Should drugs be legalised?

[peeriebryan]

Keep the drugs lethal and unclean.

I hope that was meant to be a joke. If not, I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about. Do you really advocate letting people who take drugs die? Without wishing to be insulting, maybe some research would be appropriate before calling for the deaths of drug users. A classic example of 'the moral high ground'

 

Its like nature stepping in and saying "thats what you get for taking drugs".

Most drugs are natural derivatives of plants.

 

Humans have been taking drugs since before we were humans! There's a lot of evidence which suggests that drug use, especially hallucinogens, has driven the expansion of the human brain.

[Yowe]

 

But at all people at parties that i've been to cause trouble because they're on drugs, not because they're too drunk.

 

 

I find that hard to believe. From what I've seen, alcohol is the main culprit for causing trouble. Possibly a combination of alcohol and certain illegal drugs can be quite nasty too.

[Njugle]

 

But at all people at parties that i've been to cause trouble because they're on drugs, not because they're too drunk.

 

 

I find that hard to believe. From what I've seen, alcohol is the main culprit for causing trouble. Possibly a combination of alcohol and certain illegal drugs can be quite nasty too.

 

There are decades, maybe centuries, of proof that the main cause of disorder, at weekends in particular, is alcohol, in many cases specifically spirits, which for many people bring out aggressive tendencies they can't even account for themselves. It is part and parcel of our binge drinking culture. The recent change that may be a source of concern is the alledged current prevalence of a certain narcotic which may accentuate the aggression that is already born of alcohol. ie it's not the drug but the drug may make it worse, and there are many other prevalent drugs which have nothing to do with aggression whatsoever, quite the opposite.

 

Part of the whole conflict in any discussion of this type is the use of a generic label like 'drugs'. There are so many and varied types of illegal drugs that people will always be able to cite examples for and against exactly the same scenario due to usage of the word 'drugs' and not references to specific drugs. Sedatives and stimulants being specific sub-categories that, obviously, cause very different outcomes. Never mind hallucinogens.

 

By the way, "shooters"? If you want irresponsible 'drug abuse' the recent rise in "shooter" drinks is crazy. It's easy enough to get pissed without small "down in one" shots. Bring back good old cocktails i say! especially ones that involve flames, they're great!

[Twerto]

There is always this comment about how if drugs were legalised then it would clean the whole stigma/use of drugs up.. All it would do is make the underground drugs would become cheaper.. adn we woudl be left with a system that is apparent with cigarettes and alchol in that there will always be a black market alternative.

 

Prevention is better than cure in many ways.. but as had already been mentioned.. you say no to a kid it will almost undoubtly do the opposite.

and the only way to stem or stop it is by limiting the chance of exposure to such things, which comes down to parenting combined with social acceptence of such things.

 

completely abstract observation.. take the change of law on not wearing seatbelts. when it first came out it was basically laughed at.. but now it is all part of the norm. I expect the same will happen with the smoking ban.. will be laughed at by the majority.. but as you can already see smoking will become totally socially unacceptable.. given time.. and again I expect the same will happen with drug use..

 

and finally the burning of neds at the cross every saturday should become mandatory

[McFly]

take the change of law on not wearing seatbelts. when it first came out it was basically laughed at.. but now it is all part of the norm. I expect the same will happen with the smoking ban.. will be laughed at by the majority.. but as you can already see smoking will become totally socially unacceptable.. given time.. and again I expect the same will happen with drug use..

 

I'm not sure I follow your logic there Twerto.

 

Those situations don't bear comparison to drug legislation. Most illegal drugs have been illegal for many years, decades in most cases, over a century in some. Despite this, levels of use (or abuse) have not declined and in some cases use of the substance has become more socially acceptable.

[Twerto]

yeah reading back through it myself ive lost what I was getting at..

 

What i ws tryign to get at is the fact parents are responcable for contolling their childrens exposure to such things. ( i know this can be an impossably task at times ) but I woudl say in Shetland anyway as much as drugs are Illegal there is still a certain frame of thought that they are acceptable.

 

Im not wanting to get into the debate of drugs are no worse than alchol etc.. the fact is they are all not good for us in the logn run if over abused.

 

and in my opinion it is the social accpetance that needs to be worked on more than anything.. if such problems/issues are to dissapear.

[Distortio]

thought for the day: alcohol and tobacco are the only drugs that'll kill you if you use them properly.

[Styles]

I would legalise the lot in some form. But have it only avilable to over 18's and the same rules of use as alchohol for driveing, being at work etc.

 

Think if the police were not spending there time on the drugs problems all the other work they could be doing.

 

the ammount of tax's the government could get would be huge.

 

Huge ammounts of organised crime would be destroyed.

 

the ammount of folks I have seen use drugs are not criminals, they have done nothing against others, just want to enjoy themselves. they have jobs and have normal family lifes.

[JAStewart]

thought for the day: alcohol and tobacco are the only drugs that'll kill you if you use them properly.

 

Firstly, define properly? And secondly surely you mean "excessivly"? which would incorporate some drugs too. Using too much of say, Dope isn't going to kill you, but I will make you a lot slower.

[Distortio]

Firstly, define properly?

 

as the substance requires, ie. drinking and smoking.

 

And secondly surely you mean "excessivly"?

 

not necessarily, just consistently.

 

but I will make you a lot slower.

 

how do you propose to do that? are you going to drug me?

[PoolHaddock]

^ ^ ^ ^

Ha ha ha ha ha! I think thats one of the funniest posts on this forum so far!

[deardron]

Even if allowed, drugs won't be for free. Addicts will be in any case in trouble of getting money for them. I think that the moral side of this matter will look worse: legal companies will sell people drugs which let these people come back on the next day with another portion of money. These companies will be getting high profits, but it won't matter for the families of the addicts, because they will be under the threat of bankrupcy anyway. Now they give all their money to criminals, but in our imaginary situation they will give it all to legally approved bodies. So this situation will be justified by law. It will be like the case of fruit machines, apart from the fact that drugs affect body, not only mind. I'm sure that it will cause social protests from those who have been affected by this trade.

[McFly]

Some good points there deardron.

 

I don't doubt that you're right about drug companies cynically selling to addicts, they allready do it with various prescription drugs.

 

This is an area of law which needs to be looked at as well.

[peeriebryan]

(**Mod edit - taken from another thread)

 

Ok I did a search and I came up with two Cannabis related threads (Cannabis to be de-classed to B status & Should drugs be legal) but this is a Cannabis only discussion - any it has a poll

 

I would say that I think cannabis SHOULDN'T be made legal, and I base my argument on the fact that if you were to make cannabis legal, you would have to make either alcohol or cigarettes ILLEGAL because making 3 drugs legal is just adding to the problem.

 

For those who aren't aware, arguments for the legalization cannabis:

It has never killed anyone, ever.

It would stop illegal use of it which is deemed by some as merely 'petty crime'

It would result in more empty prison cells for worse criminals.

 

Arguments against:

It makes you lazy, and relatively unable to hold together an argument/debate

Makes you unsocial

Makes you nervous

Its Illegal!

It makes you lose concentration faster IE get bored

It can make you paranoid

 

There are more arguments against and for it, please Google it for more.

[Fjool]

Whew! Where to begin?!

 

What an ecclectic collection of logic, nonsense and hyperbole in one place.

 

Ok...

 

Firstly, my position is already well known, but I restate it here: I believe it should be legal.

 

I don't agree at all that alcohol or tobacco would have to be made illegal; I believe all drugs should be legal. Not because I want to have everyone using them, but because I don't believe that prohibition works at all. Most of the problems we have with drugs are because they are illegal. Historical precedence is with me on this one. Prohibiton of these subtances is a relatively new concept and the 'war on drugs' has dented their use by none, but driven the problems further than any responsible policy of tolerance would do.

 

Sending people to prison for using drugs is an insane way to handle this issue.

 

It makes you lazy, and relatively unable to hold together an argument/debate

I disagree. It makes some people lazy and unable to hold together an argument/debate. You cannot apply you narrow sphere of experience to every user.

 

Makes you unsocial

The word is 'anti-social' and no, it doesn't. It just doesn't make you turn in to a roaring sphincter who thinks everyone is their 'best mate' one minute and trying to punch them the next.

 

Alcohol makes people far more anti-social if you ask me. I'd rather spend time with a chilled out dude who'd like to chat about how big the universe is, or watch an episode of 'Family Guy' than a pissed up freak who is close to vomiting.

 

Makes you nervous

Again.. it makes some people nervous in some situations. You cannot make such a generalisation. And besides... if someone wants to feel nervous, who are you to say they cannot?

 

Its Illegal!

That's not an argument against legalising it. Circular logic.

 

It makes you lose concentration faster IE get bored

You generalise once again. I know folks who'll quite happily smoke a blunt and play their guitar for hours, or program their computer, or take photographs, or all kinds of things.

 

It can make you paranoid

The phrase "What're you lookin' at, Pal?!' is most often uttered by drunk people, not stoners.

 

Paranoid people exist. Stoned people exist. Sometimes the two groups overlap and you get stoned, paranoid people but that doesn't automatically make every stoned person a paranoid person.