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comment by shoe77
shoe77  ·  4602 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: War on Drugs ( in spirit of the "holiday")
I'll play "devil's advocate"for a moment and bring up these common rebuttals: 1. Weed is the gateway drug to others. Does that mean we should legalize cocaine, shrooms and other abusive substances? When is the line drawn? 2. Weed could bring about new dangers such as high-and-driving 3. Can lead to a higher population of users starting at a younger age. Thoughts?




winston  ·  4602 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Legalize it all. If heroine were legal, I still wouldn't use it but why should I care if someone that already does use it can now do so legally, safely and without threat of imprisonment? I don't think because it's no longer illegal you will see more children using hard drugs or even more adults. People that want to use drugs do, regardless of it's legality. Drugs are easy to get.
speeding_snail  ·  4601 days ago  ·  link  ·  
    If heroine were legal, I still wouldn't use it but why should I care if someone that already does use it can now do so legally, safely and without threat of imprisonment?

I think most people think this way. You can still campaign against hard drugs, such that most people will still think it is a bad thing. This way you keep the drugs out of the underground economy and work to reduce use. You might even entertain the possibility of compulsory registration when buying hard drugs. If you keep the prices low, already users will not complain about having to register, but new users will be repelled by the prospect of having to register just to use a certain drug. And you'll have a register with most users, which you can use to contact them and give them a go at rehab.

winston  ·  4601 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I like the idea of registering. I also like the idea of it still being illegal if it isn't registered. There are so many ways to handle this better, we all know it. I think mk is right that the special interest groups are really what hold up reform, not the electorate.
dublinben  ·  4601 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Not to mention that people regularly abuse plenty of legal drugs (tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, prescriptions, etc.) and there is no outcry to ban them. We can either trust adults to make this decision, or we can't.
winston  ·  4601 days ago  ·  link  ·  
We can either trust adults to make this decision, or we can't. My sentiments exactly.
The-GentIeman  ·  4601 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I know your playing devils advocate but I still don't understand why people lump psychedelics with harder drugs.

Mushrooms are currently being used as possible treatments to depression, anxiety, and cluster headaches. Studies have shown that people have had a mushrooms trip have a more positive outlook on life. There is no physical addiction, it is one of the least "damaging" physically or mentally and mentally you find yourself straying away from doing it again for awhile. I'd say that is the complete opposite of abusive, possibly even beneficial :)

http://www.miqel.com/clusterheadaches/cluster-head-mushroom.... http://disregardeverythingisay.tumblr.com/post/18459413267/s... http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/health/story/2012-...

winston  ·  4601 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Lumping them all together makes no sense, but then nothing about the current policy really does. Tobacco and alcohol remain legal despite our knowledge that both cause more deaths than Marijuana or psychotropic drugs. It's flat out stupid and illogical but then, most people are stupid and illogical too. Sorry, this topic brings out the cynic in me.