0
3

[–] spud29 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago 

Absolutely, but we should also provide rehab programs for those seeking help as well.

0
1

[–] FormerDiggUser [S] 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Correct, if we take all of the money associated with trying to fight the War on Drugs and spend it on education and rehab I think we'd be much better off.

0
1

[–] spud29 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Exactly and I pulled this from an article

In 2001, Portugal became the first country in the world to end the drug war within its borders, and in the short time since, the country has seen a radical improvement in their society. In regards to drugs, they actually now have less of a negative impact on society in Portugal than they did prior to the end of prohibition. There are now fewer drug-related deaths, fewer children getting ahold of drugs, and fewer people doing drugs in general.

There are also many other factors that people many times overlook, including the fact that infectious diseases spread through needles and dirty drug practices have declined rapidly in Portugal since the end of drug prohibition. The police state is also not nearly as much of a problem for residents as it once was. Many prisons have even shut down because there is not enough crime.

GASP! Who would've thought decriminalizing drugs leads to less people doing them and less people in prison?!

1
1

[–] distortedlines 1 point 1 point (+2|-1) ago 

Most, some drugs are extremely dangerous and can cause the people who take them to bring harm to innocent people around them.

0
2

[–] Fuckery 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

If it can get you high hell yes. Other pharmaceuticals like anti-biotics, mitotic inhibitors, alendronate, etc., maybe. Don't need people arbitrarily popping powerful drugs and making super bugs or destroying their livers because of something they read on wikipedia. On the other hand, the Darwin awards would get a whole slew of new nominees.

0
0

[–] individualin1984 ago 

I always struggle with this, due to the very negative affects on individuals with some drugs. I also don't like to be the kind of guy that is always worried about drug legalization because there are greater concerns for me. That said, I have to say that observations of the affects of making drugs illegal are far worse on all of us as a society.

  1. Criminalization of drugs have created more criminals from the drug users that can't afford the drugs, to the people that seek easy cash. Overall illegal drugs make more and worse criminals. I won't even go into the evil of drug lords and cartels.

  2. Criminalization of drugs has eroded our freedoms and militarized our police. As the criminals have stepped up within the drug community so have the police. This more than anything scares the shit out of me. When I was young the concept of a swat team was completely foreign. Police used their minds to subdue suspects not come in shoot the dog and put your boot on the side of someones head as they lay on the floor. The fact that we have become blase about this is one of the most horrifying things in my mind.

  3. An economy that no one but the criminals are benefiting by. There is no taxation, there is no reinvestment, there is nothing but the closed loop of drugs and criminality.

  4. It has put illegal guns in criminals hands. The money from drugs has helped in the spread of guns to people that have no problem using them to harm others. This is not a gun control issue in that its not the general availability of guns or the legality of them that is causing this. If you are going to get 15 years for your kilo of cocaine and maybe 10 years for using a gun to shoot someone, do you see the issue here?

  5. It distracts from real law enforcement. So much theft, larceny, murder is left unchallenged due to the prioritizing and sentencing of drugs.

I won't go into the demographic social issues such as minority incarceration and family separation dynamics, that is far to big a discussion at this point.

0
0

[–] tex ago  (edited ago)

Benign drugs like alcohol or marijuana should be legal. Drugs that people will kill for should be illegal but the penalty should be rehab, jail for repeat offenders, and not a lengthy prison sentence. Everyone should be allowed to buy any legal drug from a pharmacy without a prescription. For antibiotics, the price should be set prohibitively high to discourage unnecessary use with reduced prices for people with proof of an infection.

0
0

[–] Emrico1 ago 

Decriminalisation has worked well for Portugal. the next step to legalisation with all anti drug funding moved to treatment and harm reduction services would improve the US hugely.

[–] [deleted] 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

[Deleted]

0
1

[–] Pwib 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

How would throwing those people in prison benefit anyone?

[–] [deleted] ago 

[Deleted]

0
0

[–] Emrico1 ago 

You're right in the fact that tobacco and alcohol being legal makes for a hypocritical failing system. People will mess themselves up on whatever legal or not and prison does not help the problem. At all.

0
0

[–] Pwib ago 

Of course. The Drug War literally has no good results, and hurts so many Americans.

load more comments ▼ (11 remaining)