Legalization of Drugs

[Harley]

I don't think there is a legitimate reason to make a drug that is already illegal, legal. I think most people who want to push for their legalization do so because they want to get high without repercussion, not because there is any actual benefit to it.

 

[Kean]

I don't think there is a legitimate reason to make a drug that is already illegal, legal. I think most people who want to push for their legalization do so because they want to get high without repercussion, not because there is any actual benefit to it.

I've never touched a drug of any kind in my life and whether drugs are illegal or legal substances, that won't change. Getting high is just about the least interesting thing in the world to me. It certainly has nothing to do with my stance on drug legalisation. You don't have to be stoner to see value, or the possibility of value, in the legalisation of drugs.

---------- Post added at 09:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 PM ----------

I'm no fan of Russel Brand, but he makes some very interesting and compelling points here.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_LHuII-jYQ&feature=related"]Russell Brand - 2012-04-24 - Committee on Addiction (complete) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[SlayerFest]

I don't think there is a legitimate reason to make a drug that is already illegal, legal. I think most people who want to push for their legalization do so because they want to get high without repercussion, not because there is any actual benefit to it.

I don't smoke weed and I haven't tried any hard drugs. Never have, never will...and I believe that marijuana should be legalized. I already listed my reasons. I know that you said "most" and not "all" but most, if not all, of my friends feel the same way I do. Even my mother does and she's the biggest square on the planet 😉.

 

[david4wt]

I don't think there is a legitimate reason to make a drug that is already illegal, legal. I think most people who want to push for their legalization do so because they want to get high without repercussion, not because there is any actual benefit to it.

Just like [MENTION=11753]Fredikins[/MENTION], I do not use drugs of any kind. I don't even smoke cigarettes for that matter! Still, I'm in favour of legalization.

 

[Harley]

Again, I said most, not all. So reiterating that you (general you) don't use illegal drugs doesn't negate my point. If every single member of BB did drugs, we'd still account for only a minuscule percentage of drug users.

 

[NY State of Mind]

The "War on Drugs"....I'm not really interested in discussing/debating this topic but I was requested so I'll drop my 2 cents and keep it moving along...First thing to understand about this is not only do criminals make a living around this but so does goverment agencies, police forces, courts, private investors for prisons, etc.

Obviously when people talk of legalization of drugs the most common talk is marijuana and whats interesting about that is almost half of all drug arrests atleast in the United States is marijuana related...I'm personally not into drugs including marijuana myself, but have seen people make the claims on the medical usage of it and compare it with pharmaceutical drugs on the market that are more harmful and not as effective... personally I've seen alcohol do more damage in about every account then marijuana...so I wouldn't have a problem with the legalization/taxation of it in that intent, however I still see marijuana as something thats abused too much by certain people who don't really need it

Now the "War on Drugs" dealing with the harsher illegal drugs to me has always been a flawed and government corrupted war that thrives off of classism and racism....I'd go into it further but I'm about tapped out with this subject and typing 🙂

 

[prophecygrrl]

I haven't read through all the posts here so this may have been said already, but speaking from a U.S. perspective, my basic thoughts are these:

Drugs should be decriminalized and addiction should be treated as a health problem.
Marijuana should be legalized/decriminalized.
The U.S. War on Drugs is racist and harmful.
I think being against drugs is perfectly reasonable position to take and I understand it, but I just don't think the way the U.S. has dealt with drugs is beneficial to anyone. I think there are better ways to combat drug addiction/abuse or violence.

Again, I said most, not all. So reiterating that you (general you) don't use illegal drugs doesn't negate my point. If every single member of BB did drugs, we'd still account for only a minuscule percentage of drug users.

I don't mean to jump on you or anything 🙂, but how do you know this is true?
Realistically, I don't believe this is true. Not just from my personal experience (I don't use drugs aside from alcohol myself), but the numbers don't add up. In the U.S., if upwards of 40 percent of people support marijuana legalization and only 10-15% of the youth-adult population uses marijuana regularly, then doesn't that indicate that most people who support legalization support it for another reason than to get high legally?

 

[Harley]

That's why I started my statement with "I think", as in "it's my opinion." obviously there's not going to be a statistic for that.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

I think they should make soft drugs legal, I don't see a reason not to. I'm not into drugs at all (alcohol is all the fun I need, I see no points of drugs) but Drugs are so easy to get they may as well be legal.

I think as Tueuse de Vampires said the Netherlands is a good example of it being done right and shows you then when it's legal it is monitored better, and the population isn't walking around strung out.

I think you could make a good case for it being a good thing for society as it would take drug use out of allot danger that goes with hiding it.

But I do also kinda agree with This Years Girl, that to just switch it and make it legal doesn't seem like a great idea.

I imagine there would be an adjusting period before it levels out to the way it is in the Netherlands, and I could imagine allot of misuse and risks for people if it were made legal and suddenly everyone wanted to try it while it was still a novelty.

 

[Little Miss Muffet]

I'm just going to throw my two cents in here real fast I had a debate on this in class last Wednesday so all I'm going to say is if tobacco and alcohol are legal then marijuana should be too.

As for the "war on drugs" its just another example of racial profiling.

 

[zobothehobo]

Here's my opinion: Victimless crimes should not be crimes. This includes drugs. If recreational drugs were made legal, there wouldn't be as much crime apart from the drugs... like there'd be less murders, less stealing, etc. It would be safer for those who use drugs. And the government could tax the hell out of them and get money. And it would still be cheaper than what the addicts are paying now. No one else has the right to tell anyone else "this is unhealthy and bad for you so you can't do it." You can say "you shouldn't do it." But "can't"? No. That's crossing a line into someone's free will and right to live their lives the way they want to live them. Victimless crimes shouldn't be crimes. So yeah. That's my thought.

 

[Harley]

I know doctors that have had to perform surgery on babies so addicted to coke they can't survive on their own. How's is that a victimless crime?

 

[kittenpoker]

In my opinion making drugs illegal does more harm than good.... first of all illegalizing something does not prevent it (look at theft/murder etc...) nor one could argue does it even reduce it.... Also it adds levels of risk.

For example, I believe so much violence involved in drug selling and buying would be eliminated.... Also, it would be regulated so you'd know what you're getting. A huge number of drug deaths are caused by the drug being laced with other things. And, as I mentioned previously, this would allow law enforcement to focus more attention and resources on violence, which - in my opinion, is a good thing.

There is also a huge racial aspect to the war on drugs which much could be written about.

 

[zobothehobo]

I know doctors that have had to perform surgery on babies so addicted to coke they can't survive on their own. How's is that a victimless crime?

That is not what I am talking about. Not every drug user is a woman who has a baby while on drugs. But taking drugs and harming yourself... that's pretty victimless. You're the only victim but you're also the one making the decision and therefore the crime is victimless.

I do not think it is ok for women who are pregnant to do drugs, however, I'm not going to sit here and say because women COULD take recreational drugs and COULD become pregnant and the baby from this COULD BE situation COULD get addicted to the drugs if they became legal that they shouldn't. I mean women right now CAN get pregnant and they CAN smoke tobacco and severely screw up their baby's development... and the same with alcohol... and even caffeine. Doe this mean these things shouldn't be legal? That's ridiculous.

TO sum up: the crime against humanity of doing something that will harm the child in the womb while pregnant is not the same thing as the crime as stated by the law of using recreational drugs.

 

[BuffyElevated]

People, please discuss this topic civilly. This is the only warning you'll get; if we can't discuss this calmly without attacking others' opinions, the thread gets closed.

 

[This Year's Girl]

I am against making illegal drugs legal (stated why in a earlier post). But I think people who doesn't believe that way have interesting points. 🙂

Like [MENTION=11292]kittenpoker[/MENTION] with the crimes that comes with drugs. I haven't given that much thought before, so thank you for broadning my perspective. Can you (or anyone else?) point me to some research on the subject?

In Sweden we have a law that it is illegal to buy sex but not to sell it, protecting the "weak" party. How would you see the possibility of a law that did the same, protected the drug user but not the seller? Like it would be illegal to sell drugs but not to buy it? Any thoughts?

 

[prophecygrrl]

In Sweden we have a law that it is illegal to buy sex but not to sell it, protecting the "weak" party. How would you see the possibility of a law that did the same, protected the drug user but not the seller? Like it would be illegal to sell drugs but not to buy it? Any thoughts?

Oh, I've heard about that law in Sweden! It's very interesting. 🙂 Hope this isn't too off topic, but I don't know much about what the effects of that law. Does it reduce the levels of violence against sex workers or forced sex trafficking?

With drugs, I think it's a slightly different story because the people who buy drugs are not necessarily the "weak" party, and the people who sell drugs are not necessarily the "strong" party. I'm no drug policy expert, but the situation you are proposing kind of reminds me that of this one statistic, about how in the U.S. there are far more black people incarcerated for drug-related crimes when white people are the top drug users/buyers. How there are levels of racism, classism, etc. that intersect with who is buying drugs and who is driven or influenced to supply it, and maybe a policy like that woudl disproportionately target certain communities that are already hurting from drug abuse, drug dealing and gang violence?
Again, I'm not a drug policy expert and I'm certainly not familiar with the situation in other countries, but in the U.S. the drug war is so mired in race and class issues that it's difficult to extricate it from a more general problem of drug abuse.

 

[November]

Im not familiar with other countries laws on drugs, in fact Im not really familiar with my own. But its obvious the "war on drugs" is not working. Im all for decriminalisation of drugs, in particular marijuana.

There should be a focus on getting more health services to help addicts rather than arresting or prosecuting them. I have no problem with people using recreationally, and the majority of 'soft' drug uses would fall into that category.

The penalties here for marijuana uses are far too harsh, and its not stopping anyone, all it is doing is making criminals out of people who are not hurting anyone but themselves. (I am against driving while high or doing anything that could cause another person injury).

 

[Aloverssoulz]

Against all drugs, alcohol and cigs.

 

[This Year's Girl]

Oh, I've heard about that law in Sweden! It's very interesting. 🙂 Hope this isn't too off topic, but I don't know much about what the effects of that law. Does it reduce the levels of violence against sex workers or forced sex trafficking?

With drugs, I think it's a slightly different story because the people who buy drugs are not necessarily the "weak" party, and the people who sell drugs are not necessarily the "strong" party. I'm no drug policy expert, but the situation you are proposing kind of reminds me that of this one statistic, about how in the U.S. there are far more black people incarcerated for drug-related crimes when white people are the top drug users/buyers. How there are levels of racism, classism, etc. that intersect with who is buying drugs and who is driven or influenced to supply it, and maybe a policy like that woudl disproportionately target certain communities that are already hurting from drug abuse, drug dealing and gang violence?
Again, I'm not a drug policy expert and I'm certainly not familiar with the situation in other countries, but in the U.S. the drug war is so mired in race and class issues that it's difficult to extricate it from a more general problem of drug abuse.

Yes, actually the prostitution law has worked really well. I read the rapport after it had been inforced for 10 years (2009). I don't have any exact numbers, but I know that actual buying of sex and trafficking had decreased a lot. If you want I can try to get the rapport in english for you!

Good points about the topic! What are your thoughts about this? Do you think drugs should be decriminalized?

I think the sentense (is that the word?) for drug related crimes should be less severe. I am in general very critical to jail, I think there are better solutions. But that's another debate. 🙂