Legalize that shit and tax the HELL out of it!

I don't have any particular problem with requiring a prescription for certain controlled substances. Personally, I think pot should be as freely available as alcohol or cigarettes. But heroin and other harder drugs could be more regulated, but still legally attainable like Oxycontin or Vicodin.

Honestly, I don't care what you do in your own home, as long as you're not hurting anyone else. I have no desire to change that. And that's not the question. The question isn't whether or not you would like to shape the world to your whim. It's about what should be illegal or legal. And yes, we DO have the power to change that, just as Barney Frank is trying to do, just as others have done here in California with gay marriage, medicinal marijuana use, despite the moral objections of others.

I strongly disagree that legalizing drugs would have a net negative effect. You have to step off the purity lectern and realize these things:
- A large portion of crime, both violent and petty, is driven by the drug trade itself
- The mystique of drugs originates in its illegality. It would be far more socially effective to sell drugs through legal channels and simulating black market prices with high taxes.
- Government revenues from drug taxes would be substantial, enough to make a dent in the public health budget

Think outside the box. If you think banning things works so easily, then communism would've worked.

Well I can speak from personal expiriece, unlike most here-weed is BAD. You wont ever here of anybody who does coke or heroin or that stuff who didnt start off with weed. I know I did and so did everyone else I know who has ever used cocaine or lsd of heroin or any of that good stuff regularly.

Its dangerous shit; its not just bad for your body but it fucks up your personal lifeand relationships; it has dozens of effects you would never expect. And it all starts with maurijuana. Of course a little weed never hurt nobody, JFK did it like his was job during his years in the white house due to his back pains. But it just leads to too many worse things to poissibly be justified to make available everywhere (even though it already is)

You can say the same about alcohol, and apply it to far more people.

No you cant. Alcohol is nothing like weed. Alocohol is what it is; weed is a drug. Its not like if you become an alcoholic, you move onto evebn more powerful forms of alcohol. If you became a stoner, you move on worse drugs. Alcohol isnt like that.

Or alcohol. Or cigarettes. The gateway argument is weak at best. And IMO, it's moot since I also support the legalization of heroin and coke as well (with regulations in place of course).

This is a demonstrably false statement.

Millions of people smoke pot without moving on to harder substances. It has nothing to do with pot itself, it has to do with YOU and your choices as a person. Why should we outlaw a substance that others use responsibly and recreationally just because YOU can't control yourself?

Alcohol is its own worse drug.

Again, I suppose legalization of heroin and cocaine as well, under stringent regulation. Criminalization is a big problem since it causes a whole shitload of crimes. I'll repeat, organized crime and terrorists are mostly financed by drugs. They're expensive due to the risk premium of drug trading -- basic classical economics.

Regulating heroin & coke?

How old are you?

And you?

You conveniently forget heroin and coke are deep underground because they are illegal.

Thank you.

What is your solution to a system where tens of millions of upright citizens live in fear of criminals that exist because of the drug trade? What is the solution to Al Qaeda being run with drug money?

One could set the legal sale price at a price more competitive than the black market price given the specific enforcement level at that time. This way, the legal price undercuts the illegal price, but legal supply can be restrained and counseling be made available to reduce the market base.

How is it more a failure than the wreck we have now?

Let's not forget how our popular culture has, by this day, internalized convict/drug culture. That's a real mess.

All yalls plans for legalizing it would just make it 20x worse

The only problem is that regulation doesn't happen over night. The underground market isn't going to go away without a fight.

I say legalize weed first, and then perhaps take steps towards the "harder" stuff.

You do realize people get addicted to Oxycontin, cigarettes, caffeine, and morphine too, but those are still LEGAL.



Given that not a single thing you're saying makes any logical sense at all, I can't really say I put a lot of stock in what you claim is reality.

That's a sensible solution that is probably going to be the road map. At least pot, although the other stuff is still a longshot.

Be like the UAE.

That's not a free market solution.

The free market solution is to decriminalize all drugs. Period.

Decriminalize Pot. If the place doesn't turn into Mad Max insanity start looking at the other drugs. Systems don't respond well to sudden change, if you're going to do it do it Chinese style.

I disagree with that, having represented many alcoholics and drug users over the years.

Abuse of both leads to tons of problems -- from family breakups to DUIs to real crimes.

But you know, no one has ever died from an overdose of marijuana like they have from an overdose of alcohol...

That's true, but there is no chance that that solution will ever happen. States, for all intents and purposes, aren't even aloud to set drinking ages at 18 (even though the 21st Amendment allows it), so I don't think there's a chance that meth is going to be placed on the free market. At least if we have the Govt. acting as our drug dealers, more people might go along and end the criminalization of self-destructive drug use; I'd rather have that than our current system.

I think there are two distinct camps in favor of decriminalizing drugs, at least on this board:

1) The people that think decriminalization will lead to less crime and perhaps lead to more government revenue through taxes.

2) The people that view this as an issue of freedom. Meaning people have a right to destroy their lives without interference from government.

I place myself in the latter camp. I think it likely crime will drop, but I am willing to admit that usage will most certainly go up. I'm sure there are people right now that would like to do drugs but are dissuaded simply because it is illegal. Just like there are people that would like to kill other people but are deterred because of the punishment that they would face.