Poll: Should We Be Able To Use Any Substance (drug) We Want?

[benylor]

Just a few counter-arguments to a few posts in this thread that haven't been addressed. I would go and quote all of the posts, but I have the tired.

1. Drug-driving deaths will soar. Then ban alcohol because of the drink-driving deaths.
No. Clearly, drug-driving will still be illegal and so forth. Just legislate it in the same way you'd legislate with drink-driving.

2. Increased crime etc. Also, decreased crime! If legitimate (licensed) retailers are selling the product, with government-approved levels of purity, then the gangs will be put out of business. Attempt to sell drugs without a license, we'll come after you. That way, because it will be legal to produce the drugs too, businesses will be able to do it far, far cheaper. This means less street crime to fund the addiction!

3. Addictive designer drugs being put into other products. Simply, that rightly should be illegal and you can do that while having the drugs legal at the same time.

4. Meth, crack and heroin are so bad that they just shouldn't be legal. Actually, on a practical level (as opposed to a philosophical level) I agree with this. They can all have a horrendous effect. But people WILL do these drugs one way or another - all you're doing by making them illegal is pushing it into an unregulated black market, where people can consume however much they like, it's funding more crime, and so forth. There is a heroin supply centre in London where addicts can go to get their fix instead of from street dealers, and since its inception there's been a massive fall in drug-related crime there. (I'm not familiar with the figures - this may include drug dealing which is a bit of a moot point - but I believe violent crime as well has fallen). Simply put, as a harm reduction exercise, it would be better to legalise and strictly control the hardest drugs, than to leave them in the badlands that they're in right now.

But we all know how useful arguing over the internet is. Bleh.

 

[thebrainiac1]

How our society thinks:

Scenerio#1
Govt: Don't Do Heroin!

Human: Fuck authority, I do my own thing! I will do as much heroin as I possibly can before passing out and dieing in a pool of my own urine! That is way hardcore! ROCK AND ROLL! WOOOOOO!

Scenerio #2
Govt: Do Any Drugs You Want.

Human: I may drink a little, or try some weed, but heroin sounds like bad shit. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to have any.

I'm divided. I know that some people think that drugs could be fine recreationally, but don't try them because they can't stand the risk of jail/fines/criminal record. But I also know that some people take drugs purely because of the whole anti-authoritarian idea. I really think that the best way forward is through education. Rather than trying to beat it out of kids with tough laws, thus encouraging scenario 1, I think that we should show kids the true effects. We can show them how drugs wreck your body, mind and reputation, permanently. We should teach them how to learn from the mistakes of previous generations, rather than make them themselves.

We will never be able to halt drug abuse. The question is whether or not we can encourage people to not want to take the drugs in the first place.

 

[Jimmyjames]

everything you said

You seem to believe it's a black and white issue. You REALLY think there will be any less drug-related crime? Sorry, you have a lot to learn. All your points have the distinct feeling of being your personal opinion, which means JACK ALL. Do you think that gangs and drug traffickers will just lay down and give up? Is the current war on drugs so effective that you think another approach will be any more so?

 

[Goenitz]

Self control is key people. Everything in moderation.

 

[Cavouku]

To answer the first point; No, I'm not saying being an asshole should be illegal, or doubting anyone's ability to disrespect someone, and it is a waste of time. Merely flaunting the "It's my body I can do what I want" bit. Saying that; you can, yes, but that doesn't mean you should. I think the question was should we be allowed to do so, I answer no.

To your second point; Well, if people knew what all they shouldn't do, I don't know what would have to be illegal at all. There are things that if you say should be illegal carry on with good purposes of said things, or maybe there's something that's legal, so someone automatically thinks "I'm gonna' take that!" (Yes, there are people that shallow, and you know it.)

With drugs, I'd wager that most of the time, someone taking them isn't going to be taking them for many or any good reasons, and whether they are legal or not has nothing to do with it, it's all about the person. Either you take drugs because you're an asshat, you need it, or other. I don't know much about others.

For your answer to the first point, my apologies for not reading and applying the original question. I agree with your point.

Second point; laws are there to punish people who go against it, alerting people without common sense that they should not do something is merely a side effect. The world operate mostly under the assumption that "Yes, you're free to do whatever you want, but if you do the stuff listed in the laws, then you're going to have to deal with some of these consequences." The main purpose of laws are used to enforce an additional reaction to the original action. Warning people that there are some things they shouldn't do is still important, but it is a ssecondary effect that can be achieved without the use laws.

That's fine. I strongly oppose the usage of all harmful drugs, and maybe even more so, usage without a valid reason. Is this a suitable stance?

 

[khaimera]

I love this topic since I work in the addcition field. I for one think that all drugs should be legal. I could write a dissertation on the topic but will only pick out some of my favorite points.

1. Drug use will be prevalent no matter what the laws are, hence the war on drugs will always fail and waste billions of dollars. Its a part of human nature to alter consciousness.

2. People who have issues to begn with will behave badly whether drugs are involved are not, though drugs make it easier to do so.

3. Why isn't illegal to put everything harmful in your body, like drinking bleach.

4. The crime and drug link is based on correlation, not causation, and confounding variables
are responsible for the link.

All fair points, but none of which really make any solid reasons for the actual legalization of all drugs. What's the point? Making it easier to access them seems kind of stupid, to be honest. When's the last time you saw a coke/meth/heroin/whatever addict being a more productive member of society thanks to his habit? Never.

I agree with you in saying that it does not make anyone better or more productive, and there are tons of downsides, but why make it illegal. It ruins the criminal justice system and costs so much money to try and achieve something that will never happen. I also think that making it legal will reduce the amount of children who use drugs becuase it takes away much of the mystique. I bet there are not many peoele who wish they could use drugs, but dont simply becuase its illegal. We educate ourselevs about drugs and then make the right choice. Those who make bad choices will do so regardless of law.

 

[vamp rocks]

i say depends.... i think things like weed and shrooms should be legalised... because if used sparingly they dont have any huge problems but stuff like heroin and meth i dont think people should be messin with it...

 

[Jonatron]

Yes, so long as it's off the streets and you don't have children.

Let the stupid people kill themselves off.

 

[Triple G]

Not all substances. Drugs that create an extremely strong dependency, such as heroin or meth could be used to influence/control masses of people, and that would be very bad.
Marijuana and non-addictive hallucinogens there is no real problem with. They may impair judgement and cause psychosis, but legalizing them would bring in millions in taxes. Sort of like alcohol or tobacco. I really detest the hypocrisy inherent in those substances being legal and readily available, yet purportedly frowned upon by governments.

Signed.

 

[mannaroth]

No all drugs should not be legal except for angel dust. Ha just kidding thats just what I tell everyone.

 

[pelopelopelo]

Every since I was born I've been inundated with the idea drugs are bad, and should be illegal. Drugs are bad; THAT we can all agree on, but should they be illegal? Is it right for a government to tell individuals what they can or cannot put into their own body's?

My thinking is that we own our body's, and no one should be able control what we put into it. I know alcoholics, and drug addicts. My brother in an former alcoholic, and he was a drunken asshole 50% of the time when he was drinking. Then he got sober, and now he's a sober asshole 50% of the time (he still smokes pot every once in a while), BUT he always paid his bills. He always paid the rent, and his kid never went hungry. I have a friend Mike who is an alcoholic, and crack addict, but he still works hard everyday of his life. I've had friends who are/been drug addicts, and functioned perfectly in life, and I've had friends who were/are drug addicts who's life has been ruined and ended by drugs, so I know both sides of the story.

Back to the original topic. Should we be prohibited from putting what we want into our bodies? In my opinion. No, it's our body and we should have complete control over it. The only problem I have is when people commit crimes to get their drugs. That's when someone should be arrested, because if you REALLY want drugs that bad then you should be able to find work like my friend Mike, who works construction everyday (except Sunday) even with broken bones.

NOTE: I have never done any drugs including pot, and I have never touched alcohol. Except for cooking.

EDIT: I DO NOT APPROVE OF DRUG USE OF ANY KIND.
and I know all about ghettos and/or drug infested neighborhoods. I live in the ghetto of west Phoenix, AZ aka Valley of the spun

No, drugs aren't "bad". Drugs aren't "good". Drugs are drugs. They are inanimate, non-sentient chemical substances with no will of their own. Many have an addiction potential, but so does masturbation. They do not set out to get people hooked, they just are. It's people, people greedy for money, people who can't control their habits that are bad.

I'm of the opinion that all drugs should be legal, and there should be stringent harm-reduction and rehabilitation of addicts. Governments spend one hell of a lot more on keeping nasty druggy criminals in jail than they would if all drug offenses were handled with rehab and clean, non-contaminated drugs.

The biggest danger with heroin isn't its addictive potential (remember, nicotine is just as addictive), it is the fact it is illegal. Most street heroin is cut to shit, because dealers are greedy and don't care for their clientele. If there wasn't so much social stigma behind addiction, people wouldn't feel so ostracized from society and feel the need to rob and hurt for a fix. It's because society rejects you that you stop caring about other people, and instead care only about stemming the tide of withdrawals.

There are withdrawals, but it is on a person's own head if they can't stomach it. Safe and sensible usage should be promoted for all drugs (I don't mean 'promoted' as in 'pushed towards people who don't want them', merely that if you wish to take drugs, do it safely).

Of course, this is all in an ideal world. Society is mostly against illicit drug use, and both here in the UK and in the US public opinion seems to err on the side of 'drugs r bad mkay?', so it's a long road, but the amount of medical states is positive in my eyes

tl;dr: Drugs are not good or bad, it's people who determine the worthyness of their own actions.

 

[Ben7]

Yes we should and we should legalise and tax the shit out drugs, we should have the choice on what we take.

 

[blueballer]

This war on drugs has done three things. It has drove the price of drugs up, thus increasing the financial might of the suppliers. It has also cost more lives and money than the Iraq war. The draconian criminal laws surrounding the possession and use of illegal substances has caused an overcrowding of the penal system, necessitating the early parole of many a dangerous inmate.
What started out as a purely political move on the part of the Nixon administration has turned into a full blown military campaign.
If these substances (namely marijuana) were decriminalized, prices along with the coffers of the drug barons would decrease, turf wars would sputter out due to a lack of necessity, and a system of taxation could be implemented, alleviating the financial burden this moral crusade has caused, or better yet, be aimed at revitalizing our paltry school system. It should be noted that countries such as Holland, Germany, Finland, which have decriminalized "light" drugs face a much lower incidence of crime per-capita.

 

[ideitbawx]

...
It's not a vast government plot to opress us or something It ruins people. People claim they aren't addicted but they are.

Taking any sort of drugs effects your family and friends not just you

ok then, let's ban seroquel.

....

So you're saying we should make perscription drug abuse illegal too? Because, ya know... it IS.

actually, i was focusing more on his main statement in red: Taking any sort of drugs effects your family and friends not just you. this doesn't have anything to do with abuse of prescription drugs: people don't have to up their prozac intake to turn suicidal. i know when i smoke a joint my social and motor skills are compromised, so i don't do it when i know i need to function around people or use machinery. that's not much different than cold remedies that make you drowsy.

people will make their own choices. no-one said they'd be smart. and that includes listening to their doctor if they know he's a quack.

 

[GamerPhate]

Mark Twain said something like:

My own body is my own, as I always have felt that is the way it is. And if I do harm to it by experimenting with substances, is it not I that suffers and not the state?

So yeah, America you can be FREE or DRUG FREE ... choose...

 

[Kloutier]

Yes I think we should. Not that I want to but I think anyone who can get hooked on Herion should die. They will thin them selfs out of the pool and in turn help the rest of the world.

 

[Lord George]

Its difficult while things like marijuana and LSD should be legal as there basically harmless, same with coke though to a much lesser extent the same can't apply to stuff like heroin or meth, that stuff is dangerous, sure you get a huge high but its likely to wreck your life if you get addicted. It'd be like legalising guns, the things are designed to kill people, you give them to everyone and people will die.

 

[ideitbawx]

No, people can't be trusted, and if they get addicted, then they will go to extreme measures to get more

By that logic lots of things should be banned then. Alcohol, ciggarettes, even things like chocolate.

I wouldn't say chocolate, but I would say so for cigarettes and alcohol, that way people have to face their problems

hey, it worked well for al capone ... not so much for anyone who opposed him, though.

if i regulate my use and see a therapist to work through and find solutions to my problems rather than obsessively complaining about them, i'd say i'd be facing my problems alright.

hey, do you know if bears have any unwritten laws about gorging themselves on berries until they actually ferment and turn into alcohol right in their stomachs? how do you think they'd regulate that?