Legalize Drugs, Reduce Violence

[Fragile Bird]

The suggestion has been made in the gun threads that one way to reduce violence in the USA, specifically gun violence, is to legalize drugs.

There are a number of European countries that have very liberal drug laws, but they all have limits on what they allow. I would think that such a proposal in the US would never fly, except perhaps for more acceptance of marijuana. Would that be enough? Certainly in Canada, the Conservative government (surely a near clone of American political parties) are virulently opposed to any loosening of laws. They don't even want needle exchange to reduce the spread of disease, because, you know, that encourages drug use.

I just don't see it happening. Do you? Would you agree to relaxed rules if it undercut drug dealers and their violence? Would you accept the trade-offs inherent in such a move, more users, more addicts, more drug related deaths (or not?) in exchange for taking away power from drug dealers?

ETA: And toss in arguments of decriminalize v. legalize if you so desire.

[Darth Visenya]

In the US?, no I don't see it happening, I think if Governments wanted to relax laws and legally sell drugs and tax them and educate as to their many negative points then they would do, I'm of the thinking that they make more revenue from them being illegal.

[Daario's*before*Snows]

As an American marijuana smoker im against legalization.

I can somewhat feel safe about where my weed comes from and what is in it.

Im deathly afraid of what nice and legal corporations would put in the weed, see cigarette ingredients for an example, rat urine? Ammonia? No thank you

[Robin Of House Hill]

If drug dealers would limit their violence to other drug dealers and drug users, I'd leave things as they are.

[Castel]

I don't think that it can ever happen for anything other than marijuana. A few well-placed pictures of people on meth is enough to make people scared enough to back off.

Also, after you legalise you have to deal with the restrictions. The more they are, the more people will benefit from illegal dealers. You put a limit on the amount a person can buy, you sell for too high a price, you require IDs, and you're sending people to the bad men. Maybe not as many as before but they still have customers. You remove restrictions and you have scared parents being driven out of their minds by the "This could be your kid" cautionary tales.

I honestly can't see it happening.

If drug dealers would limit their violence to other drug dealers and drug users, I'd leave things as they are.

So because they're drug users they should be free targets?

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

Advantages to legalizing heroin -

The maximum dose sold can be regulated

New needles, along with an iodine swab and instructions for safe injections will be sold with each dose

The purity can be regulated (no cutting the stuff with anything but water or whatever is safe)

Heroin users not being felons will allow them to obtain and keep work, instead of being homeless

Heroin will be grown and produced in the US, by American workers according to US health and safety regs

[Larry of the Lawn]

As an American marijuana smoker im against legalization.

I can somewhat feel safe about where my weed comes from and what is in it.

Im deathly afraid of what nice and legal corporations would put in the weed, see cigarette ingredients for an example, rat urine? Ammonia? No thank you

You could always grow your own. And right now, plenty of weed still comes over the border from Mexico, so that is bloodweed.

I absolutely support the legalization of marijuana, and probably cocaine and heroin too, as long as it was really strictly controlled. The amount of violence created by the cartels has to be worse than any problems posed by legalization.

Unfortunately, I feel like the government at least here in the US is so invested in the failed War on Drugs that it would rather continue to dump money into a failed idea that exports violence. The drugs are already here. Legalization will get rid of the violence that accompanies them.

edit: I guess I support the legalization of pretty much any drug.

[Sci-2]

I'd hate for heroin to be legal. It would suck if a future Einstein or Turing got addicted and fucked up her life.

[Robin Of House Hill]

So because they're drug users they should be free targets?

Without drug users, there would be no drug dealers. Unless you are suggesting that society, as a whole, needs drug users to survive.

[Robin Of House Hill]

Heroin users not being felons will allow them to obtain and keep work

I'm sure the workplace will benefit from the inclusion of heroin addicts.

[MinDonner]

Advantages to legalizing heroin -

The maximum dose sold can be regulated

New needles, along with an iodine swab and instructions for safe injections will be sold with each dose

The purity can be regulated (no cutting the stuff with anything but water or whatever is safe)

Heroin users not being felons will allow them to obtain and keep work, instead of being homeless

Heroin will be grown and produced in the US, by American workers according to US health and safety regs

And of course the Taliban loses their main source of income.

I'm all in favour. Legalise, educate, regulate and tax. Alas, there's too much scaremongering out there for this to ever be likely, at least not for a generation or two.

[The Iceman of the North]

I'd hate for heroin to be legal. It would suck if a future Einstein or Turing got addicted and fucked up her life.

That's just as likely during the current regime.

[Baitac]

I do not support legalizing all drugs. I do go back and forth on the issue of marihuana, though.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

I'd hate for heroin to be legal. It would suck if a future Einstein or Turing got addicted and fucked up her life.

Do you believe that its illegality stops that from taking place? People do it anyway. Plenty of the great people throughout history were addicted to varying substances. Freud was famously addicted to cocaine. I can only imagine the regimen of medications Stephen Hawking has to take daily. Churchill was plastered throughout the entirety of World War II. Kennedy was on meth. It is mostly the fact that it's illegal that fucks up your life, not the addiction itself.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

I'm sure the workplace will benefit from the inclusion of heroin addicts.

If you think there aren't heroin addicts in the workplace now you are sadly misled.

[Castel]

Without drug users, there would be no drug dealers. Unless you are suggesting that society, as a whole, needs drug users to survive.

The reality is though that human beings are susceptible to drugs and the compulsions they create. So there are drug users and there are dealers, it's just a fact.

So: do they deserve to be targets who don't deserve protection because of it? You didn't say outright. And also, the idea that violence by drug dealers, if not controlled, will wipe out users is silly. It hasn't yet and it won't because users aren't a static population and dealers aren't idiots.

[Sci-2]

It is mostly the fact that it's illegal that fucks up your life, not the addiction itself.

Actually, that is a good point. My concern with legalizing any drug is making it easier for youth to access.

Why I'm still wary of legalizing marijuana.

[Larry of the Lawn]

Actually, that is a good point. My concern with legalizing any drug is making it easier for youth to access.

Why I'm still wary of legalizing marijuana.

Anecdotal, but when I was in highschool it was easier for me to buy weed than alcohol - because I didn't need an ID.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

Actually, that is a good point. My concern with legalizing any drug is making it easier for youth to access.

Why I'm still wary of legalizing marijuana.

It's a lot easier for kids to get cannabis than alcohol. Drug dealers don't check IDs.

Larry beat me to it.

[Darth Visenya]

Where would half the CIA budget come from if drugs were made legal?.