"War On Drugs" has failed.

[scotty]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13624303

 

 

Ive been saying this for decades. An unwinnable war, insanely expensive to the community and ridiculously profitable to the criminal suppliers. How anybody can believe that the free market economy and capitalism are the way to go but hope to exclude it from the drugs market is beyond me.

[Lighthouse]

Legalise ALL drugs, then tax the feck out of it. Simple.

[Deppo]

[video=youtube;Sy-y-uamSiE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy-y-uamSiE

[Joensuu]

Decriminalise all drugs. Allow a free market to develop.

 

Tax moderately (enough to put people off; not high to the extent of allowing a black market to exit).

 

Spend a small proportion of the additional revenue generated on rehabilitation and information schemes, which can also ensure that quality standards are assured.

 

Net result: less drug use in the UK; Crime funded by the current drug black market wiped out; economies of producing countries (say Afghanistan) stimulated, causing support for extremist groups in producing counties to fall, enabling a massive saving on overseas military adventures; oh and hilarious outrage in Daily Heil and Express rags, trying to provoke dumbed down Britain to express their disgust.

[1976_Child]

Don't legalise drugs.

 

Drugs wreck lives. Drug dealers should be flogged in public, Malaysian style.

[Window Cleaner]

Don't legalise drugs.

 

Drugs wreck lives. Drug dealers should be flogged in public, Malaysian style.

 

Aren't they hanged in Malaysia?or is that Thailand.

[Lighthouse]

Don't legalise drugs.

 

Drugs wreck lives. Drug dealers should be flogged in public, Malaysian style.

 

I'd argue there is feck all correlation between legalisation of drugs and actual usage of drugs. I'm pretty sure the proportion of drug users in Holland is no higher than the European average. Infact it's actually less than countries such as the UK and France.

 

These are two things I have never seen/heard/read sensationalist news stories about:

- People who would be heroine addicts, but aren't because it's pwopa nawty and they don't want to break the law.

- People sticking their head into a garden shredder just because garden shredders are a legal substance.

 

Put simply, I don't think the law is a deterant. If people want to do drugs, they will. Conversely, people wont do stuff just because it's legal.

[Saintandy666]

Don't legalise drugs.

 

Drugs wreck lives. Drug dealers should be flogged in public, Malaysian style.

 

Yes, drugs can sometimes wreck lives, but many of the reasons they do is exacerbated by it being illegal.

 

1. Under prohibition, people go for the higher risk drugs, sometimes because it is pushed upon them by dealers.

2. The drugs are impure due to lack of regulation, causing side effects not usually associated with a pure version of that drug.

3. Drugs fuel a vast crime empire around dealing, and counter-drug measures are so stringent that only large cartels can get through it which puts all the money in the hands of big gangs which is then used to fund other illicit activities.

4. People are stigmatised and cut off from society for doing not much wrong which can then lead to them to the hands of the gangs, i.e smoking cannabis by themselves.

 

That's just 4 reasons I can think of. People in this debate are too quick to say, 'drugs are bad'... yes, we know they are bad, but prohibition makes it worse. Just imagine what would have if they made smoking illegal tomorrow!

 

Just imagine this, zones where you can buy and do these drugs legally. Taxed and regulated, saving the state millions, perhaps billions on healthcare costs and policing costs because the gangs will be put out of business.

 

They've done this in other countries and medical need after drug usage has fallen, overall drug usage has fallen(especially harder drugs). Prohibition NEVER works.

[scotty]

Decriminalise all drugs. Allow a free market to develop.

 

Tax moderately (enough to put people off; not high to the extent of allowing a black market to exit).

 

Spend a small proportion of the additional revenue generated on rehabilitation and information schemes, which can also ensure that quality standards are assured.

 

Net result: less drug use in the UK; Crime funded by the current drug black market wiped out; economies of producing countries (say Afghanistan) stimulated, causing support for extremist groups in producing counties to fall, enabling a massive saving on overseas military adventures; oh and hilarious outrage in Daily Heil and Express rags, trying to provoke dumbed down Britain to express their disgust.

 

Yes, drugs can sometimes wreck lives, but many of the reasons they do is exacerbated by it being illegal.

 

1. Under prohibition, people go for the higher risk drugs, sometimes because it is pushed upon them by dealers.

2. The drugs are impure due to lack of regulation, causing side effects not usually associated with a pure version of that drug.

3. Drugs fuel a vast crime empire around dealing, and counter-drug measures are so stringent that only large cartels can get through it which puts all the money in the hands of big gangs which is then used to fund other illicit activities.

4. People are stigmatised and cut off from society for doing not much wrong which can then lead to them to the hands of the gangs, i.e smoking cannabis by themselves.

 

That's just 4 reasons I can think of. People in this debate are too quick to say, 'drugs are bad'... yes, we know they are bad, but prohibition makes it worse. Just imagine what would have if they made smoking illegal tomorrow!

 

Just imagine this, zones where you can buy and do these drugs legally. Taxed and regulated, saving the state millions, perhaps billions on healthcare costs and policing costs because the gangs will be put out of business.

 

They've done this in other countries and medical need after drug usage has fallen, overall drug usage has fallen(especially harder drugs). Prohibition NEVER works.

 

blimey, SWF in sensible posts shocker!!!

[SuperMikey]

A lot of the drugs that are illegal aren't half as dangerous as Alcohol or Nicotine are. I think it's time for a bit of common sense and to see that taking the hard stance on this is NOT the right way to be going about things.

 

Would love to be able to pop into ASDA in the next few years and pick up an eighth

[doddisalegend]

I'll freely admit I never really done drugs apart from Alcohol, however my brother in law was a heroin user and it wasn't pretty. Quite frankly he is lucky to be alive today, his health is shot and he put my wife and her whole family through hell. For every recreational saturday night drug user who never suffers an ill effect I'm pretty sure there are plenty of hooked junkies going through misery and putting their families through it to.

 

I'm really not sure there is an easy way to solve the problem to be honest.

[Saintandy666]

I'll freely admit I never really done drugs apart from Alcohol, however my brother in law was a heroin user and it wasn't pretty. Quite frankly he is lucky to be alive today, his health is shot and he put my wife and her whole family through hell. For every recreational saturday night drug user who never suffers an ill effect I'm pretty sure there are plenty of hooked junkies going through misery and putting their families through it to.

 

I'm really not sure there is an easy way to solve the problem to be honest.

 

I'm sorry to here about that, but the facts about legalisation speak for themselves. Heroin usage has gone down in Portugal where it has been legalised. Also, voluntary admission to drugs clinic for users of harder drugs like heroin is up. Also, medical problems from those who take it up is down because it is all regulated and clean.

[SuperMikey]

I'll freely admit I never really done drugs apart from Alcohol, however my brother in law was a heroin user and it wasn't pretty. Quite frankly he is lucky to be alive today, his health is shot and he put my wife and her whole family through hell. For every recreational saturday night drug user who never suffers an ill effect I'm pretty sure there are plenty of hooked junkies going through misery and putting their families through it to.

 

I'm really not sure there is an easy way to solve the problem to be honest.

 

My cousin was also an addict, she was clean for a while and now she's relapsed and is back on drugs again. The things that she's been through are horrifying to hear about, and she's driven my Aunt half to death with worry and stress. The fact of the matter is that the drugs put her in the hands of criminals. If we took the drugs out of the hands of criminals and properly regulated them by LAW instead of by the decision of some half-baked mobster we could ensure that addiction is safer and more properly regulated than it is at the moment. If we were banning dangerous substances, alcohol and nicotine would be at the top of the pile - but because the government makes an absolute bomb out of them through tax they will never be banned. No reason to say that we can't regulate currently illegal drugs in the same way that we regulate legal drugs at the moment.

[scotty]

I'll freely admit I never really done drugs apart from Alcohol, however my brother in law was a heroin user and it wasn't pretty. Quite frankly he is lucky to be alive today, his health is shot and he put my wife and her whole family through hell. For every recreational saturday night drug user who never suffers an ill effect I'm pretty sure there are plenty of hooked junkies going through misery and putting their families through it to.

 

I'm really not sure there is an easy way to solve the problem to be honest.

 

Heroin is clearly not a great thing to get hooked on, but for whatever reasons, people still do it. And once you are on it, surely it would be better to trot along to an NHS clinic and take what you need, free of charge and under medical supervision, than get striped by the pushers and have to mug, rob or prostitute yourself to get the astronomical amount of money to pay for something you hope wont kill you because of its impurity or unknown strength?

[doddisalegend]

My cousin was also an addict, she was clean for a while and now she's relapsed and is back on drugs again. The things that she's been through are horrifying to hear about, and she's driven my Aunt half to death with worry and stress. The fact of the matter is that the drugs put her in the hands of criminals. If we took the drugs out of the hands of criminals and properly regulated them by LAW instead of by the decision of some half-baked mobster we could ensure that addiction is safer and more properly regulated than it is at the moment. If we were banning dangerous substances, alcohol and nicotine would be at the top of the pile - but because the government makes an absolute bomb out of them through tax they will never be banned. No reason to say that we can't regulate currently illegal drugs in the same way that we regulate legal drugs at the moment.

 

I can see the arguments for leagalisation and they have fair points, however giving something as harmful as say heroin to people with addictive personalites doesn't seem like good sense either. Surely in the case of your cousin, never being exposed to drugs in the first place would have been the best thing? Like I said no easy solution I can see.

[Saintandy666]

I can see the arguments for leagalisation and they have fair points, however giving something as harmful as say heroin to people with addictive personalites doesn't seem like good sense either. Surely in the case of your cousin, never being exposed to drugs in the first place would have been the best thing? Like I said no easy solution I can see.

 

Yes, but you need to think of it in terms of what is the greater evil...

 

A. Getting the drug off some dogey dealer funding crime and possibly getting drawn into crime yourself to fund your addiction.

B. Getting it off the state in a controlled safe environment while being offered help to get off the drug.

 

The statistics show in countries where B is the norm, heroin use has decreased as has medical issues arising from heroin use!

[Lighthouse]

I can see the arguments for leagalisation and they have fair points, however giving something as harmful as say heroin to people with addictive personalites doesn't seem like good sense either. Surely in the case of your cousin, never being exposed to drugs in the first place would have been the best thing? Like I said no easy solution I can see.

 

Which just proves why criminalising drug use doesn't work. People STILL end up taking them. It's not a question of the government just handing out drugs to everyone and saying, "here, try some of this, it's great". People will use drugs regardless, so the best we can do is:

 

1. Educate young people as best we can as to the effects of drugs. If they still chose to take them when they're old enough, then more fool them.

2. Ensure the supply is clean ethical. I know the idea of 'Fair Trade' opium may seem silly, but you get the idea.

3. Offer free rehabilitation to anyone with drug abuse issues. The tax from drugs would cover the cost 100 times over.

4. Practically wipe out organised crime based around drug smuggling. So many criminal organisations would have their feet swiped from under them without drug money.

[Saint Mikey]

Which just proves why criminalising drug use doesn't work. People STILL end up taking them. It's not a question of the government just handing out drugs to everyone and saying, "here, try some of this, it's great". People will use drugs regardless, so the best we can do is:

 

1. Educate young people as best we can as to the effects of drugs. If they still chose to take them when they're old enough, then more fool them.

2. Ensure the supply is clean ethical. I know the idea of 'Fair Trade' opium may seem silly, but you get the idea.

3. Offer free rehabilitation to anyone with drug abuse issues. The tax from drugs would cover the cost 100 times over.

4. Practically wipe out organised crime based around drug smuggling. So many criminal organisations would have their feet swiped from under them without drug money.

 

I agree with your points. But, looking at this one. I think that these 'criminal gangs' will just move in to something else. They'll start people-smuggling, prostitution and exploiting children. What's worse?

[Lighthouse]

I agree with your points. But, looking at this one. I think that these 'criminal gangs' will just move in to something else. They'll start people-smuggling, prostitution and exploiting children. What's worse?

 

They do that anyway. FWIW I think prostitution should be legalised for a lot of the same reasons as drugs.

 

I'm not an idealist. I don't think this would completely wipe out organised crime. Just that which is based around drug smuggling. Which is a lot.

[Deppo]

Legalise all class A drugs and set up government run shops selling them - to monitor usage and collect revenues. BUT on the first day of opening, anyone who actually makes a purchase should be detained and then put to sleep. This will rid the world of the bad people, the desparados, if you will. Anyone who is willing to wait a day (after the grand opening of the state shops) clearly has self control and won't become a drug addled menace to society. And so we have lots of tax for the government AND sensible drug users. A win-win situation.

[Saintandy666]

I agree with your points. But, looking at this one. I think that these 'criminal gangs' will just move in to something else. They'll start people-smuggling, prostitution and exploiting children. What's worse?

 

Like lighthouse said they already do that and often with funds from drug streams. By legalising drugs you are cutting off a huge revenue stream for them.

[Thedelldays]

Like lighthouse said they already do that and often with funds from drug streams. By legalising drugs you are cutting off a huge revenue stream for them.

 

i dont agree about legalising drugs...you cant adopt an "ah sod it, lets legalise it" attitude.....as then what..? legalise car crime..? legalise GBH...? what about drink driving, never going to stop that and how much does that cost in policing..?

[Saintandy666]

i dont agree about legalising drugs...you cant adopt an "ah sod it, lets legalise it" attitude.....as then what..? legalise car crime..? legalise GBH...? what about drink driving, never going to stop that and how much does that cost in policing..?

 

That's ridiculous. How is someone smoking cannabis in their own house equivalent to stealing a car?! :/

[Thedelldays]

That's ridiculous. How is someone smoking cannabis in their own house equivalent to stealing a car?! :/

 

so we are just on about canabis..? what about heroin..?

[Lighthouse]

i dont agree about legalising drugs...you cant adopt an "ah sod it, lets legalise it" attitude.....as then what..? legalise car crime..? legalise GBH...? what about drink driving, never going to stop that and how much does that cost in policing..?

 

Two key differences:

 

1. With drug usage, the only victim is the user. If you're only actually harming yourself, I fail to see why it should be a criminal offence. I don't give a rats arse what you take, it's your health.

 

2. If crimes like theft or even murder were legalised, rates would go up massively. Struggling to pay the council tax? Just wander into Dixons and take a couple of DVD players. Wife run off with the milkman? Just bash his head in with a cricket bat. It's a completely different kettle of fish.

 

Legalise drugs - Massive boost to the government budget and thousands of lives are saved through clean drugs and rehab programmes

Legalis drink driving - Thousands of innocent people are killed by drunk halfwits getting behind a wheel then walking out of hospital without prosecution.

 

Don't pretend you can't see the difference.

 

I personally think it's the same with legalised prostitution. Not the illegal 'white slave trade' that's completely unethical, but the legalised systems they have in Amsterdam. As far as I can see, that 'crime' is completely victimless. Girls get massive amounts of cash, ugly old b*stards get their end away with a woman young enough to be their daughter.

Edited 2 June, 2011 by Lighthouse

[revolution saint]

i dont agree about legalising drugs...you cant adopt an "ah sod it, lets legalise it" attitude.....as then what..? legalise car crime..? legalise GBH...? what about drink driving, never going to stop that and how much does that cost in policing..?

 

Drug use should only be harmful to the individual concerned so from that point of view it wouldn't affect anyone else. If someone drugged up got in a car then that's a different issue. What legalisation would do is make sure of the purity of the drug, allow authorities to be aware of drug users and because of the high correlation between drug use and crime it would cut crime. Of course it wouldn't cut all crime but it would help substantially. Whether we like it or not drug addiction is a problem and costs us as a society - it won't go away and the current approach isn't working. Legalisation would help us manage the situation better and maybe it would also allow us to help a hell of a lot of the poor sods addicted to drugs.

[Thedelldays]

right, so we can sell purer horein, MDMA, and crack

 

are you fecking mental..?

[Thedelldays]

as someone who has sampled many drugs...know people in deepest darkest millbrook and shirley warren fecking their lives up on serious drugs...I cant see in anyway, making them more freely available is in anyway shape or form a good idea.......

[revolution saint]

right, so we can sell purer horein, MDMA, and crack

 

are you fecking mental..?

 

No, I meant purity as in not dangerous - most overdoses occur because the drugs have been mixed and people don't know what they're buying. Not a particularly mental opinion I would have thought but I apologise if the complexity of the argument caught you out.

[Saintandy666]

so we are just on about canabis..? what about heroin..?

 

I understand your concerns, but here are the facts.

 

In countries where heroin has been legalised:

 

A. Heroin usage has decreased.

B. Medical issues from heroin have decreased. And that is everything from even more dogey impurities than heroin to AIDS being transmitted by needle sharing.

C. People admitting themselves to voluntary help schemes has increased.

[Thedelldays]

No, I meant purity as in not dangerous - most overdoses occur because the drugs have been mixed and people don't know what they're buying. Not a particularly mental opinion I would have thought but I apologise if the complexity of the argument caught you out.

 

so, when we sell "weaker" drugs to users (who always want that little bit more) where are they going to get the harder stuff from...as that always happens..?

[Saintandy666]

I understand your concerns, but here are the facts.

 

In countries where heroin has been legalised:

 

A. Heroin usage has decreased.

B. Medical issues from heroin have decreased. And that is everything from even more dogey impurities than heroin to AIDS being transmitted by needle sharing.

C. People admitting themselves to voluntary help schemes has increased.

 

So in summary, less people screw up their lives.

[revolution saint]

so, when we sell "weaker" drugs to users (who always want that little bit more) where are they going to get the harder stuff from...as that always happens..?

 

That's where I say we can at worst manage the situation better - we'll know who they are for a start.

[Thedelldays]

That's where I say we can at worst manage the situation better - we'll know who they are for a start.

 

so, not only will we be selling "weaker drug" which would be ideal for the average person..we dont really solve the actual problem of those wanting hard drugs as the demand will still be there...

 

but the average estate agent who needs to chuck some power up their nose on a sat night will be fine.........

[Saintandy666]

so, not only will we be selling "weaker drug" which would be ideal for the average person..we dont really solve the actual problem of those wanting hard drugs as the demand will still be there...

 

but the average estate agent who needs to chuck some power up their nose on a sat night will be fine.........

 

The stats on hard drug usage from countries who have taken this route counter your claims.

[Thedelldays]

The stats on hard drug usage from countries who have taken this route counter your claims.

 

what countries are these...do all our trends match theirs..?

 

didnt "stats" say that binge drinking in the UK was be less and less with the introduction of 24 hour opening times...as other countries never had the same problem.....has not quite worked out that way mind

Edited 2 June, 2011 by Thedelldays

[revolution saint]

so, not only will we be selling "weaker drug" which would be ideal for the average person..we dont really solve the actual problem of those wanting hard drugs as the demand will still be there...

 

but the average estate agent who needs to chuck some power up their nose on a sat night will be fine.........

 

And the current system is working so well? I don't think legalisation solves everything but I think it would help. As for your average estate agent - I don't think legalisation would encourage a non drug user to start (it wouldn't be like popping down to Tesco) and if he's already doing it then it won't change anything except for the fact that we might possibly be able to help him or her, it would be less dangerous, and we could control the supply better than we are. And that's without even considering that personal drug use could be considered a personal choice anyway.....

[Thedelldays]

And the current system is working so well? I don't think legalisation solves everything but I think it would help. As for your average estate agent - I don't think legalisation would encourage a non drug user to start (it wouldn't be like popping down to Tesco) and if he's already doing it then it won't change anything except for the fact that we might possibly be able to help him or her, it would be less dangerous, and we could control the supply better than we are. And that's without even considering that personal drug use could be considered a personal choice anyway.....

why the hell not...it would be another thing you can buy and even easier to get hold of......

 

have you ever been addicted to drugs.....? I dont think so as you seem to think putting a weak replacement in the shops will all of a sudden deter people from getting, say harder stuff from the street corner

[Saintandy666]

what countries are these...do all our trends match theirs..?

 

I know for a fact that heroin usage in Portugal and Netherlands is down where it is legal.

 

And they did a trial in Germany where they gave out heroin on the state to the worst addicts and results of that were successful also in rehabilitation rates.

[Thedelldays]

I know for a fact that heroin usage in Portugal and Netherlands is down where it is legal.

 

And they did a trial in Germany where they gave out heroin on the state to the worst addicts and results of that were successful also in rehabilitation rates.

 

have you ever been to lisbon..one of the worst hell holes in europe....they have a severe unemployment and drug problem and people injecting in the street......that is a far cry from what we have here.

[Lighthouse]

as someone who has sampled many drugs...know people in deepest darkest millbrook and shirley warren fecking their lives up on serious drugs...I cant see in anyway, making them more freely available is in anyway shape or form a good idea.......

 

So you agree then that having drugs illegal is in no way a deterant for people who choose to take them? These fecked up people, do you not feel they could benefit from drugs which weren't cut with rat poison and a completely free rehab clinic?

 

We're not talking about giving stuff away free in packets of Corn Flakes. It would still be very expensive, it's just that the cash goes into society by way of taxes instead of criminal gangs.

[Thedelldays]

So you agree then that having drugs illegal is in no way a deterant for people who choose to take them? These fecked up people, do you not feel they could benefit from drugs which weren't cut with rat poison and a completely free rehab clinic?

 

We're not talking about giving stuff away free in packets of Corn Flakes. It would still be very expensive, it's just that the cash goes into society by way of taxes instead of criminal gangs.

 

 

so, we are going to put the stuff in the shops...a much much weaker "brand" than what hard users want..AND we are going to price them out of it...

 

 

yep, sounds like a great plan that will work...

[Saintandy666]

have you ever been to lisbon..one of the worst hell holes in europe....they have a severe drug problem and people injecting in the street......that is a far cry from what we have here.

 

So...? The new policy worked to decrease that... and it has worked in the Netherlands and other mini-experiments in other countries like the one in Germany I said.

[Thedelldays]

So...? The new policy worked to decrease that... and it has worked in the Netherlands and other mini-experiments in other countries like the one in Germany I said.

 

ok, in take lisbon....why have we not adopted their drinking culture then...? they dont get wasted like we do...seeing as we have the same drinking opening hours that was supposed to stop the binge drinking...why have we not followed suit on that one....booze is more expensive here than ever before...clubs and police make it a tad harder to get in to places before..more zero tolerance by the police on UKs streets....so why have are we not a society of light drinkers like they are in lisbon...?

[revolution saint]

why the hell not...it would be another thing you can buy and even easier to get hold of......

 

have you ever been addicted to drugs.....? I dont think so as you seem to think putting a weak replacement in the shops will all of a sudden deter people from getting, say harder stuff from the street corner

 

First up my personal drug use shouldn't enter into the equation - just as I don't need to have played professional football to have an opinion on it (or in your case barely actually going to games). It's a non argument but FWIW I have been addicted to drugs both legal and otherwise. You seem to be confusing the point I was making that legalised drugs wouldn't be "weaker" - they would be safer.

[Saintandy666]

ok, in take lisbon....why have we not adopted their drinking culture then...? they dont get wasted like we do...seeing as we have the same drinking opening hours that was supposed to stop the binge drinking...why have we not followed suit on that one....booze is more expensive here than ever before...clubs and police make it a tad harder to get in to places before..more zero tolerance by the police on UKs streets....so why have are we not a society of light drinkers like they are in lisbon...?

 

It's a cultural thing. With drinking, if you look at places like France and Italy where they are very relaxed on alcohol, they have no such drinking culture as ours. Sure, if you changed the rules of alcohol you might have a temporary peak, but I can guarantee to you it would come down afterwards.

 

My dad's generation didn't do drinking like my generation did drinking precisely because from a younger age(16+) they could go and sit in a pub and with a wink from the barman have a pint in a civilised decent environment.

 

That wasn't available to my generation, so instead I(personally) ended up buying something stronger and cheaper, i.e vodka from someone who knew someone and drank it down the park instead. Do you see the parallel?

[Thedelldays]

First up my personal drug use shouldn't enter into the equation - just as I don't need to have played professional football to have an opinion on it (or in your case barely actually going to games). It's a non argument but FWIW I have been addicted to drugs both legal and otherwise. You seem to be confusing the point I was making that legalised drugs wouldn't be "weaker" - they would be safer.

 

lol, how the hell would you know....

[Lighthouse]

so, we are going to put the stuff in the shops...a much much weaker "brand" than what hard users want..AND we are going to price them out of it...

 

 

yep, sounds like a great plan that will work...

 

It does doesn't it. Shame it's nothing like what I just said.

 

Nobody said anything about offering weaker drugs. We can offer the same stuff any street dealer does only CLEANER, ie. not cut with chalk, rat poison or whatever the feck else.

 

As for pricing them out of it... what do you think they're paying for it at the moment. Lets say X amount of drug Y costs £5 to produce. A criminal gang would have to smuggle it around in tiny amounts in a condom shoved up their arse. As such it is very difficult to supply and they will charge £50 for it. We could sell it in shops for say £30 and take £25 in VAT from it.

[scotty]

I know for a fact that heroin usage in Portugal and Netherlands is down where it is legal.

 

And they did a trial in Germany where they gave out heroin on the state to the worst addicts and results of that were successful also in rehabilitation rates.

 

There was a trial in Yorkshire instigated by the local police chief, who had noticed that most crime seemed to stem from people who needed money for drugs. They basically set up a programme whereby addicts could walk into a clinic anonymously, see a doctor, discuss their drug requirements, and be given it to take there and then.The local crime rate dropped by (I think) 57% during that time. I'll have to do some digging and post a link.

 

edit, I think this refers to it, I heard the chief inspector talking about the programme on R4 a while back;

 

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/features/8448426.New_team_helping_drug_users_in_York/

Edited 2 June, 2011 by scotty

[Saintandy666]

There was a trial in Yorkshire instigated by the local police chief, who had noticed that most crime seemed to stem from people who needed money for drugs. They basically set up a programme whereby addicts could walk into a clinic anonymously, see a doctor, discuss their drug requirements, and be given it to take there and then.The local crime rate dropped by (I think) 57% during that time. I'll have to do some digging and post a link.

 

That's absolutely incredible!