Should drugs be decriminalised

[Harnser]

So many young lives being lost by knife crime and all down to drug dealers turf wars . I would like to see drugs decriminalised and addicts register for a detox program where by they would receive free drugs and help to get off the stuff .

    This would cut the crime rate overnight and get the scum bag dealers off the streets . Also a an automatic life sentence for illegal dealing .

harnser

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Surely the gangs would only move on to something else in order to make money so the problem will just return in a slightly different form.

Better to go don the hard route with the drugs, the gangs and the murderers, stop the softly softly approach.

[JohnfromUK]

Just now, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Better to go don the hard route with the drugs, the gangs and the murderers, stop the softly softly approach.

+1

[HW95J]

Absolutely agree with Harnser, current laws evidently don't work and encourage violent crime etc. Need to treat addiction as an illness rather than an offence and actually try to break the cycle that many find themselves in. Decriminalisation has been successful in other countries and it would be nice to see a government listening to public opinion and independent advisers. This is asking politicians to think logically and rely on evidence before making policy decisions; neither of which are their strong points... 

Edited May 29, 2018 by HW95J

[Dougy]

It's down to so called brain pickled yobs (use the term loosely as it just glorifies it) being on drugs yes. 

 

But sorry hamster I will never agree to your idea. 

I've never taken drugs, i never had the inclination to, never been forced to start and neither have any of the pickle brain knife wielding yobs, they make that choice. 

[JohnfromUK]

3 minutes ago, HW95J said:

Need to treat addiction as an illness rather than an offence and actually try to break the cycle that many find themselves in.

Agree with the above.

However, I believe in parallel, the need is NOT to legalise, but to come down hard on the importers, dealers and pushers.  Making it legal will just enable addiction to continue.

[Luckyshot]

legalise drugs and hopefully a few overdoses will sort out the scum. 

[flyeruk]

51 minutes ago, Harnser said:

So many young lives being lost by knife crime and all down to drug dealers turf wars . I would like to see drugs decriminalised and addicts register for a detox program where by they would receive free drugs and help to get off the stuff .

    This would cut the crime rate overnight and get the scum bag dealers off the streets . Also a an automatic life sentence for illegal dealing .

harnser

+1

[Danger-Mouse]

36 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

 

However, I believe in parallel, the need is NOT to legalise, but to come down hard on the importers, dealers and pushers. 

Yeah 'cos that's worked brilliantly over the last 50 or so years hasn't it?

What was it Einstein said about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?

[Blackpowder]

True what Tightchoke says, the criminals will just turn to something else.

 

Blackpowder

[JohnfromUK]

Just now, Danger-Mouse said:

Yeah 'cos that's worked brilliantly over the last 50 or so years hasn't it?

It has never been tried in this country.

[Danger-Mouse]

1 minute ago, JohnfromUK said:

It has never been tried in this country.

Maybe not but they certainly tried it in Columbia and the former president who was in power during the Escobar years now suggests legalisation as a better solution.

[silver pigeon69]

i may be wrong, but i believe the addiction rate and drug related crime reduced considerably in Holland when they legalised it.

[Danger-Mouse]

1 minute ago, silver pigeon69 said:

i may be wrong, but i believe the addiction rate and drug related crime reduced considerably in Holland when they legalised it.

Portugal is a better example.

[ClemFandango]

55 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Surely the gangs would only move on to something else in order to make money so the problem will just return in a slightly different form.

Better to go don the hard route with the drugs, the gangs and the murderers, stop the softly softly approach.

Totally agree with this. 

[silver pigeon69]

Just now, Danger-Mouse said:

Portugal is a better example.

Whatever we try, i don't think it can get much worse!

[silver pigeon69]

57 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Surely the gangs would only move on to something else in order to make money so the problem will just return in a slightly different form.

Better to go don the hard route with the drugs, the gangs and the murderers, stop the softly softly approach.

This will never happen with the PC brigade (not our PW PC!!)

[JohnfromUK]

35 minutes ago, Danger-Mouse said:

now suggests legalisation as a better solution.

Alcohol is legal here, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a whole load of problems associated with alcohol misuse/addiction.  The reality is that addiction is the problem.  Legalising (or banning) a substance doesn't remove that problem.  I happen to think that the drug related crime probably would reduce - but the addiction and misery would remain, and it would become easier to become addicted in the first place if drugs were legal.

[martyn2233]

44 minutes ago, Danger-Mouse said:

Portugal is a better example.

Hasn’t harmed Portugal by the looks of it

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal

[scouser]

On a lighter note, it’s like prostitution ,if they could find a way to TAX it they would soon legalise it.

[haynes]

At least if it were leagalisd they could control the quality if it. So it' not mixed with rat poison at the like. I've never taken it or had inclination too. 

[Mungler]

Legalise and tax the life out of it.

At present the demand is there and it’s the hardcore criminal element that are raking the cash in.

Prof Nutt has confirmed that there have been no recorded deaths of people using pure ecstasy - the deaths have occurred with the new synthetic copy drugs and stuff that’s been cut with something awful.  

Additionally no one has died from cannabis use or abuse. The same cannot be said of alcohol or even prescription painkillers such as tramadol.  

It is time for a new approach because what’s been done so far hasn’t changed a thing. 

[Vince Green]

If you legalise drugs, the drug dealers are not going to disappear off the face of the earth, neither are they going to turn respectable and get a job.

They will just find other criminal sources of income, the appearance would be a massive crimewave which the police have no way of coping with and it would make them look very bad in the eyes of the public.

The authorities like the situation as it is now because, although there is a massive amount of criminality, it is largely invisible to the general population.

 

Edited May 30, 2018 by Vince Green

[Mungler]

Not considering decriminalisation/ legalisation or some other new way forward because the criminals currently dealing drugs will move on to commit new and different crime is just bonkers.

[bostonmick]

Two daughters both mental health nurses. Spend the majority of their time dealing with addicts who are on the methadone programme who can't get to their dealer or do not have the cash to buy more drugs as well. Truth is they do not want to come off the stuff. We need more police to harass the gangs. Bring back stop and search in known problem areas and brush aside the protests from the Liberal faction of society that this is not fair regardless of ethnicity. You can't win the war on drugs if you do not turn up to the battleground. Legalised drugs would still lead to crime as the addicts will need to fund their habits.