UK Drug policy?

Question

At the moment the UK’s Illegal drug trade is worth £4.6bn.
The cost to the UK to police it, insurance for criminal damage and lost work hours is between £12 to 18bn.

Its predicted that 55% of property crime is related to fundraising to buy illegal drugs.

Why do we spend so much money trying to change something that CAN NOT be changed?

The price of 1 kg of cocaine is £1,000 in Columbia, but its £30,000 over here, those profits result in international criminal gangs taking over, more crime, more human trafficking etc

The police says that its best efforts do not change the market that much. They have been taking more and more drugs off the streets, but the prices keep getting cheaper.

In 2004/5
4.65 million ecstasy tables were confiscated. But you can still but them from £2-5 each.
83 tonnes of cannabis and 88,000 plants were confiscated, but the price has not changed.

Are we ever going to make this legal, tax it and stick drug abusers in rehab rather than prison?

In Holland, there are fewer drug users than in most of Europe, so putting it on a shelf with a price tag will not make people go running to the shops.

When will people stop panicking about this taboo subject and start making policies that will not waist public money?

Simon : You can confiscate all the property and money you can get your hands on. Still will not stop the trade of these drugs. its not possible, unless we have a BB state.

The governments that let these people produce the drugs, well you just have to look at the attitude of the French police when they willing let hundreds of people jump on trucks and train heading to Britain.

They didn't want those people in their town, but they were not going to waste tax payers money stopping the migration of people from somewhere to England, they think England should police itself, being an Island does not make you invulnerable

PS : Britain has cracked down one its own crime gangs so well that there is now a power vacuum that foreigners’ are more than willing to fill.

If you don't make it a crime, then criminals can't profit from it.

shannow :

People take, recreational drugs (inc alcohol and nicotine) for various reasons - social, religious, etc.

Some people have said that drugs make them feel good, help them relax or perk up for a particular event.

If you feel that your are not able to answer this question. Then please feel free not to leave a comment.

Regards.

Answer 1

I'm also in favour of total legalisation. Prohibition never works, it just makes a lot of money for the black market. It makes a lot of work for the authorities and police resources could be better spent elsewhere.
People who have no interest on drugs won't start. And lets face it if your life is so cr@p that heroin seems a good idea, it would be better to give you a clean supply and clean needles and let you get on with it. But turning you into a criminal is insane.
Alcoholics aren't seen as criminals until they damage someone else, it should be the same for drug users.

Answer 2

I don't know much about the UK. Here in America, we also have this problem. They can't even get em out of prisons. To tell you the truth, the only reason alcohol was brought back into the markets, is because of the violence and the dangers that occured during it's prohibition. You'll also see that many drugs that became illegal, was made illegal because of racism, yellow journalism, and fear. It was big with Harry Anslinger in the 1920-30s. Because these drugs became illegal, they became more dangerous. The war on drugs also sparked the alot of the violence you see today. But people still believe in giving more of their hard working tax money and everyone elses, to stop these drugs. It will never happen and they won't win. Closing the borders will just bring the domestic drug lords into profit, and more violence will occur. Plus legalization can also help herion users. They'll know how much tar they are recieving, instead of hoping they are getting the right amount and not over dosing. Ecstasy hurts no one but the user and I believe they can do what they want to their own bodies so long as they don't hurt any body else.

-More lives have been lost with alcohol and tobacco then any other drugs. Asprin has killed more then Marijuana.

Answer 3

The answer to the drug problems is so simple..!.-Decriminalize all drugs. 2.-Every county in the U.S.(for
example) has a county health office. Make each health office stock pile all types of drugs, to be given, free of charge to anyone who comes in and wants something.
3.-Require the person seeking a drug to do it while at the health office.and remain there until he is sober. (This way he can be attended to by the health professionals,should he overdose.) 4.- With-in two years,most of the hard core drug users would be DEAD. The rest would be in rehab. The drugs would have no "Street Value" because they are free to anyone, at the health office. Therefore without the profit, the drug dealer would be out of business..

Too "over the top" you think...the only other answer to the drug problem would be to allow the police to execute, on the spot, anyone caught with drugs.. Either system would work, the free drugs system would just be less bloody.

Answer 4

You bring up some very good points. For starters I agree that heavy drug abusers should go to rehab and try to get straight. I would personally like to see drugs to be legal because they would much cleaner than the nasty **** you get on the streets. You may have to pay a bit more for it but it will be clean and it will dramatically cut drug related deaths. Aslo schools should rather talk about the effects of different drugs and what actions you should take when someone has overdosed rather than condemning it

Answer 5

My opinion is that all drugs, Class A, B and C should be available on the NHS and prescribed as such by the NHS to drug users. As much as 80% of crime in certain areas are committed by drug users trying to fund their drug addiction.

However, that being said, I still am of the opinion that illegal drug dealers other than those proscribed by law should be imprisoned. I think that a doctor should make the decision as to dosage with another doctor to coroborate the decision and that any application of the drug should take place in designated clinics (So as to prevent them from using them in public places or places where vulnerable people have access).

Whilst doing this, they can receive the drugs for free on the NHS BUT that they are required to attend drug rehabilitation courses and support groups to help wean them off the drugs entirely, providing training and help to find them a better path to walk than that of drugs.

50 years of the current drug policy has shown that it is not working and we need a radical rethink of it. We need fresh ideas and we need them to work.

Answer 6

Tey're never going 2 tax anything.Or,make it legal.The government is making way more money off the bust.However,I'd totally agree w/m legalizing any of that.Besides,I agree that they're so wasting their time.4 every 1 dealer they put away,2 more takes their place.As long as yur not selling 2 our children.If yur a legal adult & not hurting anybody but yurself...they shuld but out.Besides,if the law enforcement agencies wuld spend as much time trying 2 put away the rapist,child molesters,ect,as they do people 4 drugs.We may live in a safer place!!!!!

Answer 7

Legalization seems to make sense but please hesitate before embracing it completely. Don't forget that many drugs are MUCH MUCH more addictive than, lets say, alcohol. Will legalization bring the price down? Almost certainly. Will it decrease property crime associated with funding drug habits? Almost certainly. BUT, is it ethical for a government to say heroin is legal, its ok to use. When that government knows that heroin, crack, meth, addiction can wreck a person, his family, friends, etc? Also public intoxication and Driving Intoxicated on drugs will almost certainly increase if legalization occurs.
Just think about it before you embrace it.

Answer 8

Look the rest of the world needs to look at ways to deal
with getting rid of the drug crops themselves, then moving
onto the illegal immigrants which run the drug trades,
followed by a systemic approach which includes the
complete removal of all assets money and property
from the Kingpins, there are no other alternatives to this....

Legalising this only makes it propogate more, this is not
the same as alcohol, and lots of lives are lost due to the
drug trade, they need to find workable solutions to cross
country and world policing, that tracks assets across
borders and siezes them, the same goes for the pimps,
dealers and property owners, cars are a good way to
find people involved in drug crime...................................

A lot of their money goes into non-negotiable instruments,
business's, find the fronts and sieze the assets this will
then bring in the funds lost by policing these people
involved in organised crime, use the Rico method, and
be very firm...................................................................

legalise the small stuff, no, this leads to the bigger things...

Answer 9

In the Ideal world we should be allowed to abuse our bodies with hard drugs if we want to.
I choose not to.
But I deeply resent the fact that someone is lording it over me and takes away that Human right.
I think cars should be banned, but can you imagine the mayhem if a government actually tried to enforce such a ridiculous law?
In truth the drugs trade is legal alive and kicking, but controled. its the people operating outside of the control that you are refering too.
Take away the power from the controlers.

Answer 10

Neither drugs should be legalized. End the War on Drugs.