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Change of position - All drugs should be legal
#1
Change of position - All drugs should be legal
I used to think only weed should be legalized because it is a light-drug, but then I changed my mind. Just hear me out... There's two fundamental arguments to legalize weed in particular, and drugs in general:

- The argument from free choice --> People should be free to put what they want in their bodies, provided they don't violate or endanger the rights of others. Obviously, this doesn't mean that you cannot be punished socially for the consequences of taking any drug. For example, if I'm high on cocaine and go to work, do dumb things and get fired, I don't have a right to complain

- The argument from safe consumption and rehabilitation - It's better to regulate and allow people to safely consume any drug they wish, because there will always be users for every drug around and people interested in knowing, experimenting and consuming certain types of drugs. Additionally, it's worth trying tor rehabilitate people who want to quit and have addiction problems.




Now, there's a frequent argument for weed legalization that says weed is not as bad as tobacco and alcohol and therefore it makes sense to legalize it. Regardless of the truthfulness of the former statement, it is not relevant how bad a drug is, but whether or not people will consume it. Aside from that, it's an argument that only takes into account weed in cultures like the US and forgets in places like Europe you smoke weed and hashish mixed with tobacco as a norm, so it's almost inevitable that if you smoke weed/hash you will end up smoking some tobacco. 

Ultimately, all drugs have recorded ill effects on people and it depends on the individual, genetics and the amount you take. Heroin can be addicting and ruin lives, but it's also a very powerful drug that suppresses physical, psychological and pain caused from social phobias - That's why it is so addicting. 

The taxes argument is not my concern because additional revenue is merely a bonus and should not be the main concern of legalizing drugs.

People should be allowed to, within regulations of safe production, freely trade and sell drugs; and if there's enough people willing to invest, we should be able to have areas or places where people can go to if they want to consume drugs, without violating the rights of those who don't.

I find it hypocritical that people who claim to be anti-drugs are capable of drinking coffee, take sleeping pills and drink a glass of wine during dinnertime. It's just contradicting. Alcohol is a drug, and so is tobacco, and so is coffee.

I believe that prohibition on these substances grants to much power to the State, and someday any argument claiming "public health" can be used to restrict any behavior the government finds harmful to oneself. It's not the government and its representatives' place to dictate how much people can harm themselves.
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you

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#2
RE: Change of position - All drugs should be legal
The average drug user doesn't avoid heroin because it's illegal.
I am John Cena's hip-hop album.
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#3
RE: Change of position - All drugs should be legal
Portugal legalized all drugs and their society is clean because of it. Here on the other hand we have the "war" on drugs a failing "war" at that.
D.A.R.E caused more drug use than keeping kids and teens away from drugs. What it really comes down to as to why drugs cant be legal it's
the private sector of all places. If all drugs are legal that is a good amount of people walking out of jail and prison with drug related charges.
There is a lot of money to be made to put people into jail than to keep them out of it in reality. So can all drugs be legal yes they can and they
also can be regulated but you know ignorance is the thing keeping it from being legal.
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#4
RE: Change of position - All drugs should be legal
(January 12, 2016 at 11:06 am)dyresand Wrote: Portugal legalized all drugs and their society is clean because of it. Here on the other hand we have the "war" on drugs a failing "war" at that.
D.A.R.E caused more drug use than keeping kids and teens away from drugs. What it really comes down to as to why drugs cant be legal it's
the private sector of all places. If all drugs are legal that is a good amount of people walking out of jail and prison with drug related charges.
There is a lot of money to be made to put people into jail than to keep them out of it in reality. So can all drugs be legal yes they can and they
also can be regulated but you know ignorance is the thing keeping it from being legal.

I'm Portuguese and I can guarantee we didn't legalize all drugs. What we did was to decriminalize possession of some drugs up to a certain specified amount. You can't buy any drug legally apart from medication, tobacco and alcohol. Truth be told, we are not putting people in prison for stupid reasons, but to think we legalized drugs is simply not true. Apart from that, cops can apprehend your drugs and basically send you to a psychologist for support but you're not forced to go trough it if you don't want. Everyday I have to deal with addicts begging for a coin or asking me if I have a cigarette. It is annoying.
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you

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#5
RE: Change of position - All drugs should be legal
I have heard that part of the reason some drugs will mess you up so badly is because they're done improperly in order to save money. A customer can't be sure what they're actually getting because it's all on the black market. So yeah, legalize, tax, and regulate everything.
Poe's Law: "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing."

10 Christ-like figures that predate Jesus. Link shortened to Chris ate Jesus for some reason...
http://listverse.com/2009/04/13/10-chris...ate-jesus/

Good video to watch, if you want to know how common the Jesus story really is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88GTUXvp-50

A list of biblical contradictions from the infallible word of Yahweh.
http://infidels.org/library/modern/jim_m...tions.html

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#6
RE: Change of position - All drugs should be legal
Although I agree in principle to maximum liberty, I struggle with the idea of loosening markets to addictive drugs.

I find the argument from liberty unsatisfying when immediately following there is discussion about production and trade regulation. This ignores the fact that the safe production and dispensing of these drugs is already regulated to achieve the benefits that you listed (thinking of your heroin example). What you are really asking is for the existing regulations to make it easier for people to obtain them.

I also think it's important to compare physical dependency rates and withdrawal symptoms when making broad comparisons to substances with less regulation (caffeine, alcohol, tobacco). Considering this, comparing heroin to tobacco and caffeine is a bit ridiculous. Alcohol on the other hand may be a fair comparison. I haven't done enough homework to be definitive in this regard.

The other aspect is the notion that it should be legal if nobody else is harmed. Again, I agree in principle; however, addiction of all types can have significant material impact on dependents. How could we ever monitor the 'no harm to others' idea? An argument claiming that drug use should be allowed because addicted gamblers and alcoholics neglect their families would be unconvincing. 

I think the money spent policing illicit drugs would be more effectively used in education and rehabilitation programs. I also would have no problem voting for a referendum allowing marijuana use, but without a more compelling argument would vote no for a similar referendum for heroin.
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#7
RE: Change of position - All drugs should be legal
(January 12, 2016 at 11:31 am)Dystopia Wrote: I'm Portuguese and I can guarantee we didn't legalize all drugs. What we did was to decriminalize possession of some drugs up to a certain specified amount. You can't buy any drug legally apart from medication, tobacco and alcohol. Truth be told, we are not putting people in prison for stupid reasons, but to think we legalized drugs is simply not true. Apart from that, cops can apprehend your drugs and basically send you to a psychologist for support but you're not forced to go trough it if you don't want. Everyday I have to deal with addicts begging for a coin or asking me if I have a cigarette. It is annoying.

I agree with this. I don't know the law in Portugal, but in the U.S. I would also support revocation of mandatory sentencing laws.
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#8
RE: Change of position - All drugs should be legal
Quote:I struggle with the idea of loosening markets to addictive drugs.


You mean like:
  • Hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin)
  • Oxycodone (e.g., OxyContin)
  • Oxymorphone (e.g., Opana)
  • Methadone (especially when prescribed for pain)
Each day, 44 people in the United States die from overdose of prescription painkillers.

Quote:http://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/

Almost as bad as guns.

We have lost the drug war.  Time to surrender.  All that keeping it illegal does is make sure that it is highly profitable.
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#9
RE: Change of position - All drugs should be legal
Legalise drugs. Regulate and tax them. Cripple the income of gangs and drug cartels. Divert money spent fighting the 'war' on drugs into rehabilitation for those who really need it. Stop making criminals out of people who's lives will be destroyed by such vindication.

The pros outweigh the cons to such an absurd degree that it shows how utterly clueless the 'leaders' of many nations really are, and how out of touch with reality they have become.
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#10
RE: Change of position - All drugs should be legal
The tiny little libertarian part of my heart grew three sizes this day.
In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty.
- Thomas Jefferson
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