View Poll Results: Is it time to legalise drug use?
Yes, overall it would be a good thing
25
39.06%
No, it would be a disaster
29
45.31%
Trial it for say ten years
7
10.94%
Don't know
3
4.69%
Voters: 64. You may not vote on this poll
Should we make drugs legal?
Oct 15th 2009, 12:56 pm
#61
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,821
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
Hi Em,
There is some merit to your argument but, I would suggest that it is basically flawed.
The crime levels associated with drug-taking would, almost cetainly, decrease if drugs were made legal because:
1. There would be no black market,
2. Pricing could easily be made affordable,
3. Excessive drug taking would not rise substantially - very few people, including drug addicts, have the wish to kill themselves.
There is some merit to your argument but, I would suggest that it is basically flawed.
The crime levels associated with drug-taking would, almost cetainly, decrease if drugs were made legal because:
1. There would be no black market,
2. Pricing could easily be made affordable,
3. Excessive drug taking would not rise substantially - very few people, including drug addicts, have the wish to kill themselves.
Your points I take on board.. yep I see and agree what you are saying... especially point 3.. I don't think it would rise substaintially.. neither would I anticipate a fall either... I do think it would move towards an acceptance that Drugs on the whole are OK, which I struggle with (as I said before).. certainly because my family has been impacted by them.. perhaps that is clouding my vision..
I just can not see an answer.. and I don't think legalising cannabis is it either, but then again I used to be pro-legalisation a while back before we got hit with this family problem..
Em x
Oct 15th 2009, 1:25 pm
#62
Knight Templar
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Portugal
Posts: 2,115
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
I am struggling with this one.. making it legal I suppose, to me, makes it tandamount to "acceptable".. which I have a problem with.. as it is a dire habit.
Your points I take on board.. yep I see and agree what you are saying... especially point 3.. I don't think it would rise substaintially.. neither would I anticipate a fall either... I do think it would move towards an acceptance that Drugs on the whole are OK, which I struggle with (as I said before).. certainly because my family has been impacted by them.. perhaps that is clouding my vision..
I just can not see an answer.. and I don't think legalising cannabis is it either, but then again I used to be pro-legalisation a while back before we got hit with this family problem..
Em x
Your points I take on board.. yep I see and agree what you are saying... especially point 3.. I don't think it would rise substaintially.. neither would I anticipate a fall either... I do think it would move towards an acceptance that Drugs on the whole are OK, which I struggle with (as I said before).. certainly because my family has been impacted by them.. perhaps that is clouding my vision..
I just can not see an answer.. and I don't think legalising cannabis is it either, but then again I used to be pro-legalisation a while back before we got hit with this family problem..
Em x
Your family, like probably everyone else's on here, has been impacted by drug use so, naturally, your view is coloured. However, we all have to face the question of how best to deal with the problem.
I, personally, believe that we have to take the "money" out of it as this will get rid of the scum who peddle the misery attached to illegality. It will, also, allow for clean drugs which will cut the death and ill-health rate associated with black market drugs. But, more importantly, it will provide a better chance of effective education on the subject as it will be neither glorified nor denigrated.
Oct 15th 2009, 1:33 pm
#63
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,821
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
Education is the stance that has been taken with my kids.. we speak very frankly about the subject.. and so far, they seem to speak very frankly back to us about it all too.. hopefully it will be enough for now and will keep them on the right track...
Last edited by emelems; Oct 15th 2009 at 1:38 pm.
Oct 15th 2009, 7:40 pm
#64
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 20,821
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
It's a really interesting issue. One of the *most* interesting things to me is that many of those who are vehemently opposed to legalising drug use quote family and friends who have been destroyed by them - seemingly ignoring the fact that the drugs that have done this *are* illegal at present. Ie., the illegality hasn't in their cases stopped anything at all.
I feel sorry for those whose futures are being destroyed by their use of these things, but frankly I feel a hell of a lot more sorry for the people who *don't* use them but are suffering the consequences, such as abuse, theft, muggings and of course the inability of health services to cope with the consequences.
Everyone has a choice whether to get involved in such things but as adults they should also be made to accept responsibility for their choice. Legalising drugs might - might - stop a large proportion of the damage to third parties.
I feel sorry for those whose futures are being destroyed by their use of these things, but frankly I feel a hell of a lot more sorry for the people who *don't* use them but are suffering the consequences, such as abuse, theft, muggings and of course the inability of health services to cope with the consequences.
Everyone has a choice whether to get involved in such things but as adults they should also be made to accept responsibility for their choice. Legalising drugs might - might - stop a large proportion of the damage to third parties.
Last edited by Alfresco; Oct 15th 2009 at 7:48 pm.
Oct 15th 2009, 8:02 pm
#65
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 14,188
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
Try reading what I actually wrote. The suggestion here is that despite massive gloabl campaigns to stop smoking you are now advocating introducing even more damaging substances to the legal market. That's what I can see no logic in.
So the stuff currently available on the streets is being commercially manufactured by the likes AstraZeneca with the intention of 'pushing it'. Do you have one iota of proof for that?. If you do stand up, in public and claim it. It would be interesting to see if they leave you with as much as a pot to piss in after they drag you through the courts.
...and morally you are happy with the concept of creating "massive tax returns" by introducing products to the market that we know, in advance, would create huge health implications?
I'm prohibited from putting a bullet in the head of drug dealers... that seems to have worked so far.
Proof? Based on what?
Most illegal drugs are being manufactured already, in some form, by existing pharmaceutical companies.
The arguments for legalising "illegal" drugs are many and varied but, the main ones are:
1. >90% of premature deaths are due to adulterated (unknown strength) drugs.
2. >75% of drug related crime is due to association with illegal distribution.
3. The maintainance of "illegal" drug prohibition cost the UK alone £bns in police, prison, SW, health and insurance costs
4. The alternative, legalisation, would result in massive tax returns, lower deaths, lower crime and low health costs.
1. >90% of premature deaths are due to adulterated (unknown strength) drugs.
2. >75% of drug related crime is due to association with illegal distribution.
3. The maintainance of "illegal" drug prohibition cost the UK alone £bns in police, prison, SW, health and insurance costs
4. The alternative, legalisation, would result in massive tax returns, lower deaths, lower crime and low health costs.
Prohibition has never worked: not with alcohol, gambling or anything else. Dare I mention drugs???
Society is at more danger through prohibition than it would be through legalisation.
Oct 15th 2009, 8:23 pm
#68
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Posts: 14,188
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
"Excessive drug taking would not rise substantially"
What's that gem based on. Taking the tobacco and alcohol industries as examples I would suggest that drug taking would rise enormously....
...and before you come back with "sensible drinking"... what's the "sensible' level for Crack, Methamphetamine, Angel Dust....?
Who would fancy a Friday night out in a city center when half the people have been taking "sensible" levels of that lot?
Oct 15th 2009, 9:11 pm
#69
And YOU'RE paying for it!
Joined: May 2007
Location: kipper tie?
Posts: 2,328
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
The point is that these drugs would not be "introduced" to the market. They are already there!
Oct 15th 2009, 9:20 pm
#70
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Posts: 14,188
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
This sort of reasoning that says "ahh **** it, we can't win this war so lets just legalise it all" is ridiculous. I would guess that more people drink and drive than take class A drugs.. why don't we just legalise that as well?.
How about housebreaking... think of all the money we could save on prisons and policing if we just legalise it....
Oct 15th 2009, 9:34 pm
#71
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Posts: 9,316
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
Bullshit... this thread suggests we make them (all and anything) legal and by association freely available. What percentage of people drink?.. what percentage smoke?... what percentage would take 'legal' drugs?. The same sort of levels who drink now?.
This sort of reasoning that says "ahh **** it, we can't win this war so lets just legalise it all" is ridiculous. I would guess that more people drink and drive than take class A drugs.. why don't we just legalise that as well?.
How about housebreaking... think of all the money we could save on prisons and policing if we just legalise it....
This sort of reasoning that says "ahh **** it, we can't win this war so lets just legalise it all" is ridiculous. I would guess that more people drink and drive than take class A drugs.. why don't we just legalise that as well?.
How about housebreaking... think of all the money we could save on prisons and policing if we just legalise it....
It's clear to me why drink driving and house breaking are illegal but I can't say the same for drugs especially when the already legal drugs are only legal because of historical precedent.
Oct 15th 2009, 9:40 pm
#72
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Posts: 14,188
Re: Should we make drugs legal?
...and you are using an arguement that says because we screwed up in the past we should follow that same route again?!
Oct 15th 2009, 10:05 pm
#74
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Posts: 9,316
Re: Should we make drugs legal?