advert he seems to be calling a disease instead of what it really is.

 

[Sam]

I believe drugs should be legalized because if someone is stupid enough to take them,they should be allowed to.

OK, I presume you've never been stupid enough to drink alcohol, and never will? I presume someone as intelligent as you wouldn't want to put on of the more dangerous drugs into their bodies, ever.

 

[adsyrah]

Drugs are bad, m'kay?