What do you think about decriminalizing all drugs, including hard drugs like heroine?

[shadowstep]

I think the idea is so absurd, that any country willingly stupid enough to implement it deserves a little darwinism in action. and dont ask for help from any of the rest of us when it all goes down the shitter.

whatever floats your boat i supose... its working so well for you...

our drug problem is declining steadly over the years since our policy on it changed..

[luckydevours]

I think drug addiction should be medically treated like a mental-health problem and victims shouldn't be legally punished in addition to their affliction. Therefor i think ALL personal drug usage and possession should be decriminalized. But i also think the production and distribution of drugs should be heavily regulated by the government for safety reasons. So if you produce or sell drugs without a proper license i think you should go to jail for endangering your clients.

[Shadowmelded]

That's pretty risky for people who aren't streetsmart to go hanging out in poor areas filled with gangbangers in the hopes of finding drugs. It would be much safer to just go to the store and buy some.

You don't need to go to "shady" areas or deal with "gangbangers" or whatever. If you're a student you'll be pretty well connected, whether you actively seek it out or not.

[Masark]

Everything but Krokodil

In an "everything is legal" context, that kind of thing would be competed out of the market by cheap well-made drugs. AFAIK, krokodil is impure codeine extracted from over the counter ACC. Why would you bother with it if you can just buy clean codeine from the nearest pharmacy for a couple dollars?

[Wilian]

I'm okay with weed being legalized, but not these ones.

Despite practical evidence overwhelmingly showcasing it's better option?

[Independent voter]

Legal heroine would create a hell on Earth for many. I'm not sure what percentage of the population we would lose to the drug but it would be significant, and it might be your friend or family member.

There's a whole group of people who aren't using heroine today because it's illegal and somewhat difficult to get.

[Mukor]

Should go read or watch "the knick", about the knickerbocker hospital. Has everything you need for the answers. Shows the danger and the creativity drugs had on the doctors in the 1920s.

[Deleted]

Open up softdrugs. Keep the hardcore addictive stuff criminalized.
Cocaine, heroine, speed, crack, crystal shoulnd be given out that easily.
Too many people would get addicted turning the streets into shitholes full of prostitutes, hobo's and beggars.

[Acidbaron]

A first step into gaining control and offering treatment and thus successfully reducing addiction and use.
From a economic point of view the taxes gained on this would reduce the countries debt and might even allow for a reduction on taxes, it would also destroy a lot of criminal activities and seriously reduce their funding.

We can move all those funds and man power that are spend on this war on drugs onto other criminal activities such as human trafficking.



As others have mentioned our destruction theories about how this would negatively impact or society have been shown to be false by Portugal's success.

[shadowstep]

Open up softdrugs. Keep the hardcore addictive stuff criminalized.
Cocaine, heroine, speed, crack, crystal shoulnd be given out that easily.

Nobody is giving them away easily in my country... but you arent treated as a criminal for consuming and dont go to jail for it..
and the consume statistics on those drugs have fallen significantly..

[Alydael]

I really don't care what people do in their homes, as long as they keep it in their homes. I consider it none of my business. It should be a crime to do it in a public place though.
The war on drugs and prohibition were both abject failures and only served to make illegal gangs (and the mafia) a ton of money, while we squandered money trying to fight it. You will never stop people from using all sorts of drugs, it has been going on since the beginning of time. Let's wise up, stop the war on drugs and basically defund the gangs that benefit from the illegal status of these substances.

I don't think Portugal is an outlier or fluke. There are tons of people that get drawn into drugs because of the illegal aspect of it. It makes them seem "cooler," like a rebel. If these substances were sold legally in pharmacies (or a store), they would lose the rebel appeal. I believe that if we legalized all these substances in the US, we would:
1) Cut crime drastically

2) Save the money we wasted fighting drugs and benefit from a tax on them

3) The gangs would lose influence and money

4) There would be a short uptick in usage (when the decriminalization law is new) then a steady decline until it leveled out at a number than is lower than the current amount of users.

I think the real reason they haven't been decriminalized is because of the tobacco and liquor give too much money to the politicians because they don't want the sales competition.

[Acidbaron]

Well im Portuguese, and i can tell you that there are always consequences, tourist or local.
Our drug laws work for us , but keep in mind that we are a small country with only 10 or 11 Million people, so what works for us may not work on a country with the numbers on population that the USA has for example.

You can have a small amount of drugs with you, if you get pulled over by the cops they will take the drugs away from you.. but you wont get arrested or have criminal charges, you dont even have to go to court.. the cops will lecture you that drugs are bad etc etc, but they will take the drugs with them and leave you alone..
If you have a large amount you will have to go to some form of social and medical council .. ( if you were caught before with a large amount and have a criminal record you will face charges and have to go to court)..
But you WILL get arrested everytime if you are caught selling them...

It will never work completely until we do it completely on an european level, this is the lessons we learned from the netherlands also and what the netherland government at one point suggested.

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Open up softdrugs. Keep the hardcore addictive stuff criminalized.
Cocaine, heroine, speed, crack, crystal shoulnd be given out that easily.
Too many people would get addicted turning the streets into shitholes full of prostitutes, hobo's and beggars.

You are mistaking legalization with decriminalization.

[Runeshear]

Im all for decriminalization of all drugs. We should worry about imprisoning real criminals, not people who are addicted to drugs.

[Acelius]

You don't need to go to "shady" areas or deal with "gangbangers" or whatever. If you're a student you'll be pretty well connected, whether you actively seek it out or not.

Coming from a student, no. Just no.

[wowaccounttom]

And here I was thinking it was another bait thread from wowaccounttom.

Portugal's experience serves more as a case study (read: unique + outlier) than as a model (which I assume you want other countries to emulate).

Honestly, the US's experience with the War on Drugs has been a massive failure. I would be open to try other alternatives (although my eyebrows are raised at the idea of outright decriminalization).

Sounds like something worth discussing though.

alright... a fan... if only you were as cute as the original Yuki

anyways..

wouldnt surprise me that those who do or have done drugs support such a ridiculous proposition -- cant beat them and its too expensive to protect people against something illegal so lets join them....

"OH~!!! I KNOW!! lets liek....... maek eet legal and stuffz.. dat wai no one can say dey r bad...mmkay?"

In the next south park ... Mr Mackey says "Drugs are good... mmkay???""""


at least this gives me hope for racism and intolerance legalization -- it has been around pretty much since ever... maybe someday a politician will say those are okay too... after all, if drugs that can kill a person and turn kids into addicts can be legalized, then words should have no problem.

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i finally understand how the masses feel when a "sensitive" topic comes up and others...ahem, no me... disagree with it...


there is a disgusting amount of support towards the legalization of something that is just as bad as what they tend to qq
about --- "i.e., insensitive responses to certain topics" , like the rights of certain people and stuff

[Shadowmelded]

[/B]

Coming from a student, no. Just no.

If you have no interest you might not be aware of it, but as long as you don't seclude yourself during College/University, there will be a lot of people in your vicinity that will be able to hook you up. Whether they broadcast that to everyone they meet is a different matter...

[wowaccounttom]

[/B]

Coming from a student, no. Just no.

same, i am glad that in ...well... many years of school... i was only offered drugs once and had no problem telling them to get lost

other than that, regardless of time or place, i never saw anyone ignorant enough to harm their health and hamper their studying abilities by doing something so moronic that is still illegal here.

[IIamaKing]

That's pretty risky for people who aren't streetsmart to go hanging out in poor areas filled with gangbangers in the hopes of finding drugs. It would be much safer to just go to the store and buy some.

Sure it is, but so is just taking drugs. It is in NO WAY easier to acquire like oxy cotton, or something of that level than it is to acquire heroin, because of regulation.

I have had A LOT of experience with drugs in my life, bad choices haunt us all. I do, in fact know exactly what I am talking about.

I am not saying that if every thing went legal to tomorrow there would not be some people who jump on and start doing drugs. I am saying the number of people who would is quite small.

[Dread Pirate Phayde]

Legalize, regulate, educate, tax, then use the money for programs to help people get clean or at least use responsibly. A percentage will always do them, a percentage is curious to try, and a percentage like myself has no interest, why not at least make it safe for the other two groups.

[drwelfare]

I do not support decriminalizing or legalizing of drugs.

At a certain point repeat drug offenders just need to be put down, they need more severe punishment than they get now initially as well