Do you think that any, or all drugs should be illegal?

Question

In other words, do you think it's ok for the Government to try and control what substances I, or anyone else, chooses to put into their body for whatever reason, or do you think that there should be a freedom of choice with what we do to ourselves?

Answer 1

illegality has not worked. it has provided enormous profits for criminal gangs and led to murders and war in producer countries. it has also meant profit, tainted drugs, murder amongst dealers, crime to support a habit and social misery in the wealthy west.

it is clearly time to decriminalise at the very least (likein amsterdam) and legalisation should be considered too.

Answer 2

The problem has two sides- one is what you do to yourself, the other what you do (or might do) to others while under the influence.

IMO assuming you are an adult you should be able to use what you want and how you want. This is because if you are an adult you can decide on the fate of your country (by voting) and theres no reason why you should not be able to decide on your own fate. After all, suicide is legal.

In the above scenario, all drugs are available in a licensed shop and sold after proof of age level has been provided. the drugs are produced in legal, licensed workshops and are certified by the FDA (or whatever other bureau applies) like any other product for medical use or consumption. A byproduct of such a policy would be that illegal dope dealers would go bankrupt

BUT:
re-sale to a minor means jail
Being caught while intoxicated (DUI, etc) means loss of job, driving license and loss of voting rights. There should be a "legal" level established, but crossing it should be severely punished. This means also that many businesses would _have to_ test their employees, and would apply to alcohol just as well as to coke or any other intoxicating or dependecy substance

Recovery of full rights would be possible, eg. after "staying clean" for a full year (with say a test every week or two

why?
because a drunken surgeon or a stoned out surgeon mean the same danger. And a bank manager on acids can make life hell for his customers. A bunch of stoned out voters also cannot make a lucid decision on government issues

So- use it for yourself? sure, why not. But only so long as no one else is endangered

Answer 3

Surely the laws against drugs are there to protect society from the effects of individuals taking them, ie. heroin addicts with no money breaking into a house to fund their habit. It's a sliding scale, smokers cost our NHS SO much money every year, as do the perpertrators of alcohol fuelled violence and those drugs are not illegal. Cannabis and alcohol both have medicinal properties, does that negate their negative effects on society? The fact of the matter is most people who want something can find it. I think that drugs should be reclassified, I think that the way people 'move up' to higher drugs, particularly the young, could be halted with more defined groups of drugs. I also think that people should have an easy way of testing drugs to check their purity, without worry of prosecution or confiscation. If they're gonna take it anyway, surely it'd be better to reduce the risk of them ending up in casualty??

Answer 4

The biggest issue surrounding drugs in this country is the underworld and crime associated with them. Although I do agree that making the use of drugs legal would perhaps reinforce the idea that taking drugs is somehow "okay" i do think that legalising with strict control would help to improve the "drug culture!". Countries like Holland which have a relaxed drug culture (yet strictly monitor and regulate the provision of these substances) has altogther much few problems- less related crime, less dependant addicts and is safer in terms of the actual substances available and the ways of obtaining them.
So, in short, I agree that we should be able to use drugs if we wish, but I would have no issues with the state restricting this use and monitoring it.

Answer 5

Drugs like Marijuana, Cocaine, Extacy, etc. have no use for the health of any person so I'm guessing the government should stop the importing of these certain drugs which can kill a person, when overdosed.

Anti-Biotics are also a kind of drug, however, that should also be prescribed by a doctor before usage, especially the kinds that can be harmful if taken too much.

A question to any drug users, Are the drugs mentioned (marijuana, cocaine, extacy...) helping you live or is it just making you stress-free when you couldv'e done that WITHOUT it?

My opinion, I'd rather live HEALTHY than DIE with something with no use at all. It's just a waste of money, that the money couldv'e been used for food, housing, bills and TAXES! Why waste your life when you can do something meaningful?

Answer 6

well, depends. what are we talkin about here? see if you're askin about pot... . well, it's just unreasonable that the government presupposes any right to regulate a plant with mystical properties. on the other hand, i rather like the idea of controlling things like Thalidomide. even there an outright ban would have prevented it's use as an anti-inflammatory and an aid in dealing with leprosy.

and any thinking adult can understand the devastating effects on the community and society as a whole of things like crack, or crank (methamphetamine); some will be old enough to remember the tragedy of Quaalude addiction in the seventies, the diet pill craze (of the 70s as well) and i fully understand that many americans, for one reason or another, indeed cannot think for themselves.

if you want to waste your life in senseless drug use, that's fine with me. i really don't care; it's your body, your life. where i start having problems is when your selfish interests start affecting me and mine, when your addictions impact negatively on the community, on society. i call your attention to crack babies, and children born addicted to meth. how can any advanced culture tolerate such?

Answer 7

I think all drugs should be illegal because although it could be argued that it is taking peoples freedom of choice away would you really want class A drugs available all over the place? People would be injecting in the middle of the street. I would not want my children to see something like that.

Answer 8

Drugs affect different people differently. We hear about individuals dying from taking ecstasy and getting mental diseases from smoking marijuana plus many other effects. If these and other drugs were legal (to a degree), surely this would create an environment, where drugs can be tested openly and their effects accurately discovered and recorded. Then governments can make decisions based on scientific facts rather than heresay.

Answer 9

Yes I think drugs should be illegal. Because some people don't have enough brains to stop at just a little they take so much that they kill themself. Or hurt other people the only drug I think should be legal is marjuana. I used to smoke it years ago and my friends and family still do and this drug does not make you voilent like alot of the others do.

Answer 10

I agree that drugs should be legal, but not for the same reasons as you. yeah sure people should be able to do what they want to themselves, but I want to see the government leagalize drugs and then control the distribution of them, through registered user centers, plus tax the hell out of them, eliminate the black market and the price is going to go down, make up the difference in taxes.

Answer 11

No, i do not think that ALL drugs should be illegal. Marijuana is a natural plant and is very helpfull in arthritis, cancer treatment side effects and many more. It is a wonder drug and has been around and used for centuries...and NO you cannot get hooked on it..if you do not ABUSE it. All drugs can become habit forming...when you abuse it. Hard drugs should be illegal..because YOU WILL GET HOOKED on them., so my advise is: Be clever, stay away and be smart..DO NOT ABUSE ANY DRUGS..even over the counter drugs..especially aspirin.