A series of questions for those in favor of drug legalization

[AndrewR]

I am sincerely interested to find out the answers to these questions from the pro-legalization crowd. Help me better understand the legalization argument because I've several contrary positions lately.

First, are we talking about the legalization of marijauna only or hard drugs as well? If a legalization is intended to stop rampant drug trafficking and the violence that accompanies it, hard drugs would have to be included, correct?

Ok, so if hard drugs are included, do we limit the types of hard drugs (forms)? For instance, is only powdered cocaine allowed while crack cocaine is still banned? If we don't allow the full range of drugs, doesn't that still encourage the black market for certain types of drugs?

With these drugs (and this goes for marijauna as well), does the government also sell (or regulate) "approved" drug paraphenalia such as crack pipes, bongs, and arm straps (for heroin injection)?

Do we also allow the use of drugs that are known to be harmful or that can produce psychotic episodes, such as PCP?

Lastly, are there limits on the amount of drugs which someone can buy, either for safety reasons or economic reasons? Do we allow Joe Unemployed to use all his available cash for thirty hits of crack? Do "dram shop" laws apply when someone buys crack, lights up on the street, then proceeds to attack someone for fun?

 

[Ns1]

marijuana should be legalized but taxed like cigerettes


harder drugs are up to discussion

 

[Jzero]

<< does the government also sell (or regulate) "approved" drug paraphenalia such as crack pipes, bongs, and arm straps (for heroin injection)? >>

For some reason the idea of "Gubment Crackpipes" is humorous to me...

 

[Theslowone]

I don't really care if any are legalized but...

Bongs are already sold in a lot of stores, so are pipes, and hitters.
The government already tried to tax weed back in 86 i believe.
Why would they do that to poor joe? do they stop joe from buying to much beer, cigs, asprin, no doze?

I am not saying illegal drugs are right, I have never tried any to tell you. But we have legal stuff on the market that is just as bad as weed.

 

[AndrewR]

Why would they do that to poor joe? do they stop joe from buying to much beer, cigs, asprin, no doze?

There are also few things on the market that can kill you quite as quickly as some of the hard drugs by merely taking a double dose. Sure, there are sleeping pills, but you have take nearly an entire bottle. With something like heroin, you could do almost instantly from an almost minor miscalculation.

What I find interesting is that all of the people who were denouncing the drug ads from the Super Bowl haven't appeared to defend legalization. Where are all of you?

 

[Ornery]

If alcohol is legal, pot should be as well. Hard drugs should be regulated like prescription drugs. If you can get a doctor to sign off on it, have fun.

"Do we allow Joe Unemployed to use all his available cash for thirty hits of crack?"

Do you mean use welfare money for drugs? If they can't use it for beer, I don't see how they could use it for drugs. Personally, I'd love to see people on welfare only be allowed to buy "essentials", but how are you going to enforce that?

 

[mithrandir2001]

Legalize marijuna. Keep hard core drugs illegal. Shift from criminalization to medical treatment for drug users. Improve educational opportunities for troubled neighborhoods/regions.

I do not have an answer on what to do with hard core drug traffickers, but I want to see the money that is spent on the drug war redirected to education. If you treat the addicts and educate the kids so that they have a world-class education by the time they graduate, you may reduce hard core drug demand to the point where it is less profitable for the traffickers to exist.

 

[Anubis]

well the govt should legalize everything and tax the shiot out of it like they do everything else. if weed was made legal and teh give regulated it everyone would still sell because they could grow better cheeper stuff. i read an article that said if the govt taxed pot they would rake in over 80 billion a year.

as for hard drugs legalize them also and if joe dumbass himself on an overdose its all for the better. Survival of the fittest. its just one less moron who cant use them like there supposed to be used.

when you do drugs you make a desision that you know you are making so any concenquinces that fallow that decision are you own fault.

 

[skull]

Marijauna should definatly be legalized. I think harder drugs should be legalized as well but maybe awhile after marijuana.

I think people should be able to buy powdered cocaine and if they want to smoke it they can turn it in to freebase themselves. If you could buy powdered cocaine cheaply people would probably prefer to shoot it up rather than smoke it.

Of course people should be able to get what they need to do there drugs as safely as possible.

PCP would probably be better left illegal there is not a large black market for it. It would probably be smaller if everything else was legal.

I don't think there should be limits on it if someone wants to kill themselves by overdosing then fine. We shouldn't know if Joe Unemployed is useing all his money for crack so it shouldn't matter. Just like if an alcoholic is useing all his money for alcohol.

I'm not sure what u mean by dram shop laws but if someone attacks someone while under the influence of a drug the penalty should be increased.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

I think the key to this "debate" is that you have to put "Drugs" in the right context. "Weed" is exactly that! - a plant, the same as Tobacco. "Hard Drugs" are, yes sometimes a plant, have to be processed with chemicals - thus making them usable as drugs. I give for example poppies, harmless plant but when chemicals are added then....well you get the picture. "Weed" however does not have to use chemicals to make its effect work, the exact same as tobacco!!!! The point of my ramble is that if one naturally occuring PLANT is legal and one is not and they are processed/smoked in relatively the same fashion who is out gov't to say which is bad and which is OK. I don't believe that tobacco is the best for us to consume but hey it is LEGAL so then WEED should be too, especially since "WEED" is not chemically addictive!

But then again you could argue my same point to legalize shrooms - except that you don't normally smoke them.

 

[eLiu]

I think we should legalize ALL of it.

HOWEVER, there need to be some hard regulations, to protect the public from the morons that want to use drugs. For example, users hallucinogens (sp?) shouldn't be allowed into society until they're 'normal' again. Also, you shouldn't be allowed to drive under the influence of drugs (duh). And another major point...there should be like designated gettin high areas. B/c of how easy it is to get addicted, those who do not wish to act in a retarded way won't have to.

The government should probably have a line of approved paraphenalia, though of course if people want to share needles and get AIDS, let them.

As for a legal limit, sure. Gov't can have some intoxication level, at which you'd be arrested for uhh...public 'drunkeness' (except for drugs instead).

Anyone who wants to get high can get high; if Johnny no-name wants to burn his unemployment compensation on drugs, then the gov't should stop giving him $. Same goes for jack lazy ass, who won't even TRY to get a friggin job.

last...if you die from drug overdose, who cares? 1 less idiot in the world. With drugs legalized, hopefully people with be more willing to goto detox centers (knowing that it's no longer illegal/taboo-ish to do drugs)

-eric

 

[ThisIsMatt]

<< Do we also allow the use of drugs that are known to be harmful >>

There are drugs that aren't harmful?

 

[tweakmm]

<< I give for example poppies, harmless plant but when chemicals are added then....well you get the picture. >>


I dunno man, opium is some prety crazy 'ish

 

[CADsortaGUY]

<<

<< Do we also allow the use of drugs that are known to be harmful >>

There are drugs that aren't harmful? >>


Depends on what "harmful" means. Weed has no addictive effects(maybe a mental addiction but not physical/chemical) The only remotely harmful thing about WEED is the inhalation of smoke.

So to answer your question:
WEED

 

[CADsortaGUY]

<<

<< I give for example poppies, harmless plant but when chemicals are added then....well you get the picture. >>


I dunno man, opium is some prety crazy 'ish >>



Yeah and how is Opium used? does it take more than drying to be redily useable? - Ummmm....Yes
EDIT - this state is false as pointed out by tweakmm and I realized I was not thinking of the correct drug. oops my bad
I guess thats what I get for not actually using "drugs" - of course that is my definition of "drugs"
So I guess my natural theory is shot all to hell then huh?

 

[vi edit]

Simple really IMHO.

The FDA already has a couple scales in place to rank drugs based upon their addictive tendencies vs. their medicinal purposes, as well as another scale that plots a drugs chances of harming or evening killing the fetus in a pregnant woman.

Marijuana scores FAR lower on the addiction scale than nicotine and and FAR less dangerous than alcohol with pregnant women. It has proven medicinal qualities to it that neither alcohol or nicotine provide.

Drugs such as meth, heroin, and crack cocain offer zero medicinal properties, and have outrageously high addictive tendencies. Drugs such as these have no reason what so ever to be legalized.

Cocaine and morphine are harder to classify because they do have medical purposes, but are highly addictive and can be VERY lethal when abused. I would support the continued restriction of these drugs to hospital use only.

Really when it comes down to it, I see ABSOLUTELY NO REASON why marijuana should be illegal. Other than the smoke that is inhaled from it, marijuana is far less harmful and addictive than many over the counter drugs that you can buy at the local supermarket.

 

[tweakmm]

<< I give for example poppies, harmless plant but when chemicals are added then....well you get the picture.
I dunno man, opium is some prety crazy 'ish

Yeah and how is Opium used? does it take more than drying to be redily useable? - Ummmm....Yes >>


no, you can smoke opium and it fuuucccckkkkkssss you up (so I've heard, i have never smoked it)
if you smell it, you are already high

 

[ThisIsMatt]

<< Really when it comes down to it, I see ABSOLUTELY NO REASON why marijuana should be illegal. Other than the smoke that is inhaled from it, marijuana is far less harmful and addictive than many over the counter drugs that you can buy at the local supermarket. >>

I would probably agree with that, other than the fact that it smells like a$$ and if you like to smell like that, go ahead, but stay the heck away from me I guess marijuana falls into the same area as alcohol to me...

I still think drugs are stupid

 

[vi edit]

<< other than the fact that it smells like a$$ and if you like to smell like that, go ahead, but stay the heck away from me >>



I say the same damn thing about cigarette smokers. It's a filthy, disgusting, and dangerous habit. I personally HATE going to bars simply because I smell like a fuggin ash tray when I walk out, my eyes are puffy and bloodshot because of the smoke, and I wake up with a terribly sore throat because of inhaling that sh!t.

Yeh smoking is great! :disgust:

 

[ThisIsMatt]

<<

<< other than the fact that it smells like a$$ and if you like to smell like that, go ahead, but stay the heck away from me >>



I say the same damn thing about cigarette smokers. It's a filthy, disgusting, and dangerous habit. I personally HATE going to bars simply because I smell like a fuggin ash tray when I walk out, my eyes are puffy and bloodshot because of the smoke, and I wake up with a terribly sore throat because of inhaling that sh!t.

Yeh smoking is great! :disgust: >>

Agreed There's this guy in an EE class I'm taking who smells sick, he smells up the whole room with his BO...he also smokes, so I guess his sense of smell is shot or something :disgust:

 

[Moonbeam]

Drugs should be used only as, for example, the Indians use payote, as part of a religious or psychological guided trip to deeper realities, that promote mental health, integration into society, and character. Drugs are ok if they help you to become real. That pretty much means that most drug use isn't too good.

It's never a good idea to tell people what they can and can't do. It's never a good idea to create a society where, because of the way people grow up, you more or less have to. To preserve the rights of individuals to make mature decissions or prevent the distruction of whole segments of society to crack, aye, there's the rub.

So the answer is that drugs are should be made ok for those who would benefit from taking them, and kept away from those who would harm themselves with them. Very simple.

 

[tweakmm]

<< Drugs should be used only as, for example, the Indians use payote, as part of a religious or psychological guided trip to deeper realities, that promote mental health, integration into society, and character. Drugs are ok if they help you to become real. That pretty much means that most drug use isn't too good.

It's never a good idea to tell people what they can and can't do. It's never a good idea to create a society where, because of the way people grow up, you more or less have to. To preserve the rights of individuals to make mature decissions or prevent the distruction of whole segments of society to crack, aye, there's the rub.

So the answer is that drugs are should be made ok for those who would benefit from taking them, and kept away from those who would harm themselves with them. Very simple. >>


heh, you contradict youself here man You say how telling people what they can and can't do is a bad idea, but then in your next paragraph you say how drugs should be kept away from those who would harm themselves with drugs. Who decides what's harmful and what's healthy and normal?

 

Oh, you don't legalize, you DEcriminalize.

 

[SuperPickle]

Ok, I have the b@lls to say that I have smoked opium and I smoke weed regularly. I've also tried a few more less-that-legal drugs and I have to say that the only one that I would deem safe for public distribution is grass. Hallucinagens are not for everyone...not even for most, but damn if I'll be the one that says 'you can't eat those mushrooms' because they are against the law. Most here will equate weed with booze or even put them in the same catagory, but in truth, they are not. They may have similar effects but do not have the same health effects.

I'm not here to preach or make people believe that dope is OK because it may not be for you. If that's the case, so be it and don't use it. Far be it from me to impose my beliefs or likes into your life. Personally, I believe that gange should be legal, but I feel there is an issue of driving while intoxicated. "Have you been drinking? Take this breathalizer" is not a phrase that you will hear nor is even effective if you are stoned to the bone. I believe that that is the biggest roadblock to legalizing schwizz.

 

[tweakmm]

<< Oh, you don't legalize, you DEcriminalize. >>


right on