The criminalisation of drugs

[bumpy_j]

To follow on from the Amy Winehouse thread, would you change laws about drugs if you had the power to?

I'd make cannabis and MDMA legal in certain premises. I think Amsterdam has it right with the cafe's - and I'd set up something similar over here

People will always do drugs whilst they are available, and dealers are a very dangerous business prompting drug wars, gang crime and murders. MDMA and cannabis actually hold a very low mortality rate, much lower than other drugs (bearing in mind MDMA on the street can be mixed with ANYTHING such as salt, rat poison, glass) and direct cannabis deaths are pretty much unheard of. The drugs on offer would be cleaned up - eliminating the new range of skunks on offer replacing weed (with strains that can be over ten times stronger) and MDMA wouldn't be cut.

The criminalisation of MDMA has lead to new replacement 'legal highs' such as M-CAT and NRG-1 which were proven to be much more dangerous, M-CAT especially is very easy to become dependant on - thankfully most of these are now illegal. As MDMA would be sold pure research could be done into safe guildline limits so that usage could be minimal, and to how much water is safe to drink whilst using it.

I'd only allow licensed nightclubs to sell MDMA - this would NOT be available for private use, the amounts sold would be heavily regulated and all risks will be advertised similar to buying a packet of cigarettes. There would have to be a capacity limit on how many people a club could let in so that the environment could be safe as possible. A member of staff would have to be trained for any emergencies.

Marujana would be limited to licensed cafe's with an age restriction, and medicinal purposes for private use w/license. Each strain would need to be trialled and the potency/effects would need to be advertised

what are your thoughts on this debate

 

[Jem_x3]

I see what you're saying but unfortunately I think that gang crime, murders and drugs wars are actually more likely when it comes to the more expensive and sought after drugs - coke and heroin. This is where the money is. I don't think making weed and MDMA legal would have any benefit to reduce crime because it's so easy to obtain and as for weed - easy to grow and you barely get more than a tap on the wrist for smoking it.

I agree on making weed legal for medicinal purposes (only made available if REALLY necessary and only on prescription which would need to be closely monitored!) but I would not make MDMA legal and be allowed to sell in licensed nightclubs. I just don't see the need for everyone to be getting out of their face, it could actually cause more problems. It makes me sad that the days are over when you could go out, not get drunk or high and actually still have fun!

 

[AppleBlossom]

No. In a word. I don't think people need encouraging in the world of drugs. It's bad enough as it is without making it legal and easier for them to get hold of, imo

 

[TwilightAgain]

I don't think drugs should be legalised at all but i'm very anti-drug. My mother was a heroin addict and because of that she lost 6 children (none of us grew up with her) and she stabbed her boyfriend when she was off her face (while I was there) and i've just seen what drugs can do to somebody, they ruin lives - not only the person taking them but also their family and friends.

To my knowledge, my mother started off by taking cannabis and then went off the rails and started taking mushrooms, heroin, cocaine and it ruined her life. Now she is clean she has two of her children back (two out of the 6, me and my older brother though neither of us live with her), she has missed out on our childhoods (from 4-6 to 18-20) and the lives of the others. If she hadn't of got into cannabis she might not of wanted to try something more hardcore.

Now she's clean from heroin and stuff but still takes cannabis and she can be a nightmare to spend time with, she's paranoid all the time and snappy, then she goes all sleepy afterwards. Also she neglects food in favour of her dope so she's got eating problems too.

They just ruin lives, so IMO they should remain illegal and if anything the penalty of being in possession of them should be increased. Too many people think its cool to take drugs no matter how soft or hardcore they are, and its just not.

 

[bumpy_j]

I see what your saying about MDMA, but what alarms me is because they don't research into safer limits for anything, people guess, that scares me

Bit O/T OHs brothers heart stopped because he downed two shots of what he thought were apple sourz and turned out to be methedone, imagining that happening to Joel absolutely terrifies me. If banning drugs doesn't work I just feel there must be an alternative be it controlling substances or anything else.

 

[bumpy_j]

I don't think drugs should be legalised at all but i'm very anti-drug. My mother was a heroin addict and because of that she lost 6 children (none of us grew up with her) and she stabbed her boyfriend when she was off her face (while I was there) and i've just seen what drugs can do to somebody, they ruin lives - not only the person taking them but also their family and friends.

To my knowledge, my mother started off by taking cannabis and then went off the rails and started taking mushrooms, heroin, cocaine and it ruined her life. Now she is clean she has two of her children back (two out of the 6, me and my older brother though neither of us live with her), she has missed out on our childhoods (from 4-6 to 18-20) and the lives of the others. If she hadn't of got into cannabis she might not of wanted to try something more hardcore.

Now she's clean from heroin and stuff but still takes cannabis and she can be a nightmare to spend time with, she's paranoid all the time and snappy, then she goes all sleepy afterwards. Also she neglects food in favour of her dope so she's got eating problems too.

They just ruin lives, so IMO they should remain illegal and if anything the penalty of being in possession of them should be increased. Too many people think its cool to take drugs no matter how soft or hardcore they are, and its just not.

what a humbling story! I can't imagine how hard that must've been for you, and I agree some people just do it to be rebellious, they look at petey doherty and see a hero, which is very sad.

 

[Natasha2605]

No. In a word. I don't think people need encouraging in the world of drugs. It's bad enough as it is without making it legal and easier for them to get hold of, imo

I 100% agree. I have very strong views on drugs, especially when done in the home with children 'in bed' etc. Just wrong.

 

[LoraLoo]

I dont think any of the drugs we are talking about should be legal. People rarely just start taking Cocaine or Heroin, it usually starts with Cannabis and goes from there.

I personally believe Cannabis is responsible for alot of fooked up people, it can really damage your mental health.

 

[Linzi]

I dont know what MDMA is unless its got another name?

I think cannabis should be made legal though.

xxx

 

[bumpy_j]

I dont know what MDMA is unless its got another name?

I think cannabis should be made legal though.

xxx

ecstasy, but it's commonly sold in a powder form, and ecstasy pills normally are mixed with other compounds

the nightclub idea was a friend of mines, i think it has it's good points, he pointed out that places like fabric in london are designed around MDMA (the sofabeds that they have everywhere) because they expect people to sneak it in anyway

 

[Blah11]

No. I don't think they have any place in todays soceity. They're horrid and i don't want them anywhere near me or my children

 

[Linzi]

If it is ground up ecstacy then in no way do I think it should be made legal. People don't know hwo to use drugs safely, and in fact most of the crime associated with drugs comes with harder drugs like herione & cocaine.

I don't see any positive effect coming from MDMA being made legal IMO :/

xxx

 

[rubydoo1]

No. In a word. I don't think people need encouraging in the world of drugs. It's bad enough as it is without making it legal and easier for them to get hold of, imo

This

 

[AppleBlossom]

I've never tried drugs in my life. I've been offered them many times but have refused. I don't see the point of them tbh but that's just me. Thing is, as cannabis is so readily available these days, people aren't arsed by it. They don't want the soft drugs anymore, they want the hard stuff because they're illegal for a reason, the reason being that they're dangerous meaning they must give an extensive rush or high much more than weed or E's can

 

[bumpy_j]

The MDMA thing is that there are so many legal alternatives being created which are far more dangerous than the real deal, they would be eradicated if MDMA was made legal, mephedrone being one example. A lot of people just don't see that as an option though which I fully understand, but just putting it out there as an alternative to classification

it's a bit like the prostitution debate - making brothels legal would take them off the streets, making it safer for them - but there would obviously still be prostitution and the ideal situation for the vast majority of people would be if their was no prostitution at all but so far it seems inevitable that it will always be around

 

[BlackBerry25]

Completely agree with the OP.

Nothing more to add at this point.

 

[lesleyann]

Something needs to be done however I not sure what exactly. Im "lucky" I only ever tried weed.. However Ive seen/know some pretty nasty dealers and seen some people take beatings for oweing £20/£30

 

[// arcadia]

Ive done pretty much EVERY drug going bar Heroin (Just seemed in another league to me such a stigma)

When I was in School all my friends smoked cannabis at lunch times and after school, i only tried a few times and it wasnt something that really appealed to me.

Then when i was 18 and working at a pub i got into coke and the occasional crack/speed binge . then i started going to free parties and that opened the door to MDMA/Ketamine/Acid/Pills etc.

I LOVED free parties, the excitement of not really knowing where you were going. The locations where sometimes amazing!! The squat ones in London Huge 8 storey warehouses so a few drinks in Camden first, it was all an experience.

Then I got a proper full time job and i literally just stopped! I still went out on weekends and did coke but that was about it. And hen i fell pregnant with my daughter i completely stopped everything Drink Drugs & Smoking (Still dont smoke woooo and haven't been out and taken any drugs)

I guess im lucky that ultimately in life i have other priorities, i want nice things i want to be the best mum i can to Skye.

I know of people who have had their bladders removed due to Ketamine, its grim!

I don't think Drugs should be legalised because it opens the door for so many more people to try iykim? I think there needs to be more education about them because kids can get their hands on anything and if they really knew the aftermath and effects perhaps they wouldn't be quite so quick to try.

I had a wkd time, drugs enhanced my experiences and added to the ambience and i don't regret taking them, but i am SO glad that phase is behind me.

 

[bumpy_j]

Ive done pretty much EVERY drug going bar Heroin (Just seemed in another league to me such a stigma)

When I was in School all my friends smoked cannabis at lunch times and after school, i only tried a few times and it wasnt something that really appealed to me.

Then when i was 18 and working at a pub i got into coke and the occasional crack/speed binge . then i started going to free parties and that opened the door to MDMA/Ketamine/Acid/Pills etc.

I LOVED free parties, the excitement of not really knowing where you were going. The locations where sometimes amazing!! The squat ones in London Huge 8 storey warehouses so a few drinks in Camden first, it was all an experience.

Then I got a proper full time job and i literally just stopped! I still went out on weekends and did coke but that was about it. And hen i fell pregnant with my daughter i completely stopped everything Drink Drugs & Smoking (Still dont smoke woooo and haven't been out and taken any drugs)

I guess im lucky that ultimately in life i have other priorities, i want nice things i want to be the best mum i can to Skye.

I know of people who have had their bladders removed due to Ketamine, its grim!

I don't think Drugs should be legalised because it opens the door for so many more people to try iykim? I think there needs to be more education about them because kids can get their hands on anything and if they really knew the aftermath and effects perhaps they wouldn't be quite so quick to try.

I had a wkd time, drugs enhanced my experiences and added to the ambience and i don't regret taking them, but i am SO glad that phase is behind me.

holy moly!

 

[tallybee]

The prohibition we've got on them at the minute certainly doesn't work.....