14 replies to this topic

[Martyn Sadler]

Former Minister Bob Ainsworth thinks that drugs that are currently illegal should be legalised, so that the drugs trade could be taken out of the hands of criminal gangs. See the article here.

Would legalisation achieve this aim?

I'm not sure.

[Shadow]

Former Minister Bob Ainsworth thinks that drugs that are currently illegal should be legalised, so that the drugs trade could be taken out of the hands of criminal gangs. See the article here.

Would legalisation achieve this aim?

I'm not sure.

It's worked so well for Alcohol and Tobacco hasn't it.

[dogthebountyhunter]

I strongly feel that they should be legalised if only for the reason that the supply and demand would be controlled. The image the Government want to give you of drugs is a dirty tramp lying in a squat with a needle hanging out of their arm that when they are awake are out stealing from shops or burgling houses. Although this can be true, this is a lot rarer than they would have you believe, more people have problems from alcohol than they do from drugs. Of course I am not saying drugs are harmless, but like alcohol, within moderation they are fine and create no problems whatsoever.

[l'angelo mysterioso]

It's worked so well for Alcohol and Tobacco hasn't it.

they are only legal under specifically defined limits both by law and by law, that goes for purveying them as well as using them

most 'drugs' are legal as well.

to me the substance abuse is a health issue more than a crime issue. The crimes associated with substance abuse should of course remain just that and be punished accordingly

[Number 16]

One of our fellow forum members was once a senior civil servant in the Home Office's Drug Policy Unit (anyway, I think that's what it was called), and I recall him telling me that in his time there the results and recommendations from a number of detailed investigations into the question of legalising drugs were 'quashed' because they advocated making them legal.

[Shadow]

Former Minister Bob Ainsworth thinks that drugs that are currently illegal should be legalised, so that the drugs trade could be taken out of the hands of criminal gangs. See the article here.

Would legalisation achieve this aim?

I'm not sure.

It depends what is meant by taking the drugs trade out of the hands of criminal gangs, if it is a hope that by decriminalising the distribution and sales of recreational drugs then it may achieve this to an extent but a moments thought suggests to me that if you are going to charge for the drugs then a criminal market will exist because theft is cheaper than manufacturing as a source of drugs and so prices can be undercut.
If the drugs are going to be given away for free then who will pay for the new structure of distribution and storage?
Will it come out of an already stretched NHS Budget? if it's an NHS issue will compulsory or voluntary rehabilitation be a requirement?
How will we regulate the access to free Heroin? Will we be happy for the UK to become a destination for every drug user in the EU, able to come here, receive benefits and not even need to offer their arrse for sale on a street corner to fund their habit. Free drugs and money would be a tempting offer to many a European junkie.

If the aim is to reduce criminal activity it seems to miss the fundamental point that Criminals don't get into drug trafficking because it was their lifetime ambition, they do it because it's easy money and if it stops being easy money the won't line up at Jobcentre Plus offices to look for gainful employment they'll move into something else illegal and lucrative like tobacco smuggling or designer goods counterfeiting and we as a society will have exactly the same issues of criminal activity except it'll be for fake Jimmy Choos or Phillipino Marlboro cigs.

On reflection, I would say I'm probably not in favour.

[Griff9of13]

A good article comparing drugs with American prohibition

Also you should ask yourself the following questions:

If drugs were legalised tomorrow would you be running down to your local Boots for a nose full of cocaine or an arm full of heroin?

Has the fact that they are illegal actually put you (or anyone), if so inclined, off partaking of them?

I suspect for the vast majority of people the answer to both questions will be no.

[bowes]

Soft drugs yes, to stop the dealers and to allow regulation (one of the most dangeours drugs is also legal-alcohol), but the idea of buying heroin or cocaine down the shop doesn't seem right, so hard drugs only as part of a treatment programme.

[goldcard]

Decent source of revenue for HMRC, legalise, regulate and control purity of product (dirty drugs "cut" with other substances eliminated), and of course charge "duty" on purchase.
Age restrictions on purchase to try to keep the young away from it.
Dealers then importing the stuff would have to supply cheaper stuff for any black market, as now with fags/baccy.
If possession is legal, then courts could be freed up a bit, and the number of dealers instantly out of work would save a lot of police time.
I'd certainly be ok with cannabis* being fully legal, as far as with tobacco and alcohol, though unsure about cocaine and heroin.
Ecstasy is another which causes a very few headline deaths, but when viewed against the number of deaths due to alcohol abuse, it's a drop in the ocean, and maybe worth licensing.



* I know it has links to mental health issues with heavy use, but alcohol can change a personality too, and nicotine withdrawal isn't pleasant either.

[Bedford Roughyed]

One of the big dangers with drugs is not the actual active drug itself, its the stuff its mixed/cut with. Heroin in its pure form (morphine etc) does not cause many of the illnesses we expect, its the rubbish (heroin is horrible, the cutting agents worse) thats mixed in. Same with 'E'.

The scientific evidence is often ignored at the expense of the moral viewpoint.

[pro]

it depends on what kind of drugs we're talking about here. There has been some legalization in California.

[skep155]

I favour legalization. There's no question form me that alcohol is more harmful than Cannabis, Ecstasy and LSD, the latter two aren't even toxic to the Human body. I don't buy the argument that people will still choose to buy cheaper drugs off of criminal gangs anyway. Are you going to go out of your way to find cheap alcohol on the black market that's likely laced with other substances? Most people have a natural aversion to criminal activity, if all they want is a few joints and a bit of ecstasy they are more likely to go to the off licence/chemists if it's available, even if it's a little more expensive.

[Severus]

Make it legal, tax it, control it and let people make a choice.

[JohnM]

There's no question form me that alcohol is more harmful than Cannabis, Ecstasy and LSD, the latter two aren't even toxic to the Human body.

There is a certain logic to controlled legalisation, though it would take great political will to do this, even with a rigorous and well structured licensing programme. And I suspect that is not what you mean by legalisation.

However, I cannot agree with the above statement. Even if there was any proof that these drugs are less dangerous than alcohol, the risks have to be added together not considered separately.

Personally, I have a zero tolerance position on drugs (How can that squalid individual Docherty still be at liberty ) though that my be tainted by the fact that I have seen at first hand how drugs ruin (and end) lives.

[bowes]

There is a certain logic to controlled legalisation, though it would take great political will to do this, even with a rigorous and well structured licensing programme. And I suspect that is not what you mean by legalisation.

However, I cannot agree with the above statement. Even if there was any proof that these drugs are less dangerous than alcohol, the risks have to be added together not considered separately.

Personally, I have a zero tolerance position on drugs (How can that squalid individual Docherty still be at liberty ) though that my be tainted by the fact that I have seen at first hand how drugs ruin (and end) lives.

Alcohol, heroin and crack are the drugs that ruin lives more than any others. Unfortunately the first one is too ingrained in our culture to do something about, though the excesses should be curbed to a greater extent than now. Ecstasy is pretty safe if what's supposed to be in, is in. Marijuana in the mild forms is relatively harmless, but none of these really powerful ones that seem to cause mental health problems (think of the difference between having a pint and half a bottle of whiskey I guess). LSD is non-toxic and non-addictive but causes some very serious other problems so I wouldn't legalise it.