Legalisation of drugs

[Apache]

I believe legalisation of drugs is a good idea. My reasoning:

• The drugs themselves would be safer (known strength, known excipients [mixers])
  
• The money for supply would move away from criminals. Drug money underpins a lot of organised crime, prostitution etc. As long as priced fairly they would bring in tax revenue and it wouldn't be 'worth' criminals bringing in parallel product.
  
• It removes the licit draw of doing something illegal. Less people would do them
  

It's a funny old world where for some unknown reason some drugs are good and some are bad. I doubt any of us would deny the diabetic insulin or the person with a migrane some pain relief? Does anyone have a problem with the use of Viagra - no health benefit but basically prescribed for recreational use?! I use controlled drugs most days at work to treat animals. Why should cocaine be thought of as any different, if people want to use it? Why not facilitate that in the safest way possible?

 

[binky]

Why not facilitate that in the safest way possible?

because drugs are the evil work of the devil, and bad!   msl1:  

Trouble is the politicians have boxed themselves into a corner they can't get out of. The original banning in the 70's was a knee jerk reaction to ordinary people enjoying themselves - can't have that! 

Very interesting perspective on the use of drugs @Apachethat had never occurred to me  :Applaud

 

[Andy™]

because drugs are the evil work of the devil, and bad!   msl1:

alcohol & tobacco are legal, and the government makes millions from it...

 

[Tony S]

The amount of tax the treasury would slap on legalised drugs would drive the illicit trade further underground, just like the tobacco trade.

 

[binky]

yeah but who trusts smuggled tobacco - I certainly don't. 

AS I see it, the initial trade would more likley be legalisation of current illegal activity, but as thing slike cannabis grows quite happily in the UK,  commercial, legal, taxable  enterprises would soon pop up.

 

[phil d]

Either way the problem is going to be paying for the drugs, I have no problem whatsoever with someone using drugs at weekend if they are working during the week to pay for them. My problem is with the type of person who won't work and goes out committing crime because their benefits money isn't enough to pay for all their drugs, or maybe that would be the next thing, give those with a drug habit free drugs like they do with methadone currently.

As for legalising them getting rid of street dealers, it won't, people still bring beer and fags back from France, because they are cheaper abroad, it'll be the same with drugs, by the time the government has had a whack in tax, it'll be more expensive than the street stuff, and not as strong, so people won't use it. Imagine if I sold you some alcohol, it's a fiver a bottle and one bottle will get you as pee'd as a newt, now the government also sell the stuff, but you need two bottles of theirs to get the same result, and theirs is a tenner a bottle, so who are you going to buy it from, Why me of course, it's obvious.

Our Government do nothing unless it benefits them, they don't care about the public, cigs are now nearly £9 a pack over here, my mate brought me some from abroad, £25 for 200, and no, they weren't snides. it's the same with beer, they've taxed it to ridiculous levels and that makes it ridiculous in pubs, in my local 2 pints of Guinness costs nearly £7, I can go to the off licence and get 4 cans for £4, and there's nearly a pint in a can. There's a proven link between the amount of alcohol drunk at home and the rise in domestic violence, now DV costs the country quite a lot of money, the police, the NHS, etc, so by being money grabbing and driving people from the pubs, they've actually increased the costs, and workload of not only the police and NHS, but also other agencies who have to deal with the violence in the home.

 

[Sharpend]

I'll be the first to apply to sell via a licence and produce then I could work from home and the one of the low life scum at least wouldn't need to try breaking into my nice new shiny van like they did last night to get their fix money, and I'll probably earn more from it?

I remember being taught in my A level Economics about supply and demand and that when demand > than supply cost is higher and when demand < supply then cost decreases, yet the government with all its clever advisors obviously weren't taught this simple principle? I'm pretty sure there's more alcohol and tobacco available than demand requires, and similarly with oil, yet price or should I say tax significantly outstrips real cost to produce?

 

[binky]

backdoor taxation is the biggest crime ths county suffers from in my opinion. Started under Thathcher and every government since has continued to use it rather than put tax on you pay packet - cocts more to collect so we end being taxed more. If you don't drink, smoke or drive car, never go on holiday and don't buy insurance, life is quite cheap!  :^O

 

[Sharpend]

next you'll be saying If you live in a caravan, work for cash and don't pay tax then you'll be rich?

 

[binky]

can't think who you mean???  :^O

 

[Sharpend]

can't think who you mean???  :^O

Rubbish!!

is that a clue?

 

[KenL]

I have know someone who was using pot, weed whatever you call it, it really messed him up big time for a couple of years. He came out the other side and is now ok.

Drugs do nothing but harm in every way. 

 

[binky]

if that wa recent ish, then it was probably skunk which is more like LSD. Old friends that were into that are all messed up.

Locked to prevent hi-jacking (again)