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It is not just about harm it causes. It is about how effective a ban would be. Banning drugs, especially drugs with a short history will be relatively effective in reducing usage.

Banning alcohol, as shown in America, would not be effective. It is too culturally accepted that the law would not be respected. It is too widely used and far to easy to make at home.
do you know what? I've said this a billion times over, but the fact that *weed* is illegal and alcohol is legal is beyond a joke :lol: I've almost killed myself a bunch of times due to alcohol but from weed the worst thing that happened to me was that I fell asleep inconveniently. the same applies to magic mushrooms and LSD - all they made me do was get my mind blown by listening to music! have you ever heard of a person ruining their lives from lsd or magic mushrooms?
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by JordanL_
The Conservatives have made illegal a huge amount of drugs, some potentially safe and useful, in a single blanket ban. This is supposedly due to the cost to society of these drugs.

Why are we banning drugs that kill less than a hundred people a year between them for their cost to society? Surely we should be banning alcohol, which caused over 6000 deaths in 2012 and costs the NHS £3.5 BILLION a year.

I really can't fathom how the cost to society can be used to justify banning drugs when it's a normal occurrence for people to binge drink every week.


Pfft, silly OP

Why ban alcohol when you can just ban idiots?
Original post by Josb
You're serious?


If the Government's argument against decriminalization and legalization is based on health effects, then there are plenty of other substances which they should concentrate on and which they have made no strides to curb.

Personally, I'm a big fan of personal responsibility and limited state influence but we can't have an inconsistent approach that stems from big money subverting the values of our society.

If corporations like Coca-Cola and Kraft dominated the drugs industry like it does the drinks and food industries respectively, you can bet your bottom dollar that it would be legalized in an instant.



The fault also lies with our government, being money hungry. Instead of trying to limit unhealthy practices for the betterment of society, they seem to want to simply cream off the top to fill their coffers.
Reply 24
Original post by ShannyMorrison
I know two schizophrenics and both of them ended up in that state because of drugs.


'The main psychological triggers of schizophrenia are stressful life events, such as a bereavement, losing your job or home, a divorce or the end of a relationship, or physical, sexual, emotional or racial abuse. These kinds of experiences, though stressful, do not cause schizophrenia, but can trigger its development in someone already vulnerable to it.Drugs do not directly cause schizophrenia, but studies have shown drug misuse increases the risk of developing schizophrenia or a similar illness.Certain drugs, particularly cannabis, cocaine, LSD or amphetamines, may trigger symptoms of schizophrenia in people who are susceptible. Using amphetamines or cocaine can lead to psychosis and can cause a relapse in people recovering from an earlier episode.'

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Causes.aspx
Original post by TheArtofProtest
The Government should also ban fast-food places


The psychoactive substances bill must surely ban fast-food places? That stuff is full of non-exempt substances.
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Reply 26
Just because some people dont know how to drink in moderation, why ban it for the rest of us. Adults have a responsibility for themselves, they're made aware of the facts that it can kill them and yet they go out of control. It's 21st Century Natural Selection at it's finest!
Original post by ShannyMorrison

I've yet to hear of anyone becoming schizophrenic, bi polar or hallucinate because of a vodka and coke. I know two schizophrenics and both of them ended up in that state because of drugs.


Alcohol is a common cause of psychotic disorders or episodes, which may occur through acute intoxication, chronic alcoholism, withdrawal, exacerbation of existing disorders, or acute idiosyncratic reactions.[3] Research has shown that alcohol abuse causes an 8-fold increased risk of psychotic disorders in men and a 3 fold increased risk of psychotic disorders in women.[6][7] While the vast majority of cases are acute and resolve fairly quickly upon treatment and/or abstinence, they can occasionally become chronic and persistent.[3] Alcoholic psychosis is sometimes misdiagnosed as another mental illness such as schizophrenia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance-induced_psychosis

Original post by ShannyMorrison

It's also easier to die of a drug related overdose than drink related overdose. I'm not saying drink related overdosed don't happen but they aren't half as common as drug related ones. I'm sure I don't have to explain that one any further.


(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by TheArtofProtest
The Government should also ban fast-food places, nationalize biscuit/sweets/chocolate companies and have a total ban on sugar to reduce the obesity epidemic that is ravaging the UK.


Utter rubbish. The purpose of government is not to hand hold you through life and take away personal liberty. That's a combination of nannying and fascism.

You are supposed to be able to make responsible decisions for yourself - and just because you are weak willed or incompetent should not require Big Brother government to overtax or ban everything for other people.

This idea that government is supposed to do everything for you and create an ant colony mentality is an anathema to human nature.

That's a long winded way of saying people need to grow up.
Reply 30
Original post by SophieSmall
The government makes far far more money on tax from alcohol than it does spending money on NHS alcohol related problems. So cost to the government is a pointless argument against alcohol.


Not true, evidence please.
i went to some 'alcohol and society' lecture and the speaker was showing how over the years all type of illnesses have decreased and take less lives now including Heart disease and cancer
all except liver disease, which has been increasing over the years matching the increase in alcohol consumption in the uk:s-smilie:
Original post by Zargabaath


There is a major difference between alcohol (and smoking) and most other recreational drugs, legal or otherwise, and that's incidence rates of use. Most drugs that get banned are used by few people, you nip it in the bud before it becomes bigger. Alcohol and tobacco are already big, which makes it a hell of a lot harder to get rid of, we all know how well prohibition went after all.

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Original post by Jammy Duel
There is a major difference between alcohol (and smoking) and most other recreational drugs, legal or otherwise, and that's incidence rates of use. Most drugs that get banned are used by few people, you nip it in the bud before it becomes bigger. Alcohol and tobacco are already big, which makes it a hell of a lot harder to get rid of, we all know how well prohibition went after all.

Posted from TSR Mobile


yeah and right after that failed the same resources were used to criminalize and target the already widespread use of weed. Throw in a bit of racism against Mexicans and sorted.

Also is there any evidence that it does nip it in the bud?
Original post by Legit
Not true, evidence please.


Can't attatch links on my phone.

But seriously just Google it, it literally takes 5 seconds.
Original post by Jammy Duel
There is a major difference between alcohol (and smoking) and most other recreational drugs, legal or otherwise, and that's incidence rates of use. Most drugs that get banned are used by few people, you nip it in the bud before it becomes bigger. Alcohol and tobacco are already big, which makes it a hell of a lot harder to get rid of, we all know how well prohibition went after all.

Posted from TSR Mobile


why bother though? why not let big people be big people (adults)?
also, I have used drugs safely for years (big person choices and all) yet I haven't damaged myself - why should the law brand me a criminal just because some other people are weak?
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 37
Yh alcohol should be banned it is one of the most destructive things in our society
We certainly should have consistency. Alcohol, tobacoo, fast food et al should all remain legal, the recently passed bill on drugs should be repealed, and currently illegal drugs like marijuana should be made legal.

This "ban everything harmful" and "won't someone please think of the children™" type of moral puritanism that's used to justify illiberal drug laws should have died out years ago.
Original post by JordanL_
Fair point about some being more dangerous, but I don't think it holds up. It's *normal* for drunken brawls to erupt on a Friday night. How is that any different from somebody having a bad trip? In fact, there are very few street drugs that lead to the type of aggression and poor decision making that alcohol does. Most of them are also a hell of a lot safer to take when driving. 3000 people/year are killed or seriously injured in drink driving accidents a year.

As for damage, I disagree. What makes schizophrenia worse than liver disease?

A lot of drugs aren't really more addictive than alcohol. Cannabis isn't physically addictive. Most of the "legal highs" banned by the new bill aren't addictive. Heroin is very addictive, but that's the exception rather than the rule.

Also a fair point about overdoses. But I'd argue that far fewer people would OD if they had access to a safe source of drugs and information on using them safely.


1. The drunken brawls aren't simply down to drink, they're down to those who drink and are stupid. It's the combination that's lethal. I've lost a few friends over my short life span, many of the attacks were actually by high folk not drunk folk. People who are pretty drunk lack the co-ordination to successfully murder someone 90% of the time. Violent people will be violent no matter what.

2. Okay, for you to ask why schizophrenia is worse than liver disease... I'm guessing you've never been personally affected by the illness and don't know what it actually is. I'm sorry but schizophrenia is one of the most horrible things on the face of the planet.

3. Heroine isn't the only exception though. LSD? Cocaine? As for cannabis not being addictive I know that's *******s. There was a UK Cannabis related death not so long ago in the press, feel free to look it up. As for addictiveness, my weed smoking friends themselves have admitted it's addictive but nearly everything is. Junk food, shopping, the internet, coffee, etc so before you think I'm picking holes for the sake of it I'm really not. I just think it's excessively addictive and dangerously so.

4. Safe source of drugs? No such thing.That in itself is a contradiction. Do you want a safe source of bleach? A safe source of tobacco? A safe internet virus?