Legalizing Drugs and outcome -( Portugal. for Eg).

[Ocean Breeze]

Ten Years Ago Portugal Legalized All Drugs -- What Happened Next?

When the nation legalized all drugs within its borders, most critics predicted disaster. But a decade later, drug use has plunged dramatically.
By Tony O'Neil

 Ten Years Ago Portugal Legalized All Drugs -- What Happened Next?     :      Information Clearing House: ICH

lots of merit in legalizing drugs. First off: the psychological shift from wanting something you can't have......to being able to have it with in legal perimeters. is profound. It reduces the risk factor that can energize the living on the edge within the drug culture. Risk is part of the "thrill" ,

How it would affect the drug crime rate would be significant. The whole rule book would change There would be no need for shady drug deals, wars, as the legalized versions could be competatively priced.

The revenue from taxing drugs would go a long way to keeping the nation in a balanced budget.

The addiction issue would most likely not be any more of an issue it is now.

More people could be trained in rehab care to assist folks in detoxifying ...... keeping more folks be gainfully employed.

and those are only the immediate positives that come to mind.

........thoughts?? Pros ?? Cons???

 

[Cliffy]

It is what saner minds have been advocating for decades. What does that tell you about those who continue to wage this stupid war on drugs? The use of and the death tole is rising. Why do you think the war continues?

 

[ironsides]

It is what saner minds have been advocating for decades. What does that tell you about those who continue to wage this stupid war on drugs? The use of and the death tole is rising. Why do you think the war continues?

Legalizing the selling of drugs in general for use in private homes, clubs etc. but fine those who use the drugs in public are fined and possibly get to serve some time

 

[taxslave]

The industry that has developed around making recreational drugs illegal have no desire to see their well paid cushy jobs disappear. On both sides of the law.

 

[Colpy]

Very interesting, thanks Ocean Breeze....

For those that doubt on-line news sources, here is an article from TIME magazine on the same subject.....

Decriminalizing Drugs in Portugal a Success, Says Report - TIME

 

[WLDB]

It'd be nice to have it this way here.

 

[Ocean Breeze]

Very interesting, thanks Ocean Breeze....

For those that doubt on-line news sources, here is an article from TIME magazine on the same subject.....

Decriminalizing Drugs in Portugal a Success, Says Report - TIME

for the "verifying' link, Colpy. Appreciate it.

(those that doubt on line news sources, might want to do a rethink as many times these sources are more informative than the MSM produces. . Of course one needs to be selective.& use discretion....... but the same applies to MSM. (anything about Faux Non-News come to mind??? Mind you others have gone into info tainment as opposed to INFORMATIONAL News. .

Just sayin'. ;-)

It is what saner minds have been advocating for decades. What does that tell you about those who continue to wage this stupid war on drugs? The use of and the death tole is rising. Why do you think the war continues?

A bizarre form of "population control"??? 8O:-(

There are many RATIONAL methods of handling most of societal problems. But when the bottom line and politics factor themselves in ........ all reason seems to leave the building. One thing is clear....... the POPULATION is NOT the first concern of the politicians. And this seems to apply to everything that is health, & education related. ( the two most critical componants of any population)

 

[taxslave]

The number one concern of politicians is that the population pay taxes.

 

[Ocean Breeze]

The number one concern of politicians is that the population pay taxes.

True . So all they have to do is leglize drugs and tax them. Use a similar model to how they handle Alcohol.

Would go a long way to "balancing the fed budget " or getting out of the "red".

(of course the other main concern of politiicans is to remain in power. Once they get that power bug.... it is like an addiction. 8O

so if they want to stay in power........start making sane and smart decisions. What a concept. ;-)

 

[petros]

True . So all they have to do is leglize drugs and tax them. Use a similar model to how they handle Alcohol.

Never, no way, not in a million years.

It's a plant. Man and cannabis have a history that predates laws.

The only option is to decriminalize.

 

[WLDB]

Never, no way, not in a million years.

It's a plant. Man and cannabis have a history that predates laws.

The only option is to decriminalize.

So do Man and Alcohol, but its still taxed.

 

[Bar Sinister]

There is a considerable difference between legalizing drugs and decriminalizing them. ASA is legal; I can buy it in almost any pharamacy as well as numerous other stores. Heroin is not legal. If it was decriminalized I would still have to go to some street dealer to get it.

Portugal appears to have decriminalized illicit drugs, not legalized them. Don't expect to go to the country and find you can buy over the counter LSD, heroin, or cocaine; it won't be there.

In that sense Colpy's (or at least its headline) article is a little closer to the mark than that of the ICH headline which trumpets legalization while actually describing decriminalization.

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

Good item, drugs need to be legalized, decriminalized, and regulated.

 

[damngrumpy]

For sure organized crime does not want drugs, prostitution or any of the vices like that legalized.
Law enforcement, the lawyers, judges, and others involved in the judicial system do now want
drugs legalized. The money made from peoples misery is just to great. These people on both
sides of the law are worse than politicians at the trough.
The war is a money making machine for all of them. They keep seniors and church people out
front demanding the war continue. It is time to examine how the money can better be spent
In addition I do believe if people abuse alcohol and drugs they should pay part of their medicare
if they become ill as a result. And yes that would have personal impact as I smoked years ago
and my wife got COPD from it.
I suppose there would be a phasing in of any new regulations, but really if we are going to have
people making personal choices they should be prepared to take individual responsibility as well.

 

[Ariadne]

In the Netherlands, where drugs have been legally available for quite some time, it is a small problem. What I remember from when I was last there is that there are shops where personal use quantities can be purchased for home use. There are a couple of bars where it can be smoked, but they are well marked. It's not okay to smoke drugs on street corners. The drugs are available in a menu in the specialty pubs. Public perception is that it's okay for use by some people - like artists and musicians - that may want to use the drugs to see things differently. For the most part, locals see it as something for tourists and artsies, but that the majority would prefer to keep their wits about them all of the time. I think the dense population in the Netherlands offers more social pressure and influence to do things in moderation. In a place like Canada, where everyone is so spread out, I think buying drugs over the counter could be like buying alcohol over the counter ... it could quickly become problematic with people being stoned all the time and not having that much contact with the community. I don't think that's how it is used in the Netherlands.

Does anyone know if it's legal or decriminalized in the Netherlands?

I'm in favour of decriminalizing soft drugs and making them available to anyone that wants to buy for personal use.

I'm also in favour of legalizing prostitution and making it safer for women, also something that was done in the Netherlands a long time ago. There are still problems with prostitution in the Netherlands. Even though there are established business for prostitution, there are still illegal organizations and women that are forced into prostitution. Making it legal did not prevent an underground or illegal and unregulated business from continuing to thrive.

 

[petros]

So do Man and Alcohol, but its still taxed.

Well if we don't see surface water and shallow wells cleaning up soon. kid's will have to go back to drinking beer?

 

[Ocean Breeze]

In the Netherlands, where drugs have been legally available for quite some time, it is a small problem. What I remember from when I was last there is that there are shops where personal use quantities can be purchased for home use. There are a couple of bars where it can be smoked, but they are well marked. It's not okay to smoke drugs on street corners. The drugs are available in a menu in the specialty pubs. Public perception is that it's okay for use by some people - like artists and musicians - that may want to use the drugs to see things differently. For the most part, locals see it as something for tourists and artsies, but that the majority would prefer to keep their wits about them all of the time. I think the dense population in the Netherlands offers more social pressure and influence to do things in moderation. In a place like Canada, where everyone is so spread out, I think buying drugs over the counter could be like buying alcohol over the counter ... it could quickly become problematic with people being stoned all the time and not having that much contact with the community. I don't think that's how it is used in the Netherlands.

Does anyone know if it's legal or decriminalized in the Netherlands?

I'm in favour of decriminalizing soft drugs and making them available to anyone that wants to buy for personal use.

I'm also in favour of legalizing prostitution and making it safer for women, also something that was done in the Netherlands a long time ago. There are still problems with prostitution in the Netherlands. Even though there are established business for prostitution, there are still illegal organizations and women that are forced into prostitution. Making it legal did not prevent an underground or illegal and unregulated business from continuing to thrive.

Informative post. Thx. Not sure I see Canada & the drug issue correlated as you do. Canada is not a country of extremes......(except maybe as it relates to the weather ;-) , There might be erruptions of extreme behavior on occassion.......but that is not the norm. Our southern neighbor IS a nation of XTREME. EXTREMES....... so I suspect both would handle it very differently.

I too , am in favour of decriminilizing soft drugs. See how that works out and decide later about others. One thing that we should NOT do......is make a humongous production out of it. No drama or theater is necessary.

With taxing drugs (in a similar format as liquor )....... just imagine how much it would help the "economics" of the province/ country.

 

[Ariadne]

I think there has to be a coherency in the fabric of the society in order for social norms to moderate the use of drugs. In a country like the Netherlands, that was in place for centuries. There have been some bumps in more recent years, like the film producer, van Gogh, who was murdered by a Muslim extremist while smoking a cigarette, riding his bike while going to work. The response by the Dutch was to require all Muslim public speakers (religious) to be educated in the Netherlands.

In Canada, where the culture is not only young, but also becoming more undefined by the day, there is no coherent cultural or national identiy whereby the morals, standards, ethics and social expectations of our society are well defined. Making soft drugs available to all will not be socially monitored and moderated like in a country like the Netherlands, but instead everyone will be standing around looking at each there wondering where to draw the line, and whether drawing the line at any point means someone is being politically incorrect. I could see a change in soft drug laws resulting in a higher incidence of addiction and all the problems that brings.

 

[Bar Sinister]

I think there has to be a coherency in the fabric of the society in order for social norms to moderate the use of drugs. In a country like the Netherlands, that was in place for centuries. There have been some bumps in more recent years, like the film producer, van Gogh, who was murdered by a Muslim extremist while smoking a cigarette, riding his bike while going to work. The response by the Dutch was to require all Muslim public speakers (religious) to be educated in the Netherlands.

In Canada, where the culture is not only young, but also becoming more undefined by the day, there is no coherent cultural or national identiy whereby the morals, standards, ethics and social expectations of our society are well defined. Making soft drugs available to all will not be socially monitored and moderated like in a country like the Netherlands, but instead everyone will be standing around looking at each there wondering where to draw the line, and whether drawing the line at any point means someone is being politically incorrect. I could see a change in soft drug laws resulting in a higher incidence of addiction and all the problems that brings.

Maybe Canada is not quite so young as you think. Here are a few examples of population pyramids. Note that India has a classic youthful pyramid, whereas Canada' s is not really a pyramid at all any more due to aging of the population. Surfing the Wave

 

[gopher]

Legalize and distribute hemp - it's the patriotic thing to do!