A sensible discussion about current drugs policy.

[Magilla]

this would not solve a thing,when the American's banned alcohol result lots off crime..

 

And the massive increase of the influence of the Mafia, the effects of which are still being felt to this day.

 

then when they made it legal just the same lot off crime by people who are drunk.

 

Drunk people are a nuisance, but I don't think they operate at the same level as organised crime.

 

It would be just same with people high on drugs doin crime..?

 

There will always be an element of society that will overdo it and rob to feed their habit, afterall decriminalised/legal drugs will still need to be paid for.

 

With regard to heroin, as I understand it, users who use unadulterated heroin are still able to function and hold jobs. The vast majority of drug users don't rob to feed their habit and use in moderation, just like people who enjoy the odd tipple.

 

I am more concerned about organised crime, the massive profits that are made that go directly to other illegal activities such as human trafficking, aswell as violent turf wars to protect the grip on their clientelle.

 

The prohibition itself has creating a wealthy criminal class, aswell as diverting rescources from other areas in the war on drugs. I wonder how long before we see organised criminals using their wealth to influence government policy, a scarey prospect.

 

Better to legalise the lot, and remove this lucrative revenue stream. It may not work, but anything has got to be better than perpetuating a system that has proven to be a failure, time and time again.

 

There are many that would advocate harsher punishment, but in the end it's merely a way of raising the stakes. Prices go up, crime & deaths from adulterated drugs go up accordingly. The risk for the general public goes up.

 

Those that are caught are rarely the ringleaders. There are an endless supply of desperate people who will do the legwork, especially today.

 

Countries that have harsher penalties appear to have comparable or far worse problems than we do already.

 

The whole thing has turned into a self feeding monster that's just getting bigger and bigger. I'd rather the money went to reputable people who guarantee quality and act responsibly in regard to their product, while the treasury takes a fat wodge at the same time.

[MrMondo]

Do you want to decriminalise or legalise it?

 

If you sell for £25 someone will sell it on ebay to you for £15. The only way to eradicate criminal activity in drug use is to make it free - never going to happen.

 

Crime to pay for cannabis in Holland still exists and has never disapperaed why is the UK different.

 

There will always be petty crime involved in drugs.

 

Besides, there are ways to get round this, encourage people grow their own. Selling a bag of feminised seeds for £5 for example.

[MrMondo]

I don't believe the people would buy a potentially dangerous and inferior product for £15 when you can have the safer genuine product for £25.

 

If they were desperate they would. Smokers buy cheap cigarettes don't they?

[vResistance]

I have to admit, i am amazed by the number of people that have never heard of portugals removal of drug laws, but they have heard of it in amsterdam, where in reality there are still anti-drug laws, they just aren't enforced.

 

Portugal had just changed the law/policy when i went some years ago.

i was expecting a "new amsterdam "type set up but was nothing like.

I read in the press at the time though that they had relaxed on possession and usage but were coming down harder than ever on the dealers.

[quisquose]

Pleased to see that there are indeed some sensible comments being made about current drugs policy. In all honesty I think most of the people I know now think that legalising is the only option, and I think that the tide of public opinion is turning, we just need politicians to have the balls to debate this properly and ignore the fact that they will lose votes from the majority of Daily Mail readers.

 

Judge James (she was asking for it) Pickles was one of the first members of the establishment that I recall speaking against the criminalisation of drugs, and just after he retired in the early 90's he presented a (in my opinion very good) tv program on the subject which I recall being universally slated because the majority opinion was opposite to mine and his at the time. Contrast with the favourable reviews of the recent C4 programs, despite carrying the same message.

 

With regard to heroin, as I understand it, users who use unadulterated heroin are still able to function and hold jobs. The vast majority of drug users don't rob to feed their habit and use in moderation, just like people who enjoy the odd tipple..

 

Most of us discussing this subject only know a system where drugs are illegal. The Judge Pickles documentary was recorded at a time when drugs had been criminalised well within living memory, just 25 years previously. He was able to interview many good, honest, educated peers whose lives had been screwed up only because of the drugs laws. I recall some of those interviews vividly, nobody* wants to be an addict, whatever the addiction, they would admit, but one minute it would be just the inconvenience of picking up a prescription, and the next it would be stealing from family to pay criminals to destroy their health with poisons.

 

I also recall from the program reference to a surprising number of well know people in history, whose names escape me now, but it was artists, authors, politicians, scientists, people who have shaped the way we live for the better, and done so whilst managing an addiction to drugs. This was only possible before 1967, when people could control their addiction rather than their addiction controlling them.

 

 

 

*I always ask people who think that legalising drugs would result in an epidemic of people 'shooting up' on their doorstep if they would themselves take drugs if they were legal. I have never had a positive reply yet in 20 years of asking.

[Bassman62]

I would appreciate a list of drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis etc stating what effect they have and what the user gets out of taking them.

[*_ash_*]

If they were desperate they would. Smokers buy cheap cigarettes don't they?

 

How many smokers can you name for me, that rob people to continue their disgusting habit? (bear with me, I'm agreeing with you in this context)

 

You are right though. There would still be a market for black market drugs. Just on a much lower scale (the problem with the analogy of tobacco, I think, is that tax is extremely high for tobacco products). I would argue that is about 3 times higher than the cost to society - if we use the cost to the NHS as an example.

[*_ash_*]

this would not solve a thing,when the American's banned alcohol result lots off crime..then when they made it legal just the same lot off crime by people who are drunk.It would be just same with people high on drugs doin crime..?

 

I think you (or vaguely close to your beliefs) are in the majority of thinking in society. My goodness, we ARE doomed!

[LibertyBell]

2nd November, California votes on whether to legalise and tax cannabis . Polls show its very tight.

 

Link to pro site

[willman]

Pleased to see that there are indeed some sensible comments being made about current drugs policy. In all honesty I think most of the people I know now think that legalising is the only option, and I think that the tide of public opinion is turning, we just need politicians to have the balls to debate this properly and ignore the fact that they will lose votes from the majority of Daily Mail readers.

 

 

No one else has legalised all drugs after having an anti drugs policy like ours, but they apparently work, why can' we follow their examples.?