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It's a difficult problem. The alternatives to prohibition isn't any better in my opinion. Edit: I'll add this, much of the root cause comes down to poverty as
by adsr 16y ago
It's a difficult problem. The alternatives to prohibition isn't any better in my opinion.
Edit: I'll add this, much of the root cause comes down to poverty as well.
Edit: OK down voter, it's an easy problem. It has nothing to do with the poor conditions in the countries where the drugs are produced.
- jaysonelliot 16y agoThat's a very sweeping and unsupported generalization. Legalizing drugs: -raises tax revenue -raises the quality of drugs (eliminating one of the greatest dangers--people ingesting unknown and even more deadly substances) -lowers costs, meaning addicts don't have to turn to a life of crime to support their habit -allows society to have responsible, adult discussions about the personal risks of different drugs -reduces prison crowding and eases the load on law enforcement, costing taxpayers less -destroys less young lives over stupid mistakes -lets the focus be on harm prevention rather than punishment Maintaining drug prohibition: -is safe and easy for politicians -makes people feel better when they moralize at others (I'd like to point out that I don't personally do any drugs, nor do I want to. That's my choice. It should be a choice.)
- adsr 16y agoYes, however free supply will drive down prices. The current street price that people are perfectly willing to pay for 1 gram of cocaine tells a lot about the demand, and just how addictive the drug is. There is no reason legal cocaine would cost more than say, coffee. Now, what would cocaine at that price level do to a population, families and to society? I've seen the argument before, mostly applied to lighter drugs like marijuana though. In my view it's your argument that is a sweeping generalization. It's also unsupported, where have cocaine legalization been applied successfully? >It should be a choice. That's so naive. We are talking about an addictive substance, if it is a choice then why don't crack/cocaine addicts just quit. Someone is down voting my comment, yet this person doesn't have counter argument, it just happens to not be in alignment with their view.
- heed 16y agoPortugal has had much success with decriminalizing personal use of drugs. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.ht... It's important to note that legalization doesn't mean there isn't regulation, or that users are resolved of all responsibility while under the influence.
- adsr 16y agoYes, and I can agree somewhat with the reasoning behind it. Instead of chasing the end users, they are focusing their resources on the dealers and smugglers. Similar programs have been tested in Great britain in some select cities where known heroin users get free heroin and fresh needles.
- pstuart 16y agoI would downvote you if I could. Alcohol is plenty cheap -- use that as your model for what happens when a cheap and potentially addictive drug is available in society.
- adsr 16y agoWell have you got any experience of hard drugs? If so have you seen the downside yet? It doesn't appear so. First of all, alcohol is not without problems, how much does alcohol cost society, how many violent crimes, divorces, lost jobs and so on is directly related to it? Cocaine is more addictive, much more likely to kill you from an overdose. It will take you from decent citizen to someone who hasn't slept for a week and thinks about nothing else than how to get hold of more at a much faster rate than alcohol. Now, increase availability, quality and reduce the price.
- pstuart 16y agoApparently the thread is too deep to reply to you directly: but yes, I have tried hard drugs and walked away. My brother was not so lucky -- he died of a heroin overdose. I have lost other friends to meth. My mother was an alcoholic who died homeless. Is that enough "cred"?