72 hours to end World's most senseless War! - Page 8

On June 01 2011 06:00 LegendaryZ wrote:


I don't think it's rude or selfish to be concerned about substances that can adversely affect peoples' judgment or behavior. I'm sure most people here are sensible enough to realize that there are drugs out there that would not benefit society at all to legalize. Sure, marijuana may be fine as it has relatively low addictive potential, but I can't think of any good reason a drug like heroine or cocaine should be legal, even if it was regulated just because of their destructive nature and high potential for addiction.

The "war on drugs" certainly has taken a huge toll in lives and resources, but it can't simply be stopped because all illicit drugs just don't fall into the same category. To think so is just being ignorant of reality. At best we can try to look for more efficient methods to manage the problem, but it's not a cookie cutter problem and there's certainly no cookie cutter solution.

Also, the "it's my body, I can do what I want" argument is pretty weak because a person who is suffering from impaired judgment presents a potential risk not only to themselves, but also to those around them. The influence of any mind altering substance (yes, even alcohol and prescription drugs) extends beyond the user himself.

We have enough of a problem with people not following regulations when drinking alcohol (such as not drinking and driving). Given our failure to even control alcohol with regulations, what on earth would make anyone think simply regulating currently illicit drugs would encourage people to use them responsibly? And if we can't ensure that, why would we compound the problem of irresponsible behavior by allowing access to more problematic substances?

On June 01 2011 05:18 Deadlyfish wrote:
Strongly disagree with this. I've lived in Panama for a long time, where drugs are a huge part of everyday life, i've even lost a friend when he committed suicide after starting to use heroin. The drug dealers literally stand outside of the schools selling their shit.

We should be as hard on them as possible, and continue the war on drugs.

It might be easy to say when you are from a place where you dont even notice drugs, but when you see peoples lives destroyed by it you might change your mind.

Decriminalizing drugs? Worst idea ever.

On June 01 2011 06:32 PanN wrote:


I agree with most of what you said.

I don't think my argument about it being my body is weak though, I am not mentally disabled, I am an adult, I should be allowed to do substances that I am educated about, and I think the same should apply to everyone under those conditions.

I also agree that regulating drugs wouldn't necessarily enforce users to be responsible, I don't think I said or implied that, maybe someone else did. But thats not the point. You really think people need the government to supply drugs? No. They're going to get them anyway, and most people get them VERY easily. The point of having government regulation is providing a safety standard for producing said substances and hopefully reducing a lot of gang and criminal income. No more ecstasy cut with meth, no more impure heroin, no more laced drugs, no more people selling heroin in schools etc.

On June 01 2011 05:43 PanN wrote:


How about you look at the benefits instead of just going off your emotions? If you really care about people dying from drugs, then you need to read up on the benefits of decriminalization, or legalization. More lives would be saved from having factory produced drugs when compared to the street garbage so many users are subjected to. If junkies want to get high, they'll get high; and I think its better getting it from the government, then some asshole outside of a school. Also, guess what? That asshole wouldn't be making money. Instead, your government could be making money off users, and put that money to good use, like better schools, libraries, hospitals, whatever.

Also, who are you to tell people what they can, and cannot put in their bodies? I think that's very rude and selfish. If you want it banned to prevent more injuries or needless death, then we need to put more effort on education, not the prohibition; seeing as that isn't working at all.

Also, so the person above me, your poll is pretty biased.

On June 01 2011 06:46 LegendaryZ wrote:

That works in theory, but the truth is we also have huge black markets for drugs that are regulated by the government (prescription drugs). This black market doesn't just consist of drugs that were made to standards, but also contains a huge supply of fake generics that are really no different and just as dangerous as unregulated illegal drugs such as cocaine. I think this goes quite a long way to disproving the notion that regulating illicit substances and ensuring quality control would remove the problem of impure products thrown together in someone's backyard. It may reduce the problem somewhat, but so long as the cost or process of acquiring controlled substances remains a prohibiting factor, a black market will always exist.

The argument that anyone that wants illegal drugs could get them is also difficult for me to believe because not everyone knows where to get heroine or even marijuana and the risk of being caught in some sort of sting certainly deters a good number of people from attempting to find out. For some it might not matter one way or the other, but it does give the average person pause as does the lack of reliable quality control. By legalizing these substances, you're increasing their accessibility to people who might otherwise have not had access to them.

I'm not saying that there's no valid argument for legalizing any drug, but I don't think the benefits are really as clear cut as most proponents make them out to be. It's essentially trying to weigh the pros and cons and determine the lesser of two evils. I'm just not convinced...

On June 01 2011 07:05 Deadlyfish wrote:


Legalizing drugs would send the message to people that it's alright to use drugs. By making it criminal you're sending the message that it's wrong to do, and that would discourage a lot of people. Sure it wouldn't matter to junkies, but some people might start using just because it's legal.

People can do whatever they want to themselves, i dont care. But the fact is that using drugs hurts others. Same reason as why you cant drive while drunk. You can do whatever you want, as long as you dont hurt other people.

I know that legalizing drugs would have its benefits, lower crime, more money for the government etc. but it would also create more drug users, especially in places like central america where drugs are pretty much everywhere.