Legalisation of drugs... putting them into the hands of the government

[pa___ul3]

There's been a lot of talk about the Lib Dem's ideas on legalising drugs for personal use in the UK. A lot of the points made I agree with, the control of them would surely make them safer and would go, in my opinion, a long way to tackling gang crime in the UK which I feel are driven by drug trafficking and selling.
That said, Andyhughes made a point before about alcohol "But while the government derives such massive revenues from the alcohol taxes, they will do little or nothing to address these issues - moeny is far more important than health and well-being, hence the reluctance of any government to address the issues in any meaningful way, with a view to changing sociial attitudes to alcohol."
A point which many people agree with.

My question is, should the UK legalise recreational drug use and provide legal outlets, we must assume there would be heavy taxes on them also, would we be at risk of going down the same path? Where the government (perhaps) uses it as a reliable source of revenue with only a second thought on the health issues?

[andy-hughes]

I think the notion of legalisng drugs has its good points, but what we really need is to address the social issues involved.

If people are living such wretched lives that the oblivion of alcohol or heroin addicition are seen as preferable alternatives - and that is the bedrock of drug culture - then that is where we must start.

Educationg a generation that oblivion is not the answer, but addressing the cause and effect issues is what we need, would be a start, but that requires investment in the correct end of education - at nursery level.

While this government treats nursery education (minimum wages for a start) as a career choice for youngsters who have no idea what to do, but a vague idea that they like babies - while simultaniously trying to convince fifty-er cent of the population that they must have a university degree, then these problems will continue.

It will take at least two, maybe three generations, for new attitrudes to be taught, and filter through into society, but we need to make a start now.

No sign of it yet though ...

[Mosaic]

It's clear that whatever we are doing to control drug selling and use at present isn't working well. Then if you add up the cost of policing, of health loss, social misery and of criminality associated with the illegal trade in drugs......
As with alcohol, cigarettes and kebabs, if you allow people freedom of economic choice then some might make themselves ill. But that should be weighed against the advantages of customers being able to acquire, at reasonable cost, quality-controlled products with known contents and side effects, with secure knowledge that it hasn't travelled to them inside some chav's bottom.
I watched an episode of CSI Miami the other night, and the whole story revolved around the fact that it is illegal to take bets in Miami (apparently), so criminals can make huge amounts of money and blackmail punters whereas here we just wander down William Hill and put a fiver each way.

[ChuckFickens]

If drugs were legalised they couldn't put too much tax on them (at least to start). If they were taxed to a level they become more expensive through official channels then they are currently people would simply carry on buying them from their existing dealers using the existing supply channels.

[ChuckFickens]

I remember when one E cost £15!!

(errr so I was told!)

[ummmm]

20 crap E's for £10.

[pa___ul3]

I definitely wouldn't disagree with you there Andy, but that is only part of the issue in this case, recreational drugs are not confined to one part of society, cocaine and pills are everywhere, from chavs on the dole to top bankers and doctors. You'd also assume that the educated know the risks too.
I personally think legalising and controlling it is the only way forward, and taxing it as much as they want providing it does go back into education and treatment.
Mosaic's right, people will always have the choice and we simply cannot halt the supply, I'd rather see the money in the hands of the government than the hands of dealers and gang leaders.

[mungbeanz]

I'd certainly pay more to the government for drugs. At least you'd know the coke isn't cut with all sorts of rubbish and the Es did what they were supposed to do.

Chuck - you liked partying in the early nineties then?

[ChuckFickens]

They probably aren't MDMA at all at that price.

There was a warning on the news a few weeks ago telling clubbers to be careful because there was a batch of pills about that actually contained high levels of genuine MDMA and warning people to stay away from them..... somehow I don't think telling people the pills actually contain what they think they are buying is going to make people stay away from them!

[madmaggot]

So by the same token, because other laws are regularly broken such as shoplifting, do we recind the law? IE, if too many people break the law just remove that law!

[ChuckFickens]

I might have been known to be at a few raves in the early 90's :)

[ChuckFickens]

Liquid MDMA is usually GHB with no MDMA in it at all.

[madmaggot]

What is wrong with these people's lives that they start using drugs anyway? The best bet is for the government to put out a large supply of pure stuff and put them out of their misery.

[pa___ul3]

aah see, that's where my argument falls down, I'm guessing for it all to be legal, the sources would have to be legit too, and I'm guessing equally as controlled and taxed etc. So high costs. Is that going to happen?

[mungbeanz]

I'm surprised that more governments haven't gone down the legal route, especially when you see the revenue coke and weed generate. Was it Escobar who offered to pay the Colombian national debt? This may be an untrue tale, but when you see the horror and insane profits that the illegal drug trade has, it seems like the only logical choice to take this trade from the criminals and at least regulate it. I guess we have the USA and their war on drugs to thank.

[mungbeanz]

Paul, The only reason drugs are expensive is due to the risk exporting them. I used to live in Latin America and can tell you cocaine and marijuana were incredibly cheap there. It woud be easy for governments to charge fair prices and undercut eth illegal supply. Coca is grown legally in Bolivia. Just give them a license to process the plants.