Legalization.

[paulpablo]

Where you live right now is there anything which is illegal that you would like to be made legal or anything that is legal which you want to be made illegal?

I just want to say I'm not encouraging anyone to break the law in this thread.

Personally I would legalize prostitution and marijuana smoking.

I don't break any law concerning either of these things but I think policing these laws is just a waste of money and time, criminalizing them just makes it more unsafe for people who want to participate in these acts.

I used to smoke weed but don't anymore, and probably will see a prostitute at sometime in the future.

I would also put some restrictions on how much people could drink in terms of alcohol but I know that would probably be complicated to do.

I'm undecided about gun laws since I've never been to a country which has legalized gun access.

I'd just like to add that I'm not a hippy who thinks marijuana has lots of good medicinal properties but I think if people want a joint just let them smoke it, I'd still make it illegal to smoke in public places.

Also I'd probably like to make it legal for terminally ill people to take whatever drugs they want.

[Foxaèr]

I would legalize marijuana and same-sex marriage.

[paulpablo]

I would legalize marijuana and same-sex marriage.

I'm not sure if that's legal where I'm from it should be though.

[Mister Agenda]

I would legalize any crime that can reasonably be described as 'victimless', that is, not involving force or fraud, reckless endangerment (indluding violation of public safety laws), or the like.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Prostitution . Not because I've ever frequented one, but because legalising it will go a long way to ensuring that both the guys and girls who are doing it can are not criminalised often for being right on the end of destitution owing to drugs, poverty or a combination of the both.

Regulating it could lead to better protection and perhaps getting assistance to those who need it. Often it can be a destructive cycle; hooked on a substance, sell your body to get more. I think legalising it could go someway to breaking that cycle, and maybe making their lives and the lives of others better and more productive.

[Bibliofagus]

I live in the Netherlands.

So: I'd legalize marihuana. But regulate it. 18+ or 16+ only, and the same inspections a restaurant could expect.
I'd legalize smoking in bars that have a good way of protecting their employees (and the technology exists).
I'd legalize smoking in bars that are run and owned by a couple or individual who choose to allow it. Right now such an individual can legally choose to risk cancer by smoking himself, but he is not allowed to risk cancer by allowing his customers to smoke in his presence.

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Prostitution . Not because I've ever frequented one, but because legalising it will go a long way to ensuring that both the guys and girls who are doing it can are not criminalised often for being right on the end of destitution owing to drugs, poverty or a combination of the both.

Regulating it could lead to better protection and perhaps getting assistance to those who need it. Often it can be a destructive cycle; hooked on a substance, sell your body to get more. I think legalising it could go someway to breaking that cycle, and maybe making their lives and the lives of others better and more productive.

The Netherlands legalized it. But we forgot to regulate it and the too rare inspections are basically non-effective. The combination of these factors has led to a very complicated situation over here. In my view talking about just 'legalising' things like this or that is narrowing these issues beyond usefullness.

(Lol. My response to Fidel glued itself to my response to the OP without my doing. But I received a kudo in the meantime )

[Dystopia]

Personally I would legalize prostitution and marijuana smoking.

I don't break any law concerning either of these things but I think policing these laws is just a waste of money and time, criminalizing them just makes it more unsafe for people who want to participate in these acts.

I used to smoke weed but don't anymore, and probably will see a prostitute at sometime in the future.

Regarding prostitution, in my country it is de-criminalized/legal. You are free to prostitute yourself as you please as long as there is no pimping, that is illegal. I support legalization/decriminalization, I don't think prostitutes or clients are committing a crime. As for regulation, Holland style, I have my doubts, I'm still trying to decide myself but I'm skeptical that in reality it will make things better.

As for marijuana, it is decriminalized where I live, a certain possession is allowed, but selling and trafficking is not. I'm not sure about this issue, it doesn't interest me and I don't smoke weed. Can someone give me the pros and cons?

I would also put some restrictions on how much people could drink in terms of alcohol but I know that would probably be complicated to do.

How do you propose this? And why? If people want to drink that's their business. Bars are not allowed to sell drinks to people visibly drunk or that suffer from a psychological problem (as long as it is noticeable)

I'm undecided about gun laws since I've never been to a country which has legalized gun access.

I don't support neither the american law nor the european one. I support a middle ground law, something like 'Everybody can own and carry a gun, but most perform a number of mental tests and have specified training/instruction, including the legality and when you are legally allowed to use a gun'.

I'd just like to add that I'm not a hippy who thinks marijuana has lots of good medicinal properties but I think if people want a joint just let them smoke it, I'd still make it illegal to smoke in public places.

I think smoking marijuana if legal, should be allowed in the same places tobacco is.

Also I'd probably like to make it legal for terminally ill people to take whatever drugs they want.

These people are the ones who should be allowed more frequently to do drugs

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Prostitution . Not because I've ever frequented one, but because legalising it will go a long way to ensuring that both the guys and girls who are doing it can are not criminalised often for being right on the end of destitution owing to drugs, poverty or a combination of the both.

Regulating it could lead to better protection and perhaps getting assistance to those who need it. Often it can be a destructive cycle; hooked on a substance, sell your body to get more. I think legalising it could go someway to breaking that cycle, and maybe making their lives and the lives of others better and more productive.

I will like to pose several issues that make me skeptical of regulation (but I agree that it shouldn't be a crime as long as there is no pimping), and I'd like to hear back from you to discuss the matter:

1 - By regulating, this means prostitution would be owned by a private employer/company, it wouldn't be publicly owned since it is not an essential service like healthcare or education and most people wouldn't like their tax money funding prostitution. By being privately owned, employers will need to make profit, therefore prices of these services would rise considerably. This creates an issue - I've heard a friend of mine saying prostitutes in Holland can cost from 150€ to 500€, whereas street prostitutes make prices like 10€ or 20€, a lot of clients can't afford the higher price. My point is, this would not make street prostitution go away. Another problem is taxes, prostitution would be a service with a shitload of taxes, in europe it would be the IVA (tax on consumption of services), IEC (special tax over consumption, like the ones on cigs and alcohol), and special tax on luxury products. Imagine the prince of a single prostitute session...

2 - Regulating doesn't mean protection. Most laws have unnoticeable loopholes, even though prostitutes wouldn't be abused physically, they could continue to be so psychologically and financially. The boss could use the law to get away with it. It's too uncertain. Is there evidence that regulating prevents abuse? Even in porn industry actresses complain about being forced to enter the business or abused inside it, catching DST's, etc.

3 - Prostitution is usually not a choice, many people are forced because they need monetary means, are drug addicts, some suffer from STD's. Isn't regulating just promoting this lack of choice?

4 - A bigger problem, does regulation actually prevent sex trafficking, or could it help expanding it behind the curtains?

I'd like to hear your opinion on this problematic.

[A Theist]

Where you live right now is there anything which is illegal that you would like to be made legal or anything that is legal which you want to be made illegal?

I just want to say I'm not encouraging anyone to break the law in this thread.

Personally I would legalize prostitution and marijuana smoking.

I never saw the point to legalizing prostitution. Why spend your money for sex when so many are already giving it up for free?...and it's legal.

[Faith No More]

Assisted suicide and marijuana should be legal. I think gay marriage is pretty much legal in this state due to our Supreme Court ruling against a defense of marriage type act.

I'm sad that I have to say this living in a (purportedly) 1st-world country in the 21st century, but faith healing and allowing your child to die of an easily treatable illness because of religious convictions should be illegal. The latter isn't necessarily legal, but unless you're in one of the rare, enlightened places in America, you won't see any legal consequences for it.

[Minimalist]

The single most pressing need is to dump anti-drug laws. All that the existing structure has done is enrich the cartels, cause the courts and police to undermine our civil liberties and make a mockery of the phrase: "Land of the free."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stat...ation_rate

The incarceration rate in the United States of America is the highest in the world. As of 2009, the incarceration rate was 743 per 100,000 of national population (0.743%).[2] While the United States represents about 5 percent of the world's population, it houses around 25 percent of the world's prisoners.[3][4] Imprisonment of America's 2.3 million prisoners, costing $24,000 per inmate per year, and $5.1 billion in new prison construction, consumes $60.3 billion in budget expenditures.

When the republibertarianeo-conazis wave the flags and chant "We're Number One" it is this that we are #1 at doing.