Decriminalise all drugs, says ex-minister Bob Ainsworth

The problem with legalizing drugs is the fact that most people are totally uneducated about them. They only know the propaganda that has been fed to them. The fact of the matter is, every drug prescribed to you by the doctor, is A DRUG. The difference is, those drugs come with a set of instructions.. They tell you how much to take, when to take it and how to take it. They have been socially accepted because they are known to help treat a person suffering from some illness, infection or pain. They are deemed "medicine" because the FDA runs government funded studies that ultimately decide the legality and classification of the drug/supplement. Does that mean they are safe? Hell no. It just means that pharmaceutical companies have loads of cash, and special interest groups can throw money around to politicians and influence the studies done on drugs. The FDA approves drugs constantly that have a side effect of "death".. Yes. Death. Please show me where a study has shown that a side effect of cannabis, lsd or mushroms is "death" due only to the chemicals in the drug. People abuse painkillers and heroin based or "opiate" drugs all the time. These are far more dangerous than cannabis, mushrooms and '___', yet they are given to people and abused by them on a daily basis. These drugs don't have a bad name because they are put in pill form and a man in a white coat tells you it is ok for you to take them. Alcohol kills more people than any psychedelic drug.. Period. Alcohol destroys families, livers and health. Nicotine.. Hmm, that's a drug. How many people die from nicotine related illnesses? A lot. Drugs prescribed for attention deficit disorder are essentially coc aine and meth. Amphetamines and methamphetamines. Tons of people take these drugs, twice, daily. They aren't shooting people and involved with Columbian drug lords.

Sure drugs can destroy lives.. But so can hostess cakes, and lottery tickets. The user is the one that is responsible. Educating people to the downfalls of drugs is the first step. Moderate and responsible use is key if they were ever made legal. If people can't get the illegal drugs, then they'll find something else. In many cases, the drug is not the problem.. It is the person. There are definitely drugs out there that are far higher risk than others, and some drugs that shouldn't be used, but who has the right to tell you how to treat your own body/sanctuary/etc.?

People hurt themselves with knives all the time, make them illegal. People eat themselves to death.. Lets outlaw Little Debbie. I know a guy who got in a car accident, better get rid of cars.

It comes down to being responsible, educated adults.

reply to post by ZiggyMojo


The theory is that the money saved on criminal investigations and incarceration etc and the added income through taxation can provide ample education promoting responsible useage thus reducing excessive abuse.

It's self-financing and benficial to society on so many levels.

Unfortunately it requires an openness, honesty, understanding and social awareness that is currently lacking in our society.

Alas, as with prostitution, we allow the outdated and repressive social and religious mores of yesteryear play moral dictator to us today and as a result society as a whole suffers.

Simple fact of the matter is the Government shouldn't have the power to tell anyone what they can and cannot place within their own bodies in the privacy of their own homes.

reply to post by Extralien


The drug game been and will always belong to who produces and pushes it. It has been observed in current historical times. And has been proven to have both side working together (yup cops and robbers)getting the drugs made and shipped and the money and weapons shipped back. So the solution is to cause lol climate to adjust to kill the fields where these crops grow and then elimination of the capital ($$) influence upon EA. So for now it will run its course and one day all will wake up with no get high from boy to girl, ciggz, alch. and some prescripts made from deadly veggies ect. forcing the genetic cleansing of the masses for the next phase...... Why at the same time turning those who support those in power of evol forces to turn on their bosses, because there is no point to follow the boss when $$$ is no longer IT WILL BE A FAST EXECUTION OF THE WEAK AND RICH....

lolwut?


And yes, unfortunately people are not open enough to allow the decriminalization of drugs to occur without tons of civil unrest. I find it interesting that so many people on this forum, out of any other, are so quick to cling to the lies and propaganda that has been spread concerning drugs. In any other circumstance, or subject matter, those same people would denounce the information as propaganda and wouldn't believe a word of it.

reply to post by SKinLaB

...In the U.S, pain pills have become an epidemic. I have friends i knew all of my life that are hooked on them now. They are getting them legally through a doctor. I have had 3 friends die in the past 4 years due to them.....

You are looking at 10% of the US population having chronic lower back pain and the problem is increasing. health.usnews.com...

Doctors KNOW it take a long time to heal back injuries but send the patient back to work because otherwise the patient will be fired. (Been there done that)

As a pain reliever/muscle relaxer marijuana works! It also does not take much and does not sedate you like the opiates do. Ignoring the uses of marijuana (and hemp) is just plain stupid.

....Where morphine fails, marijuana may work. That's the major finding of British research into the pain caused by nerve injuries, a pain known to be somewhat resistant to morphine and similar drugs that are the gold standard for treating just about any other kind of serious pain.

The researchers say they now have evidence that active components of cannabis, which is better known as marijuana, may offer hope.

"It's known that if you injure a nerve, the morphine receptors in the spinal cord disappear and that's probably why morphine isn't a very effective pain killer for such conditions as shingles, people who have had an amputation or perhaps if cancer has invaded the spinal cord," says Andrew Rice, a senior lecturer in pain research at London's Imperial College.

"But what we've shown is that the cannabinoid receptors do not disappear when you injure a nerve. So this could offer a therapeutic advantage over morphine for treating such pain, " he adds.....
www.annieappleseedproject.org...

Finally, the latest posts are getting to the core argument!

It is about FREEDOM.

If you want to live in a world where someone else decides what you can or cannot do TO YOURSELF, than you do not think you are ready to be free.
The counter argument to that is a superiority complex whereas people say "well I wouldn't abuse drugs if they were legal, but everyone else would"... but think about it, everyone is saying that!

Where do you draw the line? Fried foods are bad, look at the problems with obesity, should we make those illegal? How about cola... hey, that's too much sugar for you, better put you in jail?

In all honesty, I don't care if my neighbor decides to get high on (insert any drug here), only I don't want him to come rob me to support his habit. But guess what... robbery is already a crime, so all the additional resources we are wasting on fighting a futile drug war could be used to battle real crime!

Also, the enormous resources saved could be used on education... that is the real key to reducing drug abuse.

But, as I stated in my earlier post, decriminalization will never happen, because all the world's intelligence agencies need black market financing for their covert activities... but it sure would be a step in the right direction.

The last few posts have made some very valid points, those screaming that legalization would solve all these problems need to look again. Solving the problem is up to the society around us, and at this moment in time the society around us cant handle the weather, never mind the age old problem of drugs and addiction.

Originally posted by Catch_a_Fire
The last few posts have made some very valid points, those screaming that legalization would solve all these problems need to look again. Solving the problem is up to the society around us, and at this moment in time the society around us cant handle the weather, never mind the age old problem of drugs and addiction.

The point I was trying to make is that it is about individual sovereignty and not drugs per se.

My view (as stated in an earlier post) is that everything which all parties participate in willfully and knowingly should be legal.

The "knowingly" part is the argument starter...
Different countries have different ideas as to what age must be attained to gain enough responsibility to make personal decisions. For instance, in the US, you are considered mentally capable to participate in politics at 18, but only at 21 are you mature enough to have a pint.
We all know some 14 year olds that are more informed and mature than other 40 year olds, but I guess the line has to be drawn somewhere.

Originally posted by Gakus
Simple fact of the matter is the Government shouldn't have the power to tell anyone what they can and cannot place within their own bodies in the privacy of their own homes.

I can't believe it took 5 pages to get to this statement... unless I am completely blind (and apologize if this was previously posted as well). Could not agree with this more.

I believe all drugs should be legalized. When you legalize them, you take away the power from the cartels and gangs and you can tex the hell out of them which couldn't hurt considering that the repeal of prohibition and taxation of alcohol contributed to helping the US get out of the depression.

The reason people fear drugs is because they are for the most part not educated about them. People fear what they don't know and TPTB only talk in half truths and lies. They had a program here in the states that I believe is now defunct called D.A.R.E.(Drug Abuse Resistance Education) that was supposed to educate me about the dangers of drugs. All it taught me was that if I smoke pot, I would see cartoon characters, which actually made me more interested in it. The more you educate people about drugs, the more informed choice they can make about weather they want to use drugs. Take cigarettes for example. The reason less people smoke is because more people are educated about the long term risks to their health. If you educate people about the health risks of snorting coc aine or smoking meth ect., I think the majority of the populace would not use.

The other reason people don't want to see drugs legalized is because the fear of addiction, but if you took the money used to incarcerate people and put it toward rehabilitating people, there would be better treatment options for drug addicts. Overall though, I kind of see it as thinning out the herd of weak minded people who only care about their next fix. It's good to help people, but people need to help themselves.

How do you educate somebody on the proper use of PCP? Meth? Crack? Heroin? Is there a right way to use them? Does that education teach them to not rob and kill somebody for 10$? The fact is, they will still cost money to buy them. What happens when a crackhead has no money? He will rob you/kill you for it. Education is not enough. How many innocent people will need to die to justify the money saved NOT fighting the war on drugs. These people have absolutely no ability to recognize reality from delusion. Decriminalizing all drugs would let these people use out in the open. What's to stop them from slipping drugs into a person/kids drink or meal and doing unimaginable things? This is just plain lunacy in my eyes. The consequences from such a thing could never be fixed.

Us as Dutch have a well known drug policy. Legalized softdrugs and hard drugs will only get confiscated if amounts are for personal use only. I dont think our country has suffered from it, in fact, we seem to do quite well compared to the rest of the globe.

Originally posted by CastleMadeOfSand
How do you educate somebody on the proper use of PCP? Meth? Crack? Heroin? Is there a right way to use them? Does that education teach them to not rob and kill somebody for 10$? The fact is, they will still cost money to buy them. What happens when a crackhead has no money? He will rob you/kill you for it. Education is not enough. How many innocent people will need to die to justify the money saved NOT fighting the war on drugs. These people have absolutely no ability to recognize reality from delusion. Decriminalizing all drugs would let these people use out in the open. What's to stop them from slipping drugs into a person/kids drink or meal and doing unimaginable things? This is just plain lunacy in my eyes. The consequences from such a thing could never be fixed.

I'm sorry but your logic is faulty.
Robbery and murder are illegal, and would remain illegal. Only, all the resources that are being waisted on the futile "War on Drugs" could be reallocated to fighting these real crimes.
Nobody has been discussing specific conditions in the above threads, so who says they will be permitted to use drugs out in the street... public drinking is an offense isn't it?
As for the "slipping drugs" argument... really? OK if it must be addressed, what is to stop anyone from doing that with, let's say, codeine. Hey sorry, that's the best I can do, because it seems somewhat ridiculous to me.

Very respectfully,
the Billmeister

reply to post by CastleMadeOfSand
[more)
whats to stop some one dropping a ruffy so to speak in a kids or persons drink just now?
just because a drug is legal or not wouldnt change a sick demented person doing there sick demented things.
at least if we decriminalised the users of hard drugs would all be registed and "given" there drugs from the state.payed for by taxation on respocable use of soft drugs sold in lienced outlets. as i said in my earlyer post. no one expects shops that will sell hard drugs.
instead treament could be offerd to hard drug addicts . in my oppinion adicts would rather not be adicts
as for crack meth and pcp are not prevelant in the uk thank god.
heroin and coc aine use is.

the decriminalisation of drugs has been proven to workl in other e.u. countrys and drug use has fallen as a result .fact.

mayby you should take another look at your signature. live by the sword die by the sword n all that my friend.

education is key to understanding and making informed choices as an adult.

reply to post by Pakd-on-mystery

Originally posted by Pakd-on-mystery

Originally posted by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi
Here is how drugs should be dealt with:

Decriminalize the soft drugs like marijuana and coc aine. This encourages the purity of these drugs (which vastly improves the safety) while making it less of a cartel industry.

My point is that some drugs need to be decriminalized, but decriminalizing them all IS NOT THE ANSWER.

edit on 16-12-2010 by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi because: (no reason given)

How dare you glorify any type of drug on a forum visited by kids and teenagers?

No matter what drug......A DRUG IS A DRUG.
If you don't agree you should consider stopping those specific drugs..

edit on 16/12/2010 by Pakd-on-mystery because: (no reason given)

Dude, seriously? While I agree that coc aine is definitely not a "soft" drug, I will agree that SOME drugs should be decriminalized, i.e Marijuana,'___',MDMA,'___',Psilocybin. These drugs, besides MAYBE marijuana and MDMA, will never be decriminalized because rather then making people drugged and stupid, these drugs open the mind to a new way of thinking. Sorry you fed into all the D.A.R.E program bull crap that was crammed into your head as a kid, and never bothered researching it for yourself.

If you don't want your kids reading forums that are mainly used by adults, why not just go out and buy a parental controls system for your internet?

Legalizing marijuana would bring a lot of much needed revenue into our country, and as stated by someone before, not EVERYBODY is going to smoke pot just because its legal. I know many people who do not drink/nor smoke cigarettes, and that's by their OWN choice, not because they are "legal."

Give me a break.

Originally posted by Pakd-on-mystery

Originally posted by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi
Here is how drugs should be dealt with:

Decriminalize the soft drugs like marijuana and coc aine. This encourages the purity of these drugs (which vastly improves the safety) while making it less of a cartel industry.

My point is that some drugs need to be decriminalized, but decriminalizing them all IS NOT THE ANSWER.

edit on 16-12-2010 by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi because: (no reason given)

How dare you glorify any type of drug on a forum visited by kids and teenagers?

No matter what drug......A DRUG IS A DRUG.
If you don't agree you should consider stopping those specific drugs..

edit on 16/12/2010 by Pakd-on-mystery because: (no reason given)

That will only makes things worse. Pot sure, it grows in the ground, nature intended us to use it, but these other drugs? no

If you have to mix it cheimically then it is unnatural, and should exist.
Especilly if its soul purpose is to destory lives.
The reason they are considering legalizing everything, is because they may no onger care what happens to our society, children running in street gangs, killing and mating. Where has our morals gone?

One has to understand its uses, short and long term effects before giving it out in the popluation, it is a resipe for disaster. At least they aren't forcing drugs like this onto people, thats going way too far (although i wouldnt be suprised if in the next 50 years someone trys to make hard core drugs mandatory for everyone (thats going way way way too far)

Originally posted by Pakd-on-mystery
Originally posted by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi
Here is how drugs should be dealt with:
Decriminalize the soft drugs like marijuana and coc aine. This encourages the purity of these drugs (which vastly improves the safety) while making it less of a cartel industry.

My understanding is that there is nothing soft about coc aine -
Its a chemical synthetic so in my eyes that makes it categorically a 'hard' drug.
Most chemical synthetics are misused and some have no 'way' of being used 'correctly' - though many do.

I also think that putting Marijuana in the same basket of eggs as chemical synthetics is one of the reasons the war on drugs is so retarded - for what should be obvious reasons.

My point is that some drugs need to be decriminalized, but decriminalizing them all IS NOT THE ANSWER.

agreed.

MDMA & '___' should be legal in a clinical setting at the least -
they're both proven to be invaluable to the healing process if of a pure quality & used correctly ala -
trials mentioned in 'exstacy rising' documentary and the Leary lsd trials with ex-prisoners.

How dare you glorify any type of drug on a forum visited by kids and teenagers?

that's the stupidest thing I've read today. Medicine's are drugs - caffeine, paracetamol & alcohol are drugs. Marijuana is scientifically & historically proven to have never caused a death - you would suffocate before reaching LD50. Your statement is ignorant & uncalled for... would you have said the same to the CEO of MAPS?

No matter what drug......A DRUG IS A DRUG.
If you don't agree you should consider stopping those specific drugs..

That statement makes no sense whatsoever.

-B.M

Originally posted by Anthony1138
That will only makes things worse. Pot sure, it grows in the ground, nature intended us to use it, but these other drugs? no

If you have to mix it cheimically then it is unnatural, and should exist.
Especilly if its soul purpose is to destory lives.
The reason they are considering legalizing everything, is because they may no onger care what happens to our society, children running in street gangs, killing and mating. Where has our morals gone?

One has to understand its uses, short and long term effects before giving it out in the popluation, it is a resipe for disaster. At least they aren't forcing drugs like this onto people, thats going way too far (although i wouldnt be suprised if in the next 50 years someone trys to make hard core drugs mandatory for everyone (thats going way way way too far)

So you believe that we should only be free to a point. And that government should decide what that point is and spend your money protecting you from yourself.
If all drugs were decriminalized tomorrow, would you rush to try PCP? What makes you believe others would?
As stated earlier, if the resources were spent on education and enlightening people as to the negative effects of using drugs, there would be a reduction in drug abuse.
Again, as stated earlier, decriminalizing something eliminates it from the organized crime realm, therefore reducing your "children running in street gangs" as was proven at the end of prohibition.
Killing, or murder as it is known around here, is still and would remain illegal, only there would be more resources available to combat it.
And, as for the "mating" I'm not quite sure how to address that, so I will refrain.