Drugs

[steveo]

a kilo of cocaine leaves Columbia with a value of £325 and sells in Britain at £51000 per kilo. The police seize an estimated 12% of imported drugs but to have a real effect they would need to grab 70% so they are miles away.
If drugs were legal the value would plummett. Dealers would be out of business and crime would go down.
Good or bad idea?

 

[EastStandBlue]

If drugs were legal the value would plummett. Dealers would be out of business and crime would go down.
Good or bad idea?

The NHS would be crippled. Not now, but in 20 years or so when years of drug abuse takes it's toll on people.

 

[bucket&spade.f.c]

yes that would be a great idea, that would make the away day more interesting lol

 

[loz]

I don't see why they shouldn't be legalised, thinking rationally. the main arguments against drugs seem to be:

a) they can damage your health.
b) they're addictive.
c) they can cause crime.

a) and b) are true of alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine and sugar, and c) is certainly true of alcohol- you just need to wander down Southend High St on a saturday to see that. My personal take on it is that you have the right to put what you want inside your body, but if you commit a crime under the influence of whatever then you should expect to be heavily punished.

 

[steveo]

c) they can cause crime.

But if they were available on NHS or really cheap, the crime people commit to be able to buy them would be gone. As would dealers.

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

But if they were available on NHS or really cheap, the crime people commit to be able to buy them would be gone. As would dealers.

Its the nanny state though steveo ... someone has decreed drugs are bad m'kay

 

[MK Shrimper]

Prohibition doesn't work that's clear. Middle England however will never see this, and drugs will never ever be legalised.

 

[Blueshrimper]

Get some Cocaine in Boots as part of a "Meal Deal" along with a packet of cheese and onion and a ploughmans roll.

 

[EastStandBlue]

I don't see why they shouldn't be legalised, thinking rationally. the main arguments against drugs seem to be:

a) they can damage your health.
b) they're addictive.
c) they can cause crime.

a) and b) are true of alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine and sugar, and c) is certainly true of alcohol- you just need to wander down Southend High St on a saturday to see that. My personal take on it is that you have the right to put what you want inside your body, but if you commit a crime under the influence of whatever then you should expect to be heavily punished.

Take individuals who have 10 years prolonged use of frequent alcohol use, a frequent smoker and somebody uses Class A drugs frequently and you'll see why they will never be legalised.

 

[BlueJ]

Legalising drugs might make them safer to use as the quality is likely to improve, i.e. less likely they'll be cut up with other rubbish.

 

[Benfleet A1]

I don't believe for one moment that drugs like Heroin, cocaine and crack are outlawed because of the nanny state. These are the real killers and misery makers. I know plenty of takers and actually give them some respect for not offering it to me because they know I'm against it but respect their right to take it if they want.

I have never understood the logic behind it. Some say it makes them feel good. Some say it lets them go all night and some say it's a coinvidence (sp) thing. Whatever it is, all I see is paranoid side effects. A lad on this site who will remain nameless once told me that because of his coke habit he was always looking over his shoulder convinced he was being followed and unseen demons were after him. He tells me he is now clean and I have no reason to disbelieve him but get the impression he misses it.

Others I know are taking snorts every hour or so over the weekend and one lad I know can't even get out of bed without a line. That can't be good.

Ok, tobacco is bad but you are still in control, caffine is the same and we all know what alcohol can turn us into but lets have this right, the big three will mess you up very quickly and before your time so no, making them legal is not the answer in my opinion. Anyway, how can putting something up your nose where on congeled dirt comes from be fun and who really enjoys injections?

 

[OldBlueLady]

And to follow on from GHG's post, the point is that most people who become hardened drug takers start off on the softer ones so by making these legal does this not mean that more will become hooked on the hard drugs? My brother in law is a heroin addict, just been through a third lot of re-hab. It's ruined his life, his ex-wife's life, their youngest child was born an addict (and is now seriously under size for her age, though other than that, in reasonable health) and their oldest had the responsibility of largely bringing her sibling up from when she was 6 years old. She also recently had to go and get him from a police cell where he'd been arrested for driving under the influence - and lost his job at the same time. A girlfriend he made in re-hab has also since died of her alcoholism so his kids have been through an enormous amount.

I don't know what the answer is, drug dealers are the scum of the earth though.

 

[TrueBlue]

I don't believe for one moment that drugs like Heroin, cocaine and crack are outlawed because of the nanny state. These are the real killers and misery makers. I know plenty of takers and actually give them some respect for not offering it to me because they know I'm against it but respect their right to take it if they want.

I have never understood the logic behind it. Some say it makes them feel good. Some say it lets them go all night and some say it's a coinvidence (sp) thing. Whatever it is, all I see is paranoid side effects. A lad on this site who will remain nameless once told me that because of his coke habit he was always looking over his shoulder convinced he was being followed and unseen demons were after him. He tells me he is now clean and I have no reason to disbelieve him but get the impression he misses it.

Others I know are taking snorts every hour or so over the weekend and one lad I know can't even get out of bed without a line. That can't be good.

Ok, tobacco is bad but you are still in control, caffine is the same and we all know what alcohol can turn us into but lets have this right, the big three will mess you up very quickly and before your time so no, making them legal is not the answer in my opinion. Anyway, how can putting something up your nose where on congeled dirt comes from be fun and who really enjoys injections?

Spot on mate, though respecting the right for others to take? you had a right go at me for getting mixed up in drugs, but I still thank you sincerely for being there.

 

[TrueBlue]

And to follow on from GHG's post, the point is that most people who become hardened drug takers start off on the softer ones so by making these legal does this not mean that more will become hooked on the hard drugs? My brother in law is a heroin addict, just been through a third lot of re-hab. It's ruined his life, his ex-wife's life, their youngest child was born an addict (and is now seriously under size for her age, though other than that, in reasonable health) and their oldest had the responsibility of largely bringing her sibling up from when she was 6 years old. She also recently had to go and get him from a police cell where he'd been arrested for driving under the influence - and lost his job at the same time. A girlfriend he made in re-hab has also since died of her alcoholism so his kids have been through an enormous amount.

I don't know what the answer is, drug dealers are the scum of the earth though.

Drug Dealers scum of the earth? I don't think so, when I use to abuse my body with ****, dealers would always stop you when you had enough trust me allot of them are just trying to earn money like the rest of us.

*edited*

 

[Hotman]

a kilo of cocaine leaves Columbia with a value of £325 and sells in Britain at £51000 per kilo. The police seize an estimated 12% of imported drugs but to have a real effect they would need to grab 70% so they are miles away.
If drugs were legal the value would plummett. Dealers would be out of business and crime would go down.
Good or bad idea?

tax the difference to fund the increased cost in NHS

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

And to follow on from GHG's post, the point is that most people who become hardened drug takers start off on the softer ones so by making these legal does this not mean that more will become hooked on the hard drugs?

I don't think that follows at all. I can't imagine that there are too many smack users who have never had a cigarette or a pint, but yet there's no clamour to ban tobacco or alcohol as a result.

I don't buy for an instant the notion that use of marijuana is a "gateway" to harder drugs; on a per capita basis, The Netherlands has a significantly lower proportion of hard drug users than the UK, notwithstanding a highly tolerant attitude towards "soft drugs" such as hash and ecstasy:

As for hard drugs, the number of addicts in the Netherlands is low compared with the rest of Europe and considerably lower than that in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Dutch rates of drug use are lower than U.S. rates in every category.

Quote taken from the Drug Policy Alliance Network, an organisation seeking to combat the drug war through scientific and compassionate means.

Matt

 

[SARF]

In the Netherlands you can get your fix of weed from legal above board places.. No need to buy any more than you want at the time.. Where its illegal its bought off dealers in larger amounts and you are exposed to the very people and enviroments where hard drugs are dealt .. Those likely to take soft drugs are far more likely to get involved in the harder stuff in that enviroment..

 

[OldBlueLady]

I don't think that follows at all. I can't imagine that there are too many smack users who have never had a cigarette or a pint, but yet there's no clamour to ban tobacco or alcohol as a result.

Matt

What I was saying though is that very few people go straight onto the hard drugs, maybe I didn't express it well. Whenever you hear of stories involving people with drug addictions in our country invariably they have started out on so called recreational drugs.

I think it's just something inbuilt into the gene pool in the UK, why can we (generalisation) not be satisfied with just a bit of weed every now and again, why can we not be satisfied with just having a FEW drinks to enjoy ourselves? Everything we do, we seem to do to excess. Or is that the case in other countries too? You hold the Dutch up as examples with drugs, it also applies to the French with drink. These countries seem to have a better sense of self control.

 

[Nobby Snide]

here in spain from what I can see, weed is smoked everywhere, grown legally, but if you are found carrying it, you will be arrested. The Spanish here arnt into muggings, break ins etc to feed thier habit...that is left to all other nationalities, including ex-pat Brits, and yes, there are a lot of drug dealers, convicts and pushers out here...

Unfortunately, the British drinking culture is here too..binge drinking, fighting, public order offences, its an embarressment when I'm out with my friends from other countries.

There is a definate, self imposed 'ghetto' mentality, which has manifested itself from what is going on back home.

In short, we seem to be bringing our next generation up to accept that hard drugs and drink are good, and to take as much as quickly as you can, and damn the consequencies.

 

[Mad Cyril]

What I was saying though is that very few people go straight onto the hard drugs, maybe I didn't express it well.

Zammo Maguire did.