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The Forum > Article Comments > Decriminalising drugs > Comments

Decriminalising drugs : Comments

By David Leyonhjelm, published 6/3/2017

We should remind ourselves that the problem of ice is occurring despite it being illegal.

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“One option is to decriminalise the taking of drugs by adults, converting it from a problem of crime into a problem, where it exists, of addiction. In 2000 Portugal did exactly that, leading to a decline in drug‑related crime.  Crimes committed under the influence of drugs fell, as did crimes undertaken to fund drug use.”

Well, I don't believe it. It is ridiculous to suggest that decriminalising drugs would suddenly stop the problem. People are going berserk on ice now; if they could buy it freely, they would stop going berserk?

The best example that decriminalising drugs is absolute rubbish is alcohol, the socially acceptable drug. Alcohol is responsible for domestic violence, crime and carnage on the roads. And it's all legal! Let's do the same with 'hard' drugs! It is certainly very 'surprising' that decriminalisation did not lead to increased drug taking, and also impossible to believe!

This whole article is whacky. “According to a 2010 report in the medical journal, the Lancet, a study....” found that alcohol was much more dangerous than other drugs. Seriously? Alcohol is more dangerous that ice and heroin?

Then “most of us accept that some people enjoy alcohol” and the claim that alcohol has “ has certain benefits”. It seems that some people enjoy ice, heroin and cocaine, so why don't we accept that, too? Incidentally, alcohol has no 'benefits' other than those to the people selling it. That phurphy was pure advertising bumf. Alcohol is the same brew that you can only put 10% of in a combustion engine, coloured and flavoured to make it palatable, sort of. The only reason alcohol is more dangerous than 'hard' drugs is that it is acceptable, and there are more people sucking on it.
Posted by ttbn, Monday, 6 March 2017 9:40:32 AM
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Hi David, thank you for your thoughts. Prohibition (of alcohol) didn't work in the USA, in fact it made it possible for organised crime to establish itself.

Decriminalistion of cannabis would be a great step. This would separate cannabis from more harmful drugs: cannabis would become a medical problem while all other drugs would stay, for the time, criminal problems.
Posted by Brian of Buderim, Monday, 6 March 2017 10:45:25 AM
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Sorry David, but I would believe that self serving government research about as much as I believe the garbage produced here to "prove" that generic labelling on cigarettes was successful in reducing smoking.

I am most not definitely not interested in the probable increase in drug driving that would go with making it easer & perhaps more acceptable to use drugs.
Posted by Hasbeen, Monday, 6 March 2017 10:54:13 AM
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Yes David, we should decriminalize some drugs, and even allow their prescribed use, where all the available evidence shows they are indisputably more benign than still legal tobacco or alcohol, i.e., marijuana and heroin.

That said David, ice is not one of them! And ice addiction never ever ends with a good outcome! Families are all too often destroyed, along with every scrap of their wealth or treasure!

There is nothing of worth or so much as a single redeeming feature in the story of ice addiction. But as usual, we pour money at arresting addicts and small time retailers/ice labs, while the seemingly untouchable (hidden in plain sight) Mr Bigs of illegal narcotics, (attend church, donate [token gesture] very publicly to all manner of charity, like veritable pillars of society) parade their wealth!

Bling, luxury homes, yachts, planes and automobiles!

Addicts can never ever beat this evil on their own without help!

But need a period of enforced incarceration where they are cut off from all social media and interaction; and allowed to dry out and recover. God willing with their sanity retained or returned.

Drug addiction needs to be treated for what it is, a clear cut medical problem rather than a crime, which invariably exacerbates the problem, while costing the community many wasted billions!

There has to be a money trail David and where there is a will, able to be followed and completely confiscated and by whatever means necessary, even gunboat diplomacy! And redirected into decriminalized, but enforced unavoidable humane drug addiction treatment!
Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Monday, 6 March 2017 12:50:10 PM
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There are a lot of good arguments in favour of legalising marijuana.

This is the best one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK8fAUlqbow
Posted by Toni Lavis, Monday, 6 March 2017 2:10:30 PM
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I agree ICE is not just another drug. Once a user - it takes a only a few tries - it alters the body chemistry enough to make any other 'pleasure' uninteresting. It is a horror that can destroy society. As for 'cures', no forget it, one hooked the chance of getting off it is tiny. The solution for ICE - stop it reaching people. I suspect HUGE amounts are coming in from China and being stockpiled. Unfortunately, the focus of sales is in country towns that are being destroyed by this drug. The war on 'dope' in rural settings has pushed people into the destruction of ICE and potentially the destruction of whole communities ...one is reminded of what opium did to China in the 1800's. I've researched and written about this see https://www.academia.edu/12455230/Amphetamines_and_Meth_personal_and_Social_issues.
Posted by don't worry, Monday, 6 March 2017 2:18:36 PM
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