Drug Legalization

long time no c

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BTW, I generally against, but Milton Friedman makes certain points...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se_TJzB9-z0

Frankly, I don't think it would affect me or my spouse in any way. It's just the kids and others.

long time no c

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I'm for legalization of marijuana but not other drugs. I have not read anything that indicates marijuana is any more harmful or adictive than alcohol and legalization for recreational use by persons over 21 does not seem to me to be unreasonable assuming the same limitations are placed on marijuana as are currently in place for alcohol.

As for all other drugs, I certainly am against legalization for anything other than valid medical use. I don't want to see a nation of drug addicts as is (was) the case in some nations who legalized them. But we should change our drug laws to be more like Sweden where addicts are hospitalized not tossed in prision. We should clear our prisons of people whose only reason for being in prison is for drug use. Instead we should be providing rehabilitation facilities to help them kick the habit.

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I agree with Ancient Dragon that drug users should be hospitalized rather than imprisoned. I've never used any kind of illegal drug, but to me, marijuana seems less harmful that cigarettes. It's far less addicting, and few arguments are made to make it legal in public places compared to just making it legal in private places. It obviously has economical benefits and I think that if it were more government regulated people could be safer, they don't have to worry about dangerous things that have been added to them. They can get safe needles and everything.

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If, say, marijuana were legalized, to what level of regulation should its use/consumption be regulated?

Like tobacco, where scrutiny such as THC level in comparison to nicotine level?

Like alcohol, with scrutiny such as relative toxicity?

Filters? Menthol? "Good shit"?

--

Public use, private use only, semi-private?

long time no c

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Only private use. Not on the streets. Government regulated. Can't operate machinery while under its influence.

Posting Virtuoso

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I think it should be regulated like alcohol because from what I understand the affects of marijuana are similar to alcohol. Don't know for certain because I never smoked it.

>>They can get safe needles and everything.
how does that relate to marijuana???

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The thread is about legalization of drugs, not marijuana specifically. That comment referred to certain government sponsored programs (I think they're government sponsored) where they pass out needles that are clean and it prevents the spread of certain diseases.

Posting Virtuoso

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Why should the government pass out needles for something legal?

long time no c

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I think you meant to say illegal. Anyway, you're right it would seem to encourage the act but it also helps prevent to spread disease and they believes that the pros outweigh the cons. The drug users would be likely to take drugs anyway, this way it's at least safer. I don't really think it's the government that passes out needles, but it might be.

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Hmm.. I think marijuana should be legalized. It really isn't as harmful as other drugs.. and it can bring in some $$ for the U.S. government.. Also, it will help reduce crime and illegal drug traffickers. I don't see many disadvantages.. people smoke it anyway..

joshSCH

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I'm typically against legalization of drugs; on the other hand, so long as I remain unaffected in every way, I could care less what people do to themselves. It's just that the unaffected clause never seems to work. But as for the "less harmful" argument, I'd compare it to saying that everyone should be allowed to carry knives everywhere because they're less deadly than guns (admittedly, it's a somewhat extreme comparison).

Infarction

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*couldn't care less

Well, look at people who smoke.. I don't know about where you live, but here, I rarely encounter people smoking.. They can't smoke in public restaurants nor in almost any public facility. The same would be true for marijuana. I seriously doubt any of us who choose not to indulge in such substances would be effected. But of course, we wont know for sure until it is actually legalized.

joshSCH

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<>
[Pat, pat.]

long time no c

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Yeah, as long as it doesn't continue to get more and more of a casual thing until it is being done in public places, I wouldn't mind. And I think with all the negative reputation drugs like marijuana get, people that would otherwise not smoke it only because it is illegal would probably still choose not to. The same with drinking. Even though it's legal people still choose not to do it.

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and it can bring in some $$ for the U.S. government..

You mean it can take $$ from U.S. citizens.

Rashakil Fol

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If you ask me, if 'hard' drugs are going to be illegal, they should be legal to purchase, possess, transport, produce, and do anything with, with the exception of consumption. This would force the end of the worst aspect of drug use, the War On Drugs (and the criminals who profit from this so-called war).

Rashakil Fol

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>>they should be legal to purchase, possess, transport, produce, and do anything with, with the exception of consumption

If someone does all those things then you can get your boots that they are either drug pushers (prisonable offense) or consuming the drugs too. Drug pushers should be casterated for their crimes.

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I think legalisg all drugs and having a state run monopoly on them would cut organised crime by a huge %

jbennet

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I think legalisg all drugs and having a state run monopoly on them would cut organised crime by a huge %

yes, but at what cost? do you want your schoolbus driver spaced out on crack, or how about airline pilots ? Or government officials like the Queen and PM ? From what I've seen on TV the House of Lords (I think it is) already looks like a zoo -- and it would be a lot worse if they were all on crack or other drugs. And the flunk-out drop-out rates in schools would skyrocket.