david f, "Legalising drugs IMHO would cause the usage to decline"

What about tobacco?

Legalising drugs IMHO would cause the usage to decline. Legalising alcohol has done so, and I think the same thing would happen with drugs. If drugs were legal addicts could get treatment like alcoholics do without being treated as criminals.

Usually those who want to see hard drugs legalised take it one step further, making the drugs freely available to drive down the associated crime rate.

So David, should ice also be legalised? There is almost no hope for ice addicts and if they could get it free, they would literally kill themselves, and who knows how many others, before they finally drop dead. Have you ever been down the back alleys in Melbourne where the junkies do their thing? There are no socially redeeming qualities in legalising the hard core drugs.

I don't know where you get the idea legalised alcohol has created less use? You do live in Australia, right?

davidf: If drugs were legal addicts could get treatment like alcoholics do without being treated as criminals.

Fine, but they pay for their treatment & Services provided by the Hospitals, Police & Ambulance Services. No rebate from the Medical Insurance Companies & that goes for Alcohol, Tobacco & any sort of "abused" Drug, whether it be illegal or over the counter. I'm fine with that.

My missus is a Drug addict. ;-) After the operation on her foot she was still groggy. the nurse told her to press the big Green button if she wanted help. That she did, but the wrong Green button (Morphine.) After pressing multiple times franticly & the nurse didn't come she called out until someone noticed. She was pretty crook next day. She says she doesn't know how anyone could get hooked on the stuff. We've (the street) all had a good laugh at her expense at 5's ies this afternoon.

Another... "Marilyn." She home today & all's fine, for her. My troubles are just beginning. ;-)

Dear ConservativeHippie,

I do live in Australia. Australia has never prohibited alcohol so the example is the US which had Prohibition and then repealed it.

I would not legalise ice although I would legalise most drugs.

Dear Jayb,

I sympathise with you. It is tough to have a member of your family who is an addict. My mother was an alcoholic, and her arbitrary changes of mood along with outrageous behaviour made it hell for me as a child. In fact I even managed to erase it from my mind.

A few years ago my son told me of an argument my mother and father had when he hid her booze. He had been visiting them. I had managed to clear my mind of those memories, but he brought them back.

As a child I kept hoping my mother and father would get divorced, and I could move away from her. She could be loving and then switch to be mean, unreasonable and cruel.

I wish no child would ever have to live with an alcoholic parent. From my experience it is hell.

Davidf: I sympathise with you. It is tough to have a member of your family who is an addict.

“shakes head in frustration.”

David my wife is not an addict.

Let me explain my little humorous story to you. My wife had an operation to remove arthritis from her foot. 3 hours of scraping & pining metal plates, etc. After Theatre she came back to the room very Groggy (as you do). The Nurse explained to my wife how to call her if she needed something by pressing the Big Green Button (BGB on the TV Remote. I also explained this to her before I left. However during the night she called the Nurse but it was not the TV remote with the BGB she picked up. It was a small Remote for the Morphine that had a Small Green Button on it. (SGB). She pressed the SGB multiple times because the Buzzer didn’t Buzz & the light didn’t go on. As a result she gave herself an accidental overdose of Morphine. She was coming down when I got there next day. She said she doesn’t know how people get hooked on this stuff.

I hope that clears that up for you David.

Anyway she’s home now, 3 days early. Another joke coming David. I said they probably kicked her out, not wanting a Druggie in the place. I also noted that they had placed a large cross in the room. I said they were probably planning to tie her up to it for her next shot. ;-)

Here’s a some questions. How far do you go to protect people from themselves. (Duty of Care & WPH&S considered.) ? Do you legalize Heroin, Cocaine, LSD, MJ, ICE.? They take these Drugs, kill themselves or others. When they become addicted & turn to crime. Who do you Sue?