4 ms·

Its more than just violent vrimes, if you weigh the benefits to society of drugs the negative aspects clearly outweigh the positive aspects. With alcohol alone

Its more than just violent vrimes, if you weigh the benefits to society of drugs the negative aspects clearly outweigh the positive aspects. With alcohol alone there are the deaths from overdose or accidents from drinking (drunk driving is the biggest but not the only cause of accidental alcohol related deaths) and the tole that addiction takes on people. I think in a world where enforcement worked there would be a good argument that the societal problems are more important than a personal freedom that brings little benefit (even if I'm not sure I would agree with that argument). As it stands enforcement doesn't work so obviously legalization is the best choice but people who are very pro-legalization often ignore the fact that recreational drugs currently seem overall bad for society.

pmoriarty 9y ago
"people who are very pro-legalization often ignore the fact that recreational drugs currently seem overall bad for society" I don't think it's the drugs that are the problem, but the way people use (or rather abuse) them, and the conditions that drive people to abuse drugs. Lots of social conditions are bound up in problems for which drugs alone are blamed. Too many people are poor, desperate, lonely, outcast, downtrodden, hopeless. These and other social ills are what encourage drug addiction (and other types of addiction and destructive behavior), and they are the things that society will have to squarely face and overcome before they can effectively treat addiction. Merely making drugs illegal hasn't and isn't going to work. Locking people up for seeking a way out of their misery hasn't and isn't going to work. Merely making drugs legal isn't going to work either, but at least it isn't making the problem worse or adding all sorts of other problems to it. One day you're an addict, the next day you're an addict and shot by the police or in jail and your life is ruined and it's likely to get even worse once you're out. That doesn't help anyone.
- samstave 9y ago
  This is my view exactly - and to expand upon this, the rest of our institutional systems are completely corrupted and slanted to only favor the wealthy. Trump being the best example in the US, and other oligarchical systems in all other countr. Money is the root. Or as George Carlin puts it best: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kXhZyAOuyhE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kXhZyAOuyhE
- tdb7893 9y ago
  I'm not sure if this comment was supposed to be aimed at me because I explicitly say that enforcement doesn't work and I'm for legalization but I'll at least respond to the first paragraph. Legalization might lessen but will not stop the "drug use and abuse" and I think that if we agree on that we actually are on the same page as far as I can tell.

pmoriarty 9y ago

"people who are very pro-legalization often ignore the fact that recreational drugs currently seem overall bad for society" I don't think it's the drugs that are the problem, but the way people use (or rather abuse) them, and the conditions that drive people to abuse drugs. Lots of social conditions are bound up in problems for which drugs alone are blamed. Too many people are poor, desperate, lonely, outcast, downtrodden, hopeless. These and other social ills are what encourage drug addiction (and other types of addiction and destructive behavior), and they are the things that society will have to squarely face and overcome before they can effectively treat addiction. Merely making drugs illegal hasn't and isn't going to work. Locking people up for seeking a way out of their misery hasn't and isn't going to work. Merely making drugs legal isn't going to work either, but at least it isn't making the problem worse or adding all sorts of other problems to it. One day you're an addict, the next day you're an addict and shot by the police or in jail and your life is ruined and it's likely to get even worse once you're out. That doesn't help anyone.

samstave 9y ago
This is my view exactly - and to expand upon this, the rest of our institutional systems are completely corrupted and slanted to only favor the wealthy. Trump being the best example in the US, and other oligarchical systems in all other countr. Money is the root. Or as George Carlin puts it best: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kXhZyAOuyhE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kXhZyAOuyhE
tdb7893 9y ago
I'm not sure if this comment was supposed to be aimed at me because I explicitly say that enforcement doesn't work and I'm for legalization but I'll at least respond to the first paragraph. Legalization might lessen but will not stop the "drug use and abuse" and I think that if we agree on that we actually are on the same page as far as I can tell.