Why exactly are drugs illegal?

[Deleted]

We don't need to go even more backwards as a society. There's nothing positive about hard drugs.

[Vorkreist]

A lot of small businesses have the problem of employees getting high at lunch. They work in the morning, get high and don't do much work after that so it's a big drop in productivity.

If we legalized drugs nationally, there would be huge costs involved, socially and economically. Not everyone is strong enough or responsible enough, these people will have children they might not be able to take care of, etc. We pay a huge social cost for alcohol for example, like 60 percent of crime has alcohol involved in some way, rapes, murders, child molestation, burglaries, etc.

Colorado called and wants to have a talk with your about "huge costs" involved when you make so much money from taxation that you have to send back checks to the people.

The "problem of small business" you mention is funny when US still uses nazy piss tests and demonizes normal people for harmless things.
Its 2017. There is no excuse to not be informed enough to still try to argue against legalization.

[Ahovv]

Just wait until a family member of yours dies from some shady drug and let me know how you're feelings are towards drugs after that.

You're missing the big picture.

If drugs are legalized, addicts can get the treatment they need without as much social stigma. Under the current system they often have nowhere to turn for help, and especially in the US rehabilitation can be extremely expensive. Universal healthcare alongside legalized drugs would solve many of our problems.

So yeah, you had a family member die from drugs. Irrelevant. You should be looking at what effect the war on drugs has had on drug usage, violence and illegal immigration. If we ended it now, all of those categories would improve.

[Lupinemancer]

Honestly I've always wondered that myself. Personally, I'd never take them even if they were legal, and a lot of people feel the same, as we know taking them is stupid. And those who do take them, do that regardless of whether or not they are legal. So we might as well make them legal, that way the government can gain something from it, and we also put a stop to all those illegal businesses.

[Deathquoi]

1. ummmm Yes that is true. I would give you some links but that would be breaking the TOS.

Basicaly There's a drug called DMT which is illegal. DMT is in the tryptamine classification.

There are sites that sell the chemical 4-ACO-DMT, 4-ACO-DPT, 5-MeO-TMT, 5 Meo-Dalt etc which are all tryptamine drugs

tryptamines do the same thing to your brain regardless of which one you're taking, some are more potent than others.

Comparing 4-AcO-DMT to DMT is like comparing Heroic to oxycodone in a way, ( don't take the H to oxy literal, this is just an example.) (there are research chemical opiates than are more potent than morphine/heroic.

Heroic and oxycodone do the exact same thing to you mind and body, Heroin just does it on a different level. BOTH DRUGS HOWEVER PRODUCE THE SAME HIGH. Heroin is just more potent therefor a stronger high.

DMT would do the same thing to your brain as 4-ACO-DMT. It gives you really intense trips plus the research chemical is highly concentrated.

Another example. PCP is illegal. 3-MEO-PCP is Not. 3-MEO-PCP is just as powerful as PCP but it's legal. Both these drugs do the exact same thing to your body in a way.

clonazepam is a prescription only Benzodiazapine so it's illegal without prescription. clonazolam is ALSO a Benzodiazapine but it is legal. Clonazolam is 2 times stronger than Clonazepam and are almost idetical in molecules. And you can buy Clonazolam from AMERICAN based research chemical companies online.


Bath salts (MDPV) became illegal so then chemical researchers made A-PVP (more known as "flakka"). Flakka was made illegal so now there's a new chemical called A-PHP would is still legal and produces the same effects as the prior drugs. One that becomes illegal (because it'll gain media attention eventually) then they will just make a new chemical. And because these chemicals are labeled "not for human consumption" they can legally keep pushing these new chemicals on the streets until it becomes noticed. Then the cycle keeps repeating.

Because of these street chemicals, young people don't even know what they are buying off the street because they could just be getting a research chemical with similar effects as to whatever they were hoping to buy which is fucked up. You got people taking research chemicals with no history of consumption therefor they don't know what effects the drug will bring. That's where are the "bad LSD MDMA etc" stories come from majority of the time because pure MDMA is not that harmful of a drug compared to even alcohol. Dehydration from dancing too much and not drinking water is the cause of most "real" MDMA injuries.

You're talking about research chemicals which are synthesized and intended and necessary for scientific and medical research. They are still illegal for recreational consumption. It's a big stretch to say that they are "legal" in the sense you're meaning.

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exactly, these synthetic drugs are so closely identical to the real thing almost molecullaly identical. Why pay 10 bucks for a single point of street MDMA when you can get a legal chemical with nearly twin effects for 10 dollars for 10 point legally and it camr straight from the lab for it's not cut. The mindset of our growing young culture.

You're misusing the word "legal" here. It is legal for certain people and groups to possess. Not legal for recreational use.

[Astalnar]

Would you mind providing an example of such drugs?

[Killadrix]

Doubtful. There isn't any evidence to support that. In fact, any of the European countries who have legalized/ decriminalized drugs have not had any jumps in drug induced/related crimes.

Curious, which drugs were legalized?

[yetgdhfgh]

Curious, which drugs were legalized?

Well Portugal decriminalized all drugs and all drug related deaths dropped dramatically https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal

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At the end of the day the stigma of drug use is starting to diminish here in the US.

Back in the day if you was a heroin addict the average joe would rather let you die on the street than to give a fuck about you but now things have changed because doctors give you opiates if you bruise your arm and the vast majority of Americans have experienced hard drugs and therefore know the experience of drug withdrawal when the doctor stops prescribing that pain killer you love so much and need.

That soccer mom who would walk past a heroin addict has found out that she has become the very same thing and she starts to sympathise with that heroin addict cause she knows what it feels to go without.

Things are certainly coming to a head and we need a real grown up solution to this.

[Deleted]

Just wait until a family member of yours dies from some shady drug and let me know how you're feelings are towards drugs after that.

"Shady" can also be a synonym for mysterious, edgy, cool etc, and curiosity is one of the strongest desires we can experience. Also the trill of the hunt that happens while you are chasing for your next illegal high is also something that can get quite addicting and eventually lead you to even more serious trouble.

So in some cases, killing all mystery surrounding it is a legit way to remove some of its attractiveness. Heck, if i could go back in time i could probably stop my teenager self from using drugs just by forcing me to use drugs.

[Killadrix]

Well Portugal decriminalized all drugs and all drug related deaths dropped dramatically https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal

As someone who is skeptical of decriminalizing ALL drugs (I don't smoke marijuana, but I don't care if it's decriminalized), this has change my mind a little.

However, I think it's important to point out that the effects of "decriminalization" in Portugal (drugs are still technically illegal in Portugal) are really the effects of lessened punishments + greater focus on treatment and "harm reduction", and it seems that a lot of people like to focus on the former in this example and forget the latter in an effort to bolster the argument solely for decriminalization.

[Aeula]

Don't know, don't care.

I'd legalize and tax the ever-living fuck out them.

[Ahovv]

Don't know, don't care.

I'd legalize and tax the ever-living fuck out them.

I think taxing products differently based on some arbitrary morality or for "health" purposes is unethical, and results in favoritism for different industries. Subsidies are also unethical.

[Deleted]

Point is to provide people feeling of happiness and provide yourself their money. As long as a 'drug' does that, it's permitted (i.e. coffee makes you more active overall, alcohol makes you buy more food and sometimes things you've broken while drunk). When drug doesn't, it becomes forbidden (i.e. weed, which makes you just stare happily into a wall buying nothing).

In shorter words, as long as druggin yourself empowers capitalistic threadwheel, it's legal.

Someone told me once, not sure if it was actually true, that biggest opponents of legalising weed in Netherlands were owners of all kinds of bars, cafees and similar - once people smoked some, they didn't feel any need to order another meal, drink or whatever. They were happy just sitting down doing nothing. So it was loss of profit for them. I can only assume it's the same for other drugs. Only at the very end for worst ones it becomes problem for government itself with all social consequences of heavy drug addiction.

[Deleted]

Some have medical usefulness however improper use, and abusive use cause a lot of damage both to the individual and the society and sometimes death.
Alcohol does the same thing, but on a much smaller scale. Can't compare a cocaine overdose to drinking to much.

[breadisfunny]

because they are lethal.

[Nerovar]

because they are lethal.

So are guns, cars, alcohol etc.

[Deleted]

Because it's a State / govern choice. It's very simple. When you have to consider something that it's lethal or at least dangerous to use, you have 2 option:
1) Call that illegal (with very very very rare exceptions);
2) Do a very well regulation about using it.

This is the basic (in extreme syntesis of course) that works in every country. And this applies with a lot of thing: drugs, alchool, cars (yes, cars are basically big bullet going around), weapons, dangerous animals and so on.

And this is why in some State you can use drugs (or at least some of them) and in other they are completely banned.

[Deleted]

So are guns, cars, alcohol etc.

Guns can be useful when needed and used appropriately, cars I dont even have to explain, a moderate alcohol conumption can be healthy at a certain age.
Whats positive about hard drugs? What kind of positive impact can it have on your life and others?

[Fonduset]

Why is murder illegal? Why is rape illegal? why is breaking the speed limit illegal?

[Nerovar]

Guns can be useful when needed and used appropriately, cars I dont even have to explain, a moderate alcohol conumption can be healthy at a certain age.
Whats positive about hard drugs? What kind of positive impact can it have on your life and others?

Many of these "hard drugs" are already being used for medication. Do you think people use drugs because they want to be edgy and cool? They have the same "positive" impact as any other drug including alcohol (which is why they were commonly used and accepted in the 1800s). And by the way people will always do drugs whether it's legal or not. The real question is: Do you want to have overcrowded inhumane prisons like the US? (because that's what you get when you treat drug users as criminals) Do you want illegal drug trade to help finance terrorism?
Also like other people pointed out there are actually less people dying because of drug use in countries that have decriminalized the use of these drugs.
I'd really like to understand where you're coming from but I don't see any benefit at all in keeping these substances illegal.