Should drugs be legalized?

[nitsuJ]

And if you think they should, name what kinds. Also, give a reason why, a good reason why. Not because "it makes us happy."

[Flotsam]

I am a hardcore libertarian and strongly believe that if it's our own body we are hurting then let us. I'd like only a certain few drugs to be legal (such as cannabis, psilocybin mushrooms, lysergic acid diethlamide, dimethyltryptamine, mescaline, and other psychedelics) but when we start drawing lines on what should be legalized we start encountering problems. In an ideal world I would only have non-addictive drugs and psychedelics legal. In reality though legalizing those drugs wouldn't change anything for me. I have my ways of obtaining certain things.

[Serkat]

All drugs should be legalized, including heroin. The reason is freedom and eventually helping addicts. Also, alcohol and tobacco are addictive and unhealthy drugs (among others) that are legal right now. Nobody seems to have a problem with that. So there.

[nitsuJ]

They usually say the other drugs are illegal though because their addiction rates are supposedly higher than alcohol/nicotine. I guess they look at withdrawals too, like a withdrawal from caffeine isn't as bad as from heroin. As far as my opinion on them, I wouldn't care if marijuana and maybe a few others and legalized, but things like meth shouldn't be. That's just a garbage drug. I know it should be your choice on what chemicals enter your body, but seriously just go drink ammonia or eat rat poison. I've heard many times that a long time ago meth was made differently than it is now, it was made with better care and less garbage in it. One reason why marijuana is illegal is because they linked it with narcotics a long time ago, even though it isn't a narcotic. http://civilliberty.about.com/od/dru...na-Illegal.htm 1. It is perceived as addictive. Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug on the basis that is has "a high potential for abuse." What does this mean? It means that the perception is that people get on marijuana, they get hooked and become "potheads," and it begins to dominate their lives. This unquestionably happens in some cases. But it also happens in the case of alcohol--and alcohol is perfectly legal. In order to fight this argument for prohibition, legalization advocates need to make the argument that marijuana is not as addictive as government sources claim. 2. It has "no accepted medical use." Marijuana seems to yield considerable medical benefits for many Americans with ailments ranging from glaucoma to cancer, but these benefits have not been accepted well enough, on a national level. Medical use of marijuana remains a serious national controversy. In order to fight the argument that marijuana has no medical use, legalization advocates need to highlight the effects it has had on the lives of people who have used the drug for medical reasons. 3. It has been historically linked with narcotics, such as heroin. The first piece of federal legislation to formally regulate marijuana was the Narcotics Act of 1914, which regulated heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. The only trouble is that cocaine and marijuana are not technically narcotics; the word "narcotic," when used in English, has historically referred to opium derivatives such as heroin and morphine. But the association stuck, and there is a vast gulf in the American consciousness between "normal" recreational drugs, such as alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, and "abnormal" recreational drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Marijuana is generally associated with the latter category, which is why it can be convincingly portrayed as a "gateway drug." 4. It is associated with unfashionable lifestyles. Marijuana is often thought of as a drug for hippies and losers. Since it's hard to feel enthusiastic about the prospects of enabling people to become hippies and losers, imposing criminal sanctions for marijuana possession functions as a form of communal "tough love." 5. It was once associated with oppressed ethnic groups. The intense anti-marijuana movement of the 1930s dovetailed nicely with the intense anti-Chicano movement of the 1930s. Marijuana was associated with Mexican Americans, and a ban on marijuana was seen as a way of discouraging Mexican-American subcultures from developing. Today, thanks in large part to the very public popularity of marijuana among whites during the 1960s and 1970s, marijuana is no longer seen as what one might call an ethnic drug--but the groundwork for the anti-marijuana movement was laid down at a time when marijuana was seen as an encroachment on the U.S. majority-white culture. 6. Inertia is a powerful force in public policy. If something has been banned for only a short period of time, then the ban is seen as unstable. If something has been banned for a long time, however, then the ban--no matter how ill-conceived it might be--tends to go unenforced long before it is actually taken off the books. Take the ban on sodomy, for example. It hasn't really been enforced in any serious way since the 18th century, but most states technically banned same-sex sexual intercourse until the Supreme Court ruled such bans unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas (2003). People tend to be comfortable with the status quo--and the status quo, for nearly a century, has been a literal or de facto federal ban on marijuana. 7. Advocates for marijuana legalization rarely present an appealing case. To hear some advocates of marijuana legalization say it, the drug cures diseases while it promotes creativity, open-mindedness, moral progression, and a closer relationship with God and/or the cosmos. That sounds incredibly foolish, particularly when the public image of a marijuana user is, again, that of a loser who risks arrest and imprisonment so that he or she can artificially invoke an endorphin release. A much better argument for marijuana legalization, from my vantage point, would go more like this: "It makes some people happy, and it doesn't seem to be any more dangerous than alcohol. Do we really want to go around putting people in prison and destroying their lives over this?" Another reason I think that drugs are illegal is taxing them. A shit load of people know how to grow/make/what have you different types of drugs and are able to extract chemicals from them by ease, therefore they can sale them without taxes to people. If the government made drugs legal, you know they'd want to sale them themselves to make profit from it, which would be hard due to them having to compete with local dealers.

[Reality_is_a_Dream]

I am straight edge, so this may be biased. Pros: People will be more willing to come out and say "I have a Problem". It the durgs they are on are illegal, than they might want to hide it to avoid trouble. Beter economy Alot less crime (less dealers) Gives people a choice, more of a sense of "fredom" Lots of money from the tourist industry! Cons: If more drugs are legal, than more people will become hooked because of "experimental" Teens get ahold of them too easily People will always be on edge because they will be thinking about drugs 24/7 Alot of bad influence Lots of tourists... Lots of creepy people just "hanging around"

[Schmaven]

I think the time is well overdue for a re-examination of the effects of drugs, and the results given to the government so they can update their files or w/e their using as their sources for certain drugs being illegal. Another reason I think that drugs are illegal is taxing them. A shit load of people know how to grow/make/what have you different types of drugs and are able to extract chemicals from them by ease, therefore they can sale them without taxes to people. If the government made drugs legal, you know they'd want to sale them themselves to make profit from it, which would be hard due to them having to compete with local dealers. As for marijuana, I think the government would just try to undercut the dealers by selling a bunch of shitty weed for really cheap, walmart style. You can go to walmart for everything you need, but you'd most likely end up with a bunch of crap. You'd be better off going to costco (dealers in this analogy) and spending a little more, but having more confidence that you're not just getting crap. Actually, I think that'd apply to any drug they legalize. What I find is really ridiculous is that there are a lot of prescription drugs that have been approved by the FDA that are being recalled because of thousands of reported deaths. It seems to me that the legal drugs are causing a lot more harm than the illegal ones. If you think about it, the main reason there are problems with drugs, are due to them being illegal. This illegality forces them into the control of criminals and many times violent people. If they were legal, hell, I could be growing my own drugs. This would actually help the environment as well (there would be no need to smuggle drugs across state lines, burning oil in the process). To me, drugs are just one of many things that the government makes no sense with regards to. I definitely see the points they're making, I just find them all absurd and comical. Sometimes I wonder how governments even got to this point on insanity. I know they have been getting better with time (just look at the past 5000 years of history), but having only been around for the past 20 years, it doesn't seem that way to me. I mean, everyone I know could run a country better. A lot of people point out the problems with the government, and yet those problems just get worse. I don't understand how as people, we on this planet have let this happen.

[Serkat]

Pro/Cons have no relevance in this discussion because it's up to the users to decide what they're doing. It doesn't have any direct effects on anybody but the consumer himself. If hard drugs are legal and it means more people get addicted and die, then OK - make them legal anyway.

[StonedApe]

All drugs should be legalized because drug laws cause many problems, and have actually increased drug use in certain harmful drugs. Despite these laws people still do drugs and always will. Always have. Always will. So what's the point of hassleing people who want to alter their own personal conscioussness? If it weren't for drug laws, crack would have never been invented because cocaine would have been affordable. Amoungst many other reasons. Marijuana being illegal makes absolutely no sense. It's a plant. People are scared of a fucking plant. Are you kidding me? And it's a great plant. It has many wonderful benifits. If you don't want to smoke it, you don't have to, but people shouldn't have to go through sketchy shit to get some herb.

[Schmaven]

I agree, at the end of the line, it is solely the user's responsibility whether or not they use drugs, and to what extent. People get addicted to, and die from drugs whether they're legal or not.

[nitsuJ]

Ok, now that you all say drugs should be legalized. What's the minimum age for using them? Like 18+, 21+? What?

[drewmandan]

Minimum age should be dependent on the risks associated with that drug. For example, make marijuana 16 (that's when kids start anyway) and cocaine 21.

[Reality_is_a_Dream]

16 is just plain ridiculious. Any drug that illegal now should be at least 21.

[Schmaven]

I say all of them should be at age 18. If you're old enough to be drafted into the military, you should be old enough to decide what you want to put into your body. I mean, telling someone they have to risk their life for their country, but that they are not allowed to drink is kind of ridiculous to me. And I feel the same about any drug that may be legalized in the future.

[drewmandan]

16 is just plain ridiculious. Any drug that illegal now should be at least 21. Can you provide any scientific evidence whatsoever that marijuana is in any way more dangerous than cigarettes?

[nitsuJ]

I'd say 18 as well.

[Schmaven]

Can you provide any scientific evidence whatsoever that marijuana is in any way more dangerous than cigarettes? From what I've heard, marijuana is a lot less dangerous than cigarettes. Unless you're talking about "marijuana cigarettes"

[Reality_is_a_Dream]

I am just saying that 16 it too young for any kind of drug. Espically a currently illicit drug.

[drewmandan]

I am just saying that 16 it too young for any kind of drug. Espically a currently illicit drug. I don't know what kind of sheltered life you live, but I would say at least a third of the 16+ students at the high school I went to had tried marijuana, and a good portion of those (perhaps as many as half) used it regularly. Many of my friends used marijuana all throughout high school, and they all ended up going to university. And this is when the use of the drug is illegal. Making it completely 100% legal would highlight it as a social issue, and that could only make it less dangerous.

[Reality_is_a_Dream]

I don't know what kind of sheltered life you live, but I would say at least a third of the 16+ students at the high school I went to had tried marijuana, and a good portion of those (perhaps as many as half) used it regularly. Many of my friends used marijuana all throughout high school, and they all ended up going to university. And this is when the use of the drug is illegal. Making it completely 100% legal would highlight it as a social issue, and that could only make it less dangerous. I know that, but if it is made legal, it may jack up to somthing like 3/4ths. I know a hell of alot of people smoke in my school because getting a cigarette is not particuarly tough. If pot is legal for anyone over 16, alot of people could get in alot of trouble.

[nitsuJ]

I'd smoke the shit out of pot if it were legal. If it were legal for 16 year olds though, you'd have kids coming in school stoned out of their minds. More so than they already do today. They'd probably also end up skipping school a lot. I'd say keep it 18+, that's when everything should be legal for a person in my opinion. Like it was stated earlier, if you're able to die for your country at 18 you should be able to die from anything at 18.

[Xei]

I think letting people freely consume alcohol and smoke tabacco whilst condemning the use of pyschedelics is ridiculous personally. There's no reason those drugs should be banned if something as dangerous and addictive as both alcohol and tobacco are not. But I see the wisdom in an 18+ age limit.

[nitsuJ]

Well, I've never done illegal drugs purposefully , but I have gotten wasted from alcohol more than my fair share, and probably enough for everyone on this forum. I've heard marijuana is just like alcohol except no hangover. Which, I can easily see that because as far as I'm concerned hangovers are from your body being dehydrated. There is no difference really in being drunk behind the wheel, and being stoned behind the wheel. They're both altering your motor skills and reaction times, even though it never seems like they are. I wouldn't care if some drugs are legalized that aren't totally bad for you, but shit like meth and all shouldn't be legalized in my opinion. It's made out of garbage pretty much. If they found a different way to make it without all the crap that's in it, then ok. I'm kind of borderline on hallucinogenics because I've heard stories of people getting paranoid and thinking everyone is after them, or they'll go into permanent trips.

[Serkat]

Yeah, I'd go with 18+ as well. The problem is that kids don't give a sh*t anyway. Here where I live, smoking and light alcohol is legal from 16 onwards. Doesn't stop them from starting earlier. Kids don't give a sh*t. So if your law isn't gonna work anyway, you might as well just send out a message to people that it's perhaps best to start with drugs when you're fully of age, have some more life experience and your body has developed some sort of maturity. Anyway, kids don't care and it's mostly just up to the parents, the educators and the kids themselves. Ultimately not something the government can do much about.

[Sisyphus50]

Cons: If more drugs are legal, than more people will become hooked because of "experimental" Teens get ahold of them too easily People will always be on edge because they will be thinking about drugs 24/7 Alot of bad influence This is all pretty much fluff. - Alcohol is legal, and we have alcoholics. Should we ban alcohol? - Teens can already get a hold of any drug they want easily. I was a straight A student when I graduated in 2002, but I know at least 3 'friends of friends' that I can call and get anything from weed to meth in under a week for a reasonable price, with discretion. - On edge thinking about drugs? How is this any different from smoking addicts that need a fix every 10 minutes? I know, I've worked with a few. They're slack as shit and always saying how they 'need a cigarette'. Yet cigarettes are still legal. - Bad influence from whom? The dealers? If things like XTC were legalised, you'd be buying it from a chemist over the counter at the pharmacy. Word of advice - try the drugs you bash before you bash them. I'm 23. Until the last New Years Eve, I'd never been drunk before. Until a few months ago, I'd never smoked weed before. And until a month ago, I'd never tried MDMA before. In the near future I'll be giving magic mushrooms and LSD a try. Am I addicted to any of them? No Am I thinking about them 24/7? No, that would detract from the time I need to think about my job, the weekend, or sex. Am I being influenced by them or my suppliers in a negative way? No. It's all about personal responsibility. Know your limits. Don't try to be hardcore and take more than you know you can handle. Try them in a controlled environment, and make sure someone around you knows what you've taken incase something goes wrong. It's all about covering your ass, and being safe.

[Schmaven]

I'm willing to bet that almost all of the negative aspects people talk about when talking about drugs are the result of irresponsible use. I have tried a moderate variety of different drugs in my life, and I didn't go crazy, I don't think about them all the time, and if anything, I'd say I'm a better person now than if I hadn't tried them. I smoked and drank a lot the last 2 years of high school, but I never missed a class because of it. Sure, sometimes I'd show up still slightly buzzed from the night before, but I still got A's. If you're not stupid about drug use, then you'll be fine.