Drugs: [il]legal

You still forget; while the mafia is making money out of it at the moment, if it is legalized, they will just go legal. Save money, and start a store. What are they loosing here? Sure, the price drops. But the method of production gets easier to carry out.

If someone wants something, they can get it for the right price. This is a fact. But we still should not make it available to the public. People are far more likely to try something if it is legal, and available from a clean source.

Once they try the meth, they get addictied. So they go and get more. This costs money. So they loose money. They then go and commit crimes, to get their fix.

If you are arguing about legalizing Marijuana, by all means, go ahead. But the topic is all drugs. You have to consider, do we really need addictive battery acid in mainstream society?

It is mainstream society that would be exposed to Crystal Meth. You may be able to go down the street and get meth, but will you? NO! One reason for this is because it is illegal. A mainstream society with high standards will not have a large portion of the population doing meth at this moment in time, because it is illegal, and the chance has not arisen. If meth was available, all this would change.

 

You are kind of out of touch here. Crystal Meth IS in mainstream society. Teenage girls use it as a DIET supplement. If people don't realize by now drugs will screw them up, then it is entirely on them. Seriously, you must live under a rock if you don't see how easy it is to get stuff. Crystal Meth, nearly anyone could make in the kitchen. Crystal Meth is one of the fastest growing drug preferences because it is so easy to get a hold of and anyone can make the stuff. I had a friend who told me yesterday his DAD had some in his pants pocket and we just went 'yeah, what an idiot'. The whole popularity of Meth is spawned because people can make it and sell it from their homes. Now think what would happen if it were made legal and sold at cheaper rates because of supply and demand rules.

A company could produce the drug safer by being bound by FDA standards and people would rather get something safer and cleaner than the crap people produce in their homes to make it 'cost effective'. There are all sorts of additives people put in meth that a company wouldn't do. Now let's also consider the fact that a company could easier get hold of supplies and make things to distribute at a cheaper cost than someone making the stuff in the kitchen. You can always buy bulk cheaper than limited supplies. It would run 'house ran' businesses mostly out of business. That's how big franchises take out small business restaurants all the time. Meth only became a popular drug in the first place because of other drugs being harder to get and it can be made in the safety of home. If drugs were legalized, a lot of people would not turn to meth as it is a harmful substance and they could do pot instead.

Now, let's look at the fact that keeping drugs illegal has been a lost war. There are cops that become disheartened and soldiers who gain PTSD by the wretched practices they often have to discover by how desperate people are at the borders to smuggle drugs in. There are people who have put drugs in dead babies as merely an example of how these people will work. There are sick practices out there to getting drugs into any country that would stop because it simply would be stupid to continue them. Also, we wouldn't have to be in South America all the time doing things to screw up their lives because of our fight on drugs. If we could instead have people producing pot as tobacco is produced...it would reduce the need for South Americans to be doing what they are. They'd either have to get into legitimate business practices or they'd be seriously out of business too. There is a strong black market presence that would take one of the biggest blows in history, only in comparison to Prohibition and how laws changed and the mafias and distributors were out of work suddenly from a major money venture. The very laws of business practice would suffocate out a lot of lucrative deals they get now.

Which then effects those in areas of poverty too. Gangs that thrive on selling drugs they are given from drug cartels would suddenly not be giving the best deals around. It costs 2 bucks for a joint. Now imagine if people are growing hemp here on fields in legit business and can sell each joint even for 1 dollar or heck, 50 cents. Is someone going to go spend 2 to 5 bucks for a joint when instead they can go to a store and buy them for 50 cents to a dollar? With the way the economy is, my answer would be hell no. So adults funding and making teens and young adults do their work of distributing drugs would become something that isn't good for business. Kids may not be such an attractive thing to put in gangs suddenly because the gangs couldn't support them anymore and their usefulness is reduced to minimum effect. These adults don't give a crap about those teens and young adults. They care about profit.

Now, about distribution as well. If it has to be done, it could be monitored and companies could be inspected to ensure they are not making a drug that is going to kill people by harmful pollutants and other garbage they put in there on the streets. In some states, harder liquors and such are purchased at special state stores that check a person's I.D. and the people are registered to get the more potent alcohols. This could be done with drugs beyond pot as well. Really, alcohol is the most deadly drug out there and attractive to minors etc and it is more controlled. Why not do this with drugs that people will be less likely to go use? It's not going to make them more attractive. Especially if schools teach the -truth- about drugs and there are no more lies to the people. Part of the problem with our government is no one trusts it because we are constantly lied to. A change in policy of being -honest- would do the system good.

Next, where could money go that is not spent on a war on drugs? Everywhere. We spend billions of dollars on stopping drugs and also holding those with possession charges in prison. It costs at least 25k a year to hold a person in prison, which could be used for many other things. Ideas for where that money can go?
1. Drug rehabilitation centers - let's help people who are sick of drugs ruining their lives instead of tossing them in the slammer. Also these could be used for any symptoms of 'addictive personality' such as compulsive gambling.
2. Education benefits - truth on drugs, but also all that money used for drug possession prisoners could be used instead for helping kids get to college and having more grants available instead of students having ridiculous loans to pay off.
3. More law enforcement officers watching our streets and being on call when we need them to stop domestic violence whether drug related or not. These officers could be doing what they were put out to do which is 'protect and serve'. Also it can be used to get rid of more bigoted officers and get people in who genuinely care so that the racism and bias stops against anyone and also help teens instead of making them always out to be problem children.
4. Outreach programs to go around and help people see drugs are harmful and hot lines like how the suicide hot line works, where people with concerns and a desire to change could be helped without everyone being up in their business.
5. Making a devision in the prison system so that there are people that are harmful that will be staying a while or for even life if need be. No more child molesters living on a street with a ton of kids around. No more rapists getting out in 2 years on good behavior. Less tolerance for those who do use drugs or alcohol and commit crimes because 'they can' and murderers. Getting the truly disturbed off the streets would be a nice change and make citizens feel safe. Also, modifying the prisons so that these people are safe and can live their lives out of society but not in complete misery as some just can't help how they are would be an improvement too. Then people won't fight so hard to get them out, will they? If people can't mix with society and are proven that they just are unfit to do so, then it's time to keep them out and there should be efficient room for them.
6. It can be illegal to mask things like acid or other drugs and not make it clear what they are so things like 'stickers' will still be illegal and monitored for, as well as people masking and/or mixing drug substances like someone buys some pot but it is laced with crack-cocaine...if the persons didn't know they could actually sue the seller, etc. These people could be held accountable in a court of law and the drug users could actually complain about bad sales so again, it would reduce 'street drug' creations and force them to be on par with company sold drugs.
7. Mental help - Many people who are tempted to drugs also may have mental conditions that make it hard or them to cope. Also, there are people living in our streets who have mental conditions and facilities made to help them get on their feet, get cleaned up, and to find work would be nice. Better mental help care where people who are not -suicidal- but under great anxiety could also happen for much cheaper prices than it costs currently. Sometimes people turn to illegal drugs or the black market stuff because they simply feel they cannot 'cope' but also can't manage to pay hundreds of dollars, if not thousands to psychiatrists.

To me, these benefits well outweigh the 'success' we have had on the war on drugs. There will always be people that will contest rules and fight the system. It is a losing war and it really is just time to admit that. So why not make the drugs legal, monitor them, help people that want help, fix up our education systems etc and make life better for others by keeping -real- criminals out? There is no solution out there that can save everyone. It just won't happen. How can these things though be worse than what we are doing currently?

 

Yeah. Everything that you aren't supposed to do always ends up becoming cool.

 

Repliku... Who's side are you on?

Saying things like...

Maybe you forgot, the laws are there for the benifit of society... not to reduce crime.

I ask you again, would you want more people to be addicted to meth, heroine, cocaine, and so forth?


You yourself said "Drugs arn't good for people..." and then said that if drugs were legal, it would be another tabbaco company... I could do without another one.

Although... I do agree, the "War on drugs" is a joke.

 

Forgive me for hitting the wrong button. Yeesh..that was lamer than lame.

My point is that in the end, people are going to do drugs whether or not others say they are bad or not so instead of bothering with trying to stop the drugs, instead you work on the mind frame of the people themselves.

Meth is so common because it can be made in a person's house and there are tons of people who do it. They cannot possibly hope to catch them. However, if other lesser drugs like pot became available, a lot of people would shift off of meth. People are always going to do something to check it out, especially if it is illegal. It is mostly the illegality of drugs that makes them so inviting to people and 'friends' pass them around covertly getting others hooked.

Nothing is going to 'solve' the drug issue except for people to wizen up and see it is just outright bad for them and to get some help and quit. Lesser drugs like pot will probably be around a while as are cigs and alcohol because their effects aren't so wretched as say heroin. It's the right to be able to do something, make it at least so people aren't getting poisoned by the extra nasty stuff they put in street drugs etc. Since we can't stop drugs, do we really want people to just out and out die? Of course not.

This is the reason you put the money to other uses to support people, make things better and let them get this stupidity out of their systems. What is being proposed isn't to just take your hands off the reins and do nothing. It's to change the way you do things so that people have a choice and when they screw up, they can be aided to get back to normal instead of living their lives in prison and never finding good jobs etc and being a burden on society itself as well as their families etc. Some people are going to die no matter what. Some people are going to fail at things no matter what. The war on drugs is an utter failure.

If you can think of a better idea, I'd like to hear it because I really just can't think of anything but switching the way we actually help people. Protecting them from drugs themselves doesn't seem to work at all but on the level where a parent might be able to get a kid to stay off them or friends may be able to put on peer pressure to others that are being lame. Putting someone in jail for it seems extreme and doesn't address the issues and as said, there are just some very nasty policies that happen now because of how the system is set up that can hurt everyone.

 

Either I live under a rock, or not where you do.
What would happen if these home labs were replaced by big companies? It would draw in more people. Making it more pure, or better quality does not change the fact that it is harmful. Nothing will change. There are campaigns against drugs already, informing us about what they do. There are the "Meth-not even once" ads. The only thing legalizing drugs would do would be placing meth on the same level as smoking. We sure as hell don't need an addictive, damaging, thought-numbing drug being marketed by big companies. It is slow, addictive suicide. We don't want that.
What will it achieve? It will make drugs cheaper, easier to get a hold of, and slightly safer. I feel the pros are not worth the cons.

Safe meth is an oxymoron. It still causes brain damage, and is highly addictive. The big companies will keep putting crap in. Have you seen what goes into cigarettes? Companies would market it, broadcast it, hook people, give out freebies. The same thing that goes on now will continue, except the government can do nothing about it. Currently, at least they can try.
Meth will be cheaper than pot, if it is easier to make. Pot still takes time to grow and harvest. With a stove and a trip to the local pharmacy and supermarket, you can have meth. It will be cheaper than pot.
Pot is by no means safe. One smoke of pot gives the same amount of tar as ten cigarettes. Pot is still addictive. It pales in comparison to meth, but it still lords over tobacco.

Keeping drugs illegal may seem to be a futile effort, but it still is a deterrent. Police cannot be everywhere, but they can find some labs.
Pot is still addictive. Pot still costs money.
Many markets would take a hit, but they would be replaced by a giant. These drugs being produced like tobacco will only add to availability. More availability means more people getting addicted. Once they are addicted, it is no longer free choice to continue.
We would reduce the underhand business. Instead we get it happening in front of our very eyes. We avoid the dead babies, and instead get meth in bags. The drugs are still expensive. People will still be unable to afford them. Once that happens the thievery starts.

So pretty much the balance of income switches from the gangs to the businessmen. The price of this is easier distributed drugs. Why do we want this?

The drugs still kill people. The human body is not meant to take these drugs. Why not just teach students the truth anyway? I already have had a fair few anti-drugs organizations (not the kingdom hearts kind ;)) come and talk to my school.
What good would knowing who has the drugs do?

All those will be needed, and more if we legalize drugs. There will be more robberies, for people to get their fix.


Okay, my view is that the pros of being able to see what you are buying, cheaper drugs and no more underhand work is outweighed by the cons of the drugs messing up people's lives, being addictive, becoming more easily available and becoming more marketed.

Drugs are dangerous. Once you take them, your free will is torn away. We already have this problem with tobacco. We do not want to make meth or heroin cheaper, or more readily available.

 

Ok well the point with meth is that you don't make it to sell but it becomes 'legal'. Then people can keep making the crap but with other safer drugs being legal, most people would go to those instead. Meth is totally brought about BECAUSE it is easy to make and less likely to be found. Anyone can do it. There are several labs for it all over the country.

Less people would actually want to take heroin and it is not that popular a drug since you have to inject yourself and most people aren't so hot for needles. I doubt the numbers for heroin abuse would rise anymore.

And I have no idea who keeps spreading the lie that pot is addictive because it is one of the least addictive drugs around. People can go months or years between smoking a joint even after having had pot for weeks etc. Scientific studies have shown it is not near as addictive as tobacco or even alcohol. I have yet to see a serious scientific study on the addictiveness of pot as being a major thing in recent years where there are less lies on what drugs actually do to people.

Meth is addicting but the withdrawal symptoms are not on par with something like heroin. People -can- quit Meth just as they can quit cigarettes and there's some suffering but it's not that extreme to need actual medical care.

In the end, as I said, the drugs are all out there and easy to get. You don't know it because you don't know the people. It's all about connections to people and there's a whole system out there no matter where you live. I know of -no place- that is drug free, regardless of the way of life in the area. Drugs are bad and rotten but people want them. Part of the lure is that they are illegal and yet everyone knows your chances of being caught are so slim.

If I had a kid on drugs I'd want to know I could take him/her to rehabilitation, no questions asked and not be investigated for drugs myself, not be humiliated, have the kid pulled out of school etc. I would just want the kid helped. Why does that not make sense? More power to the people to get the help they need and the medical care etc.

If I have a friend on drugs, I'd rather not hide the fact from a family or from others because I don't want that friend to go to jail. Instead I have to go through this route of begging the friend to stop and trying to do rehab help so that he/she can't go to or else he/she loses his/her job. I have to when the person is bad enough take him/her to a rehab place or report hiim/her to the police because I feel the person is a danger. Either way, the person gets a criminal record. Why? A true friend would want to help the friend and get the friend to rehab and make sure that person has a life to come back to and that his/her car and house weren't sold off in an auction and after rehab the person doesn't have to spend time in jail or go to court to even have it waived.

The point here is that it makes sense to have better help because there is NO way to stop the drugs coming in and why not put the help in more control and families in more control, loved ones in more control instead of having a corrupt drug ring, mafia and corrupt police in control? Police should be able to be called to help if someone is Od'ing, if someone is abusive and being a moron, if someone is doing drugs and driving or reckless behavior. They should not have to be called because someone is an addict and a friend or family member wants to get that person assistance. It's a helluva lot harder to convince people that they need help if they also have to go through the court system on top of dealing with rehabilitation. It just is wrong and pointless.

 

Ok... Reppy, I won't argue that the war on drugs is mismanaged.

However, I will argue that pot is legalized in certain circumstances, so I would say its not an "illegal drug" as we know it. It is less adictive than cigarettes, because nicotine is one of the more addictive substances. I actually didn't know that about alcohol... oh well, alcohol detox is wicked, so it doesn't suprise me.

Also, I just brought up meth and heroine because they are two of the most addictive drugs out there.

I don't believe legalizing meth will have any benefit. A big chunk of meth is made outside the US in factory's, and is imported. This meth is sometimes called "super meth" (as Fox News puts it) and is actually free of most forms of contaminates found in homemade meth. However, "super meth" is actually the most potent, and often the deadliest, form of meth. I think legalizing meth would cause more of this to flow in the streets... hardly a good idea. I'd take the oven cleaner and sudafed combo... although I'd really rather avoid both.

Heroine is another deadly vice... I've seen people die at the hands of this poison... I think that alone should make it illegal. It is far too addictive, and is one of those "try it once and get hooked" drugs. I don't want the Federal Government to legalize a killer.

Rehabs will not alert the athorities of an addict. Its called patient doctor privacy rules prevent that, unless you are directly putting yourself or someone else in jail.

Most places of employeement will overlook drugs if you honestly tell them you need some time off to quit the habbit. At least, several people I know worked it out with thier bosses like that.


You truly believe that there is "no way" to ever stop drugs? Call me an idealist, but if there is ever a chance to reduce drugs, I think we should try it. You need to remember, there are some people who will try something because its "forbidden" there are others however, that will try something because its "Ok".

We should also take into account the safety of the ladder.



Edit: and yes Pika Power... meth is a very common drug these days... its growing nation wide.

 

I do see your point on the nastiness of drugs like meth and heroin. Really, I wish they'd up and disappear but meth has grown so popular I know quite a few people that take it and I've seen it at parties, which is one reason I don't go to many college parties now. Heroin is really bad too and I've had people I've known die or really suffer from that drug, as well as crack cocaine.

The problem really does come down to the fact that despite every effort, these most harmful drugs won't go away with the drug war as it currently stands and there are lesser drugs that aren't so bad and plants etc that could be legal but just aren't and people would get bored of them.

If the war was more focused on things like meth, heroin and crack cocaine, instead of the lesser drugs out there, well, it may even be more effective. But because we waste our time with other things in which some people haven't even heard of, it's just lame. Some people are just going to try to get 'high' no matter what. They like to think a substance can take away their inhibitions, fears, anxieties, strife etc is just wonderful. Heck, people do it all the time with alcohol. I just think that the war on drugs has mainly failed because we took on more than we can chew making some drugs that are minor into much bigger deals so that people are almost afraid and ashamed to do anything to help themselves and others they care about. Also groups like DARE in school have seriously lied to kids so when they come face to face with drugs they are terrified till someone talks with a soothing voice and says 'oh I've smoked pot for years and I'm still obviously alive and can think straight'.

People need the truth and we need to stop playing around. Most possession arrests are for pot. It's rather pointless. In the end, I just am not convinced that instead of wasting our money on this stupid crap we should instead be working on better rehabilitation because 12 step program sucks, and people can get dependent on a variety of things and I think this dependency not only happens from drugs but from a sort of disorder often. We need to examine more into this to help people who get addicted and ruin their lives; not replace one addiction with another as the 12 step program does. There are just more responsible ways to get rid of the problem.

I do agree that letting the harsher drugs that can potentially kill someone be legal is harsh but at this point if they are going to have such easy access to it any way because lesser drugs are such a big concern, well it might as well all be legal because it definitely can't get worse than it is currently. Maybe though the compromise is to just go after drugs that are known killers like this and stop the illegal banning of others that are no more harmful than alcohol or cigs. Absinthe is another thing that was illegal for some time and was like pot in that you could still get it wherever any way. I just see no reason to trash people's lives over something that won't kill you. I do have a problem with meth, heroin and some other things like that so making those legal is kind of fuzzy. I am about 50/50 on whether I think those should be legal or not.

 

I really can't see any flaws in your arguement. Good job Repliku... I'll post up if I find something...

 

Look, Repliku, legalizing drugs will only aid how quickly it gets spread around. You think nowadays is alot? Nonsense.

At the moment, it is still all under the table. People still have to be cautious about drugs. Remember Corby? The Bali nine? They got put away for a good chunk of their lives, some of them even lost theirs. The police may not get it all, but some do get nailed. They may be letting many through, but isn't it better to do that, rather than step back and open the floodgates? That is what it being suggested. Giving up. Lying down and letting it through.

This is bad, because drugs are addictive poison. They ruin lives. People take them on the spur of the moment, then regret it later, after they have no money, with a damaged brain. The stuff is not natural. Drugs are harmful. Selling it to someone with the intention of letting them use it is assisting suicide. Some people have adverse reactions to drugs. This can render them dead, or seriously damaged. This drys up more of hospital funds. These funds will only be stretched to the limits, with more driving accidents due to influence. Removing the war on drugs will merely transfer the funds to being used in hospitals. Do we want to cut it off at the source, or try and patch up the aftermath?

People will also continue making their own, because it will not be illegal. So add various burns and sicknesses to the above problems.

Also, don't these people deserve a punishment? They con people into trying drugs, then wring them for money until they are inevitably in jail or dead. They are not innocent suppliers trying to please folks' wants. They create the craving, then supply it for exorbitant amounts.

Changing this to a legitimate business will not help in the slightest. It will only up the purity and amount of drugs in society. Both of these are bad things, for reasons mentioned above. We certainly do not want a combination of alcohol and tobacco tycoons. You think the smoking situation was/is bad? Let drugs into the picture, and they will become as common as a cigarette.

At the moment, drugs are not nearly as mainstream as smoking. Do you see the footpaths littered with Cannabis pipes, or heroin needles?

Legalizing drugs will do nothing to help resolve the drug crisis. There may be imperfections in the way we handle it, but the alternatives are too horrific to consider.

 

How? You really don't get how it is very easy to get drugs and adults really just do not fear the law because the chances of actually getting caught for it is quite slim, even with the tons of arrests made. The people that tend to get busted most are gang sorts, some college kids now and then or people that 'look suspicious' to a white bread conservative cop. There are people in all ethnic groups and incomes that do drugs and get away with it so easily that they get to thinking they have more of a chance of being struck by lightning than getting busted. If you don't fit the stereotype, you simply most of the time don't get caught.

-Some- get nailed. Not even scratching the surface of how many people take drugs or sell them. That is the reality. I've seen enough parties etc where people freely lay the stuff out on their tables and no one says anything. Also you aren't getting it that this is -not- giving up. It is using a better strategy against a people that are going to do whatever they want when they want despite what mommy government and a bunch of other people tell them. It is their lives they want to trash and they are going to do it.

What is being brought forth is that people be told the -truth- about drugs. You still think pot is addictive and it is not except by people that -want- to be addicted to it. People constantly can be off pot for months and go back to it and quit and never touch it again in their lives. You and many others have been deceived on what drugs do. Some like heroin or meth, sure, they deserve the bad reps but some others, even if I don't like them, they aren't any more harmful than alcohol is. Also, why not spend money on rehabilitations that are superior to the crap out now? How is that lying down? Truth, cures, medical and mental assistance to the needy, a chance to get back into life without a criminal record that bars them from doing anything higher than working at some low paying factory forever...seriously, people make mistakes. They shouldn't owe for the rest of their lives. It's not lying down. It's thinking about people that make dumb choices and giving them a second chance.

Drugs are a poison. So is alcohol and absinthe etc and people can be allergic to a number of things and have a reaction. So what? They -want- to do them and will. If someone wants to commit suicide, he/she will. What are you going to do? Drugs suck but some of the lesser ones aren't so bad if that's what they want to do. Drug abuse is a sad thing but really all you are pushing is that we should keep doing what we are or even get more militant about it and truth be told, there are people in the government that enjoy the mafias and drug lords doing what they are doing. The whole drug ring makes money even as we lose it. It's like our federal debt that we hand out money to people while we are also sinking further into a hole of debt. If we quit fighting things like pot and lesser drugs and people could do what they wanted, it would actually harm the mafias more and drug cartels. Also that money could be used at hospitals and rehab centers and do more good than cops who go accusing people because they are poor of things and setting them up with drug charges. Since there are SEVERAL mistakes with the drug war, I'm more to patching up the wounds and working to educate people prior to taking drugs the truth on them than bothering with ruining tons of lives.

People already make a ton of meth already. Meth is not hard to make and seriously there are cities where there are very well known neighborhoods where meth is being made in homes and cops know of it. They can't stop it because they haven't got the power to. For example: Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, where serial killer David Parker Ray is from...there are a lot of meth labs they knew existed there but the cops didn't do crap because they don't have the manpower. A lot of small burnt out towns with very little job growth have really sunk into selling drugs and making them. That's just the way it is. When I lived in a crap town in Illinois before moving to Chicago, about 1/2 the population took/sold drugs. No joke. Also criminals from Chicago would be deposited there because they didn't want the gang members back there. These problems are going to go on regardless of whether it's legal or not. So why not -help- the people instead?

In some cases, yes. I believe any sales to minors should put someone in jail regardless of if drugs are made legal or not. As adults though, a person should very well know better what he/she is doing. However, if someone is slipped a drug and doesn't know, if a drug is popped into a drink, or if someone sells a drug blended with something the person doesn't intend to get, then also this should be considered criminal. However, often these people are not reported to authorities because who is going to report that they got a joint laced with crack cocaine when it was illegal for them to be taking the drug in the first place? If drugs were legal it would give the opportunity for people to stand up more against these sorts that do nasty drug deals and also people would do more against drugs being sold to minors. There would be no fear of repercussions like there is now from TWO sources. The only source to fear then is the drug cartel because the law would actually not be against the people.

I actually don't care about smoking or drinking or pot and think they are up to a person to decide. It's not my life and the accounts of 2nd hand smoke etc have been tremendously exaggerated and even though proved so, people still believe what they want to and the propaganda is ridiculous. Some of the oldest people in the world have been smokers. Anymore, -anything- causes cancer and our depleted ozone is causing more radiation in our system, people live longer, and more cancer has shown up because of both conditions. Cancer cells are in everyone. I'm not advocating smoking because I don't care for it and really I don't like to drink much but I'm not worried about them because the right people that use things in moderation can do what they want. For how addicted I am to caffeine, I don't feel I have a right to judge. Also, how many nimwits go to the store and buy drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen, NyQuil etc and are doing what they are doing with them? You really can't stop everything.

However, I disagree with you that drugs beyond pot would even come 'close' to being that popular with how harmful they are. People will be able to see out front how bad this crap is and go 'oh hell no' in most cases. Most people don't have a death wish. You really give people no credit at all to think for themselves or to actually want to live.

Heroin isn't 'that' popular because of the fact people have to inject it and it costs a lot of money people don't have. Also, it's highly addicting and messes people up. MOST people won't take it because they know this stuff to be true because even if the government has lied on drugs, that one has killed people and we clearly know it. Pot however...I've found roaches at places like public parks, lol. I've also been at people's houses and someone just pops out a joint or bong or whatever. I have known a tremendous lot of people that do the stuff and even had a neighbor who would sell pot when I was growing up. He grew it right in his backyard and I never realized it until years later. Pot is extremely popular and is the most used illegal drug out there easily. Making it legal won't mean a thing. It won't change anything at all. If it was legal, it should be given the rules that alcohol users abide by and then people will be doing their thing. You can't walk down the street with alcohol and you can't drink and drive or have open containers in cars, at work etc. You can't be drunk while at work etc. Minors aren't allowed it. Set the age to 21. With these laws, pot would probably work out just fine and I really don't see a ton of newbie wannabes rushing to try pot for the first time because whoo hoo it's legal.

I do think some drugs like heroin or meth are just really bad and perhaps they should be illegal still but the target on all drugs just seems rather pointless because people are going to do what they will whether it's illegal or not. Some people are drawn to the very fact it's illegal and they want to live dangerously. Others just don't even care and adults really have no fear of being caught unless it's on them in a car or something. So really, though I think at first some people might go whoo hoo~~ really it's not going to draw that many people to do them as first time users and education, truth and better facilities to deal with those who are mentally having issues or physically (which in many cases is what lures people to drugs in the first place) would be far better than policing ridiculously while some government officials could care less and make profits off the stuff.

In the end, if you have a better solution, let's hear it. As appalling as drugs are, what's another solution that can be done where people aren't harassed, stereotyped and their lives trashed utterly for a mistake in judgment? There has to be someway to make things better and let drugs go the way of the dinosaur but as it stands, the current system fails. So, give some ideas perhaps? Remember you also only have a certain amount of money to play with in order to enact them.

 

Although you could see it as coincidental, and there are plenty of other factors involved, it's interesting to see in graph form that:



Look at the drop when prohibition ended.

Also, L.E.A.P:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LayaGk0TMDc

 

Legalizing Drugs would take the "fun" out of possesing drugs. These days more people want to break the rules rather than abide by them. If we legalize them, it is probable that less people will use drugs.

 

that's good evidence, but i think the ppl who make drugs illegal are more concerned about drug usage really. legalizing drugs probably wouldn't change usage but it WOULD reduce homicides like the case with Prohibition shows.

 

Strange theory, but it could work.

 

Fine. I admit it. Some cities are full of drugs. Some countries have every second person growing cannabis.

But I won't let it end this way... Not yet.

People doing drugs sell drugs to keep their addiction fueled, right? Therefore if we remove this source of income for them, won't they need a new income to fuel their addiction? Won't this lead to more homicides and robberies, to get the money to buy the drugs in stores? Admittedly they will be cheaper, but cigarettes chew up a fair portion of your annual salary as is, so I am assuming drugs will cost more.

What about the places that do not have tons of drugs? I can deal with the fact that everywhere has drugs, but not every city is a a drug metropolis. Some are relatively pure. Is putting drugs into them a good thing? Once trying cannabis, people may be enticed to try harder drugs. cue gateway theory.

...

That's all I have...

 

well, we can regulate it like cigarettes or alcohol, it won't be totally off limits but minors SHOULDN'T be able to get it unless someone bought it for them kinda like how nowadays some parents would buy their children alcohol for some reason. but i suppose it MIGHT increase drug usage for obvious reasons but at least we can tax the drugs

 

It only takes one 18+ person to supply a party with drugs.