Breaking the Taboo - The War on Drugs

PaulS

I would never want to legalize hard drugs. I would not mind - under the right circumstances - the decriminialization of hard drugs. The reasoning behind this is that addicts that want to get off it have a place they can go to get off the drugs without going to jail which just continues the downward spiral of their lives.
Dealing would still be illegal, a criminal act, and so would all the crimes associated with addiction.
There is no way you can get rid of all the end users - there are new people just waiting to have whatever pain they have taken away on every street. Telling them that they will die if they get caught is the same as telling a smoker that they will die if they smoke. It has no effect in real life.
Let those that want help get it, and those that don't will eliminate themselves. How to keep people from getting involved in drugs in the first place is a much harder question - it would have to be a training program that teaches people that pain is temporary and life has to be felt to be lived.

Migraines did that for me - although for a long time it didn't seem temporary. The kind of migraine where a grown man lies on the floor sobbing and every part of his body hurts every time his heart pumps it feels like his head is about to explode - and you wish that it would. The kind of migraine that leaves you sitting on the side of the bed with the muzzle of a shotgun in your mouth and your hand on the trigger - with the only thing that keeps you from pulling the trigger is the thought that someone in your loving family is going to have to clean the mess up - that kind of migraine. I have never been addicted to anything but I sure had every reason to be, but I also had more reason not to be - the love of family and the love of good friends.

radar

Vince, I love your style but I'm at the other end of the trade.
Nail the gangs and the king pins, they're the problem, thats why it cost tax payers so much. If you take out kingpins and serious players the product doesn't get here hence the druggies either have to stop or go somewhere else to get it. NZ has a major Meth (Ice speed crank) problem. Only 3 % of recreational drug users use it but the problems caused, the money involved makes it our most serious problem. Who peddles it....the gangs.

There should only be one gang in town ....the police!

Elvis

true Radar. unfortunately down here in Timaru, there used to only be 2 gangs, the road knights and devils henchmen. they were quiet and pretty much kept to them selves....now they are all here and the problem of drugs in high schools is worse than ever. in the good/bad old days no new gangs could get a foot hold as they would be kicked out by the locals ... now they are told to behave and the others get a toe in the door. now if I was in charge... lets go visit the local gang(the devil you know) and say" tomorow night we are having a party so our call out times will be over an hour. the firebrigade will be there too, I will just leave this can of petrol and this crate of beer here for you fellas... now make sure you behave now.."
ahhh dreams are free I guess.