Do you think drugs should be legal?

Many of the negative externalities of drugs are a result of their illegality.
Portugal has proved this to be the case, the decriminalisation of use works. You would have to look at the Dutch model to see if legalisation works.

Legalise, Tax, Regulate.
 
Moses said:
Is that true, though? Of course, abusive use of alcohol is very harmful... anything in ridiculous excess is damaging... but what damage would alcohol do if drinking within government guidelines, compared to the harm done by casual use of marijuana? Is there significant long term harm caused by low levels of alcohol? Is there significant long term harm caused by low levels of drugs such as marijuana?
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Based on the clinical evidence there doesn't seem to be any long term harm from the moderate use of almost any drug, most drugs cause far less physical harm than alcohol when used chronically, depending on route of administration of course. And many incidents of drug related harm are due to contamination, and would not have happened had the drug been supplied in an unadulterated form.
 
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Prohibition causes safety to plumit and prices to skyrocket, which creates a massive incentive in getting people hooked on addictive substances. And there's the whole threatening violence towards peaceful people thing...

Hmm, I don't know! Tough one!
 
Moses said:
Eating a McDonalds a week is bad for you. Drinking a pint a week is bad for you. Smoking a joint a week is bad for you. Yes there's loads of stuff which is technically bad for the you... that's just being stupidly pedantic, though... and to list them as though they're comparable is somewhat disingenuous, or at least misses the point. The thing to look at is the long term effects of a burger a week, a pint a week and a joint a week, in terms of physical and mental wellbeing.
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But don't you think a study on eating a burger a week is silly considering many people probably eat burgers every week and are absolutely fine? The best thing to do with these things is advise of the potential adverse side effects and leave it at that.
 
Nitefly said:
But don't you think a study on eating a burger a week is silly considering many people probably eat burgers every week and are absolutely fine? The best thing to do with these things is advise of the potential adverse side effects and leave it at that.
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No, we need to put guns to their heads and tell them they can't, as we should not approve of such disgusting behaviour.
 
Kamwah said:
While I'm somewhat on the fence of legalizing something like Cannabis because it's easily available anyway and idiots will do it no matter what due to believing all the negative effects are just made up.

But anything worse than that would be crazy to legalize.
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plenty of people drink regularly and it has far worse effects for users and society....

i think because the vast majority of pot smokers have seen no ill affects they believe it to be relatively harmless.

sure, dont smoke under 18 or if you are a bit mental in the head. but same can be said for alcohol
 
Cannabis, yes.
Anything else, no.

And thats from a guy who has at one time or another experimented with just about every drug you can buy.
Only stuff I never touched was heroin, however snorting crushed oxycontin is supposed to be a very similar effect so I'll chock that one up.

One of the worst things about that as well, drinking is a normal thing is society, subsequently, it's something kids try, like smoking and coffee, I got drunk when I was 12 (largely because I hung out with kids a couple of years older and there was **** all to do in my town). I certainly wouldn't like to think what would happen if kids started trying cocaine and meth at a young age. These drugs just aren't viable for use by the general population recreationally.
 
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Glaucus said:
Have.
Being illegal does have a big effect.
It is not easy to obtain, especially for a causaly users.
Put it this way 95% of my mates will smoke it, only 2 will actually go and buy it. Make it available in shops and it'll be treated like alcohol. More people will smoke it and more people will smoke it more. Now this sint a big issue with cannabis. But for other drugs, espeically the highly addictive, highly damaging drugs. It would be a huge issue.

Making it Legal takes away the Argo of sourcing it, it takes wpaway the danger of trying it the first time. As kids you always get a split of people oh this is illegal i ain't going to try it and the ah sod it, I'll try it anyway.
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so, legalise the less harmful ones then... if people had an alternative to booze they might just be happy with that.

less harmful would be MDMA (E) & weed etc.

most drug users have taken various substances but dont go near crack and H.

if taking drugs is illegal (like present) then what difference do people see between pot and heroine, bar higher price and higher sentence if caught? also, with the stupidly high price of weed maybe more people will use H as its more cost effective?

i would also propose various strains and strengths of weed. different plants (indica/sativa) have different effects yet these days you havent got a clue what you are buying. a really low THC strain could easily be created that allowed you to smoke pure weed doobies and eliminate tobacco, which is the harmful element of smoking it anyway.
 
pitchfork said:
One of the worst things about that as well, drinking is a normal thing is society, subsequently, it's something kids try, like smoking and coffee, I got drunk when I was 12 (largely because I hung out with kids a couple of years older and there was **** all to do in my town). I certainly wouldn't like to think what would happen if kids started trying cocaine and meth at a young age. These drugs just aren't viable for use by the general population recreationally.
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There are two interesting points there.

Drinking to excess is quite an English thing to do, it is cultural and not necessarily normal. Getting Drunk is seen as an acceptable use of alcohol, rather than just drinking and having a good time with friends like our European neighbours tend to do.

Lots of people are bored and have nothing more productive to do (for a multitude of reasons), recreational drugs should be something that Responsible Adults can choose to do to pass the time, but not at the exclusion of normal activity. Just as sex addiction and alcohol addiction will destroy your life, so will any activity done to excess.

The only two reasons drug law hasn't changed is:
1) To create a 'them and us', much like the Town Drunk is used as an example of conspicuous consumption - and all of it's negative connotations.
2) Politically there is no incentive to have it changed. It's too much of a hot potato, especially if the 'wrong' legislative choice is made.
 
realBabelfish said:
i would also propose various strains and strengths of weed. different plants (indica/sativa) have different effects yet these days you havent got a clue what you are buying. a really low THC strain could easily be created that allowed you to smoke pure weed doobies and eliminate tobacco, which is the harmful element of smoking it anyway.
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Just want to correct the last line which isn't quite true. Lighting and inhaling the smoke from any dried plant is dangerous, yes cigarette tobacco has some nasty stuff in it but most of the harmful chemicals are produced during the burning process.

It maybe true that smoking a pure weed spliff is slightly 'better for you' than smoking one mixed with tobacco but it's certainly not a guarantee against lung cancer and the heart problems associated with smoking tobacco alone.

But what you can do is vapourise it, there are plenty of vape machines you can get which do eliminate the dangers of inhaling plant smoke.
 
I think you have a very cloudy imagination of this world and this maybe due to you drug use.
 
estebanrey said:
Just want to correct the last line which isn't quite true. Lighting and inhaling the smoke from any dried plant is dangerous, yes cigarette tobacco has some nasty stuff in it but most of the harmful chemicals are produced during the burning process.

It maybe true that smoking a pure weed spliff is slightly 'better for you' than smoking one mixed with tobacco but it's certainly not a guarantee against lung cancer and the heart problems associated with smoking tobacco alone.

But what you can do is vapourise it, there are plenty of vape machines you can get which do eliminate the dangers of inhaling plant smoke.
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sorry, was talking in terms of tobacco addiction. didnt make myself clear.

when i used to smoke pure i only had 2 a night as i wasnt addicted to tobacco so i smoked when i wanted, not when the tobacco craving got me.

i agree. vaping is the way to go. or even water bongs help a lot.
 
Drugs currently are legal..

Tobacco
Alcohol
Ibuprofen
Paracetamol
*insert many other show available drugs*

Are you talking about things being declassified or controlled in some way such as in california and places like amsterdam.
 
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