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Can anyone give me a reason AGAINST legalising drugs?

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mikeyd85

No. I was offered every drug under the sun when I was in my teens. I smoked weed often, took mushrooms maybe 6 times and LSD once. The rest I've never touched, even though they were freely available to me at the time. Why? Because I just didn't want them.

Ok, but that's just one case. Even if every 9 out of 10 people are as strong willed as you, thats still tens of thousands of teenagers out there getting hooked.

Reply 81

tripleeagle

What about the effects on the non-drug-taking members of the public? Wouldn't they innocently suffer from other people's indulgences? Drug-driving accidents, the same social problems as binge-drinking and passive drug-taking...

I'm not against or for legalising drugs yet because I've not done any research. I'm just mentioning a point which I'd love to hear your answer to in order to :yep:

Reply 82

Boiled Hippo

Courtney Love is a reason against the legalisation of drugs.

But seriously "I'm glad mushrooms are against the law, because I took them one time, and you know what happened to me? I laid in a field of green grass for four hours going, "My God! I love everything." Yeah, now if that isn't a hazard to our country … how are we gonna justify arms dealing when we realize that we're all one?"

Reply 83

username234673

py0alb

Ok, but that's just one case. Even if every 9 out of 10 people are as strong willed as you, thats still tens of thousands of teenagers out there getting hooked.

TBH, there are a lot of people out there who are similar to this. You'll find that a lot of weed smokers only smoke weed and wouldn't touch anything else. It'd be an interesting survey tbh.

Reply 84

username234673

tripleeagle

Honestly, given that drugs are so prevalent these days, I wouldn't think it'd change much than what we already have.

Reply 85

pamelaa

Levels of crime will rise.

Reply 86

A for Andromeda

Because alot of drugs are dangerous and addictive (don't see how that isn't a valid point). As for cigaretts they not really that dangerous and they probably would be illegal if it came into the market today.

Reply 87

sally12379823

Shook

Of course overdosing is how the majority die, that's not a surprise.

Let me get this straight - by making it easier for addicts to take heroin... they will overdose less? There is literally no logic in that argument. Also, do you really think that addicts are going to start getting jobs and paying mortgages just because the drug is legal? No, they will still shoot up with dirty needles and their lives won't change... apart from ending sooner.

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to say here!

On your first point, that's not just overdosing, that heroin being contaminated with other substances.

Secondly, yes allowing heroin addicts to shoot up in a safe environment will prevent overdoses. You can not understand the logic as you don't seem very educated in this area. Allowing heroin addicts to shoot up in clinics can allow them to recieve medical attention if they do overdose. Example in Canada where nobody has died in the clinic despite 100s of overdoses.

Also, I don't believe people have problems because of drug abuse, I believe it is more the case that people who have problems abuse drugs.

And the last point was trying to say that due to people using a legal drug in methadrone, less people used cocaine, resulting in less deaths. Therefore drugs being legal in that case resulted in less deaths.

Reply 88

Azog 150

OMGWTFBBQ

1. Will lead to an increase in their use, and therefore an increase in the strain on the NHS to cope with overuse/related issues.

How do you know this? If Portugal is anything to go by, they experienced a decrease in all drug use except a slight rise in marijuana use after they decriminalised the use of all drugs.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html

2. If soft drugs are legalised, harder drugs will seem 'less hard' and so will be used more (see point 1)

You have absolutely nothing to back this up. People are going to know crack and heroin (for example) are horrendous whether or not they are legal.

3. Effect on the public (both passively in second hand smoke and indirectly in increased public disorder as with binge drinking)

If you are talking about marijuana, they could have designated marijuana cafes like they do in Amsterdam. You wouldn't be able to just spark a spliff in a pub for example.

As for increased public disorder, again, nothing to back this up. If anything it would have the opposite effect. you think a bunch of stoned people are going to start causing trouble?

Crack or something is a different matter. But drug use in public places could still be illegal the same way drinking is.

I think the public disorder caused by organised crime and street dealers is far worse- and that would be stopped if they were legal or decriminalised

4. Induced mental issues can lead to break up of families and a waste of a (state funded) education and a job, which is both an economic and personal waste. This will also further "Broken Britain".

Once again, nothing to back this up (I am guessing you are referring to cannabis). There have been no conclusive studies linking cannabis use to mental health disorders. It is thought that 1 in 10,000 Cannabis users may expierience some kind of mental health side effect. Not very much and its not even proven.

5. Lack of self control, people will binge.

People do that already.

All of your arguments revolve around myths and you have nothing to back up any of your claims. on the other hand, Portugal has proven that decriminalisation doesn't lead to an increase of drug use. The opposite in fact.

Have fun reading the Daily Mail

Reply 89

.captainsarah

Spetznaaz

This is the reality of the situation. Yes, drugs can **** up peoples lives, but as i have said, the biggest harms caused by drugs are caused by their illegality.

Fair dos about people getting murdered, beaten up etc by drug dealers/gangs/whatever, but I doubt that you'll only get schizophrenia or go mental and jump off a building if you're doing something illegally.

People still die of liver failure through being alcoholics, alcohol is legal.
People still die of lung cancer through smoking, smoking is legal. Just because it's legal doesn't mean people will do it in moderation or that it's harmless - infact, some people will think it is less harmful now it's legal, and then blame the government/NHS/shops for selling them something that has harmed them. Not everyone has an IQ as high as yours, some people need protecting from themselves.

Also, if drugs are made legal, then some people will then be looking for that next illegal high - half the fun of underage drinking or smoking weed (if you're not an addict) is the chance of being caught. If that gets taken away, then what will they try next?

Reply 90

Dante786

Addzter

All drugs.

All drugs no way.

Legalisation of cannabis makes sense, since its less dangerous than alcohol

Reply 91

username234673

pamelaa

Levels of crime will rise.

Considering that millions of people a year smoke weed on a regular basis - I doubt that. :wink:

Reply 92

Spetznaaz

pamelaa

Levels of crime will rise.

How exactly?

99% of drug related crime is due to addicts who need the money for their fix. That also makes up a massive amount of crime in general like theft, muggings etc.

If heroin addicts could to a special centre were they would get their heroin for free and shoot up there among medically trained staff, they wouldn't need to rob people for their fix.

Plus, it costs a lot less to build these centres, buy the heroin and pay for the staff, than it costs the economy in the crime created by heroin addicts.

Also, another point i forgot to add in my first post - people do not see the effects of prohibition in country's such as Mexico. So many innocent people killed as a direct result of prohibition. Research it, and then tell me you agree with prohibition and these innocent lives were an acceptable loss..

Reply 93

dhjana

Naffy

All drugs no way.

Legalisation of cannabis makes sense, since its less dangerous than alcohol

And every other drug is less destructive then alcohol, bar cigarettes.

Reply 94

pamelaa

mikeyd85

Considering that millions of people a year smoke weed on a regular basis - I doubt that. :wink:

The OP said drugs, not weed.
The thought of any government trying to legalise drugs like cocaine is disgusting to me,

Reply 95

username234673

pamelaa

The OP said drugs, not weed

Weed is a drug. Also, millions take drugs on a regular basis, so I still think you'd be wrong there. :p:

Reply 96

py0alb

mikeyd85

Honestly, given that drugs are so prevalent these days, I wouldn't think it'd change much than what we already have.

That's a very naive world view. It seems strangely common among those who regularly buy weed off a dealer and find it easy to get drugs to think that everyone else in the country would find it similarly straighforward and problem free "if they were so inclined". They also seem to think that because they pride themselves on their drug knowledge, that everyone else in the country wouldn't get taken in. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you, but thousands upon thousands of people still take it up every year. They don't seem to understand basic market economic principles of supply and demand.

For some reason they seem to think that whoever it was that took up the dealers' mantle to legally peddle drugs would be any more scrupulous than the current dealers. How long do you think it would take for the big pharmaceutical companies to figure out that their best sales strategy would be to get people hooked on the most addictive drugs possible? About 3 seconds? You think they would put the public interest over their own profit margins? Get real.

Nobody has thought this through with a clear mind. The reason no government has ever legalised hard drugs is because it would be an unmitigated disaster for everyone except the drug companies, leading to thousands of deaths, and a collapsed economy.

Reply 97

Shook

sally12379823

On your first point, that's not just overdosing, that heroin being contaminated with other substances.

Secondly, yes allowing heroin addicts to shoot up in a safe environment will prevent overdoses. You can not understand the logic as you don't seem very educated in this area. Allowing heroin addicts to shoot up in clinics can allow them to recieve medical attention if they do overdose. Example in Canada where nobody has died in the clinic despite 100s of overdoses.

Also, I don't believe people have problems because of drug abuse, I believe it is more the case that people who have problems abuse drugs.

And the last point was trying to say that due to people using a legal drug in methadrone, less people used cocaine, resulting in less deaths. Therefore drugs being legal in that case resulted in less deaths.

You're missing the point though - very few will start going to clinics and start taking heroin there... and these only help addicts. Do you think teenagers who want a drug-fuelled weekend are going to go to a clinic to shoot up safely? Get real!

I agree, problems in life lead to drug abuse, but making them legal will just invite young people to try, and most likely get hooked, on hard drugs. Mephedrone is a perfect example and pretty much displayed how they cannot control themselves.

As for your last point, whilst some cocaine users may have switched to the legal alternative, I would bet that there were more people who previously used neither, became users. Not to mention the fact that Mephedrone can lead to harder drugs with higher potential deaths.

Reply 98

Dream Weaver

Addzter

-We'd be taking the money made from the drugs out of the hands of criminals and into the economy.

because instead of criminals spending the money, thus helping the economy, they just burn it instead?
:rolleyes:

Reply 99

Spetznaaz

py0alb

Nobody has thought this through with a clear mind. The reason no government has ever legalised hard drugs is because it would be an unmitigated disaster for everyone except the drug companies, leading to thousands of deaths, and a collapsed economy.

I have to go out so can't give the long reply i wanted.. but:

I can assure you i, and many others with these opinions, have thought this through with a very clear mind. That is simply not the reason why drugs are not legal. Research it, then you won't be talking about something you know **** all about, to people like myself, who know exactly what we are talking about..

Again, this is not the reason, not by any long shot is it even close.