Drug decriminalisation, your views.

As has been pointed out already, heroin in itself is not dangerous: it's actually a very useful drug for pain relief. The problem is the pattern of use. This is true of all drugs, and so making artificial distinctions between how "dangerous" drugs are is fraught with difficulty. Heroin is addictive yes. But if you can't go a week without smoking a joint, then you, sir, are addicted, no matter how much you deny it. Not as addicted as a smack-head, but addicted none the less.

As for methadone, it is prescribed, as I understand it (I'm not a pharmacist), because it has such a slow come-down. Essentially the user remains high for much longer than with heroin, and thus is less likely to want to take heroin. In theory. I should also point out that pretty much every death after taking methadone has involved taking at least one other drug, usually alcohol.

And yes, please make sure you understand the difference between:

Methadone
Mephedrone
Methedrone
Methylone.



M
 
Meridian said:
As has been pointed out already, heroin in itself is not dangerous: it's actually a very useful drug for pain relief. The problem is the pattern of use. This is true of all drugs, and so making artificial distinctions between how "dangerous" drugs are is fraught with difficulty. Heroin is addictive yes. But if you can't go a week without smoking a joint, then you, sir, are addicted, no matter how much you deny it. Not as addicted as a smack-head, but addicted none the less.

As for methadone, it is prescribed, as I understand it (I'm not a pharmacist), because it has such a slow come-down. Essentially the user remains high for much longer than with heroin, and thus is less likely to want to take heroin. In theory. I should also point out that pretty much every death after taking methadone has involved taking at least one other drug, usually alcohol.

And yes, please make sure you understand the difference between:

Methadone
Mephedrone
Methedrone
Methylone.



M
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I personally would class drugs which as Physically very addictive like Heroin as damaging, purely for the fact you get physically addicted to it. Cannabis has no addictive properties, if someone becomes 'addicted' to it its purely due to their state of mind, there is no real physical addiction.
 
XeNoN89 said:
I personally would class drugs which as Physically very addictive like Heroin as damaging, purely for the fact you get physically addicted to it. Cannabis has no addictive properties, if someone becomes 'addicted' to it its purely due to their state of mind, there is no real physical addiction.
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That depends how you class addiction, there are two parts: psychological dependance and physical dependence. Physical dependents can occure with drugs with aren't seen as addictive, such as anti-depressents etc. Anyone taking heroin, morphine or methadone for more than 7 days will be physically dependent (whether the drug is been taken for pain or for a 'high'). Psychological dependence is rare when taken to control pain but almost inevitable if taken to get high.

I don't know much about mephadrone but amphetamine based substances are physically and psychologically addictive. And cannabis can be addictive in the psychological sense. Its ironic though that one of the most addictive substances is perfectly legal in nicotine.
 
Hikari Kisugi said:
You do know Metadone and the recently banned drug of similar name are two entirely different products, don't you?

Speedballing is and always has been heroin and cocaine injected.
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Sorry should have said like speedballing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mephedrone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methadone

The first is said to have similiar effects to Cocaine/MDMA, the latter an opiate subsitute.

Sorry I wrote my previous post after coming in from the pub so should have made it more clear.

KaHn
 
The great thing about the portugese system is that once the addicts don't have to find a fix they actually get on and get a job and fix their lives up.
 
Currently doing my dissertation on this topic and thought I would add some of my findings from the research :)

Drugs did not become a criminal problem until they were made illegal and forced into the "criminal underground." There have always been health risks of course, and thats not to say that however the point being made is that the criminalization of any drug can lead to crime. For examples of this look at how countries like Holland and Portugal handle drugs, they allow it albeit in small amounts and report that they have much less drug related crime as a result.

The reason I've found this to be true is that people who want drugs are not always people who will want to break any other law, however in order to obtain drugs they have to contact a dealer who themselves maybe more likely to be involved in crime which then means that the person who wanted the drugs originally maybe more likely to become involved in crime as they have to know these types of people.

(I can post some of my actual report on here if you guys are interested to read about it further?)
 
Infam0us said:
Currently doing my dissertation on this topic and thought I would add some of my findings from the research :)

Drugs did not become a criminal problem until they were made illegal and forced into the "criminal underground." There have always been health risks of course, and thats not to say that however the point being made is that the criminalization of any drug can lead to crime. For examples of this look at how countries like Holland and Portugal handle drugs, they allow it albeit in small amounts and report that they have much less drug related crime as a result.

The reason I've found this to be true is that people who want drugs are not always people who will want to break any other law, however in order to obtain drugs they have to contact a dealer who themselves maybe more likely to be involved in crime which then means that the person who wanted the drugs originally maybe more likely to become involved in crime as they have to know these types of people.

(I can post some of my actual report on here if you guys are interested to read about it further?)
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That would be good. It is intersting that before criminalisation opiates and cocaine were freely available in a viriaty of places including mail order. in the 19th centuary drug addiction wasn't a problem for society at all. Users were able to buy there drugs and hold down jobs. There wasn't a stigma attached unlike alcohol users which were stigmatised, I remember reading that in the 19th century typical opium/morphine users were women, where as today younger men are the most likely users.
 
XeNoN89 said:
I personally would class drugs which as Physically very addictive like Heroin as damaging, purely for the fact you get physically addicted to it. Cannabis has no addictive properties, if someone becomes 'addicted' to it its purely due to their state of mind, there is no real physical addiction.
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I would disagree there if you were addicted to heroin and were able to regularly using pure clean heroin it would be arguably less detrimental your Heath than to be addicted to nicotine and smoking every day.

It doesn't change the point of whether it should be of any concern to you (or the state) what someone does to themself.

Similarly I don't care who smokes as long as they don't blow it in my face!
 
The thing about addiction is that almost anyone can become addicted to almost anything.

Coffee
Cola
Sugar
Fast food
Sex
Smoking
Adrenaline

None of those are illegal to 'protect people'.

Statistically, driving a car is more dangerous than taking a pill.
 
beermonster said:
I honestly cannot see why drugs aren't legalised and taxed the way alcohol and cigarettes are. Governments are clearly are not bothered about alcohol or smoking related deaths else they would offer some kind of real treatment to abusers other than self help groups or sticking patches on your arm.
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It would be a political nightmare if someone did come forward and say something on the lines of "Alcohol and tobacco is way more damaging to the body and than Cannabis and Ecstasy"

The media has turned so many people against these drugs, particularly Ecstasy. Maybe the media should try printing some proper facts in papers and on the tv, like the deaths reported from drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco and deaths from taking Ecstasy (on its own) and deaths from Smoking cannabis (on its own)

Then theres the fact that second hand smoke can kill or at least harm others and all the crime thats related to alcohol - Rape, Fighting etc. - I'm not too sure of the health risks relating to second hand smoke of cannabis.

Personally I am for legalising both of these as I think of them as relatively harmless. I have never once seen a fight when people have had Ecstasy or had a bit of a smoke - quite the opposite. People on E will love each other and smoking you dont want to do much. Maybe get a bit paranoid at the most
 
Cannabis, coke, ecstasy, speed, ket etc should be legal but I'm not sure about some of the really strong addictive stuff. Show me some people that take it and function reasonably well.
 
Andy_82 said:
Coke contains caffeine which is addictive
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yea but cocaine is highly addictive and someone is putting it into the same league as cannabis
Cocaine dependence (or addiction) is psychological dependency on the regular use of cocaine. Cocaine dependency may result in physiological damage, lethargy, psychosis, depression, and fatal overdose.
 
arknor said:
yea but cocaine is highly addictive and someone is putting it into the same league as cannabis
Cocaine dependence (or addiction) is psychological dependency on the regular use of cocaine. Cocaine dependency may result in physiological damage, lethargy, psychosis, depression, and fatal overdose.
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I agree, cocaine is one of the most psychologically addictive (not physically though) substance known. It destroys users lives, it is definately not in the same category as cannabis or even heroin.
 
Andy_82 said:
I agree, cocaine is one of the most psychologically addictive (not physically though) substance known. It destroys users lives, it is definately not in the same category as cannabis or even heroin.
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Agreed.

It's one of the few things I've seen multiple people **** up their entire lives as a result of.
 
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