Should recreational drug use be illegal?

[chuckskull]

Noticed quite a few threads recently about drug use. Normally relating to one specific drug or another though. Most normally spiralling away from the OP toward this issue. So let's get it all in one place for a proper argument debate.

I'm posing this as more of a moral question on the whole issue, not specific drugs.

If legislated in a manner similar to alcohol - Britain's favourite recreational drug. Do you believe other recreational substances should be legalised?

So I'm an adult, I'm in my own home, in full knowledge of the consequences of taking x/y recreational drug. Should I face up 5 years in prison and an unlimited fine(Class B penalties for possession) for taking it?

[Funkstar]

http://store.theonion.com/product/dr...-war-1998,189/

Says it all really (IMHO of course)

[matty-hodgson]

I believe it should be put into a similar category as alcohol.. And be legalised.
Alcohol can kill, and can be very dangerous, why should drugs be any different?

[scaryjim]

I can see no good reason to not have drugs controlled according to the amount of harm they can potentially do. Proper licensing and control of supply could make a massive difference to this country, reducing policing and court costs, generating tax income, potentially reducing medical costs from the harm done by impurities in drugs / improper use / mixing the wrong drugs / etc. I don't think all drugs should be available for recreational use: but having this "drug x is illegal, drug y is illegal unless it's prescribed by a doctor for medical reasons, drug z is legal because we forgot to include it in our schemas back in the '70s, and alcohol and tobacco are legal because lots of people use them and we're scared about the political backlash if we try to mess with that" system is patently ridiculous: without even getting started on the "this illegal drug is *more* illegal than that illegal drug" debate...

So yes, legal, but properly controlled, licensed and regulated.

Either that or we also need to ban alcohol and tobacco outright

[Terbinator]

So I'm an adult, I'm in my own home, in full knowledge of the consequences of taking x/y recreational drug. Should I face up 5 years in prison and an unlimited fine(Class B penalties for possession) for taking it?

If you was in your own home how would someone know you were taking it to prosecute you anyway. The use of "recreational" in the title taints the objective of the question/poll IMO, it appears you've already pinned your views to the mast and so offers no room for discussion, really.

[TAKTAK]

Noticed quite a few threads recently about drug use. Normally relating to one specific drug or another though. Most normally spiralling away from the OP toward this issue. So let's get it all in one place for a proper argument debate.

I'm posing this as more of a moral question on the whole issue, not specific drugs.

If legislated in a manner similar to alcohol - Britain's favourite recreational drug. Do you believe other recreational substances should be legalised?

So I'm an adult, I'm in my own home, in full knowledge of the consequences of taking x/y recreational drug. Should I face up 5 years in prison and an unlimited fine(Class B penalties for possession) for taking it?

Yes.

But there needs to be better education on the subject.

Legalise
Regulate
Slap tax on
Sorted...

The problems start arising mainly when substance 'X' is mixed with god knows what.

If you can ensure that it is what it says it is (i.e. not back street shady of someone saying 'yeah it's legal' how the hell can you differentiate between white powder by looking at it?...), then i see no problem...

I've always liked how as soon as cannabis is mentioned, people throw in about causing mental health problems... Show me something that displays that...
Does it bollocks, all it does is highlight an existing ailment on the sufferer...

My problem with recreational drugs is purity...

For example, alcohol, is strictly regulated and tested, and when it is served to you, it is usually from a sealed source which leaves somebody accountable if something is wrong...

Back street Terry could put rat poison or whatever in your purchase and you would never know, and no-one would ever see him again...

So i say, keep things legal, but regulate them.

Alcohol is a prime example, very damaging in certain circumstances, but it is regulated to hell and there is alot of education about it...

Rule of thumb;

Powders are easily messed with and can easily be made lethal. (i.e. adding rat poison)
Leafy goodness is easily messed with but hard to make lethal. (i.e. adding random herbs)

Play it safe, stick with plant life...

The only problem we have is that 99% of the population is stupid...

[chuckskull]

http://store.theonion.com/product/dr...-war-1998,189/

Says it all really (IMHO of course)

Reminds of that Bill Hicks joke "George Bush says 'we are losing the war on drugs'. Well you know what that implies? There's a war going on, and people on drugs are winning it! Well what does that tell you about drugs? Some smart, creative people on that side."

I believe it should be put into a similar category as alcohol.. And be legalised.
Alcohol can kill, and can be very dangerous, why should drugs be any different?

That's the thing I think the country needs to get over first. Alcohol IS a drug. It's a substance you take for no other reason than to alter your mental state in a way your find pleasurable.

If you was in your own home how would someone know you were taking it to prosecute you anyway. The use of "recreational" in the title taints the objective of the question/poll IMO, it appears you've already pinned your views to the mast and so offers no room for discussion, really.

That was merely an example. By 'recreational' I mean drugs that have no/low chemical dependence problems, only minor health concerns, that are currently illegal. I make a distinction between such drugs and so called 'hard' drugs, that can cause near immediate chemical dependence and rapidly lead to serious health issues.

If you don't then, that's your opinion.

[Terbinator]

That was merely an example. By 'recreational' I mean drugs that have no/low chemical dependence problems, only minor health concerns, that are currently illegal. I make a distinction between such drugs and so called 'hard' drugs, that can cause near immediate chemical dependence and rapidly lead to serious health issues.

If you don't then, that's your opinion.

This is the main problem that exists now and it will still be there if some are legalised. Its all well and good letting the Stoner's have there stuff legally but then what about those who like a bit of 'sniff', 'brown' and whatever else - should they be told they cant have there high, but Bob Hope can ?

The can of worms is to great for it to be opened, not to mention the last thing i want to be doing is walking round why everyone's zoned out and legally supported, this being the best case scenario, not if its being mixed with other stuff as TAKTAK mentiones.

[format]

Good post TAKTAK.

Pretty much sums up my feelings up the subject. Illegalising a substance opens the doorway for a criminal element to make a profit whilst selling potentially (and usually) unpure substances.

Legalising and regulating drugs means a safer experience for all, with a nice tax boost AND an entire new industry which would help out the unemployed. It would also save a lot of police time and effort.

In my mind, that the government seeks to control my state of mind is a complete infringement on my human rights.

Saying that, like TAKTAK says, education must be increased. Drugs education essentially works by trying to scare kids into not taking it.

[format]

The can of worms is to great for it to be opened, not to mention the last thing i want to be doing is walking round why everyone's zoned out and legally supported, this being the best case scenario, not if its being mixed with other stuff as TAKTAK mentiones.

Do you not go outside on the weekends then?

[Terbinator]

Do you not go outside on the weekends then?

You seem to be missing the point, and most possibly the major one. You state yourself do I not go out on the "weekends" - now imagine that everyday, not something I would want to experience by choice.

[format]

Are you insinuating that if certain substances were to made legal, everyone would just go around trashed, all the time? Really?

[Haiku32]

You seem to be missing the point, and most possibly the major one. You state yourself do I not go out on the "weekends" - now imagine that everyday, not something I would want to experience by choice.

Right, because alcohol is legal everyone just gets absolutely pished every day of the week? There are people who abuse alcohol - getting drunk every day, and there are people who abuse drugs - getting high every day. Making them legal won't change that fact. I would much rather encounter someone who was stoned off cannabis, than someone who was fall-down drunk off buckfast.

[Terbinator]

@Above I'm not saying they would be stoned or plastered everyday but when both are supported, arguably encouraged, I find it hard believe that drug/alcohol related incidents/accidents wouldn't increase.

[chuckskull]

This is the main problem that exists now and it will still be there if some are legalised. Its all well and good letting the Stoner's have there stuff legally but then what about those who like a bit of 'sniff', 'brown' and whatever else - should they be told they cant have there high, but Bob Hope can ?

The can of worms is to great for it to be opened, not to mention the last thing i want to be doing is walking round why everyone's zoned out and legally supported, this being the best case scenario, not if its being mixed with other stuff as TAKTAK mentiones.

There has to be a line somewhere I don't disagree with that. In my mind that should be at the point something becomes so dangerous that you can reasonably argue that it's so dangerous it shouldn't be available at all. I believe the legalisation of recreational drugs would allow law enforcement to better deal with controlling those kinds of substances.

The argument that we shouldn't do something because it would be a long and complicated process(can of worms) at the expense of personal liberty is one that makes me rather angry and I'll leave that at that.

As I mentioned in my original post legislated in a manner similar to alcohol, which would ensure the purity of the drugs and if you're being a nuisance because of them, a friendly bobby will come take you back to the police station.

If you mean mixing more than one type of drug at a time, then that's a problem to be combated with proper drug education, as opposed to the current scaremongering. Currently there is no such education and most young people learn about what drugs not to combine when they or a friend ends up in A&E or a coffin. Which in my mind is not only tragic, but utterly shameful.

In regards to one of your more recent posts; Do you not believe proper, education and control would reduce these incident/accidents?

[Terbinator]

There has to be a line somewhere I don't disagree with that. In my mind that should be at the point something becomes so dangerous that you can reasonably argue that it's so dangerous it shouldn't be available at all. I believe the legalisation of recreational drugs would allow law enforcement to better deal with controlling those kinds of substances.

The argument that we shouldn't do something because it would be a long and complicated process(can of worms) at the expense of personal liberty is one that makes me rather angry and I'll leave that at that.

My reply to this will probably give an indication of what I think of education as well, but here goes:
Would your go and take a cap/shot of bleach from under your kitchen cupboard, you know It's bad for you, so why do it ? does this mean Mr.Muscle should be outlawed? /synic
It depends what is meant 'dangerous' I view drug taking as an 'other-regarding' action, drugs and 'dangerous' mean to me that one of my mates getting stoned and doing something foolish to either me or themselves - of course, the foolish thing could be the taking of the drug itself and them having a bad 'trip' or it could be them running into a road or jumping into a river.

As I mentioned in my original post legislated in a manner similar to alcohol, which would ensure the purity of the drugs and if you're being a nuisance because of them, a friendly bobby will come take you back to the police station.

If you mean mixing more than one type of drug at a time, then that's a problem to be combated with proper drug education, as opposed to the current scaremongering.

Aren't drugs usually mixed though, mostly with alcohol I would imagine.

In regards to one of your more recent posts; Do you not believe proper, education and control would reduce these incident/accidents?

So which do you want, control (what do you mean exactly by control?) or liberty?

As I mentioned in the last drug thread, where else is there for us to go in the way of education. We educate and educate and the message doesn't get through, granted you may think the education is crap, non-effective or whatever, but when you do have people losing friends etc to drugs and yet there willing to still do drugs I take an objective view and basically say fudge 'em.

The problem isn't about education in this country, Its about responsibility, the lack of which seems to cause the most of the problems in this country - trying not to go off topic ofc.

All in all I don't know, but I find it very hard to believe legalising any more substances will benefit us as a society.