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5 years of drug decriminalisation in Portugal (pg. 2)
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| Capitalizt |
| If the government legalized and started farming marijuana, then released it with a tax that brought the price up to near black market levels, they would make a ton of money. The stuff must only cost $5/oz to make, yet they could sell it for 20X that amount. Combine the tax with the huge savings from not incarcerating users and dealers, and our budget deficit would be history. The cost would still be too prohibitive for children and most adults to use very often so complaints should be minimal. It would still be a casual indulgence for most..and like magneton says, it is pretty damn harmless especially when you compare it with the most widely used legal drug, alcohol. |
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| secked |
| quote: | Originally posted by Q5echo
ok, but i only see numbers reflecting a decline, albeit slight, in 13-15 yr olds and 16-18 yr. olds. the 60% increase in total addicts is among all ages.
i can give you similar numbers among grade schoolers here in America and we've done squat to de-criminalize anything
that article isn't telling the whole story |
I think that money saved from prosecuting people for possession and then holding them in a box for several years would be far better spent not only providing "free" substance rehabilitation programs [as per the article] but also completely reforming the D.A.R.E. program or something to the effect. The massive cultural stigma on substance abuse isn't completely unwarranted, but it also has the annoying factor of casting illusions and half-truths about drugs, not to mention unnecessary fears. Yes, it's completely realistic to consider that some substances are truly harmful to people and I am also leery about fully decriminalising things like meth and heroin, but a thorough, nationally-supported drug education program for all levels of school would do a lot of good if implemented right (yeah, I know...). People should know the ins and outs of what they are putting in their bodies, what to expect, what's a ing myth, and most importantly, what sorts of devastating harm certain chemicals can rack upon your body if used/abused.
What's NOT ok - and hasn't been for quite some time - is having a ing COP, of all people, come into your 5th grade class once a week to tell you all sorts of tales about the dangers of teenage marijuana use (and that's all). . People, as a whole, are not "mature", but you cannot expect an iota of maturity from a populace you systematically mislead and then punish. |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by secked
I think that money saved from prosecuting people for possession and then holding them in a box for several years would be far better spent not only providing "free" substance rehabilitation programs [as per the article] but also completely reforming the D.A.R.E. program or something to the effect. The massive cultural stigma on substance abuse isn't completely unwarranted, but it also has the annoying factor of casting illusions and half-truths about drugs, not to mention unnecessary fears. Yes, it's completely realistic to consider that some substances are truly harmful to people and I am also leery about fully decriminalising things like meth and heroin, but a thorough, nationally-supported drug education program for all levels of school would do a lot of good if implemented right (yeah, I know...). People should know the ins and outs of what they are putting in their bodies, what to expect, what's a ing myth, and most importantly, what sorts of devastating harm certain chemicals can rack upon your body if used/abused. |
first off, i'm all for dramatic de-criminalization of weed at all levels of government but that quickly becomes a federalist issue and i'm not going to waste my energy here making that case.
that said, everyone here keeps focusing on the econonomic outcomes of prosecuting or not prosecuting a "war on drugs", and thats great and all, but no one wants to address the human impact of de-criminalizing narcotics. ignore it at your peril, i say. |
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| DJ Shibby |
| Seeking treatment for drug addiction is a very positive thing. |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by DJ Shibby
Seeking treatment for drug addiction is a very positive thing. |
i totally agree...for the individual. but we're not talking about the individual. |
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| secked |
| quote: | Originally posted by Q5echo
first off, i'm all for dramatic de-criminalization of weed at all levels of government but that quickly becomes a federalist issue and i'm not going to waste my energy here making that case.
that said, everyone here keeps focusing on the econonomic outcomes of prosecuting or not prosecuting a "war on drugs", and thats great and all, but no one wants to address the human impact of de-criminalizing narcotics. ignore it at your peril, i say. |
Your fear is nearly palpable. |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by secked
Your fear is nearly palpable. |
your insight is nearly relevant |
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| secked |
| Ah yes, fear is only relevant when other people react with it. |
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| Q5echo |
| quote: | Originally posted by secked
Ah yes, fear is only relevant when other people react with it. |
listen Jim Cunningham, don't you have a kiddie porn dungeon to rebuild or something? |
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| secked |
Yea, but I have at least 2 decades before the comet gets here.
It's ok to cry, cue-five. I just wanted you to know that. |
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| Spam |
| quote: | | Originally posted by Q5echo that said, everyone here keeps focusing on the econonomic outcomes of prosecuting or not prosecuting a "war on drugs", and thats great and all, but no one wants to address the human impact of de-criminalizing narcotics. ignore it at your peril, i say. |
Thousands of people who are labeled as 'criminals' will instead be able to remain free to do as they damn well please, while happily killing themselves with harmful drugs, but not bothering anyone else? |
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| Zharen |
| When I last checked, it wasn't a crime to destroy yourself. You got thousands if not millions of them doing just that with alcohol, cigarettes, and prescription drugs. I find it hypocritical that the government can say, "Well these drugs are okay to take (Vicodin, Adderall, Oxycontin), but you can't do these ones, that's for your own safety!" |
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