Rstuart “making drugs illegal reduces their usage.”

It does, guided by what happened when opium was legally available in China.

Making anything ‘illegal’ is to socially curb its availability and will curb its use by both the casually curious and the law abiding, be it drugs or hamburgers.

Pelican agree the ‘wavering’ is a constant challenge. I dislike government interference in my choices but some things produce greater harm if legally available than when illegal.

Drugs of addiction being the most obvious.

The harm is not only in the direct use of the drug, it is in the deterioration of the individual users, their inability to work to support themselves, which leads to not only greater welfare burden for the un-addicted to support but greater crime because, economically you just cannot support an escalating ‘habit’ on welfare.

Celevia “As a Libertarian, what would you say is wrong with the Libertarian view that the war on drugs imposes on individuals’ personal freedom and responsibility and that our communities would be safer when drugs are legalised?”

That depends on how many addicts you are prepared to accept and support.

“classification of drugs on science, not on historical beliefs about drugs or on emotion.”

It should be based on three things

Science including medical science
Statistics especially the likely explosion in use if legalised
Societal values: what sort of society we want, drug ravaged or drug addict limited.

I would have no problem with anyone imbibing in their drug of choice if it only affected them alone.

Problem is, it does not.

Legalise drugs and we will see

More psychosis and major organ damage, to burden tax paid police and medical services

Fractelles point (f) “work opportunities” is an absolute joke, just too funny.

Creating “work opportunities” for people who are too wasted, crashed or ‘tuned out’ to turn up.

So, we tolerate an explosion in junkies, too stoned to work in sheltered workshops, remaining reliant on inadequate welfare to support their habit, who end up robbing me to meet the economic demands of their chosen life style.

I don't think so.

Col

Why do you make the huge assumption that drug abuse would increase dramatically if legalised?

Where is your evidence?

Quite the reverse situation occurred in Holland.

As for work programs, I would've thought you'd prefer that junkies contribute taxes like most of the rest of us (except for shifty "creative" accountants of course).

Better that drugs be regulated by government instead of profiteers.

Is your stance in fact, due to your anachronistic abhorrence of government 'interference' in anything people choose to do?

"Col

Why do you make the huge assumption that drug abuse would increase dramatically if legalised?"

Of more interest to me is why Col hates drug addicts so much? He speaks of them as if they are an inferior race of human beings deserving of nothing more than the big flush. I can just see Col holding up the bar with schooner and durry, telling his reluctant and bored witless listeners yet again of the evildoers with habits even more disgusting than his own. But sadly Col's irrational hatred of drug addicts is all too common, and perhaps the main reason they are managed criminally instead of medically.

Could someone please explain the health benifits to users of illegal drugs? If there is medical researched paper showing how Doctors can justify prescribing such to improve the health of a user? Doctors do not prescribe alcohol or nicotine to improve the health of those addicted to such.

Stop comparing legalisation to china with opium a century ago. That's like me saying that hospitals today are a health hazard because of the conditions and lack of sanitation a century or more ago.

Philo some doctors do issue medical clearances for risky activities - diving medicals being one. Maybe the exercise in diving counts as a health benefit but given how unfrequently many divers get to dive thats hardly a compelling case for doing so.

The doctor is involved to minimise the risks associated with a risky activity. Possibly the same could be said for doctors associated with professional sports teams some of whom give painkillers to players to enable them to finish a game. No health benefit in that.

R0bert