The Mighty Prawn Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 An interesting article about Portugal where all drugs were decriminalized in 2001. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/portugal-decriminalised-drugs-14-years-ago--and-now-hardly-anyone-dies-from-overdosing-10301780.html And another on the proposed legislation of legal highs. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/this-governments-ban-on-legal-highs-is-mindbendingly-stupid-10287781.html Careful DM, that sort of progressive thinking will only anger the mouth breathers! What do we want? To maintain the status quo! When do we want it? When do you think we should have it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evo Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Careful DM, that sort of progressive thinking will only anger the mouth breathers! I take it you breath through your backside as you seem to be talking from it, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keg Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 As always, the devil is in the detail, reading a little further into the article.. Drug use and drug deaths are complicated phenomena. They have many underlying causes. Portugal's low death rate can't be attributable solely to decriminalisation. As Dr. Joao Goulao, the architect of the country's decriminalization policy, has said, "it's very difficult to identify a causal link between decriminalisation by itself and the positive tendencies we have seen." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Funker Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 This topic has run its course, the strongly opinionated will not listen to others opinions and debate has long since died. As my parting shot to all the rabid hand wringers screaming how they couldn't bear anyone who does illegal things having a gun, there are two possible outcomes to this, the first is you are the epitome of a perfect human, you never break any laws whatsoever, you've never once tinkered with electricity without being a competent person, you never speed or stop in a yellow box junction, you watch anything you have recorded on your sky+ once and then delete it - if all these are true then you are indeed an inspiration to us all and more power to your elbow. The second, and dare I say it more likely outcome, is you have made your mind up and no amount of information or opinion will change that. To these people I wish good luck in their world where nothing ever changes and you always do what you always did, spare a thought for those in pain who can't get the medicine they need because a small cabal decided it would hurt their pockets if it was legal. The alcohol/drugs debate is ridiculously complex and to summarise it into legal=good illegal=bad is more short sighted than Mr magoo. As was stated by someone above, there are many things that were illegal that were challenged by enough people to make them legal, gay marriage,votes for women etc but you probably don't agree with them either do you? Grab your copy of the daily Mail tomorrow and have a good day being outraged, it must be a lonely place there in bitter town. This was what I had going round in my head but you've penned it far better than I could. There certainly must be some members here that should be made into saints if they NEVER! break any laws, never eaten a couple of strawberries before paying at a pick your own, never crept over the speed limit, never glanced at a text when driving, never sworn at someone that gave them the hump? Form a queue here for your halo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keg Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Is swearing against the law? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLuke Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Is swearing against the law? By way of public order offence I would guess so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Funker Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Is swearing against the law? If it causes another person harrassment, alarm or distress apparently yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 America has 24 States from Colorado to Washington that have legalised cannabis. Just think, over night there were millions of law breakers who just like that became lawful - was there a change in morality or a change in medical evidence? No, there was a change in legislation and that was that. Maybe some on here will look back and wonder what the fuss was about eh? Saying that the 'black or white and nothing in between' and lack of free thought on here is quite alarming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keg Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Nothing is ever black and white as we all know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evo Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Nothing is ever black and white as we all know. drugs are when holding down firearms certificates,,,,,,,,,,,, well according to some on here bud, but all to their own then, this will be my last comment on the subject,,, if you are caught with them or taking illegal drugs then you deserve everything coming to you, just because some of you think cannabis should be legal so you can gladly walk round and have a joint does not make it legal, I didn,t realise how just many armchair shooters on here smoked pot but would they have the ball,s to tell there feo,s ,,,,,,,, not in a million years,,,, why ? because they know what they are doing is WRONG and against the LAW and is also supporting the misery caused to everyone by these drug dealers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srspower Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 (edited) This topic has run its course, the strongly opinionated will not listen to others opinions and debate has long since died. As my parting shot to all the rabid hand wringers screaming how they couldn't bear anyone who does illegal things having a gun, there are two possible outcomes to this, the first is you are the epitome of a perfect human, you never break any laws whatsoever, you've never once tinkered with electricity without being a competent person, you never speed or stop in a yellow box junction, you watch anything you have recorded on your sky+ once and then delete it - if all these are true then you are indeed an inspiration to us all and more power to your elbow. The second, and dare I say it more likely outcome, is you have made your mind up and no amount of information or opinion will change that. To these people I wish good luck in their world where nothing ever changes and you always do what you always did, spare a thought for those in pain who can't get the medicine they need because a small cabal decided it would hurt their pockets if it was legal. The alcohol/drugs debate is ridiculously complex and to summarise it into legal=good illegal=bad is more short sighted than Mr magoo. As was stated by someone above, there are many things that were illegal that were challenged by enough people to make them legal, gay marriage,votes for women etc but you probably don't agree with them either do you? Grab your copy of the daily Mail tomorrow and have a good day being outraged, it must be a lonely place there in bitter town. Sums it up to be fair. Many people stubbornly see everything in life as black and white no matter how many people try to enlighten them to the fact that everything is a shade of grey. I blame the daily mail, and old people generally to be honest. It because of people like that, that the world is so ****. Edited June 7, 2015 by srspower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keg Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 The same old people that fought for our freedom to do what we want....... Youth has always viewed the old in a different light- Most of the quotes below are from ancient Greek philosophers. "The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise"- Socrates "I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint".- Hesiod The world is passing through troublous times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them.As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress." - unknown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 The same old people that fought for our freedom to do what we want....... Youth has always viewed the old in a different light- Most of the quotes below are from ancient Greek philosophers. "The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise"- Socrates "I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint".- Hesiod The world is passing through troublous times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them.As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress." - unknown and thus has it always been Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keg Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 I think so At 48 i find myself saying the same things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 (edited) Keg, this should probably be a thread of it's own, but your last posts made me think a little and by odd coincidence I watched a show on TV this week with Kate Humble who made me think the same way. As a total aside I think Kate Humble is really fabulous for all sorts of reasons but that most certainly is a different thread. Respect for elders, or anyone for that matter, I passionately believe in. The wisdom of experience is often hard earned and absolutely must be listened to, but should that be the defining measure by which we live our lives? Life is an evolution, technology is moving at a furious pace and changing the way in which we interact with the world; language is evolving faster than at any time in the last 500 years; we are interconnected through digital communications and our previously geographically spread cultures are becoming increasingly homogenised; our expectations of life are vastly different to what they were just a scant 20 or 30 years ago, maybe even less. Do we cling on to the vestiges of the past, even that which we (You & I) 40 somethings think as fundamental to out belief and behaviour systems, but those just half our age already think of as outdated and increasingly irrelevant? Society is moving on relentlessly, faster than we can countenance in some cases, but indignation or faux moral outrage at flaunting accepted wisdoms will not change that. Respect for the sacrifice of what has gone before, including the right to free speech and the freedom of persecution, etc must always be there, but equally we need to recognise that the frontier of freedom and choice moves on unremittingly in terms of our behavioural frames of reference, what our forebears fought and spilt blood over and what we argued over are largely already footnotes in the past. Generation Y, Z and Z+n rewrite the rules, as our grand parents, parents and even ourselves did. So the choice is do you tut, frown and look on with disdain, or do you say to hell with it and jump on for the ride? No matter what you choose progress will make its inexorable march to whatever destination those not even born yet will determine. Personally I am buying the ticket for that train. Rock and roll, fast cars, drugs, tattoos, faster woman, good food, great wine and guns, yeah baby Edited June 8, 2015 by grrclark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 Working my whole life with drugs (the pharmaceutical type) I never see things in black and white. I may be old but am not fossilised in my views yet. Some younger people are fossilised in their views of older people obviously. I am sure lots of them think I should stay at home and knit now. No way hoseah. 50 shades of grey may be a crappy book,but 50 shades of grey is a good view on life. Or maybe its pink and green and yellow and red and..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keg Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 Keg, this should probably be a thread of it's own, but your last posts made me think a little and by odd coincidence I watched a show on TV this week with Kate Humble who made me think the same way. As a total aside I think Kate Humble is really fabulous for all sorts of reasons but that most certainly is a different thread. Respect for elders, or anyone for that matter, I passionately believe in. The wisdom of experience is often hard earned and absolutely must be listened to, but should that be the defining measure by which we live our lives? Life is an evolution, technology is moving at a furious pace and changing the way in which we interact with the world; language is evolving faster than at any time in the last 500 years; we are interconnected through digital communications and our previously geographically spread cultures are becoming increasingly homogenised; our expectations of life are vastly different to what they were just a scant 20 or 30 years ago, maybe even less. Do we cling on to the vestiges of the past, even that which we (You & I) 40 somethings think as fundamental to out belief and behaviour systems, but those just half our age already think of as outdated and increasingly irrelevant? Society is moving on relentlessly, faster than we can countenance in some cases, but indignation or faux moral outrage at flaunting accepted wisdoms will not change that. Respect for the sacrifice of what has gone before, including the right to free speech and the freedom of persecution, etc must always be there, but equally we need to recognise that the frontier of freedom and choice moves on unremittingly in terms of our behavioural frames of reference, what our forebears fought and spilt blood over and what we argued over are largely already footnotes in the past. Generation Y, Z and Z+n rewrite the rules, as our grand parents, parents and even ourselves did. So the choice is do you tut, frown and look on with disdain, or do you say to hell with it and jump on for the ride? No matter what you choose progress will make its inexorable march to whatever destination those not even born yet will determine. Personally I am buying the ticket for that train. Rock and roll, fast cars, drugs, tattoos, faster woman, good food, great wine and guns, yeah baby I'd settle for a faster woman with the permission of my wife of course... On a serious note, i think it's a mix of both. The business i work for is solely focussed on the senior sector so we see all sorts of stats .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
955i Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 (edited) The same old people that fought for our freedom to do what we want....... Don't trot this old **** out again, most of them fought because they were forced to on pain of treason or called up for National Service which they couldn't refuse. Nobody 'has' to fight, it just serves governments well financially if they do. That's why our soldiers get shot with British made guns!! Edited June 19, 2015 by 955i Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckandswing Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Don't trot this old **** out again, most of them fought because they were forced to on pain of treason or called up for National Service which they couldn't refuse. Nobody 'has' to fight, it just serves governments well financially if they do. That's why our soldiers get shot with British made guns!! Really? These are actually your views of those who fought in the great wars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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