Drugs

[MWB]

What do you think would happen if drugs like heroin, cocaine, crack, etc were made totally legal worldwide?

[WaldoMcFroog]

Why? Do you think it's only legality that stops people from being drug fiends..? That's like Christians who say that without Christ they'd be out commiting all sorts of crimes. Nonsensical.

What a pessimistic view of humanity!

[keyplus90]

There are only two things that keep the balance.

1 - Strict law

2 - Education about the after facts if misused.

You need one out of these for a healthy society.

I would personally go for the second choice as if that is applied properly then does not matter where the drugs are no one would misuse them.

[brionon]

The Gangs would have to find another way to make money.

[Lil O'lady]

Is it not the case that if Tesco sold it, they'd make sure their customers lived long enough to buy again regularly? Isn't this what happens with fags n booze?

[123everton]

Of course the legal sale of opium was a great success in 19th century China?
It would be a disaster, if you sell it legally with tax on it then you still have a black market like we do in booze and ciggies.

[chazza]

The government would be rubbing their hands in glee at all the extra tax they would be getting

[JockSporran]

Huge sections of the population dependent on hard drugs, a decline in work attendance and consequent economic problems, a decline in education standards, children being brought up in drug-dependent home environments, a rise in workplace (and traffic) accidents, a rise in debt for many families and households, a strain on the health service and social services. Generally, not a happy picture. As 123everton points out, 19th century China is a good example of what happens when hard drugs are made legal and wholesale.

[brionon]

Try to understand-Drugs are available Now. The people who make money out of them are Crooks. If they were legal then the people who make the money would be, in part, the Government ie. Your Government. Perhaps the Health Service would benefit instead of the Gangsters. OK ? Got it now ?

[MWB]

Perhaps I should have mentioned alcohol. I believe that's the worst "drug" of all!

[terambulan]

Less sanity among us and only the smokers would survive as they have ultimate stress control.

[brionon]

triggerhippy
Wed 27/08/08
11:44 Sorry but its unlikely that the legal stuff would match the quality of the underground stuff, the gangsters would still profit.

What ? Why would legal drugs be inferior to illegal drugs. Sorry but that doesn't make sense.

[aims1202]

Being someone who took recreational drugs regularly when younger if it had been legal wouldnt have made any difference to me and my friends also, we would still have done it. On the other hand those of my friends who never touched any drugs would still not have done them had they been legal. The difference would be that as others have said the government would be making the money as well as the dealers.
It would reduce a lot of drug related crime if addicts were able to get what they needed for free, as in being given heroin in a hospital, instead of methadone where they still take herion and dont get off it. If you give addicts heroin they can lead a normal life and then start to reduce the amount they take until after a couple of years they can be clean. this is what they do in Sweden, and it works, plus they have a much lower uptake of heroin among teenagers.