"War On Drugs Has Failed". says former heads of M15, CPS, BBC - Polidicks

[QUOTE=BCell;28728661]Heroin, cocaine and opium destroys your brain cells.[/QUOTE] As does alcohol?

Fuck, really? I thought all those billions of dollars worth of taxpayer money pumped into it was being put to good use, now it seems it'd be better spent on (ironically) pot?

[QUOTE=Superginger;28726635]In similarly obvious news, the sky is blue.[/QUOTE] ACTUALLY the sky is Black. Just sayin'.

A U.S. marshal in my state was killed during a drug bust due to the war on drugs

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;28728965]Legalize all drugs, however in order to consume them you must pay a heavy tax proportional to the amount consumed.[/QUOTE] it might become too expensive and then people will just seek other means of obtaining it. problem not solved.

VICTORY :2bong: "War on terror" bullshit is still clinging on to life. Edit2: The "worst" drugs should stay illegal but weed and other less fatal shit is just putting normal people into prison.

[QUOTE=space toe;28731003]it might become too expensive and then people will just seek other means of obtaining it. problem not solved.[/QUOTE] There won't be a black market that can sell cheaper than the legal market, and people already commit crime to get what they want anyways, legalizing drugs isn't going to change that, nothing is, theft and what not are illegal, why do they need to be specifically illegal for drugs? It doesn't make sense.

The entire war on drugs was a complete failure from the start. [editline]21st March 2011[/editline] All drugs should be legalized and we should be spending the money otherwise spent of prosecuting drug crimes on providing the youth with proper drug education.

[quote]...Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform, are calling for new policies to be drawn up on the basis of [B]scientific evidence[/B].[/quote] Finally.

Legalize drugs. Tax heavily. Help economy. Reduce crime.

[QUOTE=space toe;28731003]it might become too expensive and then people will just seek other means of obtaining it. problem not solved.[/QUOTE] Oh yes, when efficient government setups are mass growing weed, somehow somebody will be able to make better weed for cheaper :downs: Just like how there's a superfluous black market for cigarettes and alcohol! After all it's way easier to buy illegally trafficked beer instead of just going to a liquor store and buying a 6 pack for 12 bucks.

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;28732211]Oh yes, when efficient government setups are mass growing weed, somehow somebody will be able to make better weed for cheaper :downs: Just like how there's a superfluous black market for cigarettes and alcohol! After all it's way easier to but illegally trafficked beer instead of just going to a liquor store and buying a 6 pack.[/QUOTE] He meant high taxes might create a black market, and he has a bit of a point. In New York City, where cigarettes are $12-15 a pack due to high taxes, it's not uncommon to find people selling packs from Jersey, where they're $6-7 a pack.

Except cigarettes are physically addictive, and people will go out of their way to make sure the habit doesn't eat a hole in their wallet. Just talking about weed here, but it's probably always going to be cheaper to buy it at a legitimate operation; even with the taxes. Also, your example is not a black market. It all boils down to whether they are federal-defined taxes or state-defined taxes.

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;28732314]Except cigarettes are physically addictive, and people will go out of their way to make sure the habit doesn't eat a hole in their wallet. Just talking about weed here, but it's probably always going to be cheaper to buy it at a legitimate operation; even with the taxes. Also, your example is not a black market. It all boils down to whether they are federal-defined taxes or state-defined taxes.[/QUOTE] It's illegal to sell cigarettes with a tax stamp from one state in another state. That's the very definition of black market.

[QUOTE=Falchion;28731278]VICTORY :2bong: "War on terror" bullshit is still clinging on to life. Edit2: The "worst" drugs should stay illegal but weed and other less fatal shit is just putting normal people into prison.[/QUOTE] Why keep the "hard" drugs illegal?

[QUOTE=waxrock;28732719]Why keep the "hard" drugs illegal?[/QUOTE] Because they're damaging.

[QUOTE=PrismatexV8;28732588]It's illegal to sell cigarettes with a tax stamp from one state in another state. That's the very definition of black market.[/QUOTE] So we're talking about pissant state-side smuggling, then. See, the post I replied to stated that it woudln't stop "drug crime" I suppose state-side smuggling could be considered a crime, but that's a pretty petty and victimless crime, at least until people start shooting each other over it. A serious black market would be one in which criminals directly compete with government markets; growing and manufacturing their own product. What you're talking about here is buying them from the government, and selling them to somebody else and skimming profit off the top.

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;28733092]Because they're damaging.[/QUOTE] A lot of the damage is caused by issues of prohibition, especially the fact that they can be cut with almost anything without the user knowing. While not safe by any means, pure heroin is a lot less dangerous than cut heroin.

[QUOTE=Superginger;28726635]In similarly obvious news, the sky is blue.[/QUOTE] LIES!! [url]http://www.wimp.com/hippieuniverse/[/url]

The hard drugs should be taxed heavily, and that tax money diverted into government schemes that help addicts who want to quit. (there's probably a massive flaw in this idea, I'm not good at economics)

[QUOTE=BCell;28728661]Heroin, cocaine and opium destroys your brain cells.[/QUOTE] So does living, lets ban living.

I fail to see how legalizing it decreases anything, cigarettes and alcohol are both legal and there are still billions spent by the NHS on the diseases they both cause. Nothings to say that legalization will do anything other than make it 'okay' to be open about drug use and make it more accessible, I don't think the majority of drug abusers do it for the thrill of breaking the law..

[QUOTE=Ihazard;28734973]I fail to see how legalizing it decreases anything, cigarettes and alcohol are both legal and there are still billions spent by the NHS on the diseases they both cause. Nothings to say that legalization will do anything other than make it 'okay' to be open about drug use and make it more accessible, I don't think the majority of drug abusers do it for the thrill of breaking the law..[/QUOTE] You are missing the point. Whether or not the number of drug abusers changes(It would go up some, down in others), the source would be legal. It would decrease drug crimes by cartels and lead to safer, quality drugs.

[QUOTE=Ihazard;28734973]I fail to see how legalizing it decreases anything, cigarettes and alcohol are both legal and there are still billions spent by the NHS on the diseases they both cause. Nothings to say that legalization will do anything other than make it 'okay' to be open about drug use and make it more accessible, I don't think the majority of drug abusers do it for the thrill of breaking the law..[/QUOTE] The reason alcohol and smoking weren't banned was because they where more popular than other drugs rather than the damage they did. [editline]21st March 2011[/editline] The main problem with legalisation is they will have to do it without giving them a better image, but I personally believe that giving people the facts and let them make there own decisions is the best way.

I guess looking from that point of view, it would seem a lot more logical, it just seems hard to imagine anywhere distributing hard-drugs or retaining a 'better image' without them falling into disarray

The War On Drugs has failed? Wait, this is news?

[QUOTE=Dr Magnusson;28732007]Tax heavily. Help economy.[/QUOTE] No. If you haven't noticed drugs are fairly simple to make and if taxed heavily enough, won't end up like cigarettes. They'll just make their own damn drugs and sell it, effectively solving nothing.

[QUOTE=WTFTY;28734108]LIES!! [URL]http://www.wimp.com/hippieuniverse/[/URL][/QUOTE] Totally right.

[QUOTE=s0beit;28735975]No. If you haven't noticed drugs are fairly simple to make and if taxed heavily enough, won't end up like cigarettes. They'll just make their own damn drugs and sell it, effectively solving nothing.[/QUOTE] And then they'll be taken out for Tax Evasion. It will remove the main bit of the criminal end of drug dealing.

[QUOTE=Treybuchet;28738658]And then they'll be taken out for Tax Evasion. It will remove the main bit of the criminal end of drug dealing.[/QUOTE] Right now they can go away for more years than tax evasion for distribution of drugs, in fact they can go down for tax evasion [i]right now[/i] under the current laws. If it's profitable they will commit the crimes required to make a profit, unless it isn't profitable for them to be in that business anymore. (High taxes on legal drugs will make illegal drugs seem more enticing, since it isn't stopping anyone now) Offering them that incentive is just starting the cycle over again.