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> For the most part, yes. No. > Lots of the harm comes from the fact they're not legal and cheaply available. I fully agree with this. > For example, heroi

• that_guy_iain 6y ago
  > Even if that is true, the harm that does not come from the fact that it's illegal would be magnified a hundredfold if it became as widespread as alcohol (which is, please keep that in mind, the scenario I was talking about). That's not hyperbole: Accodding to the European Drug Report 2018 (https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/8585/ https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/8585/...), the prevalence of injecting drugs (chiefly heroin) is between 0 and 0.9%, which consumption of alcohol is pretty damn near 100%. With heroin specifically the increase would be nowhere near what alcohol is. Heroin is not a party drug while alcohol is. Cocaine, Meth, and MDMA I would expect to see increase in usage for the party scene but heroin specifically wouldn't see that increase, it would a small increase at first but overall that would go down. Portugal has shown that if you legalise the drug and make it a health issue you then get access to the addicts and you can help them. This means while more people will take it, the number of concurrent users will be lower because the number of people coming off it will be higher. > Even if that is not exaggerated (which I strongly supect it is) I'm pretty sure there was a study somewhere but I am lazy. But 1 thing I can tell you, every heroin addict I've met and talked with about the addiction of different things, I've met lots, has said they found tobacco harder to give up than heroin. Heroin it seems has a shorter withdrawal period than tobacco, so once you're over the hump you're for the most part fine. With tobacco from experience, it took weeks to stop taking nicotine gum and months for the cravings to go away. > those are not the only kinds of harm: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/hero https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/hero... Those are envoirmental harm. I've heard heroin is healthier than alcohol but that's just some random heroin addicts so I take that with a grain of salt.
  • brazzy 6y ago
    > Heroin is not a party drug while alcohol is. Cocaine, Meth, and MDMA I would expect to see increase in usage for the party scene but heroin specifically wouldn't see that increase, it would a small increase at first but overall that would go down. Given how strong the heroin high is and how quickly and strongly physical addiction is, I would not be so sure about that. > Portugal has shown that if you legalise the drug and make it a health issue Portugal has not, in fact, legalised any previously illegal drug, or even fully decriminalized it. Not even cannabis.
    • that_guy_iain 6y ago
      > Given how strong the heroin high is and how quickly and strongly physical addiction is, I would not be so sure about that. Have taken the drug and seen countless addicts, I can be sure on that. > Portugal has not, in fact, legalised any previously illegal drug, or even fully decriminalized it. Not even cannabis. OK, but they did make it a health matter instead of criminal matter. The fact the power is no longer in the criminal justice system means it's decriminalised.
• pksebben 6y ago
  err. have you heard about the opioid crisis? that stuff is to heroin like beer is to vodka. it's the same shit. waaaaaaay more people take opioids than just the heroin users, but there's all part of the same thing. it's the same molecule