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Theme Changer

 Poll

  • Question: What do you think is the best option for us?
  • Legalizing all drugs
  • Legalizing only soft drugs like marijuana
  • Keeping the laws as they are right now
  • Making laws tougher with longer sentences for dealers

 Topic: Legalizing Drugs

 (Read 18905 times)
  • 12 3 ... 5 Next page « Previous thread | Next thread »
  • Legalizing Drugs
     OP - March 02, 2010, 06:04 AM
    Before you vote I invite you to watch this video:


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLsCC0LZxkY
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #1 - March 02, 2010, 09:25 AM
    In principle, nothing should stop a mature adult from making a choice that doesn't affect any other person, even if that choice involves the intake of drugs.

    However, in relation to the video, it seems as if Friedman is missing out part of the story. It is true that had drugs not been made illegal something as potent and addictive and crack would never have been manufactured, yet, the problem is that you cannot go back to before it existed. It is here now and it must be dealt with, there's no use wishing for a simpler time.

    Having said all that, as long as you can be responsible enough to not get hooked, crack is an amazing drug that gives you an amazing high - a hit of crack only last for about 20 minutes, but for those 20 minutes you feel on top of the world.   dance
    At evening, casual flocks of pigeons make
    Ambiguous undulations as they sink,
    Downward to darkness, on extended wings. - Stevens
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #2 - March 02, 2010, 09:28 AM
    I voted only soft drugs should be legal, however I would be open to seeing why 4 people voted that all drugs should be legal.

    My reasons for voting only soft drugs is because I've seen too many fall by the wayside, hooked on hard drugs that have destroyed their lives and the lives of those who love them. 
    Inhale the good shit, exhale the bullshit.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #3 - March 02, 2010, 09:34 AM
    All drugs should be legal berberella because nobody has the right to force their life-choice upon anyone else. As long as the person is doing hard drugs in their own privacy and not hurting anyone else, nobody has the right to stop them.

    It is unfortunate that people get hooked and in the process lose themselves in the drug but if they are adults and made a mature decision to take the drugs then you cannot stop them.
    Besides, hard drugs aren't all doom and gloom, heroin is an awesome experience, there is no greater feeling, believe me, its better than sex. And many people have beaten the addiction, its not as hard as some would have you believe.
    At evening, casual flocks of pigeons make
    Ambiguous undulations as they sink,
    Downward to darkness, on extended wings. - Stevens
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #4 - March 02, 2010, 09:37 AM
    I had a 15yr old friend once, from the age of 12/13 her father would inject her with heroin and rape her.  When I met her she was in state care, but she was a heroin addict.

    A year later they fished her body out of the canal.

    I would never touch heroin.

    I had a friend in primary school, I saw her again, she was a 15yr old skeletal crack head prostitute, who would do anything for a hit of that pipe.  I would also never try crack.

    I agree that people should be free to make their own choices, it just pains me to see how many people lose the ability to make good choices when hard drugs are involved.

    Inhale the good shit, exhale the bullshit.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #5 - March 02, 2010, 09:41 AM
    I'm sorry to hear those stories but they are anecdotal. Also, neither of those people were mature adults choosing to take the drugs.
    Nobody is saying that kids should be injected with heroin forcibly. But a person over 18 should be allowed to experience everything that life can offer, to hell with rules that limit one's appreciation of what it truly means to be alive.
    At evening, casual flocks of pigeons make
    Ambiguous undulations as they sink,
    Downward to darkness, on extended wings. - Stevens
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #6 - March 02, 2010, 09:48 AM
    I know they are, but for me they are reason enough not to opt to sample that shit myself, that's the only reason I posted about those 2 episodes. 

    However I know more people who cave into the addiction, than I do people who are strong enough to merely play a little without getting hooked.

    Damn freedom of choice arguement, always interferes and ruins my reasons for being against something.   Cheesy







    Inhale the good shit, exhale the bullshit.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #7 - March 02, 2010, 10:02 AM
    I can't make my mind up on this sort of thing. Marijuana is perfectly legal in the Netherlands and they don't have problems with the legalization of it, but there's still a lot of problems associated with drugs.

    I think the Netherlands put money from the marijuana back into rehabilitation programs and drug prevention programs, something like that could work.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #8 - March 02, 2010, 10:14 AM
    Quote from: z10 on March 02, 2010, 09:34 AM
    Besides, hard drugs aren't all doom and gloom, heroin is an awesome experience, there is no greater feeling, believe me, its better than sex. And many people have beaten the addiction, its not as hard as some would have you believe.

    My brother tried it too, but thought it was overrated.. - I probably will also at some stage in my life - I have always said that I am just waiting to get some terminal illness before I try it, that way it doesnt matter if I get hooked..

    Where did you buy it from - what was the feeling like?

    P.S I voted to declassify all drugs - I have always been a strong advocate for their legalisation..
    My Book     news002       
    My Blog  pccoffee
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #9 - March 02, 2010, 10:30 AM
    This is an interesting topic., the problem here is  what actually do we mean by legalizing?? in other words free for all and people can by them on counter tops of stores?  Some time back we had a panel discussion in an  university, where I  was supporting legalization of drugs without knowing the meaning and its effects on the society.. The reason I was on that side is because of Crimes and huge amount of money that is there  behind these drug Mafias..

     
    Do not let silence become your legacy.. Question everything   
    I renounced my faith to become a kafir, 
    the beloved betrayed me and turned in to  a Muslim     
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #10 - March 02, 2010, 05:26 PM
    Quote from: BerberElla on March 02, 2010, 09:28 AM
    I voted only soft drugs should be legal, however I would be open to seeing why 4 people voted that all drugs should be legal.

    My reasons for voting only soft drugs is because I've seen too many fall by the wayside, hooked on hard drugs that have destroyed their lives and the lives of those who love them. 


    Speaking for myself, the reason I voted for legalizing all drugs is that (1) it is manifestly unjust to criminalize what an informed, consenting adult would choose to put in their own bodies and a violation of their natural rights, (2) there is very little evidence to suggest that criminalization of hard drugs has done anything to reduce addiction rates, and, in fact, a lot of evidence to the contrary-- that before widespread criminalization of cocaine and heroin, use and addiction rates were much lower.

    That being said, I recognize there is a compelling social interest in keeping addiction rates low. I would favor tight regulation of hard drugs-- limiting the suppliers and limiting the amount an individual consumer is allowed to buy from them, while harshly prosecuting black marketeers. This would reduce addiction, ODs, and use by children.

    The other concern I would have about legalizing drugs is the effect it would have on certain cities and neighborhoods where the illicit drug economy is the only viable economy around-- things could potentially get much worse. I think legalization would need to be done in conjunction with other economic, social, and political reforms for it to be most effective and have fewer negative consequences.
    fuck you
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #11 - March 02, 2010, 05:35 PM
    Quote from: z10 on March 02, 2010, 09:34 AM
    All drugs should be legal berberella because nobody has the right to force their life-choice upon anyone else. As long as the person is doing hard drugs in their own privacy and not hurting anyone else, nobody has the right to stop them.

    Do we not have a duty of care to stop people from hurting themselves?

    Before people accuse me of being naive and thinking make drugs illegal=people stop taking drugs=people do not get hurt, I know it is not as straightforward as that. But there is a principle to uphold here and that is the preservation of all life, not just that of people who do not want to be associated with drugs.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #12 - March 02, 2010, 05:37 PM
    I find recreational drug use repulsive, but even I support legalisation. If we tax and regulate them like alcohol and tobacco, we'd make a ton of revenue, and destroy the drug trade pretty much overnight. A lot of criminals would find themselves crippled, and that can only be a good thing. Drugs are easy enough to get hold of as it is, so why not cash in while making it a little safer for users? We could even spend some of the revenue on public health campaigns designed to stop morons from becoming addicts in the first place. The "war on drugs" is a war without an end. The sooner we realise that, the better. I take the same stance on prostitution and gambling, but that's another story I guess. I'm just tired of having certain laws dictated by antiquated notions of "morality".

    Quote from: Ferrero on March 02, 2010, 05:35 PM
    Do we not have a duty of care to stop people from hurting themselves?

    Before people accuse me of being naive and thinking make drugs illegal=people stop taking drugs=people do not get hurt, I know it is not as straightforward as that. But there is a principle to uphold here and that is the preservation of all life, not just that of people who do not want to be associated with drugs.

    By that logic, shouldn't we also ban cigarettes and alcohol? If they'd been invented today, they'd certainly be illegal.
    You need to read this book.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #13 - March 02, 2010, 05:39 PM
    Quote from: Godot on March 02, 2010, 05:37 PM
    I find recreational drug use repulsive, but even I support legalisation.


    Good on you, rightly or wrongly, you are a man with principles.
    My Book     news002       
    My Blog  pccoffee
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #14 - March 02, 2010, 05:48 PM
    @ Godot  Afro

    I opted for the 1st choice.  I agree that the war on drugs is a farce.  Our law enforcement agencies should be spending their time catching the REAL criminals like murderers, rapists and child molesters.
    Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

    The sleeper has awakened -  Dune

    Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day Give him a religion, and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish!
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #15 - March 02, 2010, 05:49 PM
    Quote from: Godot on March 02, 2010, 05:37 PM
    By that logic, shouldn't we also ban cigarettes and alcohol? If they'd been invented today, they'd certainly be illegal.

    Cigarettes do not promote healthly living so yes, I would ban them. Alcohol, however, has been shown to reduce risk of cancer and in small quantities, it is not comparable to cigarettes and other recreational drugs (bar marijuana).
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #16 - March 02, 2010, 05:51 PM
    Quote from: Nour on March 02, 2010, 05:48 PM
    @ Godot  Afro

    I opted for the 1st choice.  I agree that the war on drugs is a farce.  Our law enforcement agencies should be spending their time catching the REAL criminals like murderers, rapists and child molesters.

    Drugs also claims the lives of its' victims.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #17 - March 02, 2010, 05:55 PM
    I know of not one good, convincing argument for prohibition of drugs, or the criminalization of drug users.
    "...every imperfection in man is a bond with heaven..." - Karl Marx
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #18 - March 02, 2010, 05:58 PM
    Quote from: Ferrero on March 02, 2010, 05:51 PM
    Drugs also claims the lives of its' victims.


    Despite (and sometimes because) of any ban on them.

    Do you drink?
    "...every imperfection in man is a bond with heaven..." - Karl Marx
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #19 - March 02, 2010, 06:06 PM
    Quote from: Ferrero on March 02, 2010, 05:35 PM
    Do we not have a duty of care to stop people from hurting themselves?


    Yes, we have a duty to try to stop them, but we do not have a right to use force against them if they are informed adults that choose to harm themselves.

    Furthermore, not all drug users end up addicts (even with "hard drugs), and seeing as how the Drug War has been responsible for the US having the highest incarceration rate in the world (total and per capita), turning our neighborhoods into war zones, causing even more death and corruption in places like Colombia, Bolivia, and Mexico, where the streets of some cities run red with blood from the Drug War, even if we took rights out of the equation and only judged based on harm, it seems clear to me that the prohibition of drugs is causing much more harm than it is preventing, or at least it is in the Americas.
    fuck you
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #20 - March 02, 2010, 06:12 PM
    Legalize it Don't Penalize it.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #21 - March 02, 2010, 06:23 PM
    Quote from: Q-Man on March 02, 2010, 06:06 PM
    Yes, we have a duty to try to stop them, but we do not have a right to use force against them if they are informed adults that choose to harm themselves.

    Suicidal people who are a danger to themselves and/or others are forceabily stopped i.e. they are sectioned. Is that wrong?


    Illegal drugs= drug wars=bloodshed= bad. Legalise drugs=no drug wars=no bloodshead=good. The consequences maybe desirable but my objection is based on the principle of drugs being bad so even if legalising them leads to reduction in drug wars (yippee) it doesn't automatically mean it is okey to legalise drugs.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #22 - March 02, 2010, 06:35 PM
    I'm not convinced that illegal drugs will lose their novelty as soon as we legalize them. It might never lose its novelty. I know I don't want heroin and cocaine to be the new "in" thing amongst the youth a generation after legalization. Society just isn't ready for legalization.

    I think of myself as a Libertarian, but I can't bring myself to accept a person, whether adult or child, wishing to waste away the rest of their life addicted to some hard drug that provides them with an illusory paradise.

    In the same way, if somebody wanted to commit suicide, then I would do whatever it takes to stop them with force. I would shudder to think that there could be a point at which somebody says, "So I can't say anything else that will stop you from jumping? Oh well at least I tried. Go on, you can jump now."
    The unlived life is not worth examining.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #23 - March 02, 2010, 06:44 PM
    To all those who are for legalizing all types of drugs. Are you telling me that if you saw somebody addicted to crack or heroine and you tried to stop them, then as long as they said they wanted to carry on taking it, even though they were clearly harming themselves (sleeping out on the pavement because they didn't manage to reach their front door, doing nothing all day, losing their jobs, health starts deteriorating, family is falling apart) you would simply ask them...

    "Do you wish to continue?"

    ...and if they replied...

    "Yes"

    ...you would simply say...

    "Ok Smiley"

    ...and walk off?
    The unlived life is not worth examining.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #24 - March 02, 2010, 06:46 PM
    Quote from: Ferrero on March 02, 2010, 06:23 PM
    Suicidal people who are a danger to themselves and/or others are forceabily stopped i.e. they are sectioned. Is that wrong?


    Suicide, however, is legal; civil sectioning on the basis of likely suicide requires consent - it is voluntary (at least for most adults).

    Quote
    Illegal drugs= drug wars=bloodshed= bad. Legalise drugs=no drug wars=no bloodshead=good. The consequences maybe desirable but my objection is based on the principle of drugs being bad so even if legalising them leads to reduction in drug wars (yippee) it doesn't automatically mean it is okey to legalise drugs.


    That's prejudice as opposed to principle. And quite irrational.
    "...every imperfection in man is a bond with heaven..." - Karl Marx
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #25 - March 02, 2010, 06:49 PM
    So people never get sectioned against their will?
    The unlived life is not worth examining.
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #26 - March 02, 2010, 06:50 PM
    For drug addicts it is only ever their decision - no-one else, and I wouldn't dream of forcibly stopping them. Not that you can, anyway.
    "...every imperfection in man is a bond with heaven..." - Karl Marx
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #27 - March 02, 2010, 06:51 PM
    Quote from: J4m3z on March 02, 2010, 06:49 PM
    So people never get sectioned against their will?


    If they are violent, certainly - but not because they're suicidal. You have a right to take your own life.
    "...every imperfection in man is a bond with heaven..." - Karl Marx
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #28 - March 02, 2010, 06:57 PM
    Far more people die from liver cirrhosis in this country than from heroin. Surely alcohol should be banned?
    "...every imperfection in man is a bond with heaven..." - Karl Marx
  • Re: Legalizing Drugs
     Reply #29 - March 02, 2010, 07:03 PM
    It's not just about how many people die from it. Otherwise I would've banned cars long time ago.

    When people are addicted to heroin and cocaine, they have nearly no control over their lives. To a much milder extent the same is true for people addicted to cannabis. It destroys lives. And yes, so does alcohol. Not for a moment do I think we do not have an alcohol problem in the UK. All I have to do is walk into town at midnight to see it.
    The unlived life is not worth examining.
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