Drug Law

CPicard wrote: thellama73 wrote: I voted decriminalization, because legalization implies that the government has some kind of legitimate right to tell me what I can and can't put in my body. "...And here started a flood of dirty jokes..."

I don't think the government should control that kind of putting things in bodies either.

thellama73 wrote: I voted decriminalization, because legalization implies that the government has some kind of legitimate right to tell me what I can and can't put in my body.

"...And here started a flood of dirty jokes..."

The Pessimist wrote: Luna wrote: That probably came off as more cynical and bitchy than I wanted.  I guess my point is that I don't do drugs or know any people who abuse drugs, therefore this doesn't affect me directly or indirectly. As a result, I can't be bothered to care about "what's good for everyone" because no one should have the power to do that. [JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE CRIMINALIZING DRUGS, RIGHT????????] Firstly, drugs effect a lot of people. It's a compassion thing. Secondly, if no one should have the power to decide what is best for everyone, how would that function in a society? Society can't function without laws. It can't just be a massive free for all. I understand your ideal, but it can't function, and so we have to take the most moral form of government which is in my view a democratic one.

Luna wrote: What do I vote if I couldn't care less?

Damn I should have put that as an option... Wait, it already is an option. Don't vote

In response to the comments above regarding high school/college/university/whatever party drinking culture... I would say that the heroin/coke/meth/ket party culture is far less prominent than alcohol party culture. What is the reason for this other than the social stigma attached to it through illegalisation?

Furthermore, is there a safe way to use these drugs? Really? I think the fundamental part of their danger is the addictiveness of these substances, so I'd be very surprised to hear that there is a safe method of taking these drugs. I'm a smoker myself, and as we all know nicotine is highly addictive. Consequently I don't believe there is a safe way to smoke, because no matter how you take nicotine, all nicotine products will be eventually highly detrimentally to your health due to how "moreish" it is.

As far as the moral issue of human liberty goes... I'm on the fence here. I support free speech, but I also agree with political correctness. In a sense, political correctness contradicts free speech as a dialectic to reach a new thesis on the moderation of speech, and I think it is a good thing. To me, decriminalisation would be the new thesis created by the dialectic of legalisation of drugs against their current illegality. More common than not, morals do not coincide with effective law.

Luna wrote: What do I vote if I couldn't care less?

This comment suffices.  Thanks for letting us know. 

If my kids started doing drugs, I would be concerned and would try to make sure that they were at least using them healthily. But I don't think it should be made illegal

^And only college students.
No high school pupils, not even middle school pupils.
And, of course, no middle age people (cf. Williams Burroughs).

True, but still, if there was no information available, then even more people would drink like that.
But does that mean we should try to prevent them from doing that? Who are we to decide what some college student does to themselves

That it be legal doesn't mean we would be saying it is harmless. Check how we managed to bring down tobacco use by attacking it without making it illegal. And I guess by now only 20 people on Earth think tobacco is harmless.

I think Scott's point is fair, but I think, overall, drug addiction and overdosing would decrease. If it's made legal, over time, drugs will become less of a social stigma and information on how to use drugs properly will become more widely available and it will also be a lot safer to buy and consume them, as we start regulating them.