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One reason (surely not the only one) why decriminalization is rarely talked about is that a large fraction of those who do not fall into the "war in drugs" camp

by usrusr 9y ago

One reason (surely not the only one) why decriminalization is rarely talked about is that a large fraction of those who do not fall into the "war in drugs" camp are far too preoccupied talking about legalization. The fate of all middle ground positions. (Not to be confused with compromises, that are far too often the combination of the worst of each, because that somehow seems to help both sides to save face)

adrusi 9y ago
That's because decriminalization is a worst of both worlds option. It's not illegal to possess drugs so you see a bit of an uptick in usage, but the market is still unregulated so you have all the biggest problems remain: drugs being sold are adulterated (e.g. fentanyl), drug prices are way high because they're black market products (junkies are known to sacrifice everything they have, then steal from their family, then get kicked out of their family and steal from somewhere else in order to afford their drugs. The legal-market price of heroin is at least 10x smaller, meaning junkies won't have to become quite so decrepit, and won't be kicked out of their families, so they do that lose their support network). Without legalization, people who are curious about drugs have to interact with shady criminals to obtain them, which serves to involve them in crime. Decriminalization would probably cause the same uptick in usage as legalization would, but unlike legalization, it wouldn't make drug use less devastating to people's lives.
- usrusr 9y ago
  Sure, decriminalization of use leaves out all the supply side changes, but it makes it much easier getting or giving help with stopping a drug habit. But I do not agree with that "same uptick as legalization": when people don't start, they don't start because of fear of getting hooked, not because of fear of getting caught. Legalization comes with a much stronger "if it's not forbidden it can't be that dangerous" subtext than just decriminalization. The only real disadvantage of decriminalization is that you lose the occasional successful withdrawal after a "punishment or treatment, your choice" deal (happens all the time in a de facto but not de jure decriminalization environment), but since that is only the second best way to start withdrawal, maybe it is not much of a loss since it allows to focus resources on those who want to stop on their own initiative. (But in my experience with addicts, they all kind of wanted to stop and kind of did not, all the time, so there is always a base for external "inspiration" to work with)

by usrusr 9y ago

adrusi 9y ago

That's because decriminalization is a worst of both worlds option. It's not illegal to possess drugs so you see a bit of an uptick in usage, but the market is still unregulated so you have all the biggest problems remain: drugs being sold are adulterated (e.g. fentanyl), drug prices are way high because they're black market products (junkies are known to sacrifice everything they have, then steal from their family, then get kicked out of their family and steal from somewhere else in order to afford their drugs. The legal-market price of heroin is at least 10x smaller, meaning junkies won't have to become quite so decrepit, and won't be kicked out of their families, so they do that lose their support network). Without legalization, people who are curious about drugs have to interact with shady criminals to obtain them, which serves to involve them in crime. Decriminalization would probably cause the same uptick in usage as legalization would, but unlike legalization, it wouldn't make drug use less devastating to people's lives.

usrusr 9y ago
Sure, decriminalization of use leaves out all the supply side changes, but it makes it much easier getting or giving help with stopping a drug habit. But I do not agree with that "same uptick as legalization": when people don't start, they don't start because of fear of getting hooked, not because of fear of getting caught. Legalization comes with a much stronger "if it's not forbidden it can't be that dangerous" subtext than just decriminalization. The only real disadvantage of decriminalization is that you lose the occasional successful withdrawal after a "punishment or treatment, your choice" deal (happens all the time in a de facto but not de jure decriminalization environment), but since that is only the second best way to start withdrawal, maybe it is not much of a loss since it allows to focus resources on those who want to stop on their own initiative. (But in my experience with addicts, they all kind of wanted to stop and kind of did not, all the time, so there is always a base for external "inspiration" to work with)