I've been having this debate with friend and family for many years and thought I'd canvass the opinion of Bluemooners...
My feeling is that drug prohibition really doesn't work - It's failed for decades! On a national and international level drug consumption has largely increased periodically whilst BILLIONS have been spent globally to try and combat it. Equally criminals have become mega rich off the back of selling an unlicensed, untaxed product where demand simply hasn't faltered.
My solution, is to legalise all drugs. Taxi it. Educate. Provide public services for addiction and treatment. Take money out of the hands of criminals and put it into the hand of business, government and public services. You'd of course need to license the product but you'd create a huge new legal industry (as opposed to a multi-billion illegal one at present) and this would create a massive new revenue stream and new job opportunities. Equally you'd go a long way to eradicate gangs and murder both nationally and internationally.
Thinking on the "negatives", the arguments of increased consumption are silly (IMO) and you just have to look at the states in the US that have legalised cannabis and seen consumption drop. The morality argument is naive. Kids will always try shit and actually I'd argue that drugs being illegal is what makes most rebellious teenagers want to try it.
Legalisation will obviously never happen because it's so political and people are too stupid (sorry to offend but it's true) but seriously, if you look at it practically and from an economical and social perspective why hasn't it happened?!
The Pros far way outweigh the Cons, no?
My feeling is that drug prohibition really doesn't work - It's failed for decades! On a national and international level drug consumption has largely increased periodically whilst BILLIONS have been spent globally to try and combat it. Equally criminals have become mega rich off the back of selling an unlicensed, untaxed product where demand simply hasn't faltered.
My solution, is to legalise all drugs. Taxi it. Educate. Provide public services for addiction and treatment. Take money out of the hands of criminals and put it into the hand of business, government and public services. You'd of course need to license the product but you'd create a huge new legal industry (as opposed to a multi-billion illegal one at present) and this would create a massive new revenue stream and new job opportunities. Equally you'd go a long way to eradicate gangs and murder both nationally and internationally.
Thinking on the "negatives", the arguments of increased consumption are silly (IMO) and you just have to look at the states in the US that have legalised cannabis and seen consumption drop. The morality argument is naive. Kids will always try shit and actually I'd argue that drugs being illegal is what makes most rebellious teenagers want to try it.
Legalisation will obviously never happen because it's so political and people are too stupid (sorry to offend but it's true) but seriously, if you look at it practically and from an economical and social perspective why hasn't it happened?!
The Pros far way outweigh the Cons, no?