Social Portland recriminalizes drugs after failed 2020 experiment.

[nhbbear]

Yes, but legalization has its own set of problems that can actually be worse than decriminalization. That's why sex worker advocates often push for decriminalization- legalization leads to troublesome double markets because of those regulations, case exhibit- Nevada.

In the legalization scenario, the government gets into the production/sales business for cocaine, heroine, fentanyl, etc.; otherwise the "sellers" would continue to do business with cartels/street dealers, and therefore you have most of the same problems as decriminalization or criminalizing. I don't see a feasible way to do decriminalization or legalization in the US. I think that is downward spiral material.

I prefer keeping them illegal, I was just saying if I had to pick between the other two, I am choosing legalization

 

[TryggeTryggvar]

SE Asia goes too far in the other direction though. No one should be getting the death penalty over drugs.

Hard to have pity for people smuggling heroin and shit. Trying to enrich yourself with stuff that can completely destroy the life of so many people, including the family members of addicts, is heinous.

Death penalty for weed tho is insane.

 

[Big Nasty Edison]

In St. Louis, like every major city, we have a huge problem of people just folded over on every street corner high off of fentanyl. As a society, we're going to have to do something to keep people from ever trying this shit. Fentanyl is the scourge of our society right now. Just throwing people in jail isn't going to work as it doesn't address either the health issues that got them hooked on opiates, or addressing the mental health issues that made them turn to opiates to disassociate from whatever they need therapy for.

Note: none of what I said above implies I'm pro legalization or decriminalization of fentanyl, meth or cocaine. The only drug I am pro legalization/regulation of is THC, and would be open to psilocybin (based on evidence that is has immense mental health benefits). But that's an entirely different topic.

EDIT: This seems like a "big city" problem now, but the opiate crisis is heavy in rural areas too. Where you have hard working blue collar workers who got hurt in the early 2000's and sold opiates. Now the next generation is following in those poor soul's footsteps as it's culturally ingrained at this point.

 

[joy2day]

help me understand this. If we haven’t seen this with weed, why would we see it with other drugs?

(Also the government was pretty good at selling cocaine in the 80s. Just sayin)

Look into the differences in what it takes to produce weed, and what it takes to make cocaine, fentanyl, or heroine. That is an apples and oranges comparison.

 

[DoctorTaco]

Look into the differences in what it takes to produce weed, and what it takes to make cocaine, fentanyl, or heroine. That is an apples and oranges comparison.

Walk it in for me- what does that have to do with the government producing either?

 

[DoctorTaco]

Honestly, I cannot imagine living in one of these fucking ultra-Leftist cities. Cesspits.

Yup. Its awful. Don’t come here. I hear Iowa is nice this time of year

 

[joy2day]

Walk it in for me- what does that have to do with the government producing either?

Because If it is legal there has to be some way that people are going to get it so either criminal elements are going to produce it to be sold or the government is (with harder drugs). Neither is a tenable situation.

 

[Misfit23]

In our defense we were promised a carrot and a stick and then the city only rolled out the carrot.

We love our progressive ideas. The implementation is never on point though. I expect preschool for all to get some overhaul at some point. Not gonna lie I considered moving to avoid the tax but I love this city too much to move.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

In our defense we were promised a carrot and a stick and then the city only rolled out the carrot.

What was the stick?

 

[DoctorTaco]

Because If it is legal there has to be some way that people are going to get it so either criminal elements are going to produce it to be sold or the government is (with harder drugs). Neither is a tenable situation.

Why wouldn’t the government produce and sell weed now? And why would the produce and sell crack?

 

[DoctorTaco]

We love our progressive ideas. The implementation is never on point though. I expect preschool for all to get some overhaul at some point. Not gonna lie I considered moving to avoid the tax but I love this city too much to move.

I travel a fair bit for work and it’s rare for me to land in any major city or part of the country that I’d rather be

 

[DoctorTaco]

What was the stick?

Jail.

The whole program was supposed to be offering low level offenders the choice between jail or rehab.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Jail.

The whole program was supposed to be offering low level offenders the choice between jail or rehab.

Lol! Pretty big omission of the initiative. Why no follow through?

 

[oldshadow]

I hear they are talking about a bill to allow doctors to force people into rehab. Im not sure of the details but legally I'm not sure how it would work. I can see a temporary hold then the doctors go to a special judge and make it longer.

 

[DoctorTaco]

Lol! Pretty big omission of the initiative. Why no follow through?

Idk, I never followed the issue very closely. I know that the city wasted millions on studies and surveys and shit like that.

 

[shunyata]

The problem is you cannot just decriminalize drugs without offering social services and places where addicts can go for help. Also mental health and drug treatment in this country is terrible. I went into a drug and mental health rehab in 2007 and was at this place for only 5 days when my insurance refused to continue covering it saying I was cured or something to that effect. I left the place. I was going through heroin withdrawals as well and the next day I copped and got high again. I rationalized that even when reaching out for help they tell me to fuck off.

12 years clean now from it and all other opiates.

We should be having recovering addicts, mental health experts, and the like be advising how the government and the police should be handling drug addicts, addiction, and the scheduling of drugs. Marijuana should not be a scheduled one drug at all. In my opinion it should be legalized like alcohol. I also think we should legalize the personal usage of psychedelics such as DMT, LSD, Psychedelic Mushrooms, Mescaline, and I could keep going on.

Glad you're clean but sorry your insurance did you dirty that way.

We can't really treat the public health issue that is the opiate epidemic without first revamping our for profit healthcare system.

We need single payer healthcare, medicare for all.

 

[Hog-train]

If the country really wanted to get rid of drug use, they could. Plenty of countries around the world do it, albeit with draconian measures.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Idk, I never followed the issue very closely. I know that the city wasted millions on studies and surveys and shit like that.

Them liberal arts grads need to get paid

 

[joy2day]

Why wouldn’t the government produce and sell weed now? And why would the produce and sell crack?

Again, look into what it takes to produce heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, then look into what it takes to produce weed. You are talking apples and oranges. I'm not going to type out the whole issue of pharmaceuticals being produced in the United States with Illicit products that have to be brought from other countries, but you can look into it and read about it yourself. It doesn't take a genius to see the difference between producing and selling weed and trying that with harder drugs which are much more complicated to produce. If you have some kind of a point you're trying to make, I'd be glad to address it though.

 

[DoctorTaco]

Again, look into what it takes to produce heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, then look into what it takes to produce weed. You are talking apples and oranges. I'm not going to type out the whole issue of pharmaceuticals being produced in the United States with Illicit products that have to be brought from other countries, but you can look into it and read about it yourself. It doesn't take a genius to see the difference between producing and selling weed and trying that with harder drugs which are much more complicated to produce. If you have some kind of a point you're trying to make, I'd be glad to address it though.

Weed is easier to produce, so the government doesn’t?

I understand hard drugs are harder to produce. If you can provide me with a link that explains why that would mean the government of the United States Government would start producing and selling crack then I’d read it.