The drug discussion

[Kingdom of Grolsch]

Several people had a discussions about the political and legal situation concerning drugs today in a thread not particularly related to this topic. As such I've created this thread in a more suitable place.

Where were we again?

[Deleted]

All crime stems from drugs just as in the 30's prohibition created gangs to smuggle alcohol. You outlaw something that doesn't have to be outlawed a huge underground market will always thrive.

[Administrator]

Exactly. Prohibitions only create a subculture for illicit material to thrive in. There are some purely harmful things (heroin springs to mind) which should be banned, but most everything else should be limited and taxed. Saves the police force time, saves room in our jails for real criminals, and gives our tax strapped country another source of revenue.

Related to the ordinal conversation, the drinking age should be lower if only so I can legally be as drunk as I am right now

[Kingdom of Grolsch]

I agree. The Gedoogbeleid here - which makes soft-drugs like marijuana legal to sell in a highly regulated environment - has had a lot of positive effects in that crime rates related to drugs have dropped dramatically and less people are using drugs now than when using drugs wasn't allowed.

According to the Statistics Office, there are 666 legal points of sale for pot in the Nederlands. All of them are regulated on the national level (the so-called "AHOJ-G" act, which sets, among other things, the minimum distance of a pot shop to schools and other public services and the maximum weight of the pot to be held in inventory) and on the local level (municipalities supervise the shops and determine the location of new shops).

There are some negative effects because of this policy: the pot shops (we call them coffeeshops, and no they don't serve coffee) impact the quality of life in it's immediate area negatively. Also, many of the customers of the pot shops, especially in the border provinces of Limburg and Zeeland and in the city of Amsterdam as well, there are problems with foreign people going there just for pot, which is something many people here don't like at all.

[Avaerilon]

The Dutch have the right attitude towards drugs, I feel. I'm a devout anti-tobacco smoker, but I see no harm in letting people use personal quantities of soft-drugs in their own homes (provided there are no children) or in licensed bars or areas.

I think we have a big problem with alcohol in the UK. Largely thanks to the Labour party, it is now an offence for an under-18 to have alcohol outside of their own home. Whatever happened to getting your kids used to it? The French, I feel, have the best attitude toward it. Get them used to it, and they won't go out on binges. I had wine as a baby, and have turned out to be a sensible drinker. Someone now might not have any alcohol until they're 18th birthday, and they might get sent to have their stomach pumped. Alcopops and their availability, as well as marketing, are also an issue. Marketed at people partying or clubbing, lots of the stuff is drunk to hydrate, because it appears there is little or no alcohol in it. But after that 3rd or 4th one, the party girl has had too much.

*Grumbles and sips his pint*

[Newhalla]

Here in Sweden almost all or all alcohol is sold by Systembolaget (a state owned non-profit company). So maybe same thing can be done whit drugs just slightly more regulated. I also fell that its wrong for the government to say what i am not allowed to put into my body. But i fell that all drugs should be legal. i mean you can drink poison and such things that can harm you but you just don't do that. There is allot of other addiction problems to and much more larger like alcoholism. Its more of a liberty issue for me. I don't want drugs myself.