(Just a note that I have noticed this forum getting more and more political, and less and less conspiracy based. That said some of the discussions have been, mostly, reasonably well behaved and thoughtful, although I don't think anyone has convinced anyone else to switch sides either politically or environmentally, or even sexually. If this topic is a little too controversial for seabreeze so be it; lock this thread)

Richard Branson on the war on drugs and Portugal's decriminalisation approach:
http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/blog/time-to-end-the-war-on-drugs

Personally I'm for decriminalisation, but with the caveat that not all cultures are the same and Australia might fare better or worse than Portugal.

Why I'm for it:

- The laws are there to protect the community, and they're arguably not working.
- The money would be better spent on drug prevention and education.
- Some of the allure is itself that drugs are illegal.
- Statistically alcohol is far worse than a lot of drugs.

and finally:

- The more effective the war on drugs is the greater the incentive for criminals, because the price and their profit goes up the more it succeeds (if they don't get caught). Any syndicate that is shut down is soon replaced with a more profitable one. The demand is always there. Drug cartels make serious money because it is illegal. All of this promotes corruption across the board.


I can, of course and from a lot of personal experience, understand why anyone is against lives being wrecked by drugs. I think we all agree on that. The question is what is the best way to achieve that, actually, in practice not theory. It's pretty hard to argue that criminalisation has worked.

I agree... there should be extremely strict patrols checking that nobody drives while high, but unless you are actively putting others in danger (like driving or you know..performing open heart surgery..) you should be able to smoke, eat on inject everything you want in your body (if you pay for your medical insurance)

FlySurfer said...

What gives anybody the right to tell an adult what he or she can/can't do with their own body?

Because after they've fried their brain, or pickled their liver, or made themselves totally useless for any worthwhile purpose, they then come grumbling to the rest of society to provide for their cure and/or maintenance for the rest of their lives because they are no longer capable of doing it themselves.
And if they don't get that then they turn to a life of burglary and theft to provide for it themselves.
Other than that, no reason at all really.

Go away flysurfer. I'm supposed to be working and you're not making it easy for me.
( signing out now so I'm not listening )

FlySurfer said...

pweedas said...

Go away flysurfer. I'm supposed to be working and you're not making it easy for me.
( signing out now so I'm not listening )

something else for you to ponder; what if the cost of maintaining the prohibition was many multiples of the potential harm a drug/medicine inflicted on society.

This latest argument is the root of the decriminalization.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Drugs

I think people should get licenses to consume drugs... misbehaviour and you lose the privilege... points... license type (Cannabinoids, Anabolic agents, Stimulants, Hallucinogens, Alcohol, etc).

Now I just going to get angry cos I live in a stupid world... Ethogenics there's a word people need to learn.

besides it's not like there are no alcoholics with a broken liver that needs medical care.. same with cigarettes smokers...

evlPanda said...

- Statistically alcohol is far worse than a lot of drugs.

Sure, but that's hardly a reason to decriminalise drugs, more so a reason to criminalise alcohol. Or tobacco for that matter.

Then again, I don't see either of those things happening any time soon...

While I wait I might just pop out for a quick schooner and a smoke just in case

well, nobody here (including me) has pointed out the main reason I would like to see drugs legalized:

->to be able to do them without fear of being arrested.

FlySurfer said...

What gives anybody the right to tell an adult what he or she can/can't do with their own body?

fine go for it. you can also forgo the tax dollars that are neede to patch you up again as well then. stuffed if im paying tax for that!

It should be up to individuals to decide what they put in their body, not politicians. If heroin was legalised would there be s sharp increase in heroin addiction? It's not that hard to get the stuff now if you want it.

Personally I don't think the law enforcement relating to drugs is too serious about eliminating illegal drug use. Law enforcement concentrates on stamping out supply. Meanwhile demand is treated quite leniently. As long as demand is there suppliers will try to satisfy no matter what the risk. If demand was killed off one way or another then supply wouldnt be an issue. No one would want the stuff. However the political implications and economic costs of locking up or executing everyone caught using illegal drugs would be too high.

So we continue down this charade of chasing suppliers while middle class kids gets high on some illegal chemical on a Saturday night.

It's quite clear from the comments that like most other societal issues, education or lack thereof is the root cause.

I think we should ban (cos their bad) screw drivers, knifes, going out, baths, Drs, pretty women, pretty much everything.... Oh wait the big "bad" surfing, windsurfing and the mother of all bad's paragliding!

See how stupid that read? Well it's on the same line as "Drugs are bad"...

@saltiest1: do you really want to join the ranks of loggy and soggy with that comment? Are you on drugs? If your not you may need some... something like 300mg of caffeine to wake you up!

Your tax money has gone on patching me up after coming unstuck doing wind sports ... Oh and on Oxycontin for the pain!

What's the "boogy" drug gona do to me that needs patching? Where is this bad drug, does he carry around a knife/screw driver or a GUN!?

Hiko said...

I dont profess to know too much about drugs but why anyone would use some unknown dodgy substance with unknown effects that quite possibly got brought into the country in someones butt is completely outside my comprehension
These people need protection from themselves

Hear here!!

But nothing will get done about it because the banks are swimming in drug money.

If we could leave that drug use to natural evolution process I would put a stack of all available drugs on every street corner and everybody could use it at will ( exempt 18yo and younger maybe).
Since there are so cheap to manufacture cost is not problem at all.
After a year or so whole problem will disappear hopefully and clean new genetic line with no obsession with drugs remains alive.

There are a lot of people saying that if drugs were decriminalised then users should pay their medical bills.

What about the 1000's% tax that you know the govt. would charge on any drug sales and all the money that would be saved on enforcement?

I'd rather see that money going towards helping people who do end up with health problems than going towards mp salary increases or dissappearing into the bottomless hole of government spending. At least the money would be doing something usefull for a change.

Guy tries ecstasy for a TV show.



^ LOL, that's a pretty unfortunate frame to show and subtitle.