why does anyone oppose legalization of drugs?

I mean people, not companies that stand to lose money if that were to happen and such, or people in the prison industry. I mean just regular folks, of whatever political stripe.

If you don't like drug addicts, I would think the best thing for it would be to allow them to have all the drugs they want, and eventually they will all O.D. and die off. *Poof* -- no more drug problem in our society. Except the pot-heads, but they won't go away no matter what anyone does or doesn't do.

Anyway, just wondering.

:shrug:

meth, yeah it should.

Maybe what I mean is I am glad they are illegal. Some of them anyway.

people are going to do them, regardless, so if they are legal...at least it will be a little safer

used for prostitution (which is already arguable as to whether it should be legal) and other things. I understand the point and I don't have much to say against it. It is a legit point. But, I am glad personally that meth and heroin are illegal.

I know what you mean about meth...and I could name a couple other things that I find absolutely reprehensible. But I still don't want them to be illegal, and have people locked up on account of them. While I'm a little sketchy on calling it a medical issue (I'm convinced it's mostly common sense and willpower), no matter what the substance, I can't convince myself that locking people up over it is a good idea...unless you are going to honestly treat them, and not just throw 'em in the hole 'til they learn their lesson....

sure I find a legal reason as to why it should be illegal. It is something that I feel in my heart not logically in my head.

I mean, someone who gets addicted to a drug is certainly foolish, but should they be a criminal?

One statistic I heard that really took me back; in 1970, before possession of heroin was made a criminal offence (at the urging of the US government) there were a few hundred heroin addicts in the whole UK. Now there are tens of thousands. Sounds like a policy which has miserably failed to me.

I have a legal logical reason to think they should be illegal. It is something I feel in my heart. I don't want addicts to spend their lives in jail. I want them to get help.

Their USE should not earn people a criminal record.

If anything, they should be arraigned as witnesses against the dealers. If they refuse, charge them with obstruction of justice.

In that scenario, I may even accept on-job drug testing (except for pot) as not a complete abomination.

Using is one thing. I don't like it particularly, but I don't think it warrants jail time.

though i go back and forth between balancing the good of society vs individual right to treat your body as you like

but I do feel like there's no stopping people from doing whatever they are going to do to themselves anyway. It's just that now we have a whole bunch of "criminals", whereas if these substances were not illegal we would just have a bunch of "drug users". I just don't believe that locking people up for non-violent, basically victimless "crimes" solves anything. I dunno. I realize there's a lot more to it than just that...

anyway, gotta go...and probably drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes, which I know is very bad for me but I'm going to do anyway...

There are many places in Europe where drugs are legal and they have more addicts than they know what to do with.

But I bet those places have a lot smaller prison populations than we have here.

I do feel like certain people are going to keep doing drugs until they die from it, though. It frustrates me. But even still, I'd rather they not be locked up.


I didn't say I had an answer....

answer. :)

Maybe, instead of making it criminal, we force addicts into rehabilitation.... I dunno... it's a tough call. :shrug:

I remember being in Switzerland in the late 80's and seeing heroin addicts on the side of the street shooting up and pan handling tourists to get their next fix. Some of them were going through major withdrawal's, crying and screaming for some money to get a hit. I found myself profoundly sad at that moment, thinking...wow, these people have been so abused by their own system. It really affected me.

because we are told to.

I think that the reason some people favor keeping certain drugs illegal is that they want to punish people who do not conform to society's norms. They may have very stereotyped attitudes about drug users and view them as "hippies" or "losers" and want to punish them for being different.

1. Making drugs illegal makes drugs less available. Children and other vunerable people are less likely to use various drugs if they are less available (except if they live in drug ridden areas). I know that if drugs were legal that we could prohibit sales to children. It is some people's way of thinking though and there is a big deal associated with the age of being able to buy something for the first time.
2. Drug users are more likely to committ other crimes to support their habit. I suppose that depends on the drug and if prices would remain high with legalization. There is also some concern that people under certain drugs would be more likely to committ crimes because the drug would impair them in a bad way, just like alcohol does. Hmmm.
3. People using certain drugs are more likely to die young and/or have emergency room incidents. Just like alcohol.
I actually think that ther may be some merits to these arguements when taken together, especially my first and last arguements. I don't think that we really want to be making some of these drugs available to more people. Unfortunately, if these drugs were sold for the first time in stores, I believe that we would see a large number of first time users of cocaine, heroin, and meth. Many of these people would have little to no knowledge about what to expect, although careful instructions could be on the container. Still, no one wants bad things to happen to their sheltered young adult. Unfortunately, bad things can happen to people some of these drugs the first time that they use them.
As I said in my reasons, many of the same arguements can apply to alcohol. Our culture has a long history though of responsible alcohol use (as well as irresponsible). I think that the same could become true of marijuana if people were more comfortable being open about it. As for some other drugs, I don't know if is worth the risk of developing that. Can people responsibly use meth?
That said, I think that drug users and low level dealers who also use should get rehabilitation. I think that people that make significant profits off of hard drugs though should do time. They are doing a business that is harmful to individuals and society.

If someone wants to do drugs, he/she will find a way, no matter what, so why keep them illegal?

After all, some drugs aren't nearly as bad as alcohol, and that's legal.

are way worse than alcohol.

Amsterdam. Then it's just a matter of time before everyone is an atheist and people are marrying their pets.

Ain't cho read no bumper stickers? "Freedom isn't free"

It was, as you may have guessed, about recovering heroin addicts who are now caught up in this treatment cycle. A few of the people in the program hadn't used heroin in 20, 30 years, but they have been on methadone instead for 20, 30 years. It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. Their lives were just absolutely broken in every sense. No jobs, no money, no family. Where do you even start helping people who are so hurt? They did do it to themselves by using heroin in the first place, but when the treatment replaces the original addiction--when that's the best option available--ugh. It was heartbreaking. A couple guys went cold turkey and you could see that they looked healthier after just a few weeks, but it's so hard to start over like that. They need a support system that in some cases isn't always available.

I know this is a bit off topic from the OP but it's been stuck in my head since I saw it. I guess it doesn't matter if they're illegal or not--people of course still do them. I just hate to see people in jail for what amounts to a sickness. (I don't think all drug use results in such dire situations, but in any case, I don't think drug users should be made into criminals.)