Drugs

[Tiberius]

Do you think more people would do, say, meth (a drug that can really ruin your life) if it were legal?

No idea, though it should be noted that when countries have legalised or decriminalised drugs (such as Portugal), the usage of drugs either did not change or in fact decreased. Other notable effects (in Portugal again) were that more people went to get help with addiction (since fear of being arrested disappears), infections caused by sharing needles or prostitution plummet, and less people die of overdoses.

Making drugs illegal because some idiots harm themselves and others using them is a ridiculous argument. Idiots misuse cars often enough and cause more damage, but we don't make cars illegal. No, instead we ensure cars are as safe as they possibly can be. I don't see why corporations could not make drugs safer to use if it were legal to do so. Unlike tobacco, most drugs (when taken in moderation) do not have long-term effects which cause damage to the body. Most simply give you a high for a short period of time.

[LastPoet]

People learn better from their own mistakes, having a nanny state telling them they can't do drugs only increases the curiosity. The forbidden fruit usually is the most wanted. Besides drugs being forbidden has the following bad consequences:

-The drug dealers make a shitload of money, because prices go sky-high due to the fact that they hold monopoly.
-Because of the latter, drug users have to resort to criminality in order to get the absurd sums they need to sustain the addiction.
-They are marginalized by society, and drugs being forbidden they are thrown in jail, hence not helping them if they want to get clean.
-Not regulated market, the dealers usually cut the drugs with less than healthy (if not deadly) substances to increase profit.
-Users are usually forced to share parafernalia, increasing desease spread.
-Governments generally have to invest much more in fighting a war on drugs, than to enforce a regulated legal market & helping the ones that want to get clean.

Like Tiberius said, Portugal has been on the right track. Sadly, given the current economic crisis, spending has been cutback in everything, education, health system, private investment aids and of course, programs like the drug addicts support, jeopardizing all the good work done untill now

[Minimalist]

Making drugs illegal because some idiots harm themselves and others using them is a ridiculous argument.

The divine Tiberius needs to look past the stated reason - usually propagandistic bullshit - to discover the real reason. The two are almost never the same.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/21...32901.html

The California Beer & Beverage Distributors is spending money in the state to oppose a marijuana legalization proposition on the ballot in November, according to records filed with the California Secretary of State. The beer sellers are the first competitors of marijuana to officially enter the debate

And...of course....

Public Safety First is largely funded by a different industry whose interests are threatened by the legalization of marijuana: law enforcement. Police forces are entitled to keep property seized as part of drug raids and the revenue stream that comes from waging the drug war has become a significant source of support for local law enforcement. Federal and state funding of the drug war is also a significant supplement to local forces' budgets.

The California Narcotics Officers' Association has donated $20,500; the California Police Chiefs Association has contributed $30,000. The Placer County Deputy Sheriff's Association, the California Peace Officers Association, the California District Attorney Association and the Peace Officers Association of Los Angeles County have all contributed, as well. Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca has been an outspoken opponent. Earlier this months, current and former heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration held a press conference in Washington to oppose the proposition and urge the White House to sue to stop it if it passes.

The action of the beer distributors is typical of the way things are done in this country. The actions of the fucking cops is merely despicable.

[Angrboda]

I'm generally not opposed to drugs which, in general use, do not lead to behaviors which are destructive of the person's ability to live a full and productive life, or those around them. I think there is an argument for tightly regulating the use of highly addictive substances like meth and heroin, though the Portugal experiment certainly gives one pause. Sadly, two of the most destructive drugs in need of tighter regulation are alcohol and nicotine, and more stringent regulation of them is simply not going to happen. Anybody who drives drunk or commits a crime while intoxicated should be punished severely. In the case of driving while intoxicated, driving privileges except as necessary for working (if at all) should be suspended for life. There is no excuse for not increasing regulation of alcohol and penalties for irresponsible use given the amount of harm involved. And tobacco likewise; age to smoke should be gradually raised, and smoking or possession while underage should be punished severely.

[Mystic]

I don't think it should be legalized. The reason being is that it triggers mental illness often.

[Darth]

So do many sports, alcohol, and risky shenanigans (as well as combinations of these).

Your not in favour of banning shenanigans are you?

[wwjs]

Legalize all the drugs. Let natural selection work

[Love]

Also it annoys me when people make claims about marijuana or other hallucinogens increasing skills in some vague way, I smoked it for nearly 10 years, a lot. Not once did I or anyone I knew ever do anything like smoke weed before an athletics event or mentally challenging event in anyway shape or form. And I never once observed any symptoms from someone who smoked weed apart from lethargy, slight giddiness and hunger.

I agree that cannabis can have a negative impact on a person; I was addicted to it for seven years and it had a hugely negative impact on my life (although I was convinced it was helping me). I have not smoked it for 6 years, and will not touch it ever again. I do, however, strongly disagree with you about other psychedelics like LSD or mescaline. Some of these drugs absolutely do possess the capacity to enhance your critical thinking skills, especially LSD. There have been academic studies on how LSD has the potential to hugely enhance a person's ability to engage in abstract conceptual analysis. There is a rumor that Francis Crick was under the influence of LSD when he theorised the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

[purplepurpose]

Drugs are bad coz its unsustainable happiness. Before you know you lose your capability to work>no family>no children. On large scale, nations degradation,extinction. Russia is good example. Its being swarmed by drugs and population is extincting, degradating, others fleeing to not get pulled in to this maddness.
Drugs are slow suicide if your on the systematic use, addiction. On large scale its extinction.

[Godscreated]

You know what drug you shouldn't do? Morning glory seeds. They were trippy at first, but then for like two days after I felt shit. It so was not worth it. And my friends got sicker on the stuff, and they plan to try it again! They cray-cray.

Please tell your friends they are poisoning themselves with those seeds, they can kill, most seeds like that are extremely dangerous, please help them to understand it could kill them. The reason a person trips is because your brain cells are being destroyed, by poison. Most acids contain strychnine it's much cheaper than LSD-25, so even with supposed safe acid you are poisoning yourself.