For those who advocate legalizing drugs: Are there any drugs you think

[Skidmore]

should remain illegal? I concur the "War on Drugs" is not a good policy, but I struggle with the idea that there should not be limits of some sort on some drugs. What exactly would you propose?

[dkf]

1. I'm not an advocate of legalization but lately the guys on crystal meth are going crazy.

Car jacking, kidnapping and then getting shot and killed by our cops. It's crazy! Multiple incidences lately. I don't know what is going on.

[kestrel91316]

2. MJ and hash should be fully legal with no more restrictions than alcohol.

Harder drugs should perhaps be more closely regulated, but there is an argument to be made to just let people do whatever drugs they want, as much as they want, in a safe place and if they die, they die.

Risk of harm to others is a valid argument, but it doesn't keep Ol' Demon Rum from being legal.

[sarcasmo]

43. +1

[Tunkamerica]

3. thalidomide

nm, thats legal again

[think]

23. yikes....nt

[TexasProgresive]

4. Legalize all drugs and intruments of use

1) Sold at extremely low prices in government owned shops.
2) 10% of War on Drugs money spent on rehab centers where any one can receive quality treatment.
3) 10% of War on Drugs money spent on quality ad campaigns and education of the harm drugs such as heroin, cocaine and meth can do.
4) Hyped up funerals for those who die from drug use.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

20. Wouldn't the conservatives then just start screaming about "socialized drugs"?

:shrug:

[TexasProgresive]

44. This was my possible solution to ending the war on drugs

I imagine that few of any political stripe would support it.

[geckosfeet]

5. Assuming decent manufacturing standards, then laws similar to alcohol use would be

about all I would expect to see.

But you are right, it is somewhat easier to OD on drugs than alcohol. But again, if the dose was controlled and people knew what they were getting I suspect accidental overdoses would decline.

[AlabamaLibrul]

6. Yes

I would have to think of specific ones, but specifically compounds like para-methoxyamphetamine (PMA), a much much much more dangerous compound than MDMA, namely it can cause death without extenuating circumstances such as dehydration or overexertion, that has showed up from time to time in ecstasy tablets.

Things like that.

[Pharaoh]

7. yes

heroin

PCP and other very dangerous drugs

definitely make pot, mushrooms peyote and LSD legal. (for adults)

as well as coca leaves (not cocaine)

Many of these drugs are very enlightening and have positive psychological effects (including MDMA ecstasy)

when used under supervision with trained professionals.

they are certainly not any more harmful than tobacco and alcohol.

[poverlay]

18. Have you heard of this DMT(sp) stuff? I'm all for legalizing mj, and it's products, but I had to

help the neighbor kid when he kicked his way through his window at 2am and gashed his thigh about 10'' long and deep enough to come within a hair of the artery. All because of the hallucinations brought on by this DMT stuff. He spent half an hour when he got out of the hospital trying to convince me it was safe. Maybe it is physiologically, but if it makes you that stupid it should not be legal. I'm afraid too many people I know have his maturity and intelligence level and would have to be protected while they were taking such things..

[Pharaoh]

19. DMT is a natural substance

secreted by the pineal gland during birth, death and mystical experiences.

When you buy shit on the street you never know whats in it.

Ayahuasca, is a natural plant combination used in shamanic ritual which causes a natural release of DMT.

[eShirl]

42. funny, I've witnessed a drunken person do almost exactly the same thing

[Shiver]

8. Legalize everything.

Put it all in large, big box stores, with extremely high security and not enough parking. Require membership cards that anyone can get, like Sam's Club. And have only one cashier, run by a talkative old man who craves attention.

Soon, no one will bother.

[WheelWalker]

17. Thinking inside the box. There is merit.

[tekisui]

9. No, there are none that should be illegal.

They should all be regulated, as we do with tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs.

Addictions and dependencies should be treated as health issues, not through criminal justice means.

[kristopher]

26. +1

[the other one]

10. Alchohol

That is all

[tridim]

11. Non-toxic drugs should be 100% legal

Nominally toxic drugs should be legal and regulated, including alcohol.

Toxic drugs (drugs that kill in small doses) should be illegal to produce.

[AlabamaLibrul]

13. This is also my position, and it is something often overlooked when discussing legalisation nt

[Nevernose]

12. Marijuana legalization was a gateway legalization for me

It was only very recently I realized that despite our best efforts and intentions, if you handed me $20 and gave me 20 minutes I could score virtually any drug you could name.

We've spent a trillion dollars on this drug war and ruined millions of lives, even throwing entire nations into bloody revolutions and tyrrany. And we've spent eight decades doing the exact same thing and expecting different reults. In a fact of supreme irony, illegal drugs cost less and are more readily available than ever before.

We've long since passed "stupid" and entered "crazy" territory. Its time we try something different -- full and total legalization and regulation. Sell crystal meth and smack and the rest at government run stores.

[Capitalocracy]

14. There are some which should be treated as a public health problem

and perhaps restricted in some way. Jail doesn't seem to help with drug addiction, however.

Yes, I think there are some drugs that get into a sort of gray area where you're putting others in danger in a sense. And situations make a difference, too... like with alcohol, once you start driving, suddenly it's not OK to be drunk

[malaise]

15. Question - are there any drugs more dangerous than the ones

advertised by big pharma 24/7 on TV

[JonLP24]

16. I'm struggling with this one

I'm thinking that there could be exotic drugs that are very toxic and/or affect your "rebound effect" at a faster rate. Xanax(spelling?) affects your "rebound effect" at a faster rate than alcohol for example.

My whole issue with it remain illegal is it drives the business underground and a lot of the disputes (such as someone trying to steal a dealer's stash, a dealer shorting a customer, a dealer cutting a product so much it hardly gets you high, etc) are handled with violence. Also we spend a lot of law enforcement resources and hardly making an impact. Money that could be better used in treatment programs, better prevention.

I'm also very willing to compromise. Start with cannabis legalization(look into legalizing other drugs low on the dependence and toxic scale) and decriminalization for drug possession.

[w8liftinglady]

21. The one that comes to mind is meth

This is meth country,and the effects on the user are horrific.I would prefer seeing good old amphetamine decriminalized versus this meth shit.And houses where cookers live spread the joy to all who live there... including the innocent kids.Meth cooking should be illegal,and the cookers penalized.Getting off meth is a hellacious,often temporary hell.

[REP]

25. Those "How did my house get so clean" anti-meth PSAs made meth look tempting

I hate housework - a drug that made housework seem fun? Where can I get some?

[Initech]

22. I think we should just end the war on drugs completely.

We end the wars and legalize all drugs, then the violent cartels in Mexico cease to exist in their current forms, the violent street gangs cease to exist in their current forms, it would totally revolutionize the US. Instead of treating offenders as criminals - which we do, we should treat them as being sick, and force them to get better. That's the way to do it.

[Fire Walk With Me]

24. Some people shouldn't take drugs.

I'm an addict. I have zero tolerance for any drug, including even a little bit of alcohol, and experience very negative effects upon myself and others if I engage them, up to and including my own death.

Others, a very few, are capable of taking certain powerful drugs in a positive, supportive environment seemingly without drawback. I remember reading a story where someone having a bad reaction to a psychotropic was talked down by someone who had already tripped on that drug, and was supported along the same lines. Support and education...

It's more "who could take drugs" rather than "who would". Many folks want a high, but how many can be genuinely responsible with it? And what do we really know about the long-term effects of even casual/recreational drugs?

Some drugs such as PCB and crystal meth and crack cocaine don't seem to have any positive possibilities, they only seem to destroy through a complete overwhelm of the physical systems. Not much chance there for resumption of normal operating conditions after imbibing...better to hit yourself on the head with a hammer, from what little I've heard about such things.

[REP]

27. True; lots of people should never drink alcohol, either but Prohibition didn't cure that

The drug policy really isn't about public health; it's a money-making scheme backed by a vocal few who do think it will cure 'moral vices,' just like Prohibition. Legalization would not cure addicts, but reduce the amount of drugs cut with god-knows-what of varying strengths and perhaps reduce the demand for meth (if other amphetamines are legal) and other 'bathtub gin' drugs. And the tax revenue might possibly be put to things like roads, schools, bridges ... (I can dream :-))

[handmade34]

28. legalize all

with appropriate age restrictions, educate well and take care of the addicts.

[Dreamer Tatum]

29. Meth. Anyone who thinks meth should be legal is a Randian idiot. nt

[Warren Stupidity]

33. Meth was legal for 30 years without being a problem.

[Dreamer Tatum]

34. Then by all means, knock yourself out. Better yet, your kids.

Let me know how that works for you.

[Warren Stupidity]

35. better yet criminalize production

and distribution resulting in massive "unintended consequences". But you will be smug and morally superior knowing that you are doing the right thing.

[w8liftinglady]

37. that was pharmaceutical-grade meth

I am talking about "Home-made", which is how meth is made these days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine

[Warren Stupidity]

48. exactly my point

there would be no home made meth without the criminalization of meth production.

[dionysus]

40. laboratory manufactured amphetamine and crystal meth are two very different things.

[saras]

30. Few advocate "legalizing drugs" with no other social changes

One change I'd require to support legalization is that the stuff is required to be labeled accurately. And, of course, if it's badly made enough that you can't label it well, then you can't sell it.

That's a bigger and harder problem in this society to solve than that of drugs.

[ermoore]

31. FWIW . . .

I'd start with just legalizing (though I'd settle for merely decriminalizing) marijuana.

Mainly because of baby steps. That'd be the easiest thing to sell to the American public. But also, see what effect that has for a few years first. No reason to go all in at once.

[Warren Stupidity]

32. Is your intent harm reduction?

If so prohibition is a failure in terms of harm reduction.

Legalize, regulate, treatment on demand.

[krabigirl]

36. Legalize cannabis and decriminalize the rest. Drug addiction should be treated like a health problem

[shanti]

41. mental health problem

and we all know how on top of mental health issues this country is! :eyes: it's always under the knife.

[Lyric]

38. Decriminalize them all and totally legalize the ones that have been used for thousands of years.

Like marijuana, opiates (heroin, codeine, morphine, etc.), peyote/shroooms, and cocaine.

Then start treating addiction like the medical problem it is instead of the personal moral failure that the authoritarians among us *want* it to be.

[DerekG]

39. 1. Meth 2. Meth 3. Meth 4. Meth 5. Meth

Would anyone think me callous for suggesting that meth cooks be shot in the head?

[yurbud]

45. Even if you ONLY legalize pot, that would cut down a big chunk of our prison population

From the Dept. of Justice:



Also, about four times as many are arrested for possession as trafficking, so that's a lot of time and money wasted on potheads.

I'd found the stats on how much it cost and all that before, but for some reason, the DOJ stat page is more opaque than it used to be.

[WheelWalker]

46. ....

[Rageneau]

47. Only Alcohol and Tobacco should be illegal

When it comes to drugs, what's legal shouldn't be, and what's not legal ought to be.

[Bandit]

49. Tobacco is by far the most harmful drug available.

If any drug at all should be illegal it should be tobacco.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

50. If some drugs remain illegal,

then criminal organizations will form to meet the demand.

Legalize them all, the market will settle down to those who would consume the drugs, of whatever variety.

And some will overdose or become otherwise afflicted. Same as now, except the criminal stigma and expense is not there.

:hi:

[blueamy66]

51. just meth

on edit: I'm adding PCP

[TheKentuckian]

52. None, call me Randian all you like but you have no case that prohibition even "kinda" works

and the biggest complaints about even what I'd consider the worst of the worst are largely creations of the prohibition.

Getting puffed up, indignant, or waxing moral doesn't change decades and decades of utter failure. What you think is "best" doesn't work at all.
Steadfast devotion to failed tactics and absurd redirection of law enforcement isn't smart, moral, or an investment. It is a waste of dwindling resources and in many cases human capital.

Few in history are more failed than the drug warriors, yet they insist on going back to the well over and over with ever worse results.

Call me Randian all you want but kindly do it from the corner with your pants around your ankles, your thumb in your mouth, and a dunce cap on.
The arrogance from someone pumping expensive tactics that don't work and are randomly applied is staggering.