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Actually, all available evidence points to the fact that legalising drugs like heroin actually decreases their usage. Would you suddenly take up heroin if it wa

by rfrey 16y ago

Actually, all available evidence points to the fact that legalising drugs like heroin actually decreases their usage. Would you suddenly take up heroin if it was legal? Do you know anyone who would? I wouldn't use heroin if legal, but it's possible that the next generation, not being subject to mass anti-drug marketing campaigns, would use it in higher numbers. The question is whether that matters, and that's a debate that's hard to have in an environment of politically motivated and emotionally charged scare campaigns.

viraptor 16y ago
Legalising doesn't mean the end of anti-... campaigns. You can still see a lot of "don't drink too much" / "don't drink and drive" / "drinking kills families" kind of stuff, even though drinking is perfectly legal.
- lutorm 16y ago
  Yes, but you also see plenty of ads about how cool it is to drink alcohol. Do you think legal heroin would be any different?
  - borism 16y ago
    Yes. I think nobody here argues that heroin should be legalized. But for lighter drugs legalization should clearly include ban on their advertisement (or, in fact, provision that tax revenue from their sale be spent on anti-advertisement)
    - jamesbritt 16y ago
      Heroin should be legalized. What I put in my body is my business.
      - SoftwareMaven 16y ago
        Until you are breaking into somebody's house to get money to fund the addiction. Unfortunately, heroin is so addictive and so quick to build tolerance, that this is a very possible scenario. The ideal scenario involves legalizing much more research about the drug so we could find a way to "have our cake and eat it, too." I imagine there are some smart scientists who could find a way to create a non-addictive heroin-like substance. As an example, just adding a small bit of naltrexone (an opioid antagonist) to opioids seems to reduce the build up of tolerance. I can't find the company who is doing clinical trials on a drug combining the two right now, but you can see [1] for an overview of combining an antagonist with an opioid. [1] http://pain-topics.org/pdf/OpioidAntagonistsForPain.pdf http://pain-topics.org/pdf/OpioidAntagonistsForPain.pdf
        moxiemk1 16y ago
        But then the trouble is that you broke into someone's house, not that you were on heroin. I think it'd be reasonable to make the penalty for crimes committed under the influence to be equivalent to conciously choosing to commit the crime. This seems to solve that issue to me.
        kls 16y ago
        Addiction and dependency are separate issue when dealing with drugs. I am physically dependent on opiates. When I was a child I was hit by a truck and bashed up pretty good. It pretty much ruined my neck. Anyway, in the absence of my medication I don't jump to the I need to commit a crime to get it nor would I. Addiction is a psychological phenomenon in which the user becomes consumed with the drug and will do anything to get it, it is a compulsive disorder and has nothing to do with the actual drug. If Alcohol where illegal an therefore prohibitively expensive you would see the same behavior among addictive personnel with Alcohol. Just because someone is physically dependent whether an abuser or not does not mean that they exhibit addictive personality traits. I don't know about the legalization of Heroin, crack and Crystal Meth, I don't know enough about them to form a factual based opinion on their legalization, but I do believe without a doubt that Opium, Marijuana and Coca should be legalized immediately. The possession of a plant being illegal is ridiculous and the fear mongering around these weaker formed was unfounded in the first place.
        16y ago
      - borism 16y ago
        wow! you must really be on heroin! not even this study is arguing that heroin should be legalized, yet you do (and with a nonsensical argument like "it's my business") it's quite safe to say that you can grow, produce and consume heroin for yourself pretty safely right now. it really is your business! until it's not, which is pretty fast.
        jamesbritt 16y ago
        (and with a nonsensical argument like "it's my business") I'm sorry, but your argument also seems to be "it's my business". Because if it's not your business, why are you so interested in telling me (and others) what to do?
  - spot 16y ago
    Yes there are, but that's just the choice we (America at least) made. There no TV or radio ads for cigarettes, for example. In a sane world, when drugs are legalized they are also taxed, and a fraction of the revenue goes to treatment and education.
billswift 16y ago
Judging by already legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, the general trend in use has been downward for decades; for alcohol for over a century, except for Prohibition which caused an upward jiggle in the general trend. Before the first World War drunkeness was a major problem, and far more widespread than it is now.

by rfrey 16y ago

viraptor 16y ago

Legalising doesn't mean the end of anti-... campaigns. You can still see a lot of "don't drink too much" / "don't drink and drive" / "drinking kills families" kind of stuff, even though drinking is perfectly legal.

lutorm 16y ago
Yes, but you also see plenty of ads about how cool it is to drink alcohol. Do you think legal heroin would be any different?
- borism 16y ago
  Yes. I think nobody here argues that heroin should be legalized. But for lighter drugs legalization should clearly include ban on their advertisement (or, in fact, provision that tax revenue from their sale be spent on anti-advertisement)
  - jamesbritt 16y ago
    Heroin should be legalized. What I put in my body is my business.
    - SoftwareMaven 16y ago
      Until you are breaking into somebody's house to get money to fund the addiction. Unfortunately, heroin is so addictive and so quick to build tolerance, that this is a very possible scenario. The ideal scenario involves legalizing much more research about the drug so we could find a way to "have our cake and eat it, too." I imagine there are some smart scientists who could find a way to create a non-addictive heroin-like substance. As an example, just adding a small bit of naltrexone (an opioid antagonist) to opioids seems to reduce the build up of tolerance. I can't find the company who is doing clinical trials on a drug combining the two right now, but you can see [1] for an overview of combining an antagonist with an opioid. [1] http://pain-topics.org/pdf/OpioidAntagonistsForPain.pdf http://pain-topics.org/pdf/OpioidAntagonistsForPain.pdf
      - moxiemk1 16y ago
        But then the trouble is that you broke into someone's house, not that you were on heroin. I think it'd be reasonable to make the penalty for crimes committed under the influence to be equivalent to conciously choosing to commit the crime. This seems to solve that issue to me.
      - kls 16y ago
        Addiction and dependency are separate issue when dealing with drugs. I am physically dependent on opiates. When I was a child I was hit by a truck and bashed up pretty good. It pretty much ruined my neck. Anyway, in the absence of my medication I don't jump to the I need to commit a crime to get it nor would I. Addiction is a psychological phenomenon in which the user becomes consumed with the drug and will do anything to get it, it is a compulsive disorder and has nothing to do with the actual drug. If Alcohol where illegal an therefore prohibitively expensive you would see the same behavior among addictive personnel with Alcohol. Just because someone is physically dependent whether an abuser or not does not mean that they exhibit addictive personality traits. I don't know about the legalization of Heroin, crack and Crystal Meth, I don't know enough about them to form a factual based opinion on their legalization, but I do believe without a doubt that Opium, Marijuana and Coca should be legalized immediately. The possession of a plant being illegal is ridiculous and the fear mongering around these weaker formed was unfounded in the first place.
      - 16y ago
    - borism 16y ago
      wow! you must really be on heroin! not even this study is arguing that heroin should be legalized, yet you do (and with a nonsensical argument like "it's my business") it's quite safe to say that you can grow, produce and consume heroin for yourself pretty safely right now. it really is your business! until it's not, which is pretty fast.
      - jamesbritt 16y ago
        (and with a nonsensical argument like "it's my business") I'm sorry, but your argument also seems to be "it's my business". Because if it's not your business, why are you so interested in telling me (and others) what to do?
- spot 16y ago
  Yes there are, but that's just the choice we (America at least) made. There no TV or radio ads for cigarettes, for example. In a sane world, when drugs are legalized they are also taxed, and a fraction of the revenue goes to treatment and education.

billswift 16y ago

Judging by already legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, the general trend in use has been downward for decades; for alcohol for over a century, except for Prohibition which caused an upward jiggle in the general trend. Before the first World War drunkeness was a major problem, and far more widespread than it is now.