Opinion Are you for or agiant the legalization of ALL drugs?

[Falsedawn]

I agree that if tax dollars were rerouted from arresting, prosecuting and housing them in prison, they should be diverted to rehabilitation programs. Of course, there's always the issue of leading a horse to water. Tough thing to do and I say that as a former addict myself.

That's why I honestly don't think any sort of decriminalization will move the meter much at all, I don't think it created any more addicts than there already are; the idea that it will is nonsense. But the same time I don't know how effective adding rehabilitation programs are. I guess it would be nice to at least provide better options right away and hope for the best.

I think as a general rule, I weight rehabilitation significantly higher than incarceration on a case by case basis. Meaning that rehabilitating one individual provides more tangible downstream benefit than incarceration. Speaking purely financially, you create a taxpayer instead of a tax drain. Socially, you encourage people to not stigmatize drug users and advocate for their help long before they get to the point where they would be running into police. Politically, it reinforces my beliefs toward bodily autonomy, and is really the only tenable outcome that satisfies my internal reasoning for the positions I have.

I'm not opposed to still using incarceration as a deterrent in severe cases, but I'd need to see a concrete plan for rehabilitation instead of imprisonment. If it resembles an involuntary psych hold over an arrest, I'd be okay with that. Ultimately, I just don't think we're doing anything but creating more criminals by sending them to jail. That becomes significantly more likely when we brand them as felons and stop them from returning to normal life, thereby making them significantly more likely to reoffend in the future.

 

[Anewt]

Interested to see how it pans out. But I think only 1 state doing it will just end of receiving some terrible influxes of the wrong kind of people. Probably some organisations that you definitely don't want in your neighbourhoods. Cartels and such.

 

[Grenz]

I’m for the legalization of cannabis and most psychedelics, but I have a hard time seeing how anything of value is added to society by establishing a legal meth trade. However, I am for decriminalized personal possession for all drugs.

 

[mmafan2000]

I'm against the legalization of all drugs but if you would have said marijuana, and possibly some psychedelics I would have said yes. I think at some point marijuana and mushrooms will both be pretty accepted in most if not all states.

I agree.

 

[bref]

I'm in favour of decimalization, not necessarily legalization. A junkie shouldn't be put in jail simply for being a junkie.

 

[Gutter Chris]

For

The drug war is a failure, has turned police into monsters, is constantly eroding our civil rights and has cost a fortune and drugs are everywhere

Its time to try something else.

 

[DoomPatrol]

I bring this up because of Portland, Oregon where it's legal now.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/04/election-drugs-oregon-new-jersey/

I was adamantly for the legalization of all drugs for a long time, but now I'm having second thoughts. My pro and con ideas are due to the following reasons:

PRO:
1. Drug dealers will be out of business overnight (I hoped)
2. Tax it and put money into treatment centers, education and infrastructure
3. The war on drugs is a failure
4. People are free to do what they want. Just because someone is addicted to sniffing glue, we are not going to ban all glue.

CON:

1. Will be harder to get, will have to go to disgusting, shady sources to get drugs. Simple minded people, weak willed people will have less easy access.
2. The government shouldn't be in the business of destruction, i.e. drugs, abortion, gambling, etc.
3. Drug dealers bribe politicians to keep it illegal. It's a good opportunity to find those politicians, bug them and get to the dealers. Then purge them all.
4. some drugs are just too harmful and fundamentally destructive.
5. People are stupid and need to be helped by the government.

I'm now stuck in the middle and can't decide. Can you help me pick one?

Why my change of heart:

1. I don't know if the pros and cons are legitimate.

2. My cousin got severely addicted and died from drugs. I don't know who to blame.

3. The behavior of Democrat leaders in Portland was despicable, a huge turn off to me due to the lawlessness, riots, looting and arson and wanton destruction. I will never forgive them. If legalizing all drugs comes from the same people as de fund the police, encourage illegal sanctuary cities and riots, I can't support it.

I think if it's a natural substance it should be cool. So weed, mushrooms, coca leaf, poppy gum, cactus. That anything that doesn't require chemical processing to change it into something else would be legal.

Anything chemical would be controlled. So LSD, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine would be decriminalized but illegal to produce or sell.

 

[giusti825]

Let people put whatever they want into their own body. The force of the state should only be necessary for violence. The police should be there to protect us, not to be nannies for the state. That's anti-freedom.

 

[Mattola]

People who wanna do drugs, will do so regardless. Myself included.

 

[RerouteToRemain]

I am for the decriminalization of all drugs, I do not want them all legally for sale on a corner near you.

 

[mmafan2000]

Let people put whatever they want into their own body. The force of the state should only be necessary for violence. The police should be there to protect us, not to be nannies for the state. That's anti-freedom.

I agree to a certain extent. What if everyone goes nuts as a culture and ends up like Opium China in the 18th century when opium was legal and everywhere, everyone got addicted and almost died off till the government had to step in and ban all opium. People are stupid by nature and can't have unlimited power. Especially with the kinds of drugs out there today.

 

[Trotsky]

For legalizing:

Weed
Cocaine
Methamphetamine
MDMA​

Against legalizing:

Heroin/other opioids
LSD
Psylocybin mushrooms
PCP​

 

[Cid]

A well thought out legalized system is in all likelihood the best way to tackle drug addiction.

Most people have this crazy belief that under a legalized system heroin or meth are going to be as easily accessible as marijuana or mushrooms.

It's extremely unlikely in a legalized system that heroin or meth will not be receiving a higher tax or rather pricing method. It's also unlikely that long term there won't be various strategies to further reduce the use of of hard drugs. Or certain stipulations on acquiring these drugs.

People think legalization will result in hard drugs being readily accessible but it's like going to result in the opposite.

Soft drugs will be the most readily available and even then they will be regulated, priced and pushed based on their health effects. Safer drugs will become cheaper.

Hard drugs might be readily available in initial stages of legalization as eliminating the black market is enviable... but if you think a legalized system that has control of heroin, meth, cocaine isn't going to socially engineer people away from these drugs you're stupid.

You might have to get a license to acquire legal hard drugs.
You might get mandatory harm minimization courses.
It might just get a price increase .1% above that of inflation per year.

Legalization doesn't mean free reign to buy and sell hard drugs.



It's like when liberal Californians went to buy guns for covid/Trump and found out it wasn't quite as easy as it seems. That's what procuring hard drugs will be like under legalization.

 

[MusterX]

I'm in favour of decimalization, not necessarily legalization. A junkie shouldn't be put in jail simply for being a junkie.

I think you have to go further than that. If you decriminalize that's better than nothing but you need to also inject money into rehabilitation or you end up with a lot of tent cities and other problems. There has to be an entire program to best solve the problem.

 

[chiefwiggum]

Against. Seen hard drugs destroy too many people to say we should lessen accountability.

And don't say "but Portugal." This is the USA I'm talking about. We are not responsible enough as a nation for it.
People will argue it'd make drug counseling easier,as if its difficult to get now.

I really don’t think hard drug use would increase that much. But I have no idea. I would probably be dead if I had an endless supply to buy whatever I wanted. But I was an idiot and really enjoyed and or loves various drugs at one point in my life.

when I kicked opiates about a decade ago or more. After a decade of abusing them. I was on a thing called subutex and methadone. Different times. . And at the time. I needed to go to drug counseling. It was a severe waste of time for a one on one counselor. And then a group which was just a bunch of people talking about how great the program was who bounced in and out of jail and for probation violations. And say how it was life changing. As they are constantly relapsing. I didn’t want to hear that shit or even associate with anybody speaking about it.
And it was about $600 a month and my medication at the time was almost $500 a month.
I did this for about 6 months. Once a week. Well the counseling for 2 and a half. And weened myself off the medication and always took less as I knew I would be kicked out of the program. Success!!!


I think rehab would be a better soloution than prison so maybe decriminalize.

But that would only help people who really want help and cut ties with everyone and just be a different human.

 

[MusterX]

LSD
Psylocybin mushrooms

Those two are almost inevitable, at the least for medical use. Psychedelics can be used to treat any number of addictions or otherwise difficult to treat problems people have. So maybe not full legalization but you are going to see doctors administer trips, especially from mushrooms, to their patients in a controlled environment.

 

[regmma123]

Anything in its natural form should be legal

Anything manmade no. Cokeheads & heroin addicts dont make the world a better place

 

[panamaican]

Legalization coupled with drug treatment instead of illegality coupled with prison time.

Yes, I'm for that. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't be.

 

[Legicato]

As long as their healthcare wont cost me anything, legalize em all and let the junkies kill them selves off. Their life their choice.

Also any crime while high should get double the punishment.

 

[KAZSoliloquy]

legalize all drugs with no exceptions.