Should certain illegal drugs be made legal to buy for recreational purposes?

[GommeInc]

This argument comes up fairly often when drugs are discussed and I've never quite got the reasoning behind it - who has at any point mentioned a dependence? The massive majority of people who dabble in drugs are not addicted in any way, and the whole "you only need them if you're boring lololol have fun without" view is quite frankly of no use. I don't need to play football to have fun, I don't need to have friends around me to enjoy myself, and in the same way that ketchup isn't necessary with fish and chips but enhances it unless you go overboard with it, drugs are not necessary for a good evening but can enhance it if you know what you're doing.

Dependence in the sense of having to have it to have a good time, not the sort of dependence you get where you have to have it all the time for no reason what so ever, like drinking on a couch in a room doing sweet BA. I can see your point on the opinion that using these drugs doesn't necessarily make people boring, but it does exist and I can't really explain it. I guess cannabis costs quite alot (not sure what to guess if it was legal) and alcohol is something you can consume when in a club or bar on the go, and if cannabis was legal it would no doubt be treated the same as tobacco with a bit more regulation e.g. smoke at home, so you'd have to wait ages for someone to smoke a joint before you can go out. This is of couse looking at cannabis as a recreational drug outside the home though, inside the home where I believe it's mostly consumed (where it is legal in some countries) it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Where do you get this from? I've never heard anyone compare the two as being anything alike, and the medicinal benefits of cannabis are nothing to do with the actual high anyway.

Seriously? I've heard it a few times It's probably just lies to get people to do it, than actual truth behind the effects. And I didn't say the highs were the medicinal effects.

If there were no benefits no-one would use them I do agree with what you go on to say about the more dangerous ones remaining illegal though, simply because most people are nowhere educated enough or sensible enough to be trusted with the open marketing of such substances.

Depends what you think of as benefits Smoking has none as far as I can tell, other than poor excuses of "I am troubled", but if that's what someone wants their money on then fair play. But it's interesting we agree that most people wouldn't be trusted with the drugs, but I guess they require a bit of brain activity to use them which many wouldn't have the time for if they're searching for a quick high.

Interesting point, and I definitely agree that the administration costs alone would be monstrous in setting up a legalised drug market if they were to regulate intake in such a tight way, but those which I would suggest as being candidates for legalising (cannabinoids, cathinones, some hallucinogens and a very few amphetamines) are in moderation of about equal or often much less danger than alcohol and tobacco, and could very easily be taxed enough that they wouldn't be the new White Lightning for a binge. The taxing of such compounds rather than recorded regulation would also of course raise money rather than lose it in the long run, and with them being legalised there would be little or no market for the production of the newer, more harmful "legal highs" which come about each time one gets banned. Without regulation they are open to be abused rather than simply used (and there is a huge difference when it comes to chemical intake) but abusers will abuse whether it's legal or not, as you can see just about every night in most towns with alcohol.

Then you have to question if the Government is raking money in with these people who don't really need drugs or those who didn't take them before. Judging by the real world, drugs like heroin, cannabis and cocaine do not have a use in the eyes of the general public, and the costs involved for the Government may not make it a viable option. One I can think of which maybe a problem (if money wasn't an issue) are these overdoses and other accidents taking up the valuable time of doctors and hospital staff, as well as police and security services, but that only really exists for cocaine and heroine which I /think/ are more easier to overdose on than cannabis (I've never really heard of cannabis O/Ds, it's usually the other two and I see cannabis mentioned more often too in terms of usage). Then again, clinching at straws, you could say there will be a rise in house fires

[FlyingJesus]

alcohol is something you can consume when in a club or bar on the go, and if cannabis was legal it would no doubt be treated the same as tobacco with a bit more regulation e.g. smoke at home, so you'd have to wait ages for someone to smoke a joint before you can go out.

I may be reading this wrong but you appear to be suggesting that dangerous substances are best when able to be used out in public I'm sure you don't mean that but that's how it read lol

Then you have to question if the Government is raking money in with these people who don't really need drugs or those who didn't take them before. Judging by the real world, drugs like heroin, cannabis and cocaine do not have a use in the eyes of the general public, and the costs involved for the Government may not make it a viable option. One I can think of which maybe a problem (if money wasn't an issue) are these overdoses and other accidents taking up the valuable time of doctors and hospital staff, as well as police and security services, but that only really exists for cocaine and heroine which I /think/ are more easier to overdose on than cannabis (I've never really heard of cannabis O/Ds, it's usually the other two and I see cannabis mentioned more often too in terms of usage). Then again, clinching at straws, you could say there will be a rise in house fires

Yeah I can't think of a case for legalising cocaine and heroin without simply pulling out some anarcho-liberal ideas that I don't agree with lol, and even such arguments tend to have subclauses to cover things that dangerous if they want any credibility at all on the subject of overdoses though, anyone can overdose on any number of legal substances if they're not taken right. If legalised I'm sure there would be maximum guidelines set out for each substance as there currently is for alcohol, and anyone not taking heed of such advice is likely to be the kind who would do it regardless of the law - these are the "abusers" of which I speak. A cannabis overdose is possible but it's only going to make someone sick and have a hell of a headache really, there has never in history been a recorded case of death by marijuana overdose, and the only deaths attributed to cathinone abuse are due to folk being extremely stupid and taking a cocktail of various drugs at the same time.

One thing I'll mention now as I don't recall having seen it in this thread yet (although I might have just missed it) is that if sold legally, drugs such as mephedrone and ecstacy would have guaranteed purity - something that one can never expect at present and something that could potentially help to avoid a lot of the problems associated with abuse/overuse.

[Conservative,]

I may be reading this wrong but you appear to be suggesting that dangerous substances are best when able to be used out in public I'm sure you don't mean that but that's how it read lol



Yeah I can't think of a case for legalising cocaine and heroin without simply pulling out some anarcho-liberal ideas that I don't agree with lol, and even such arguments tend to have subclauses to cover things that dangerous if they want any credibility at all on the subject of overdoses though, anyone can overdose on any number of legal substances if they're not taken right. If legalised I'm sure there would be maximum guidelines set out for each substance as there currently is for alcohol, and anyone not taking heed of such advice is likely to be the kind who would do it regardless of the law - these are the "abusers" of which I speak. A cannabis overdose is possible but it's only going to make someone sick and have a hell of a headache really, there has never in history been a recorded case of death by marijuana overdose, and the only deaths attributed to cathinone abuse are due to folk being extremely stupid and taking a cocktail of various drugs at the same time.

One thing I'll mention now as I don't recall having seen it in this thread yet (although I might have just missed it) is that if sold legally, drugs such as mephedrone and ecstacy would have guaranteed purity - something that one can never expect at present and something that could potentially help to avoid a lot of the problems associated with abuse/overuse.

The fact that the drugs would be 100% pure would be a selling point. Although I don't think ANY Class A drugs should be legalised. Some C's and a few B's maybe. But I would want to know what I'm taking is 100% pure lol, because I know they put rat poison & **** in cocaine ect.

[Zak]

Personally I think the world would be a better place without drugs, alcohol and tobacco.. but that's just my view.

As Mr. Mackay would say "Drugs are bad, mmkay!"

[GommeInc]

I may be reading this wrong but you appear to be suggesting that dangerous substances are best when able to be used out in public I'm sure you don't mean that but that's how it read lol

I can't see it in that bit you quoted I suggested if they were legalised, they would be treated the same way as smoking tobacco with a bit more regulation e.g. only smoked at home.

Yeah I can't think of a case for legalising cocaine and heroin without simply pulling out some anarcho-liberal ideas that I don't agree with lol, and even such arguments tend to have subclauses to cover things that dangerous if they want any credibility at all on the subject of overdoses though, anyone can overdose on any number of legal substances if they're not taken right. If legalised I'm sure there would be maximum guidelines set out for each substance as there currently is for alcohol, and anyone not taking heed of such advice is likely to be the kind who would do it regardless of the law - these are the "abusers" of which I speak. A cannabis overdose is possible but it's only going to make someone sick and have a hell of a headache really, there has never in history been a recorded case of death by marijuana overdose, and the only deaths attributed to cathinone abuse are due to folk being extremely stupid and taking a cocktail of various drugs at the same time.

I can't think of a case either, they're too dangerous for the wider market... unless people were educated, but I really cannot see someone showing someone else how to stick a needle in their arm or any government information about how to take them Perhaps one other difference is that cocaine and heroin are a bit unnatural? Such as cocaine, which is taken through the noise which I'm sure people who could get their hand on it would refuse to do, it's a bit unnatural sniffing anything like that in the first place and needles tend to be feared by many people, and are only ever used by anyone in the medical profession. The other drugs tend to be treated like mixers - you take other drugs at the same time which, like you said, is the cause of death or serious harm in alot of people.

One thing I'll mention now as I don't recall having seen it in this thread yet (although I might have just missed it) is that if sold legally, drugs such as mephedrone and ecstacy would have guaranteed purity - something that one can never expect at present and something that could potentially help to avoid a lot of the problems associated with abuse/overuse.

That's a good point! I remember when the Government were going to give addicts (of heroin?) the drug to wean them off it, and one of the advantages was it would be pure rather than what some dealers do which is mix it with other chemicals or make it too powerful. I think they do that with cannabis too, by having just a tiny bit of cannabis, but mix it with other things like hemp, but I guess with cannabis you don't have to worry so much as it tends to mostly go in the air than in the body

[FlyingJesus]

You can get given opiates if you go into critical condition because the withdrawal symptoms of a severe heroin addiction are so far beyond the psychological that they can be fatal, I'm not sure about other substances but yes laboratory versions of many drugs are already used in rehabilitation processes as well as hospital stabilisation. Still not suggesting that the big boys of the drug world are made readily available over the counter of course, just saying that purity is something that could easily be regulated if there was ever a way for the government to legalise some of the less harmful chemicals and compounds without having the idea slammed before it even got to paper

[Stephen]

Imo I think they should legalise the recently banned stuff like synthetic cannabinoids etc. I dunno about mcat though, legalising I think 3-FMC (which is in charge I think :S) was what was used before mcat was all the rage plus it didn't even get much public attention, probably cos no one knew what was in it until cathinones got banned.

But tbh I think it's a big mistake banning research chemicals, when they ban a drug they are just telling people to break the law because the majority of the people who did them have now started on illegal drugs or gone back to illegal drugs.

But yeah, recently banned stuff should be legalised as a test run because afterall, they weren't causing any trouble when they were legal, they just got an expected badluck of media attention

[JerseySafety]

Weed.

Edited by Shar (Trialist Forum Moderator) Please do not post pointlessly, thanks.

[kuzkasate]

make it legal.

if people choose to take drugs & get addicted, fine, their choice and their problem.

[Santorefish]

Please elaborate I think I know what you mean, but it'll be interesting to see what you mean as an individual.

Well lets take alchohol, its legal, and will, if we think about it, will take a heck of alot of it to die directly from alcohol. With drugs it can be as easy as 1 pill to kill youself. Also, a large majority of people who take drugs are homeless, and take it to get rid of their worries. For that reason i think certain drugs should be made legal for a certain group(s) of indiviuals who perhaps are forced to take it because they have nothing better in their lives. They could not be compared because this group of people turn to drugs, not alcohol. For that reason i believe they should not be compared.

Drugs are illegal for a reason. Call me narrow minded, but why should we legalise something which is a proven killer; for the sole reason of "recreational purposes?" If you take drugs, you're a moron in the first place - why should we feed your habit and legalise them?

I agree with you 100% matthew