Drugs Trails, ecstasy Ch4

Discussion in 'Lounge' started by Mr C, Sep 27, 2012.

  1. Anyone see it lastnight? Done more than my fair share back in the day :upyeah: I have always said they should ban booze and legalise some drugs. Booze does a lot more harm than drugs
     
  2. Didn't see the programme but the biggest problem seems to be that the drugs that are bought these days aren't necessarily what you might expect, I've never done hard drugs and its not something I personally want to do, however, I agree that some form of control would be advisable. If someone wants to use these drugs, then give them a safe place to go and buy them, ensure clean needles are supplied and that until the "trip" is over, the individual stays put! It would make everywhere safer, provide an income for the government,reduce the number of illegal and dangerous drugs on the streets, and cut down on the spread of some of the most deadly diseases.
     
  3. Absolutely 100% agree with Archer as above. Keeping drugs illegal is absurd. It does not seem to have stopped them being available or in use and all the money ends up in the wrong hands.I`m not saying let the government organise it either but maybe a sensible commercia pharmaceutical company like Boots who have experience of sourcing and distributing clean drugs.
     
  4. Duke sox, you're spot on, the only point I would add is that it shouldn't be a profit hungry company, otherwise you'll just end up with spiralling prices which would force it back underground. A non profit organisation would be the way forward, or one with agreed profit margins, say 10%, and therefore allowing some leeway for development.
     
  5. Im only actually on about Exctasy, Heroin/crack/crystal meth is a whole different ball game.

    My argument is that booze has alot to answer for, if you watch The Lock up or 999 whats your emergency its shocking to see what booze does and how much is really costs.
     
  6. You're quite right Mr C, booze has a hell of a lot to answer for, but like drugs, if the person using, is well enough educated, then it is relatively safe. There is always someone for whom that first drink, or spiff, or trip, will kill them because their bodies can't cope. I'm very much against these " happy hour " type things you see on the programmes, where the youth of this country are actively encouraged to get totally ratted and then end up abusing the emergency services who have to look after them. From my own point of view, I was brought up with the understanding that alcohol, whilst enjoyable in small doses, was dangerous if consumed in large quantities. And I was introduced to alcohol gradually from the age of about 14, and did the same to my kids, in an attempt to keep them from being troublemakers.
     
  7. I think with all of these substances it is the people not the product. Sad to say but I feel safer in most other countries if I am in a big town or city late at night because many people in the UK just go out to get pissed and cause trouble.
    Not saying legalise everything either but you need to have a through look at each and every situation and the possible consequences of the action or inaction.
     
  8. There are several activities in society which are arguably "a bad thing" because of the harm they do. Examples include:
    * alcohol
    * gambling
    * tobacco
    * prostitution
    * ecstacy
    * cannabis.
    A strand of opinion argues that these things should be banned by law, with criminal punishments for those involved.

    My view is much the same for all these activities. Criminalising them does not stop them. Instead, it hands business over to gangsters, removes government supervision, ignores the fact that participants consent, loses a good source of revenue, turns victims into offenders, promotes corruption, and brings the law into disrepute. Look at what happened in the USA 1919 to 1931, with the Prohibition of alcohol - it was catastrophic.

    IMHO all these things should remain or become legal, but be subject to close control, supervision, and taxation. Participants should be rescued if they are in trouble, or restrained if they become too exploitative. Some people would have their health damaged, and a few would lose their lives. So what? That is their choice, provided their consent is free and informed.

    Some people argue that any dangerous activity should be banned, such as mountaineering, boxing, or (dare I say it) motorcycling, because people can be killed or injured. I disagree.
     
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  9. If drug use is rife within the prison population (alegedly), what chance is there of controlling it in the wider population.

    There is also the sanctimonious twaddle that is used in the argument against drug use. It is the drug 'scene' that is the problem not the drugs themselves.

    Legalise it, tax it, control it and break the link with criminality.
     
  10. Regarding prison drugs: The question concerning control in the wider community is moot if drugs are legalised and controlled. Dare i say it, but its alledged that some employees of the prison service are actively involved in the criminal practices of drug supply in prisons.
    i totally agree with fellow posters here, particularly the enormous negative impact of alcohol on our society. This is probably the most corrosive drug available due to its potentially devastating side effects. The costs to the NHS must be unfathomable.
    The duplicity of politicians and the short sightedness of campaigners concerning alcohol beggars belief, but thats what happens when big money companies are running the show with their glitzy advertising.
    Gambling is another whole world of pain...I hate advertising and marketing, but gambling ads make my stomach churn...whether it be the glamour of the james bond lookylikey, surrounded by models, throwing the dice in grainy silhoutte or the dizzy, chubby bingo heads jumping up down advertising the 'online casino'....the fact is, plenty of the people who squander their hard earned do so whilst sat in front of the PC eating ice cream whilst sat in their grubby pants...real glamorous.
     
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  11. Sounds good Peter and I think I agree with you. But then were do we stand on heroin, LSD and cocaine? Can you just pick and choose your drugs to legalise, or should they all be legalised?
     
  12. The issue is that we should not be protected from our own actions but only from the actions of others.

    Give people access to education and information, let tham make their own choices and live with the consequences.
     
  13. As I tried to point out, the issue as I see it is not just about drugs, but harmful activities/substances generally. So where do we stand on cyanide, arsenic, gelignite, plutonium ... ? There is a strong justification for legally banning a long list of substances and activities, because none of us want to be poisoned, shot or blown up by another person. We need to be protected from these kinds of harms.

    What I choose to do to myself is another matter, and I want to be free to inflict harm on myself, or incur risk of harm, up to and including suicide.

    So do you not think we can arrive at a rational dividing line between what should be permitted (but controlled) and what should be illegal, based on doing harm to others not on risking harm to oneself?

     
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