Should All Drugs be Legalized?

I'm all for people having as much freedom as possible, but legalizing all drugs seems like a bad fucking idea.

@Hailinel said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

No.

Seriously. No.

Yeah, no.

In my current life situation sure legalize it. I'm not going to start doing drugs so it won't bother me. However, if I were to have kids I would be afraid they could get into bad drugs, like cocaine, meth etc, due to them being readily available.

Meh why not, if people want to do drugs let them, don't know why people care.

I don't want my government saying it's ok to use a drug where the lethal dose is the same as the effective dose (heroin) or one that can make you so crazy you actually eat someone (PCP) or one that can makes you so confused you try and claw off your own skin because you think you're covered in bugs (LSD).

Basically i don't want them to legalize drugs that can easily put you in a position where your own life is out of your hands. At least with marijuana you have some control over what happens to you once your affected by it.

@Mikemcn: What if more people would die without it being legalized than with it being legalized? Would you want it legal then? Surely you would.

I think adults should be allowed to do whatever they want to do as long as a) no one else is hurt or b) they are able to make decisions for themselves.

NO, not all of them. Everybody would be killing each other.

@Mikemcn said:

or one that can makes you so confused you try and claw off your own skin because you think you're covered in bugs (LSD).

That's Coke.

LSD doesn't disconnect you from reality like most people think it does (unless you candy/hippie flip), it just distorts what's really there. You may see music or taste colors, but you aren't going to see purple elephants, or bugs in your skin. You retain your mental faculties on LSD (thought can be difficult to follow because it branches in a million directions, however) it's your perceptions that are cross-wired.

The worse you're going to see on LSD is walls breathing, colors shifting, textures moving/sliding, carpet growing (but never getting longer), trails behind moving objects, etc.

Seriously? No.

Legalizing all drugs would be a mistake. I think decriminalizing them would be a better approach. I think money that is currently going to fight the war on drugs should be spent on more social programs like safe injection sites, needle exchange programs and drug and trauma counselling. I think if these programs were more readily available to the public there would be a drastic decrease in fatalities caused by the drug trade. I think you would also find a decrease in drug users as well. I also feel similarly towards prostitution, but I think that it should be legalized and people should have to apply to get licensed as a sex trade worker. Mandatory STD tests, also rape counselling and prevention guidelines should be made mandatory for all those that would decide to enter such a career.

fuck yea, you wanna do meth or whatever that's your prerogative.

hallucinogenic drugs should be legalized. DMT is still my favorite. there's nothing more awesome than experiencing another side to reality.

Of course they should, who is tell anyone what they can or cannot do to their body?

Yes. Society cannot be protected from itself.

I'm surprised with the poll percentage so far. I have no desire to do any form of drugs, but that doesn't mean you should spend time in prison for taking any form of substance. We have way too many nonviolent offenders in prison and the majority of them are in for narcotics.

@SuperCycle: I can't wait until the current generation of mindless reagan-loving politicians are dead and gone so that some fresh and forward-thinking ideas can be put into action.

Yes. Not only is it a matter of personal freedom, but legalizing all drugs doesn't presuppose that everyone will start doing them. They're easy enough to get as it is; if I really want to do crystal meth, it's not that hard for me to get some.

Okay so for everyone referencing Portugal as a model for decriminalizing drugs:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=portugal-drug-decriminalization

Guys legalization has only helped them because they were able to divert all that money from the justice system to treatment centers, and for better awareness. It was the Governments way of showing people it was bad that helped make people realize that it was bad.

I don't support legalizing it, I'm fine with Marijuana being, and Mushrooms being legalized, even though I don't touch any of that stuff. But I am against hard drugs being legalized, my personal experiences with my friends tell me it's wrong.

Also guys..... What happens when a teenager (rebellious stage) gets a hold of their parents heroin? Or Meth? And starts to do that stuff with friends at a party? I mean come on, teens are stupid like that and we all have too admit we went through that stage. Plus by doing that, kids in broken families will have next to ZERO chance of ever getting out of that environment since those parents have an easier time accessing it legally or illegally.

This is America we're talking about, not Europe, huge cultural differences between the two, HUGE. So obviously the people of the US will react differently to being allowed such easy access to these things, and odds are knowing our nations youth, we will overdue it. I know we all reference the way Europe does things vs. the way the US does things. But face it: WE AREN'T EUROPE AND WE NEVER WILL BE. Just how the US is, not a bad thing, not a good thing, just how it is.

No. Harmful and addictive substances should stay illegal, In my opinion.

Legalize and regulate. Money, money, money.

That may be the worst idea.

Of course they should, give people good and honest information about them and let them choose what to do with their sorry lives. There will always be morons shooting heroine and frying their brains with meth, if they are stupid enough to do it they should be allowed to.

Yes, and here's why:

• People who want drugs can get their hands on it anyway. Use of drugs in country where some are legal are the same or lower than countries where it's illegal.
• Legalization will lead to a lot more regulation and fewer drug dealers. More regulation leads to better studies too.
• Fewer drug dealers = less organized crime. Legalization of drugs will strike a serious blow to organized crime.

There's a lot of parallels to be drawn between the current war on drugs and prohibition in America in the 30's. It didn't work then and it doesn't work now.

What people don't seem to understand is legalizing it doesn't mean everyone "gets free DRUGS!". It means it will get regulated same as alcohol (how Canadians do it) and tobacco.

Hand in hand with this regulation is education to teach the kids that most drugs are bad for you and why you should not take them (same thing that is being done for smoking and drunk driving). And legalize drugs will be heavily taxed. Of course some drugs are so bad that they shouldn't even be legal, but I think with good regulation(such as clean production and distribution) , taxation and education most drugs should be legalized.

Just as happened after the prohibition of alcohol and legalization of gambling, the "crime" element of these drugs will be gone as right now it is one of the most profitable criminal activities (dealing drugs).

I am studying the economics of crime, and most economist agree that some sort of legalization (taxation+education+regulation) is the right respond for most casual and semi hardcore drugs.

I think for sure weed should be legalize, as a mater of fact I think its ridiculous that its not (specially in BC Canada where literally you can get it from anywhere).

I know some people have moral issue with this concept ( and some of them are justified), but after studying the economic factor most evidence suggest that we should legalize most drugs.

This should have been posted already

Just weed

Yes, only if you are over 18 and they pass laws to not be cracked out while driving.

@MooseyMcMan said:

No.

Nope

Yes. People are going to do these drugs whether they're legal or not, all we can really do to help the problem is promote safety during use and treatment programs. The war on drugs has clearly been a complete wash, and while I know realistically this will never happen, it's really the best way to approach the drug problem. I honestly think there is no clean cut way to make drugs not a problem in our society, I think they'll always be there. For better or worse. Where would you rather a junky get his fix? On the street or in a store? No matter what, they're getting high. Educate society about drug use and allow them to make their own decisions from there.

If you could only do them in your home or some sanctioned out of the way place and don't give them to minors then sure. Have fun. Or don't. I don't care. Just stay the fuck away from me. Unless you're cool then I'm down. Let's party. But if you do give them to minors, I'm ok with the death penalty. So don't.

Due to the danger of some, no, but at the minimum, marijuana should be.

Considering no one is going to hire a coke head, someone with a severe drug addiction is probably not going to be employed by anyone.  How will they support their addiction?  Crime.  Drug addictions doesn't harm other people my ass.

Some, by prescription at least.

I don't know about you guys, but I heard that purple spock is pretty amazing...

God no. Some maybe but there's zero reason Heroin should be legal.

Anyone that says no is a little kid who doesn't understand the world.

THEN AGAIN THIS IS A GAMING FORUMS SO....

@jking47 said:

Sure, let the stoners have what they want and let the meth addicts kill themselves, sounds fine to me. You should be able to make the right decisions about what you put in your own body.

No one says stoners. You'll probably change your opinion once you get older.

Anyone that says no is a little kid who doesn't understand the world.

THEN AGAIN THIS IS A GAMING FORUMS SO....

Yes. Freedom.

Freedom to do drugs. Freedom to not do drugs. Freedom to have to deal with the responsibility of consequences of your actions. Plus, by the rules of Darwinism we'll weed out some of the undesirables due to overdosing. I just hate the hypocrisy of all the legal drugs that haven proven to addict people to food and be detrimental to our health and the illegality of fun substances.

no, it will ruin people's lives and others. crack and meth heads breaking into people's houses to pawn stuff to get money. this happens still even being illegal, not as often if it were legal.

Yes. Freedom.

Freedom to do drugs. Freedom to not do drugs. Freedom to have to deal with the responsibility of consequences of your actions. Plus, by the rules of Darwinism we'll weed out some of the undesirables due to overdosing. I just hate the hypocrisy of all the legal drugs that haven proven to addict people to food and be detrimental to our health and the illegality of fun substances.

@Turambar said:

@Butler said:

Yes. Freedom.

Freedom to do drugs. Freedom to not do drugs. Freedom to have to deal with the responsibility of consequences of your actions. Plus, by the rules of Darwinism we'll weed out some of the undesirables due to overdosing. I just hate the hypocrisy of all the legal drugs that haven proven to addict people to food and be detrimental to our health and the illegality of fun substances.

How about freedom from having to deal with drug addicts that actually become obstructions for other people in society?

Yeah. As much as people might be against prosecuting drug users along with dealers, people can and have become dangers to others when high. It's not just the user's life at risk if he decides to drive after freebasing.

When I glanced at this I read it as "Should all Dragons be legalized" the answer is obviously yes because if Dragons are outlawed only outlaws will have Dragons.

It worked in Portugal and for the better, which is a complete mindfuck.
 
I'd rather have people being high than drunk, until we get a utopian society where people are only allowed alcohol when it's proven they are able to hold their drink properly and not become violent stone-age era assholes out for a fight. Don't recommend people to walk my city streets alone without protection on the typical heavy drinking nights.

@Turambar said:

How about freedom from having to deal with drug addicts that actually become obstructions for other people in society?

We already do that with repercussions of simply just alcohol. Say they make meth legal tomorrow people are not going to run out and do it. I really don't think people will run out into the streets trying all sorts of detrimental substances such as meth/heroine. They would be no more of a hassle then they already are.

@baconbits33 said:

Okay so for everyone referencing Portugal as a model for decriminalizing drugs:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=portugal-drug-decriminalization

Guys legalization has only helped them because they were able to divert all that money from the justice system to treatment centers, and for better awareness. It was the Governments way of showing people it was bad that helped make people realize that it was bad.

I don't support legalizing it, I'm fine with Marijuana being, and Mushrooms being legalized, even though I don't touch any of that stuff. But I am against hard drugs being legalized, my personal experiences with my friends tell me it's wrong.

Also guys..... What happens when a teenager (rebellious stage) gets a hold of their parents heroin? Or Meth? And starts to do that stuff with friends at a party? I mean come on, teens are stupid like that and we all have too admit we went through that stage. Plus by doing that, kids in broken families will have next to ZERO chance of ever getting out of that environment since those parents have an easier time accessing it legally or illegally.

This is America we're talking about, not Europe, huge cultural differences between the two, HUGE. So obviously the people of the US will react differently to being allowed such easy access to these things, and odds are knowing our nations youth, we will overdue it. I know we all reference the way Europe does things vs. the way the US does things. But face it: WE AREN'T EUROPE AND WE NEVER WILL BE. Just how the US is, not a bad thing, not a good thing, just how it is.

So at the same time we make marshmallows illegal. problem solved.

I would at least go as far as to decriminalize marijuana but i wouldn't want all drugs legalized. This would also impact the Border Cartels slightly, i have family that lives in Juarez and shit gets scary sometimes with how people are being murdered there by cartels and pot is a major money maker for them.