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How about fentanyl and how about other theoretical substances with higher addictiveness and mortality rates?

Karsteski 4y ago
I actually do not care about the addictiveness nor toxicity of any of those substances. My opinion comes from my stance that anyone should be able to do whatever they want with their own bodies. That same stance informs my thoughts on trans people, gay people, women's rights, vaccines, abortion etc etc. I see all those issues as an extension of one's right to bodily autonomy. Humanity has done an insane amount of damage to society since everyone followed along in the "war on drugs", which stemmed from racial origins and continues to have such disproportionate impact. I'm glad we are (slowly) moving away from this atrocity :)
olivermarks 4y ago
@DalasNoin The solution for Fentanyl and other theoretical substances with higher addictiveness and mortality rates is to make supply a very serious offense, currently a disastrous failure in the USA. The solution with cigarettes is to make them expensive and hard to buy. Banning things does not work and lulls people into a false sense of security imo. Guns in the UK are a good example of that.
- nicoburns 4y ago
  I’m from the UK and IMO the gun ban is very effective. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that wasn’t a special armed policeman or a soldier with a gun. It’s very rare for someone to be shot here, and most criminals don’t carry guns because they know the penalties if caught are so much higher that it’s not worth it. Even if you were to held up with a gun (which isn’t common at all), you’d be much less likely to be shot as they wouldn’t have to worry about you shooting them.
  - iso1631 4y ago
    Plenty of people have guns, but gun crime has certainly dropped dramatically since the days of Dunblane https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compareyears/192/total_number_of_gun_deaths https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compareyears/192/total_nu...
  - olivermarks 4y ago
    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/01/gun-rising-in-two-thirds-of-police-force-areas-in-england-and-wales https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/01/gun-rising-i... Criminals using illegal guns don't adhere to laws. Same issue in US.
    - iso1631 4y ago
      "London has halved its gun crime over the past decade" Gun deaths are half what they were before the handgun ban was introduced. The UK doesn't make 5 year olds practice hiding under desks if there's an "active shooter". It doesn't need to, I don't think any country does apart from th eUS.
Turing_Machine 4y ago
As far as I know, fentanyl only really became a problem because it is so potent that it's easy to smuggle. 50x stronger than heroin = you only have to smuggle 1/50th as much to make the same amount of money.

I actually do not care about the addictiveness nor toxicity of any of those substances. My opinion comes from my stance that anyone should be able to do whatever they want with their own bodies. That same stance informs my thoughts on trans people, gay people, women's rights, vaccines, abortion etc etc. I see all those issues as an extension of one's right to bodily autonomy. Humanity has done an insane amount of damage to society since everyone followed along in the "war on drugs", which stemmed from racial origins and continues to have such disproportionate impact. I'm glad we are (slowly) moving away from this atrocity :)

olivermarks 4y ago

@DalasNoin The solution for Fentanyl and other theoretical substances with higher addictiveness and mortality rates is to make supply a very serious offense, currently a disastrous failure in the USA. The solution with cigarettes is to make them expensive and hard to buy. Banning things does not work and lulls people into a false sense of security imo. Guns in the UK are a good example of that.

nicoburns 4y ago
I’m from the UK and IMO the gun ban is very effective. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that wasn’t a special armed policeman or a soldier with a gun. It’s very rare for someone to be shot here, and most criminals don’t carry guns because they know the penalties if caught are so much higher that it’s not worth it. Even if you were to held up with a gun (which isn’t common at all), you’d be much less likely to be shot as they wouldn’t have to worry about you shooting them.
- iso1631 4y ago
  Plenty of people have guns, but gun crime has certainly dropped dramatically since the days of Dunblane https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compareyears/192/total_number_of_gun_deaths https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compareyears/192/total_nu...
- olivermarks 4y ago
  https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/01/gun-rising-in-two-thirds-of-police-force-areas-in-england-and-wales https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/01/gun-rising-i... Criminals using illegal guns don't adhere to laws. Same issue in US.
  - iso1631 4y ago
    "London has halved its gun crime over the past decade" Gun deaths are half what they were before the handgun ban was introduced. The UK doesn't make 5 year olds practice hiding under desks if there's an "active shooter". It doesn't need to, I don't think any country does apart from th eUS.

Turing_Machine 4y ago

As far as I know, fentanyl only really became a problem because it is so potent that it's easy to smuggle. 50x stronger than heroin = you only have to smuggle 1/50th as much to make the same amount of money.