Legalize what?

[Lefty]

Many libertarians believe we should legalize (tax and regulate) ALL illicit drugs. What do you think?

[pete21]

In principle I agree with them. I'll let honest Abe carry my water for me on this one.

"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded."

- Abraham Lincoln

Attribution: Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), U.S. president. Speech, December 18, 1840, to the Illinois House of Representatives.

[happydaze777]

Makes me giggle sometimes the 'double standards' people have towards drugs, this ones OK, this one is the devils work. Mostly these opinions are media driven and NOT first hand experiences. Legalise ALL drugs, hard core addicts 'register' to be provided with a safe source (prescribed if need be). This takes ALL of the crime out of terrible addictions (crack, smack, meth) and frees up agency’s and doctors to tackle this as a 'health prevention issue' rather than a criminal one. The criminalisation of drugs only keeps one set of people happy (and rich), the suppliers of illicit drugs.

[Stoney]

I agree, legalize it all. I think it's important to combine this with an extensive education campaign about the dangers of drugs though. Only this time it has to be done right. Don't try to scare us. Don't exaggerate and fabricate. Just share the valuable information that can keep people as safe as possible on these substances.

The prohibition of drugs leads to many negative effects that go way beyond the damage the drugs themselves do. That's why I am for legalizing drugs that I would never even consider trying (cocaine, heroin and various others) because it is the only way of improving the quality of life for people that do use these drugs. Apart from removing vast amounts of revenue from organized crime there are many other advantages. Things like dosage and purity can be controlled much better when the drugs are made by legitimate companies that have to abide to certain standards. In a libertarian society these standards would be set by the marketplace so we all get a say by what we purchase and what we don't.

Going from theory to reality is a whole other discussion...

[cereus]

They can keep the hard drugs regulated to some degree, but they should also see differently on those with addictions. what kind of benefit to society is it to keep harassing say heroin addicts, they will keep on using and if you take their money or stash they just end up stealing other peoples valuables, or they have to sell their ass on the street.

Prohibition is starting to get really ridiculous, did you know that Oslo Norway's capital With a little over 500 000 people have more fatal over doses than any major city in Europe, it is a direct consequence of prohibition and authority's view of illegal drugs, nothing ells.

[jay_k]

Whenever anyone asks me a question like this I just end up arguing myself in circles, to be honest I really don't know which systems would work and like many other people I have drawn random lines to separate good and bad drugs. To be honest I like the dutch approach of separating "soft and hard" drugs and treating them completely differently, however where that line is drawn is not easy.

[druidude]

legalise and regulate all drugs. Make sure that purity and dose are known. Hard drugs like Heroin would be available through prescription while cannabis would be available through regulated outlets. No advertising except at point of sale purity and THC levels labelled.

THis makes so much sense it will happen maybe not in my lifetime but eventually. Unless human beings suddenly stop wanting to change their conciousness its inevitable. States will just not find it economically viable to perpetuate prohibition. except by turning totalitarian and removing any vestige of freedom for the individual. I'm sure this will happen in some countries


Already Bolivia and Venezuala etc are breaking away from the influence of the USA and moving towards mass decriminalisation for personal possesion. When these policies are seen as a success then other countries will start to question the Prohibtion rhetoric that the USA has shoved down their throats....well I hope so anyway :eek:

[happydaze777]

Whenever anyone asks me a question like this I just end up arguing myself in circles, to be honest I really don't know which systems would work and like many other people I have drawn random lines to separate good and bad drugs. To be honest I like the dutch approach of separating "soft and hard" drugs and treating them completely differently, however where that line is drawn is not easy.


Not sure what the state of play in Holland is at the mo Jay, but 10 years ago they had very progressive ways of dealing with addicts of 'hard' drugs too. Treating it as a health issue, not a criminal one. Registered addicts could get a pure supply from a clinic and were provided with a clean 'shooting' room, to take there drugs in (idea was to keep the heroin in the clinic and for it not to 'leak' on to the streets)...


Stoney you are so right. Educate, educate, educate! Many addicts are forced into a life of secrecy because of the illegal nature of the drug they find themselves dependent on. We literally 'trap' people in the mess they find themselves in. And your bang on about learning the lesson about telling lies to children about drugs. They don't kill you first time, for many people they don't even fuk you up, some people even (god forbid) enjoy it! But here are the facts kids...

[Febo]

I still wonder about this debate...

On the one hand the psychedelic community (if I may rope in the whole lot of us) seems to say 'we know what the most important issues are' - the environment, capitalism etc etc ad nauseam, but on the other hand all it seems to worry about is 'the authorities' legalising our drugs - nothing more than a rather immature enactment of a freudian father-complex.
If we really cared we'd publicly give up drugs wouldn't we?
C'mon, admit it, we're no better than "they" are...

[SkullsFB]

Legalize tax regulate.

Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!! Educate!!!


I know this is a bit obnoxious but it cannot be said enough.

[Oldbay]

I remember one of the points made a long way back that has really stuck with me, because at the time it actually changed my mind and opinion.

Ironically (before McBush/Cane had a real shot at becoming a candidate) he rhetorically asked one of the medical canna patients at a town hall meeting (after telling him that he does not buy into Cannabis as medicine)

"So should I just go ahead and make Meth legal too?". Even my first thought was "no way that stuff is poison"

However

I also wish the patient would have had his wits about him and said "yes". Even with Meth (and I really hope my kids stay away), legal regulated meth is less harmful to the individual and the society then black market meth that was made god knows where. A strong honest education with no censorship allowed, is the only way people will see what is what. Its harm reduction we are after, because we ACTUALLY care, and know the alternative makes mountains out of mole hills.

[Podders]

You know, I really don't know.

Obviously if maria were legal it'd make my life a little easier, but it's not too much of a dangerous pastime where I am.

Febo makes a good point or two.

In the end you have to ask EVERYBODY.

"be careful what you wish for..."

P.

[sancho23]

I say prohibit nothing. Doing so only allows decades old propaganda to thrive is support the very same type of people that started the prohibition!

Legalize and let individuals decide what and how they will use these substances if at all. It's an issue of personal freedom.

"And ye harm none, do what thou wilt. . ."

[max_freakout]

i think all drugs are legal already anyway, there is *nothing* to legalise, the concept of an 'illegal drug' is just absurd

prohibition is illegal

[sancho23]

hell yeah, let's put a ban on prohibition!!! what a funny paradox, eh? :p

[hunahpu]

Keeping any plants, plant products, or chemicals sequestered by humans illegal is cultural racism and oppression of the highest order as it ignores the rights of human to forage and cultivate on the Earth as they please as well as our right to patrimony, i.e. the right to inherit cultural traditions from our ancestors, and thereby suppresses the spiritual and religious advancement of the species.

[max_freakout]

hell yeah, let's put a ban on prohibition!!! what a funny paradox, eh? :p

a ban on banning....

let's ban bans :D

[Ostritt]

You're absolutely right. You can't repeat something 'enough', you just repeat it until it doesn't need to be repeated. Keep it up :D:D