Legalising drugs

[MikesVT]

Let me say first and foremost. I am AGAINST drugs (not those for medical purposes) I'm talking about things like meth etc etc.

I've been thinking about a few things, and been looking into some interesting documentries and studies and what not. I was just thinking, what are peoples opinions on the legalisation of drugs (such as meth, etc)? I'm thinking along the lines of those Injecting rooms that were opening up but were quickly closed.

Here's why I think they SHOULD be. If they are:

- They will be provided and administered by a doctor.
- Users would not have to pay for them as they do as it stands.
- As a result of the above point, MANY crimes will decrease dramatically.
- Users will 'use' in a safe enviroment as opposed to the gutters and lane ways.
- Paraphernalia will be disposed of properly (not in the streets).
- Innocent people will be out of harms way.

If drugs are made legal, drug dealers will go out of business. Prostitution and crimes such as robberies will decrease dramatically. Less people will become involved, and those who are already users stand a much better chance of fighting and overcomming their addiction.

I think its a very smart move as long as there a safe gaurds (such as only doctors can administer the drugs etc). It WON'T fix the problem, but it will make it, and many others alot better. Only thing is, there is no government brave enough to take such a step.

The evidence is out there, I just wanted to know peoples opinions, thats all.

[R0d]

this is the stupidest idea i have heard... legalising drugs.. if this was to happen more people will be on drugs and there will be more stupid and dopey people walking around the street

[MikesVT]

Hmmm but the thing is, whats easier for someone whos say... 16 years old...
Going to a doctor and asking for the drugs, or getting them off of a friend on the streets?

I know it sounds like a stupid idea, trust me... I know how stupid it sounds, but if you really sit and think about it, it does make sense. I know that the majority of people wont agree, and thats why it hasnt happen, just curious as to peoples opinions.

Also I've seen what these drugs do to people. Friends of mine who are not longer the shadow of their former self. There is nothing more that I'd like to see than this problem gotten rid of all together. However it's not gonna happen, and the way it is currently is a joke... Its spreading like the disease that it is and drastic measures need to be taken.

[walesy]

each to their own, i do pills at raves and stuff but its not like a thing i do all the time, but shit like ice,shabs, meth and all that kinda crap ive seen what it has done to people that i know and they are evil drugs that will destroy you after your first time!

[AwaKen]

Depends what drugs.. if they can "sell" you the none-harmful stuff, rather then you taking the chance getting any old crap off the street.. then yeah.

But the drug dealers will still be there.. just selling the harder stuff, as once your hooked you just want to chase another high. And u'll want it to be bigger/better/longer then before.

Just yesterday the police raided a ICE house just around the corner from where i was spending new years.. if they can start closing this harder crap thats killing people, and legalise weed i think less people would be dying/taking the chance.

EDIT:

I remember reading somewhere about the legal party drugs over in NZ. There just herbal stuff but supposed to have the same effects as extacy, but without the conciquences. Something like that here would be alright... i know i'd rather take the legal safe shit then the stuff off the streets.

[R0d]

Also I've seen what these drugs do to people. Friends of mine who are not longer the shadow of their former self. There is nothing more that I'd like to see than this problem gotten rid of all together. However it's not gonna happen, and the way it is currently is a joke... Its spreading like the disease that it is and drastic measures need to be taken.

i know some one in the same situation. He was a nice guy before drugs but now everyone thinks hes a total pycho and avoids him

[MikesVT]

But the drug dealers will still be there.. just selling the harder stuff, as once your hooked you just want to chase another high. And u'll want it to be bigger/better/longer then before.

Drug dealers won't be around if the drugs that they sell are being given by doctors. Why would someone go and pay top dollar on the street and risk so much, when they could go to the doctor.

Its also the "harder" kind that would need to be made legal, or at least give people an avenue to buy them, rather than from drug dealers, rather than having to go and rob someone to get the money.

It's in no way a solution to the problem, don't get me wrong. But at this point, I don't think there will ever be a solution to this problem.

Also, even if governments don't want to legalise drugs they NEED to take control of the manufactures of certain ingredients used to make meth and the like. These ingridients are used to make medicines, so why doesnt the government have strict controls over who they sell to, and how much they sell? That way drug makers dont get the ingredients. But nope, the government can't upset the rich company CEO's and what not, so lets just sit by and watch our youth (and not only our youth either) die.

Edit: (sorry if posts dont make sense, I have a headache and I'm so tired, but I'm really passionate about this kind of thing and just trying to get my point across)

[walesy]

mike even if they did stop certain people from buying these ingredients there are always going to be another way of getting them, someone who is able to buy them could be crooked or give in to someone who has offered them something for them to get it for them, either that or they will find another ingredient for a substitute which could end up worse... just look at some things that they cut with ajax or other kitchen sink stuff, its not going to go away too soon, i know a guy who is 16 and he was a meth addict, such a waste but i was glad to hear the other day he has been off it for 2 months which is really good compared to when he was doing it every week... he was just really aggressive and didnt care what he done to himself or his family

[MikesVT]

^ thats true, hence, legalising it would mean that the manufacturing would be in the hands of "professionals" who don't use potentially deadly ingedients.

It's really sad, when you see someone who uses and the way they act and when you remember who they used to be... It really does make you stop and think what's happend to this world.

I don't think there is any way of stopping it. However, there is much more to be done than is being done at the moment, and its sickening that the government doesnt even seem to consider the issue serious enough to be delt with properly. Making new lwas saying "this is bad, dont do it" isn;t going to help anyone.

[padrickz88]

good point mike, one thing im scared of is needles and i know you will never get rid of people shooting up on the streets and leaving needles around but id feel safer if it was brought in because i would know i wont have to be scared of some junkie trying to stab me as much and it would decrease the amount of people getting pricked. nothing annoys me more then hearing that a little kid was in a playground just playing and they got pricked, thats why i check the playgrounds before i let my neice go play on them ... just paranoid i guess...
but i can see how its good and bad, but i guess we will just have to wait and see what happens....

[R0d]

good point mike, one thing im scared of is needles and i know you will never get rid of people shooting up on the streets and leaving needles around but id feel safer if it was brought in because i would know i wont have to be scared of some junkie trying to stab me as much and it would decrease the amount of people getting pricked. nothing annoys me more then hearing that a little kid was in a playground just playing and they got pricked, thats why i check the playgrounds before i let my neice go play on them ... just paranoid i guess...
but i can see how its good and bad, but i guess we will just have to wait and see what happens....

dont worry dude your not the only one... i always check where im walking in sand because you never know what might happen... there was also a case where a woman got pricked by a needle in a taxi... the taxi company was lucky she didnt get aids because they would have been done for millions

[padrickz88]

dont worry dude your not the only one... i always check where im walking in sand because you never know what might happen... there was also a case where a woman got pricked by a needle in a taxi... the taxi company was lucky she didnt get aids because they would have been done for millions

wow thats even worse... taxi driver must of been shittin himself badly (women would of been shittin herself more but)
and yeah i watch where im going when im in the sand.... i usually put sandals/thongs on and slide my feet in the sand (not like an idiot) but just above so if there is something sticking out i dont go straight on top of it....
pretty f*cked up but when you cant even go to the beach without worring if your going to get pricked....

[VN_Luke]

I'm confused....

what kind of drugs exactly would you like to see legalised?

and i'm also a little confused about the financial side of it ....

I could go to the doctor's and get free drugs?
can my friends have some too?
can i go to the doctors and pick up drugs for everyone for friday night?

on a serious note if the drugs are free, someone has to pay for them and i certainly don't want my tax money going towards getting everyone loaded!.... particularly on top-quality gear... potentially administered by a hot nurse.

There's also a lot of (bad) physical and psychological side-effects of using drugs.... presumably why they have been made illegal in the first place... I don't think allowing everyone to go on a taxpayer-funded bender is a good idea when it comes to the safety and well being of people!

... I never heard that the injecting rooms closed down, but i can imagine it was because they became a great party spot for a whole bunch of smackies to come, sit around and get trolleyed!

you could introduce tougher penalties for the manufacturing/importing/dealing of drugs, but then everyone will have a cry the second someone gets busted and hanged....

the fact of the matter is, though... you'll never stop drugs being sold and used.... it's not as if it's all bad... after all... if the drugs were so bad, why would people do them? they're not THAT stupid ... and since the majority of people ON drugs, ENJOY them... there's always going to be a market for them - and hence, there'll be drugs!

Unfortunately, due to people not being able to control themselves, this drug use becomes habitual, and leads to financial problems etc, which eventually leads to burglaries and robberies and stuff...

However - it's not JUST the financial side of drug use that causes robberies and assualts! There's nothing quite like the rage, agression and irritability of someone on crystal meth!

I don't have a conclusion and i can't be bothered writing anymore, so I'll just leave this post unfinished. hehe.

[that4tuneguy]

this is the stupidest idea i have heard... legalising drugs.. if this was to happen more people will be on drugs and there will be more stupid and dopey people walking around the street

That's a massive stereotype, myself an alot of close friends all use a certain "class a" drug quite frenquently and myself graduating in the top few of my class from a bachelor of business, one of several academic acheivements i have received, empoyed currently in Middle Management approaching upper management in a business that generates hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Other friends also hold varing degrees from electromechanical engineering to marketing and even medicine and are employed in positions from Military Weapons Deveopment, Marketing Manager of a top Adelaide graphics design business and even Private Investigation.

With the exception of our recreational activities we are all extremely law abiding citizens and hold active sport and social lives.

I am quite undecided on my opinion of whether it should be legalised or not but I just wanted to break the sterotypical image that people perceive drug users to be.

Sorry Rod-NoOneTakeMyName, I hope this didn't come across in the wrong way I just wanted show a different side of things.

Happy New Years Everyone

[minux]

So you are a typical sstoner university student? Seems liek a standard stereotype

Legalising drugs...no way in hell, drug sentences should be made harsher, i don't care if you smoke dope or inect shit into yourself, you are a druggy regardless. The only drugs people should take is prescribed medication.

Open up this injecting rooms, fill the syringes with unleaded fuel, least this idiots will die and wills top being a drain on emergency services and the public tax payer.

[Lumps of cheese]

Absolutley not.
Drugs are the poison of society imo.
I think people who push this stuff deserve everything they get, take the bali 9 for instance, deserve to get shot imo.
Before you come done on me for that, just think of all the lives they would have destryed from bringing that shit into the country.
I'm sick and tired of the do gooders saying we should save these kinds of people, no way.
If you want to do drugs and kill yourself then that's your choice, i just want to ask the "casual" users why you do it?
Do you need to to have a good time?
Or do you because it's the thing to do.
I think use of drugs for medical purposes is acceptable but outside of that no way.
My 2 cents...

[Doubleshadow]

While I do understand people do drugs and there are reasons why. I do not think there are any redeemable attributes in its legalisation. If the benefits of legalising drugs is that it will put drug dealers off the street, I don't buy it. People of this mentality will just find another dusty hole to put there head in. I do not think if drugs are legalized the drug dealers would suddenly become choir boys and get 9-5 jobs.

Sometimes a battle is worth fighting, even if we are not assured of its victory (Not my quote, though I wish it was....Abraham Lincoln).

[Cheap6]

I say legalise. Prohibition hasn't worked in the past and isn't working now. I have never (knowingly) taken any illegal drug but I am fairly certain that if I chose to do so, I could find whichever drug I wanted to take (within the confines of what it is purported to be vs actually is) inside a day.

I doubt that most people would use potentially dangerous substances even if they could be obtained without breaking any laws. Not everyone drinks or smokes tobacco even though they are readily available. Most people who do consume alcohol still function as productive members of society.

To rationalise that, the reason society has deemed certain drugs to be illegal has its basis in religious doctrine ie. an excuse not to think or reason things through for yourself, and in the anticipation of people affected by drugs being incapable of functioning as productive members of society. Given the substantial resources devoted to minimising the number of people using drugs, the medical costs associated with illegal drug use, including infectious diseases vectored through their use, and the cost of criminal activity it may be cheaper for society to accept, but actively discourage, some level of drug use.

Also, before anyone else jumps in and disparages drug users as scum etc., remember that before, and indeed after (most drug addicts, if they survive, will stop using, by their mid 30's or so), they were drug users you would not be able to pick them from any other member of society ie. they are 'normal' people like you and me.

[Doubleshadow]

I say legalise. Prohibition hasn't worked in the past and isn't working now. I have never (knowingly) taken any illegal drug but I am fairly certain that if I chose to do so, I could find whichever drug I wanted to take (within the confines of what it is purported to be vs actually is) inside a day.

I doubt that most people would use potentially dangerous substances even if they could be obtained without breaking any laws. Not everyone drinks or smokes tobacco even though they are readily available. Most people who do consume alcohol still function as productive members of society.

To rationalise that, the reason society has deemed certain drugs to be illegal has its basis in religious doctrine ie. an excuse not to think or reason things through for yourself, and in the anticipation of people affected by drugs being incapable of functioning as productive members of society. Given the substantial resources devoted to minimising the number of people using drugs, the medical costs associated with illegal drug use, including infectious diseases vectored through their use, and the cost of criminal activity it may be cheaper for society to accept, but actively discourage, some level of drug use.

Also, before anyone else jumps in and disparages drug users as scum etc., remember that before, and indeed after (most drug addicts, if they survive, will stop using, by their mid 30's or so), they were drug users you would not be able to pick them from any other member of society ie. they are 'normal' people like you and me.

Cheap:

I do respect your opinion although I thoroughly disagree with it. Sure, illegal drugs and even alcohol prohibition were based on religious ideas, but so was the prohibition on murder. Surely, just because it is religious based, does not off-the-cuff make it a bad choice.

The other argument that we should legalize it just because we cannot stop it has a bogus origin. With that logic, if we get enough serial murders that we cannot solve, it would lead us to legalise that also.

Society has to pick its battles. Sure, we have to let people get away with some not-so-nice things. You don’t want to be cutting off people’s right hand cause they scratch their butts in public. But somewhere along those lines, we need to draw a line in the sand. I believe illegal drugs is that point. And losing the battle is no excuse for not trying.

[MikesVT]

Ermm few points... VP_Luke, as for the price that would have to be worked out... I myself wouldnt have a clue, but something would have to be done...
Also, drug dealers won't go and find 9-5 jobs... they'll just be out of a job. If people can get it from somewhere else with no risk, why would they go to a dealer?

Juzsvy, I agree, I really don't see why 'casual' users use. That really frustrates me. However, the frequent users, or the addicts, there are underlying causes.

These people aren't neccissarily "scum", they just have a problem which they need people to help them with. Alot of addicts do really want to kick the habbit, but how can they when they are called "scum" and "worthless" and all that.

[VHSLX3300]

Absolutley not.
Drugs are the poison of society imo.
I think people who push this stuff deserve everything they get, take the bali 9 for instance, deserve to get shot imo.
Before you come done on me for that, just think of all the lives they would have destryed from bringing that shit into the country.
I'm sick and tired of the do gooders saying we should save these kinds of people, no way.
If you want to do drugs and kill yourself then that's your choice, i just want to ask the "casual" users why you do it?
Do you need to to have a good time?
Or do you because it's the thing to do.
I think use of drugs for medical purposes is acceptable but outside of that no way.
My 2 cents...

Do you drink alcohol? Think of what alcohol does. Alcohol kills more people than any other drug in this country. Alcohol is the most openly avaliable drug on the market. I mean of course just about all of us drink as it is the social thing to do. Today Tonight years and years ago did a test of a "high" driver who had smoked a joint and then did an obstacle course. He performed better when he was high and actually had better reaction times. Weed imo should be legalised to a point. Sure if someone goes out there and gets stoned heavily then they shouldnt be alowed to drive same as alcohol.

Alcohol is the only drug I "take" as does 99% of australians. But as for currently "ilegal" drugs I dont use them as I see alcohol does what I want out of a drug

[Doubleshadow]

Do you drink alcohol? Think of what alcohol does. Alcohol kills more people than any other drug in this country. Alcohol is the most openly avaliable drug on the market. I mean of course just about all of us drink as it is the social thing to do. Today Tonight years and years ago did a test of a "high" driver who had smoked a joint and then did an obstacle course. He performed better when he was high and actually had better reaction times. Weed imo should be legalised to a point. Sure if someone goes out there and gets stoned heavily then they shouldnt be alowed to drive same as alcohol.

Alcohol is the only drug I "take" as does 99% of australians. But as for currently "ilegal" drugs I dont use them as I see alcohol does what I want out of a drug

VHS,

I have a definite problem with the philosophical basis of an agruement that uses one wrong to justify another. Sure alcohol is bad, but because it is bad, does not make illegal drugs any better. With that logic we can legalize all illegal activities. In fact the idealistic solution would be to make alcohol illegal, rather than making drugs legal to even the score. Making alcohol illegal is not even a joke I would like to make. Can you imagine what would happen to our friendly neighborhood lush population .

[bradcad]

Just another point to the arguement- do you realise how much crime is involved in the drug trade? Not break and enter or violence, I mean big time corruption and back door deals. Will we ever see these legalised? no. Unfortunately not because of the moral, ethical or socialistic reasons, but because there are a few people making a lot of money from these laws.

It is only the people far down in the heirachy which get caught. Isnt it interesting that the poppy fields in Afghanistan are now more productive than pre war?

[Lumps of cheese]

Do you drink alcohol? Think of what alcohol does. Alcohol kills more people than any other drug in this country. Alcohol is the most openly avaliable drug on the market. I mean of course just about all of us drink as it is the social thing to do. Today Tonight years and years ago did a test of a "high" driver who had smoked a joint and then did an obstacle course. He performed better when he was high and actually had better reaction times. Weed imo should be legalised to a point. Sure if someone goes out there and gets stoned heavily then they shouldnt be alowed to drive same as alcohol.

Alcohol is the only drug I "take" as does 99% of australians. But as for currently "ilegal" drugs I dont use them as I see alcohol does what I want out of a drug

I dunno about the most available, smokes are pretty easy to come by also.
I think weed is not as major an issue than what heroin, ice or any other meth is.
I take your point on alcohol being a problem, myself personally i very rarely drink, not because i don't like it, because i don't feel the need to wipe myself out because it's saturday night.
I just fear for the younger kids coming through.
I'm concerned for my 2 boys growing up with drugs available to them if they want them.

[Garth]

i belive in the following things


1. drug dealers are getting away with to much. if a dealer is caught, regardless of what age they are or what they are selling. they need to be delt with harshly, bali has it sorted, and so does vietnam, kill dealers.

2. users of drugs need to be re-educated. as a non drug taker, and someone who has never taken a drug in his life i can honestly say that drug users (hard core users) are such a huge pain in the arse.

3. people who say they take the softer stuff and it's ok need to be re-educated. a drug is exactly that, a drug, it affects the way you think the way you behave and your thought patterens, in other words you do things that are un-natural. if only you saw how stupid you behave when you have had a few pills, or had a few cones. or a quick snort of cocain.

i belive that the worst thing the government can do is legalize drugs, they need to get harsher on suplyers', police need to be given more authority to stamp it out. increase the penality for dealers. make users who are caught do comunity service things like that.


that is my belive, my oppinion and my view. and exactly that. it keeps me safe im my house and comfortable in my little world. and dont try to change my view, cause you wont