Russell Brand Tells UN That Drugs Ban Leads Only To 'Death, Suffering, Crime' - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Comedian and actor Russell Brand has delivered a flamboyant plea at a United Nations gathering to bring an end to arrest and punishment of drug-users. Brand, who is a reformed drug addict, told a press conference at the 57th Session Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, there is "no reason to pursue this experiment of prohibition which has lasted a century". Backing the Support, Don't Punish campaign against criminalising drug use, Brand - dressed in a black scoop-neck t-shirt - attacked claims that UN member states had adopted an international "consensus" on tackling drug use. Brand was shown around UN negotiating rooms and met government representatives and campaigners. In a typically anarchic style, he said: "My personal experience is, I was using drugs because I was in a great deal of spiritual, emotional and physical pain and what I needed was a solution to those problems and what was provided to me to reach that solution was a context of compassion and tolerance. "What bigger context is there than the planet as a whole? If we can create a planetary context where drug addicts are treated as people with a health issue - not a judicial, criminal issue - that would create the perfect context for us to advance." He went on: [B]"Nobody at all is helped by drugs being made illegal, unless of course there is a conspiracy to marginalise, condemn and persecute disenfranchised members of our global community.[/B] [B]"I'd hate to think that was the situation - that certain countries didn't matter, that certain classes didn't matter, that certain races didn't matter.[/B] [/QUOTE] Source: [URL]http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/19/russell-brand-un_n_4994209.html[/URL]

[quote]unless of course there is a conspiracy to marginalise, condemn and persecute disenfranchised members of our global community.[/quote] considering the context behind the people who illegalized the drugs in the first place... namely these type of people [video=youtube;DVuwREbGh3w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVuwREbGh3w[/video] that isn't actually all that unbelievable

[quote][B]"Nobody at all is helped by drugs being made illegal, unless of course there is a conspiracy to marginalise, condemn and persecute disenfranchised members of our global community. "I'd hate to think that was the situation - that certain countries didn't matter, that certain classes didn't matter, that certain races didn't matter."[/B][/quote] i'd hate to jump on any sort of silly conspiracy but i did a report on the war on drugs and it got me thinking about this. the numbers just don't add up. like i can't understand any world in which any leader has looked at the money being spent on the drug war, the number of people in prison, and the numbers for drug use, and thought "yep this is working okay". not to mention the amount of money we'd make and how much better off we'd be if we just dropped it all. there must simply be something bigger behind it also his comment about race and class doesn't stem from nowhere. drug bans have been commonly race-driven in throughout history muslims drink coffee? ban it chinese people smoking opiates? ban it black people using coke? ban it irish workers drinking too much? ban it black people smoking dope? ban it obviously drug use in marginalised classes and races stems from their own marginalisation, so it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation, but it is food for thought anyway

[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;44294435]i'd hate to jump on any sort of silly conspiracy but i did a report on the war on drugs and it got me thinking about this. the numbers just don't add up. like i can't understand any world in which any leader has looked at the money being spent on the drug war, the number of people in prison, and the numbers for drug use, and thought "yep this is working okay". not to mention the amount of money we'd make and how much better off we'd be if we just dropped it all. there must simply be something bigger behind it also his comment about race and class doesn't stem from nowhere. drug bans have been commonly race-driven in throughout history muslims drink coffee? ban it chinese people smoking opiates? ban it black people using coke? ban it irish workers drinking too much? ban it black people smoking dope? ban it obviously drug use in marginalised classes and races stems from their own marginalisation, so it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation, but it is food for thought anyway[/QUOTE] You're vastly underestimating the stupidity and belligerent greedy self serving attitude of a politician.

[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;44294435]i'd hate to jump on any sort of silly conspiracy but i did a report on the war on drugs and it got me thinking about this. the numbers just don't add up. like i can't understand any world in which any leader has looked at the money being spent on the drug war, the number of people in prison, and the numbers for drug use, and thought "yep this is working okay". not to mention the amount of money we'd make and how much better off we'd be if we just dropped it all. there must simply be something bigger behind it also his comment about race and class doesn't stem from nowhere. drug bans have been commonly race-driven in throughout history muslims drink coffee? ban it chinese people smoking opiates? ban it black people using coke? ban it irish workers drinking too much? ban it black people smoking dope? ban it obviously drug use in marginalised classes and races stems from their own marginalisation, so it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation, but it is food for thought anyway[/QUOTE] Cannabis was made illegal to fight the hispanics. That's why they named it "marijuana", they made it seem like it was a completely different drug.

All that banning it does is make it a crime and create criminals. There is no benefit.

My understand of the bans is that they're banned because of the effects addiction has on the friends and family of the addict. That wouldn't change if the ban was lifted. I won't argue that the stigma around addiction is a big issue, and that it's a related issue, but it isn't the [I]same[/I] issue.

[quote=article]"What bigger context is there than the planet as a whole? If we can create a planetary context where drug addicts are treated as people with a health issue - not a judicial, criminal issue - that would create the perfect context for us to advance."[/quote] Now that, that is good. I like this part a lot because it just rings sense.

[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;44294435]i'd hate to jump on any sort of silly conspiracy but i did a report on the war on drugs and it got me thinking about this. the numbers just don't add up. like i can't understand any world in which any leader has looked at the money being spent on the drug war, the number of people in prison, and the numbers for drug use, and thought "yep this is working okay". not to mention the amount of money we'd make and how much better off we'd be if we just dropped it all. there must simply be something bigger behind it also his comment about race and class doesn't stem from nowhere. drug bans have been commonly race-driven in throughout history muslims drink coffee? ban it chinese people smoking opiates? ban it black people using coke? ban it irish workers drinking too much? ban it black people smoking dope? ban it obviously drug use in marginalised classes and races stems from their own marginalisation, so it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation, but it is food for thought anyway[/QUOTE] Yeah its ridiculous how it is. To go a bit in depth, the thing about crack cocaine, in America atleast, is that in the past the, gram per gram, possession of crack was sentenced up to 100 times harsher compared to powder cocaine. Recently it got reduced in 2010 so that its an 18:1 relation, which is still an outrageous disparity since crack and powdered cocaine aren't really different. The only real differences between the two drugs is the media coverage and political pressure on crack cocaine, and that crack cocaine is primarily used by African-Americans while powder cocaine was primarily used by white/latino people. That's just one aspect of how the drug war has been marginalizing people based on race. [QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;44294907]My understand of the bans is that they're banned because of the effects addiction has on the friends and family of the addict. That wouldn't change if the ban was lifted. I won't argue that the stigma around addiction is a big issue, and that it's a related issue, but it isn't the [I]same[/I] issue.[/QUOTE] That really isn't the reason why the bans exist. One of the reasons bans exist because its beneficial to the politicians to do so, it gives them political capital. They get to look like they going strong against crime, while also being able to marginalize poor people and minorities.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;44294907]My understand of the bans is that they're banned because of the effects addiction has on the friends and family of the addict. That wouldn't change if the ban was lifted. I won't argue that the stigma around addiction is a big issue, and that it's a related issue, but it isn't the [I]same[/I] issue.[/QUOTE] It would change. They would no longer be under fire for hiding a relative doin dope from the po po

I've had family members who have been addicted to drugs, and still gone to work after blowing their mind. Come home, play and chat with family about their days, goto bed and goto work the next morning. If you can do that, I cannot see any reason to why you shouldn't be allowed to find some enjoyment with drugs. You are a functional addict, a functional addict that is still keeping their family healthy and happy, and doing things that benefit your country.

I'm not usually one to agree with the opinions of celebrities (anti-vaccination nitwits come to mind, ech), but Brand hit this one right on the head. The only things drug bans create are needlessly dangerous lives for addicts, an endlessly-bustling source of relatively low-key income for criminals, and an unwillingness/inability among scientific minds to use substances that can be beneficial if properly studied and administered. The only real upsides to drug bans are for people who don't deserve them. Politicians' wallets get fattened by the income from drug busts, criminals grow rich off of substances which would not be nearly as valuable if legally supplied, prisons get more and more inmates who are just harmless addicts and whose numbers bolster their profits. If drug bans completely and totally stopped tomorrow, and were replaced by taxed legal sellers and/or government suppliers, suddenly a whole lot of problems with drugs would be gone. Illegal dealers and drug smugglers wouldn't be able to exert control over anybody or even operate anymore, since their status as the only sources of illegal drugs would be gone. The police would be far less distracted and be able to focus on actually-harmful crimes, rather than locking up people for using a substance in ways that can only potentially harm themselves. People who have medical issues of the mind and/or body which banned drugs could alleviate or completely solve would finally have their solution. Hell, even the government itself would benefit, since taxes on shop sales and/or people directly buying from the government would provide plentiful profit without ruining peoples' lives. There's just so many good effects that a lift on drug bans would have, but no one wants to do it. Ironically, my own born nation of America's infamous "War on Drugs" would have been solved in a second if legalization occurred, since smugglers, dealers and crime lords would suddenly be left without a vital source of profit.

The very idea of for-profit prisons is sickening.

Wait, so he wants ALL drugs to be legal? Fuck that. Most of the other shit fucks you up bad.

[QUOTE=MightyLOLZOR;44295705]Wait, so he wants ALL drugs to be legal? Fuck that. Most of the other shit fucks you up bad.[/QUOTE] i think he just doesn't want drug addicts to be thrown into jail for the heinous crime of being addicted

Agreed. All drug criminalisation has done is fund criminal cartels and organised crime

[QUOTE=MightyLOLZOR;44295705]Wait, so he wants ALL drugs to be legal? Fuck that. Most of the other shit fucks you up bad.[/QUOTE] If overused and abused, yes, drugs do fuck you up. So do cigarettes, which are highly addictive, damaging to the respiratory system and even carcinogenic, and they're still pretty damn legal. So do sugars and fats, which can bloat your body into a hideous mass and cripple many organs and bodily systems if over-consumed, and they're perfectly legal. On the other side of the coin, careful use of even harder drugs like heroin and cocaine can be safe, as long as you don't overdose yourself and don't use them too often. And, interestingly enough, most drugs don't get you instantly addicted like D.A.R.E. and other PSAs have led people to believe. It's a gradual shift in brain chemistry caused by overuse, just like addiction to cigarettes or food. It's perfectly possible to be a normal, functional member of society who occasionally snorts a little coke, does a little heroin or etc., albeit harder if you're not sure what you're doing. Just like all other good-feeling things in life, it's a balance. If you take/do/etc. too much of a good thing, it can hurt you and become a bad thing. This extends even to hard drugs. The only kinds of drugs that'll get you hopelessly addicted in an instant and ruin you on the first uses are the kind of mixed-chemical shit that's come about due to illegal drug trade and smuggling. In other words, drugs like the infamous Krokodil, which is made from a bunch of sketchy chemicals because it's cheap, and a dealer of illegal substances isn't morally scrupulous enough to care if his product induces necrosis consistently in users. Krokodil came about because smugglers and drug dealers wanted to make a cheap version of heroin (if I remember right) to make more illicit profit off of, which means it likely wouldn't even exist if heroin were legally available and cheaper due to the high supplies of it.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;44294907]My understand of the bans is that they're banned because of the effects addiction has on the friends and family of the addict. That wouldn't change if the ban was lifted. I won't argue that the stigma around addiction is a big issue, and that it's a related issue, but it isn't the [I]same[/I] issue.[/QUOTE] But banning drugs, as you've said the reverse of, doesn't manage the addiction, it only makes their life needlessly more dangerous.

[QUOTE=MightyLOLZOR;44295705]Wait, so he wants ALL drugs to be legal? Fuck that. Most of the other shit fucks you up bad.[/QUOTE] There's a bunch of reasons why. Everyone knows some drugs will ruin you, but decriminalization or legalization allows for places that can observe your addiction and help with it safely. Some people are going to do it anyways, it's not a factor of "it's legal, so everyone's gonna do it". It's the fact that through decrim and such, we can at least have the opportunity to prevent death and injury. Look at Supervised Injection Sites. It's not "ideal" in the sense of curing addiction, but it saves lives regardless, whether it be OD or transmitted disease.

making legal leads to the same things anyway.

[QUOTE=MightyLOLZOR;44295705]Wait, so he wants ALL drugs to be legal? Fuck that. Most of the other shit fucks you up bad.[/QUOTE] everything on earth will fuck you up if you abuse it/misuse it/use too much

[QUOTE=MightyLOLZOR;44295705]Wait, so he wants ALL drugs to be legal? Fuck that. Most of the other shit fucks you up bad.[/QUOTE] Bleach is legal, better drink 3L of it, gonna get fucked up.

[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;44295166]I've had family members who have been addicted to drugs, and still gone to work after blowing their mind. Come home, play and chat with family about their days, goto bed and goto work the next morning. Yes hallelujah !!! If you can do that, I cannot see any reason to why you shouldn't be allowed to find some enjoyment with drugs. You are a functional addict, a functional addict that is still keeping their family healthy and happy, and doing things that benefit your country.[/QUOTE]

I think all of the senseless bans are creating more issues than they are solving.

[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;44296023]The key for life in moderation. Too much medicine? You OD. Too much water? You drown.[/QUOTE] I don't know, the effects of various drugs differ from person to person, so I think it's too much of a gray subject for the government to legalize all drugs, and I don't know if I would be comfortable in a world where drugs are legal because some random guy could go berzerk and kill me and/or others. I know shit like that happens even now, but with all drugs legal, the world would be a crazy place.

[QUOTE=ChestyMcGee;44294435]i'd hate to jump on any sort of silly conspiracy but i did a report on the war on drugs and it got me thinking about this. the numbers just don't add up. like i can't understand any world in which any leader has looked at the money being spent on the drug war, the number of people in prison, and the numbers for drug use, and thought "yep this is working okay". not to mention the amount of money we'd make and how much better off we'd be if we just dropped it all. there must simply be something bigger behind it also his comment about race and class doesn't stem from nowhere. drug bans have been commonly race-driven in throughout history muslims drink coffee? ban it chinese people smoking opiates? ban it black people using coke? ban it irish workers drinking too much? ban it black people smoking dope? ban it obviously drug use in marginalised classes and races stems from their own marginalisation, so it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation, but it is food for thought anyway[/QUOTE] And recently khat was banned in UK against expert advice, it also being coincidentally popular among the Somali minority. [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23163017]src1[/url] [url=http://www.channel4.com/news/khat-ban-herbal-stimulant-kenya-somalia-theresa-may]src2[/url]

To be honest. Legalizing recreational drugs would be awesome. And cigarettes should be banned, it's an awful habit.

As much of a cunt as Russell Brand is, you have to admit he's quite smart. This isn't the first time he's spoken out like this.

[QUOTE=BuffaloBill;44297147]As much of a cunt as Russell Brand is, you have to admit he's quite smart. This isn't the first time he's spoken out like this.[/QUOTE] he usually completely sensationalises issues and makes a lot of retarded facebookers speak out without any knowledge on the subjects but at least someone is making people talk about this shit

Even if selling and consuming drugs were legalized, it wouldn't make all problems magically go away