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BS: Legalise Drugs ?
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Subject: Legalise Drugs ? From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:20 AM Should drugs be legalised? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Amergin Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:25 AM well it would be cheaper if they were legal...i mean for society in general.... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Peg Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:27 AM you mean the drugs which are currently illegal, and not, say, caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, right? Peg
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:27 AM Yes |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Peg Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:37 AM Good question. Some drugs are illegal because they really are dangerous. Some are illegal because they are so easy to find and confiscate that they allow the illusion that a "war on drugs" is being won (I am thinking, of course, of marijuana, which aside from being a relatively benign recreational drug, is also possessed of many medicinal benefits). Cocaine and heroin and crack and crystal meth are far more serious problems in America yet for some reason people caught with a few joints or an ounce of pot get tehn years in prison. I think there are plenty of drugs that are readily available with a doctor's prescription that are teribly addictive and harmful (like some of the narcotic pain relievers, oxycontin, demerol, oxycodone, etc.); and then drugs that are available over the counter which are overused and abused by consumers and over time can cause health problems (like laxatives, analgesics and cold medicines). And some items which are not manufactured or sold as drugs but which are very easy to obtain and are used to get a "high" and often cause illness and death (like inhalants). Peg
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Justa Picker Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:50 AM Yes. If you can buy cigarettes, then you should also have the right to try and kill yourself in any other manner you choose. I think marijuana, hash and their derivatives should be sold freely, to anyone of legal age, and widely distributed. The ease of buying it should be the same as going into the corner store for a 6 pack. But I think the rest of them should be tightly controlled by the govenment and only existing addicts should have prescriptions. With the enormous profits, money could go towards more rehab centers, reducing taxation, and taking a huge bite out of organized crime. There wouldn't be many more addicts than there already are...and there would be a lot less drug-related crimes. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 12 Jun 01 - 01:20 AM I agree |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Sorcha Date: 12 Jun 01 - 02:16 AM I'll respond later, maybe tomorrow, after I think about what I want to say................garuntee it'll be a long post. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Amergin Date: 12 Jun 01 - 02:21 AM so what's new scorch my dear?*BG* |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: John P Date: 12 Jun 01 - 09:41 AM Yes, drugs should be legal. Having them be illegal is a huge intrusion into the personal lives of individuals by the government (why don't the Republicans resent that??) I don't think there are many people who want to take drugs who are stopped by the illegality. And, from a purely pragmatic viewpoint, the war on drugs is such a huge and obvious failure that it is time to try something else with all that money. And think of all those tax dollars rolling in! John Peekstok |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Mrrzy Date: 12 Jun 01 - 09:46 AM (creeping into music) Legalize it, and I'll advertise it! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GeorgeH Date: 12 Jun 01 - 09:50 AM What depressingly narrow-minded and irresponsible responses . . . Or, I suppose, simplistic comments (all of which have some merits) on a complex issue. What I HATE most of all is ANY talk about "Drugs" as a single entity . . . (and the second hate is the usage of "Drugs" to mean "illegal drugs", so well asked, Peg.) Anyway, I'm out of here; this is one argument I don't have time for . . Have a nice bun-fight! George |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GUEST,UB Dan Date: 12 Jun 01 - 09:54 AM Which drugs are you talking about...or do you mean all drugs. Do you perceive any difference between caffeine, marijuana, heroin, PCP, and crack cocaine? Is it all or nothing or do you just want to redraw the line? Is anyone in favor of drug legalization and also in favor of banning guns? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Mrrzy Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:00 AM I am in favor of legalizing and regulating all drugs, including the nasty ones and the ones currently legal but not regulated as I'd like to see. That is, to get any mind- or body- altering substance, you should have to go to a pharmacy (the way you have to go to liquor stores now). Pharmacists should keep records as they already do and say things like If you take that, it will interact with this other thing. It is then the customer's choice to do it anyway. If there is a bad outcome, they have the same problem as drunk drivers - they have committed a crime and gotten caught. Right now I take 3 separate prescription drugs, but if I want Niquil I can just go get it, hardly safe, that is. As it is I always call my pharmacist (whom I think is sending several children through college on me alone!) and ask if I'm already taking X Y and Z, what happens if I take this one too. Not to mention all the taxes the gubmint would collect selling these, the way they do with cigs and booze. Unclear what was narrow-minded in the above, oh well, irrelevent I guess... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Bagpuss Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:01 AM I'm in favour of decriminalisation of certain (currently illegal) drugs, undecided about what to do about the rest of the illegal drugs and also in favour of keeping the UK's gun laws at least as strict as they are now. Is there a problem with this? Bagpuss |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GUEST,Karen Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:04 AM If you are for legalizing all drugs are you also for the rise in taxes we will need to keep the drug rehabs centers in operation? You can't just expect only good to come out of such a thing. You can however expect a rise in the number of addicts. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Bagpuss Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:09 AM Karen, there may be a rise in addiction levels, but there may also be a reduction in drug related crime. I don't know that there is any evidence that legalising all drugs whould result in an increase in public spending. And I'm sure spending on addiction clinics is a minute proportion of any country's national spending... Bagpuss |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: KingBrilliant Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:14 AM Difficult question. I've no conclusions myself at present, so I'm very interested to read the various arguments people will put forward. Its always hard to sift throught the highly subjective and the propaganda on the drugs issues. One thing I am sure of though is that I'm really glad not to trapped into an illegal and expensive addiction. That must be terrible. I do border on having a problem with alcohol though - and I'm pretty sure that easy access to any other addictive drugs would not be good for me.... Kris |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Peg Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:15 AM well George H I did not really find any of the responses so far "narrow-minded" but you have a point re: classifying all drugs unto a single entity. Ther is no real point in doing so. Cocaine is every bit as addictive as Demerol; but one is legal. And the use of coca leaves by indigenous peoples in Columbia and other parts of South America, prior to processing, is actually rather healthful (it is used by workers in the fields for alertness, appetite suppression, mental clarity). Cigarettes, coffee and alcoholic beverages are all quite addictive to certain individuals and just about anyone over 18 can buy them (a school kid can buy coffee). Marijuana is, as I said, benign and even helpful to many (especially AIDS sufferers, glaucoma patients, and those who cannot eat because of chemotherapy). Yet the American goverment continues to demonize it and will not even approve sales of medical marijuana to those who need it and for whom no other substance will work. And someone who smokes too much pot one night is not too terribly likely to beat his wife, crash her car, or start a fight at the local tavern...more likely to fall asleep on the sofa eating ice cream and watching Dr. Who or listening to old Elton John records... I recently temped at the "Pain Management" center of a large and prestigious hospital in Boston. The number of painkiller-addicted people I talked with on the phone was staggering. Some had legitimate pain problems, yes, but most of them had been on various narcotics for YEARS and even when the doctors were refusing to up their prescriptions or give them an extra supply when they had goen through their scrip early, the lies and desperation of these people was beyond belief...everything from "I lost the bottle" to "The doctor said I should take twice as many as it said on the bottle" to "Someone stole it." But, again, people get addicted to over-the-counter stuff, too: sleep aids, diet pills, laxatives, cold and asthma medication, and even the deceptively-harmful non-aspirin pain relievers (acetaminophen/paracetemol has been linked to kidney and liver disease after prolonged use). People will take ANYTHING! Instead of making lifestyle changes to improve their health, people wish to rely on a palliative. Taking ibuprofen for back pain masks that pain and could make the condition worse. Taking laxatives for constipation instead of altering diet and lifestyle is very very dangerous and can cause the body to become dependent on them. Cold medicines (especially decongestants) do not allow the body to rid itself of infection in a gradual and natural way and so can suppress the immune system. And let's not even get started on how damaging it is to take antibiotics indiscriminately... Most of the people I know who smoke marijuana for occasional recreational use (or take psilocybin mushrooms for an occasional mind-expanding experience) are people who are very healthy and do not take any OTC medications...one could argue both types of drugs are unnecessary, but in our society only one type is known as "good". Peg
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GUEST,Karen Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:23 AM I'm not opposed to legalizing some drugs that are presently considered "illegal" but, let's face it, there are drugs out there that are basically harmful to humans when taken in large quantities or over a certain period of time. There has to be a dividing line between the two types. I'll admit though that the "dividing line" needs to be re-examined more than it is currently by those who decide what is "legal" and what is "illegal". |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Lyndi-loo Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:33 AM I'm with Peg on this one. I think that decriminalising cannabis is a step towards responsible use of recreational drugs. It seems to work in Holland where cannabis, although not strictly speaking legal, is tolerated by the law enforcement agencies. Holland has no more of a "hard drug" problem than Britain. I also agree with Bagpuss on handguns. They are instruments of death and should not be tolerated. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GUEST,UB Dan Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:33 AM Peg, you make several good points about the abuse of controlled substances and I understand your position on marijuana and mushrooms, but are you saying not to release other illegal drugs as controlled substances because they will be abused, or are you saying since abuse is already happening why impose any control? As for prescribing narcotics for recreational or mainternance use (not medical use, this is another topic entirely) don't England and some other countries provide methadone maintenance programs...has this curbed heroin use or the number of adddicts? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Bagpuss Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:35 AM While I agree that cannabis is a relatively harmless drug, I think we need to be careful about implying that the health risks are negligible. There is a strong link with lung cancer (possibly due to deeper inhalation of the associated tobacco) and a recent study has shown an increased risk of heart attacks in the first hour of taking cannabis. While this increease risk is not much of an impact on a younger user, it has been shown to be quite dangerous for the over 50's - comparable to the risks of the 50 year old who starts going to the gym without a gradual increase in activity levels. Bagpuss |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GUEST,UB Dan Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:42 AM Bagpuss, sorry I forgot to respond...I mention gun laws because the argument for legalization of drugs usually has something to do with the fact that drugs are not in and of themselves harmful to society, it is their abuse or misuse...therefore drugs should be legalized and any crime resulting should be prosecuted more strictly. This same argument is used for guns...the NRA in the U.S. supports strict prosecution of anyone who uses a gun in a crime, but supports the rights of individuals to own any number and type of firearm. There are further similarities between arguments between type of drug (marijuana vs. crack) and types of firearms (.22 rifle vs. Uzi or hollow tip bullets). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: IanC Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:45 AM Dan The one major difference being that most guns are designed to do harm to people. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: IanC Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:46 AM (I mean someone other than the user). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: SINSULL Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:48 AM I have had the pleasure of living with an alcoholic and the joy of living with an addict. Sure, legalize it all. With any luck, they will drink, inhale, or mainline themselves to death and let the rest of us get on with our lives. Any of you had the pleasure of holding a crack baby? SINSULL, somewhat bitter. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Crazy Eddie Date: 12 Jun 01 - 10:54 AM Well, here's my two penn'orth. Some currently illegal drugs are more addictive/ dangerous than others Sale of illegal drugs makes huge profits for criminals. The fact that some drugs ( eg Pot) are widely felt to be "acceptable" but are still illegal brings the law into disrepute. People who are otherwise law-abiding buy & consume such "soft" drugs and do not feel that it is morally wrong. HOWEVER, much of the profit from sale of these "soft" drugs, goes to the same gangsters who deal in the "hard" drugs. This is very similar to the prohibition days in the US when criminals made fortunes on booze, and were regarded as "the good guys" by many otherwise law-abiding citizens. So my proposal is this: Have an open, informed discussion, and agree different categories for each drug. (For discussion I'll put forward 3 categories. Maybe there should be only 2, maybe 4 or more) Category 1: Least Harmful To be sold legally, taxed & controlled, in much the same way as tobacco or booze. Category 2: Mid Level Available on a very strictly controlled basis, through pharmacies, and requiring regular medical check-up, paid for by user. Category 3: Seriously Poisonous Utterly prohibited. Very serious penalties for possession, or use (like 5 years minimum for a first offence) and say 20 to 200 years for dealing.(I do not support the death penalty, but you may feel differently). I think this would have the following advantages: (1)Those who take the occasional puff, (inhaled or not :o), or slice of space-cake, at a party, can indulge without feeling criminalised. (2) More respect for what is seen as a more sensible law should encourage people to support said law. (3) Profits of the drug barons slashed. (4) Taxes gained on categories 1 & 2 can be used for medical research/ rehabilitating addicts/ law enforcement/ education about the REAL dangers etc. Reasoned debate welcomed! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Gervase Date: 12 Jun 01 - 11:03 AM I can't agree on the guns argument. I shoot, and the legislation that has been passed by knee-jerk in the UK is major pain in the arse. And there's no sign that gun-related crime is falling - if anything it's got worse because so many people offloaded/sold/"mislaid" firearms when the '88 Firearms Act was coming in. OK, no-one in the UK has a need for a semi-automatic rifle or carbine, but plenty of people I know used to use semi-auto shotguns for pigeon clearance and the like. Yet the anti-gun lobby tends to blanket everything together and shout "ban them". Pistol-shooting, too, had plenty of legitimate adherents in the UK until the ban. Yes, pistols are designed to shoot people, but so are swords, yet fencing isn't crippled by absurd legislation. The key is responsible ownership (Hamilton in Dunblane should never have been certificated, and the police bear a heavy responsibility for letting him have his guns legally with his record) A bit like drugs, really. I'm all for legalising cannabis, the drying of psilocybin, peyotl, mescalin and other Class B drugs - if only because it would take their sale and distribution out of the hands of the crooks - but I'd draw the line at PCP, cocaine, opiates and synthesised LSD. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Donuel Date: 12 Jun 01 - 11:16 AM One can draw the line anywhere . The line is drawn for us when any non violent , natural and ubiquitous human behavior is legislated a crime. Sad as a crack baby is , there are pesticide babies , plutonium babies , Pb babies , PCB babies etc. ad infinitum. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: chip a Date: 12 Jun 01 - 11:21 AM Sinsull, Never held a crack baby but I stuck holes in my arms for years. You're right and thanks for your comments. Glad to be free.
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GUEST,UB Dan Date: 12 Jun 01 - 11:56 AM Donuel, people encourage the government here in the US to stop the horrors of PCB babies and Pb babies, and plutonium babies...laws and regulations are created...I'm not sure I understand your point. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GUEST Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:03 PM You want druggies to pay their "fines" at the register and simply change the word to "tax"? What about the Attorney's cut? How's that gonna fly past any legislature made up of, wassatagain? Do you realize how many folks your putting out of work? What about the guy who bakes bread for the jailhouse? He got a gubment contract - cost him dearly to get it. Some lawyer with connections got it for him. How's he supposed to feed his kids if you let his customers go free? And what about the court docket, how's the judge sposed to scrape up da dough to put his kids through Havad if his caseload disappears. Its no secret that . . . If anyone really wanted to make an impact on drugs, the first thing would be to avoid courtrooms. If the DEA adamantly refused to enter a courtroom or prosecute - anyone, they could use their resources to train dogs to sniff out and simply destroy the fruits of that effort. Who's gonna hold them accountable? Without a pending case, search and seizure violations are caput. What good does it do to send person 1 into one door, while person 2 goes out the other? If the supply / demand situation remains the same the benefit is zilch. Unless you're a lawyer! Is is any wonder that with all the dough spent the drug industry, legal and otherwise flourishes all round the planet. Think about that next time you read about someone caught smuggling American made AIDS pills back into the U. S. Makes you want to put some people up on gurneys and show them getting their due (via drugs for poetic justice) on closed circuit TV. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Clinton Hammond Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:04 PM I'm in favour of legalising, regulating and TAXING THE HELL out of drugs! Given that we pay almost a 700% tax mark up on smokes, can you imagine what the governemnt would be charging for a deck of pot?!? A dime bag of coke??? Deficit? What Deficit?!?! The up side is that it puts the 'drug lords' out of business... For that matter, while were at it, let's legalise, regulate and tax prositution as well... Put the pimps to work on the drug farms then... Hell.. who am I kidding... Windsor has legal prositution... so get with the times eh! ;-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: BobP Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:31 PM Seeing that my barrage attack against the legal profession's failure to select a course wherein at least some measure of success could be discerned was delivered without ID, I determined to correct that so those of you who support an effort that has taken and/or ruined more lives and cost more than any war in my lifetime could identify the source and let loose a return barrage in my direction. Take your best shot. Meanwhile, I'd like to summarize with a motto left behind from another losing effort we once fought against: No, not "Just Say No" I was thinking a certain black wall in DC, one you cannot even see from certain viewpoint, and the thought I cannot shed is: "Shame On Us All".
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 12 Jun 01 - 12:53 PM Crazy Eddie I think you chose the wrong nane,it should be Sensible Eddie! I think it would be interesting deciding which drugs to put into which categories. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Grab Date: 12 Jun 01 - 01:07 PM I'd go with Eddie's version. Remember, all drugs were legal until relatively recently. Then there was a review of the relative dangers of each drug. Some, like pot, were deemed to be dangerous to health and to have no medical benefits, and so were criminalised. Others, like heroin, were deemed to be dangerous to health but to have medical benefits, so you can be prescribed it as a painkiller. Trouble is, there's been no update on these rules for the last 40 years or so. All the recent medical evidence on pot has been ignored. I find this bizarre. OK, maybe you don't want to make more drugs available for distribution like alcohol and cigarettes - I have no real problem with that, although I don't think it's really justifiable. But when a chemical has been shown to have medical benefits and mere political issues stop it being available to treat people, that's crap. You can be pumped full of heroin as a painkiller, but you're not allowed to take pot to minimise the effects of chemo? Bizarre. Graham. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Dave (the ancient mariner) Date: 12 Jun 01 - 01:19 PM I have no argument against the medical use of any drug, but recreational use? sorry I'm dead against it. You want to get whacked out of your gourds do so; but dont try and blame society for the deaths on the roads, and the neglected children that are left by druggies. Sinsull I know exactly what you mean. Pull the dead bodies out of the water and you get the same feelings. Yours, Aye. Dave |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: SINSULL Date: 12 Jun 01 - 01:49 PM Grab, I will admit to being mildly amused at some of the latest findings. It seems that regular pot smokers eat a lot of snacks and drink a lot of alcohol but do not weigh as much as their non-pot-smoking counterparts. The interpretation? Pot is no good for weight control because it actually stimulates appetite. AND it is also no good as an appetite enhancer for AIDS patients or those undergoing chemotherapy because it prevents them from gaining weight. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: little john cameron Date: 12 Jun 01 - 02:11 PM Strange how non of the posters here admit to doing "drugs?Is it because these chat sites are being WATCHED???Recently i had the honour of having a few draws with a JUDGE.Vey enlightening.btw he was here on holiday from Holland. ljc |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GUEST,Karen Date: 12 Jun 01 - 02:19 PM If you don't mind me saying so, little john cameron, the thread title is about legalizing drugs not admitting if you are using them. :-) Anyway, I'm one of those boring type that have never used illegals....REALLY! Alcohol - yes! Drugs - no! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: little john cameron Date: 12 Jun 01 - 02:22 PM Hmm! that makes a lot of sense Karen, ljc |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Clinton Hammond Date: 12 Jun 01 - 02:30 PM Wanna learn, Karen? LOL!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: GUEST,Karen Date: 12 Jun 01 - 02:36 PM LOL, Clinton! I'll admit when I'm here at work some things start to sound REAL good to me!!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: BobP Date: 12 Jun 01 - 03:17 PM I have always thought it rather easy to distinguish between: 1) Injecting or injesting dangerous (do not construe as endorcing) or supposedly dangerous substances. 2) Smacking someone and taking their money. 3) Endangering a child, especially one in your charge. It's clear to me that one of these behaviors cannot be successfully modified in a courtroom. Perhaps for one individual, but not for society as a whole. Since the growth of the drug / courtroom industry into an integral part of our gross national economy, no really innovative alternatives have ever even been attempted.
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: chip a Date: 12 Jun 01 - 03:27 PM Look under the bed little john, they're watching from there! I'm so proud that you smoked a little dope with a judge. I've met stupid judges and brilliant brick layers. What was your point? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Dharmabum Date: 12 Jun 01 - 04:04 PM I was the husband of an alcoholic/drug addict. I am the father of a heroin addict. My wife,may she rest in peace,never managed to beat her addiction. My daughter has been clean now for 18 months. This so called war on drugs is a complete farce. Our government will spend billions of dollars each year attempting to keep illegal drugs from crossing our boarders.Yet ,here in central New Jersey,I could travel less than 30 minutes in any direction & score heroin,crack,speed, pot, or any number of so called illegal drugs. And,no,I do not live in the city. I live in one of the more affluent,upper income counties of NJ. Bottom line,Drugs are big business.Backed by very wealthy people. And they will protect their interests,be it within or outside the confines of the law. The first thing we need to do is to recognize & accept the fact that drugs are a part of our society,whether they're legal or illegal. Just like drunk drivers,child molesters,crooked politicians,cops,lawers or judges. We can all adopt a "not in my neighborhood" attitude,and sweep it under the rug. But it's still there,much closer than most of us think. So,do we legalize certain drugs?We could,we'd still have drug addicts. We've got people addicted to prescription drugs right now. We've got alcoholics,and alcohol is legal,Right? Let's face it,just because Uncle Sam says it's legal doesn't make it ok. Maybe we need to work on creating a society where its people don't need to take something to alter their mood(can anyone say Prozac?). Instead of trying to battle some faceless entity such as drug lords,foreign or domestic governments,or pharmaceutical companies,maybe,we should be looking into the eyes of the mothers,fathers,sisters,brothers,aunts,etc.who are effected by the results of these substances. I'm not suggesting we all go out and cradle a crack baby,or crash the funeral of someone burrying their child that's died of an overdose.Although,if you've ever been touched by it personally,you'll realize that this problem needs to be dealt with from a personal level. At the very least,we need to start from a personal level. The way we raise & teach our kids is a real good place to start.(Holy shit,how did I get up on this soapbox?) Maybe we need to take a few minutes to explain to them that ALL drugs can hurt you if they're abused.Even the ones advertised on the TV,and in magazines,& on billboards,& the sides of busses. "Let's see, it's ok to take "No Doze" to stay awake,And "Sleepeeze"to go to sleep,but a "joint" will land my ass in jail. Ya think we're operating in a slight "Grey Area" here. Some of us have the propensity to become addicts,we will lose some,occasonally,we'll know & love them,& all the help in the world won't save them. But the temptation will always be there.And they will find something to fill that craving. Maybe,just maybe,if they/we, know about the alternatives :IE support groups,education, or other alt. We might save a few. I sure as shit don't have the answers,& I'm certainly in no position to preach to anyone (excuse me if it came across that way). But I do know that legalizing drugs will only add government control to an already F**ked up situation.And that CAN'T be a good thing. DB. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: SINSULL Date: 12 Jun 01 - 04:19 PM D., Unfortunately, experience has proven to me that the wealthy people making money off of the illegal drug trade are not all in the illegal end of the business. Take a good hard look at the drug programs operating on Federal and State dollars as well as the private clinics subsidized by public money. Then look at the success rate of these programs. And then ask the question: Is it in their interests to eliminate or cure drug addiction? I am not sure that even most of them are. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: chip a Date: 12 Jun 01 - 04:26 PM DB, Beautiful post. 18 months is a long time. 18 months is a fleeting instant. Just keep on looking in her eyes and saying "I LOVE YOU." I've been the son, the husband and the father and hearing those words has come nearer making a difference for me than anything else on earth. Clean nearly 30 years. Chip A. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Legalise Drugs ? From: Clinton Hammond Date: 12 Jun 01 - 04:39 PM *singing*
When I'm up I can't get down
Or "From the rockin' of the cradle
Folks are gonna get up somehow... may as well make the stuff as safe as possible eh! ;-) |