If Drugs were legalized tomorrow what would happen?

musicismylife78

Its an interesting question. What do you think would happen? I think for the first couple days maybe it would be wild around the country, but ultimately i think everything would calm down. Those who wanted drugs would have access to them, like before. The amount of people who would use drugs, because their brother or dad or mom now could legally obtain the drugs, I dont think we'd see much of a rise in users. Plus the people who smoke or use cocaine at a party, in this hypothetical scenerio, could i guess indulge more openly, but more than likely they would have been using at the party reguardless.

Ultimately, I think drug legalization is a sensible thing to do. Tobacco and alcohol are dangerous drugs and both are legal. The amount of people who die directly from cigarettes or indirectly via second hand smoke, and the amount of people who die either via drinking too much and dying, or drinking and driving, or getting hit by a drunk driver, i would assume those numbers are way higher than those who die from any of the major drugs.

Additionally, the drug war is a failure. its racist and classist. And has solved nothing. The laws themselves are arcane and outdated and make little to no sense. The fact that the majority of prisoners in this country are of color, and are incarerated for nonviolent drug offences, is insane and makes no sense.

In my mind legalization makes a great deal of sense.

Pap

A revolution!...

dimitrispearljam

just the dealers will be different...

musicismylife78

dimitrispearljam wrote:

just the dealers will be different...

dont even know if i agree on that point. Yes, no doubt, there would be people using and dealing who hadnt previous because they could do so freely and without repercussions. But i dont think youd see a major uptick in non traditional dealers. Meaning, i think generally, those people who are dealers currently, right now, are for the most part the same people who would be dealers if drugs were legalized. sure a small uptick would occur, but i dont think you'd see a mass amount of grandmothers, or soccer moms dealing cocaine or anything like that. The rise wouldnt be much at all. I think the dealers would generally be the same. As i said, i think the first couple days, or maybe the first week or two, of legalization would be kind of wild. I could see people going to extremes, but i think it would settle down, and that it would become just a normal part of society

Another interesting idea i think, would be the hard drug users wouldnt be considered criminals anymore. they wouldnt have to live this criminal life, this black market dangerous life. Its possible, in my view, that could even lessen the death rate of drug users. If you were using meth, you live this outsider high risk life style if you use right now. but if it was legal, its possible some of the allure would be gone, and that people would use it like they use alcohol or tobacco.

dimitrispearljam

musicismylife78 wrote:

dimitrispearljam wrote:

just the dealers will be different...

dont even know if i agree on that point. Yes, no doubt, there would be people using and dealing who hadnt previous because they could do so freely and without repercussions. But i dont think youd see a major uptick in non traditional dealers. Meaning, i think generally, those people who are dealers currently, right now, are for the most part the same people who would be dealers if drugs were legalized. sure a small uptick would occur, but i dont think you'd see a mass amount of grandmothers, or soccer moms dealing cocaine or anything like that. The rise wouldnt be much at all. I think the dealers would generally be the same. As i said, i think the first couple days, or maybe the first week or two, of legalization would be kind of wild. I could see people going to extremes, but i think it would settle down, and that it would become just a normal part of society

Another interesting idea i think, would be the hard drug users wouldnt be considered criminals anymore. they wouldnt have to live this criminal life, this black market dangerous life. Its possible, in my view, that could even lessen the death rate of drug users. If you were using meth, you live this outsider high risk life style if you use right now. but if it was legal, its possible some of the allure would be gone, and that people would use it like they use alcohol or tobacco.

no no..the goverments will be the new deales..as happens to alchohol and cigaretes..that u pay 10 $ for a packate and 9.90$ are taxes..

RideRick

dimitrispearljam wrote:

no no..the goverments will be the new deales..as happens to alchohol and cigaretes..that u pay 10 $ for a packate and 9.90$ are taxes..

at least if it is a good drug you wouldn't even give a damn..

dimitrispearljam

RideRick wrote:

dimitrispearljam wrote:

no no..the goverments will be the new deales..as happens to alchohol and cigaretes..that u pay 10 $ for a packate and 9.90$ are taxes..

at least if it is a good drug you wouldn't even give a damn..

eddiec

RideRick wrote:

dimitrispearljam wrote:

no no..the goverments will be the new deales..as happens to alchohol and cigaretes..that u pay 10 $ for a packate and 9.90$ are taxes..

at least if it is a good drug you wouldn't even give a damn..

And then the old drug dealers will come back into business and offer it for $5, then the government has to go back into the drug war to get rid of the people undercutting them............

RideRick

eddiec wrote:

RideRick wrote:

dimitrispearljam wrote:

no no..the goverments will be the new deales..as happens to alchohol and cigaretes..that u pay 10 $ for a packate and 9.90$ are taxes..

at least if it is a good drug you wouldn't even give a damn..

And then the old drug dealers will come back into business and offer it for $5, then the government has to go back into the drug war to get rid of the people undercutting them............

Who cares, just get stoned

john roach

If you want safe drug use (or atleast safer), you have to look at regulation. If legal and regulated you run less chance of overdose. If there is consistentcy to harder drugs a person is better able to judge there limits. Now you've got people dead because they were used to getting weaker shit and end up with stronger stuff and over doing it. Regulation would go a long way toward preventing needless deaths.

Jason P

You don't use meth because of a "lifestyle". You use it because it's cheap, easy to get, and highly addictive. Turning your brain to mush and having your teeth rot is not a lifestyle. It's a disease.

mikepegg44

eddiec wrote:

RideRick wrote:

dimitrispearljam wrote:

no no..the goverments will be the new deales..as happens to alchohol and cigaretes..that u pay 10 $ for a packate and 9.90$ are taxes..

at least if it is a good drug you wouldn't even give a damn..

And then the old drug dealers will come back into business and offer it for $5, then the government has to go back into the drug war to get rid of the people undercutting them............

couldn't disagree more...people said the same thing about alcohol...there are some that deal illegally in it, but for the most part, it is just tradition now...

If drugs were legalized tomorrow, I would head down to the local farmers market very quickly

My life wouldn't change one way or another, I don't do them now, wouldn't do them tomorrow...my drug of choice is legal, and thank god for that...I don't know what I would do in the summer without a gimlet...

musicismylife78

i agree, you have alcohol and tobacco, the two main legal drugs, and yes, ive heard of quite a few people making and brewing their own beer, but its never in a huge capacity, usually its just for that persons friends and family. Its never in a huge operation. And Im sure there are people who grow their own tobacco, but i dont think very many people do.

I think part of why drugs are so dangerous, is the fact they are illegal, and cause the user and dealer, to go to such extreme measures to conceal it, during manufacture, dealing, and using. Additionally, i think a huge part of why they are so dangerous, is the user and dealer are considered criminals, again, causing major problems. So they have to live this sort of outlaw existence.

Fact of the matter is, if you are a user or dealer, you are going to do it and or sell it, whether its legal or not.

i just think its stupid and makes no sense to be locking people up in such massive numbers, building more prisons to house people for nonviolent drug offenses. The laws on the books make no sense as is, the famous disparity in penalty for possession of crack being way more heavy, than the possession of cocaine. that makes no sense.

musicismylife78

Jason P wrote:

You don't use meth because of a "lifestyle". You use it because it's cheap, easy to get, and highly addictive. Turning your brain to mush and having your teeth rot is not a lifestyle. It's a disease.

look at Breaking Bad. Alot of the problems walter and everyone else face, revolve around him having to hide what he's doing and then deal with creepy dealers and whatnot. Fring is a result of the lifestyle of it all. Who mr white has turned into over these 4 seasons is a result of the lifestyle. The show wouldnt work if drugs were legal, because in many ways that lifestyle wouldnt be as wild as whats happened in the show. The whole premise of the show essentially is that he went bad, to provide money for his family if he was to die. And prices are that high, because its illegal.

Drowned Out

Well, first things first, we’d have to start sacrificing the souls of our children (oh god, think of the children!), that morning.
The roads would be filled with millions of impaired drivers who would drive high only because drugs are legal.
Occasional users would become hopeless addicts instantly, just because they could.
Crime rates would skyrocket as addicts increased their use because of easier access, and turned to crime to support their habit.
Mass murderers would become legit businessmen overnight.

mikepegg44

Drowned Out wrote:

Well, first things first, we’d have to start sacrificing the souls of our children (oh god, think of the children!), that morning.
The roads would be filled with millions of impaired drivers who would drive high only because drugs are legal.
Occasional users would become hopeless addicts instantly, just because they could.
Crime rates would skyrocket as addicts increased their use because of easier access, and turned to crime to support their habit.
Mass murderers would become legit businessmen overnight.

dogs would then begin living with cats...basically mass hysteria

Jason P

musicismylife78 wrote:

Jason P wrote:

You don't use meth because of a "lifestyle". You use it because it's cheap, easy to get, and highly addictive. Turning your brain to mush and having your teeth rot is not a lifestyle. It's a disease.

look at Breaking Bad. Alot of the problems walter and everyone else face, revolve around him having to hide what he's doing and then deal with creepy dealers and whatnot. Fring is a result of the lifestyle of it all. Who mr white has turned into over these 4 seasons is a result of the lifestyle. The show wouldnt work if drugs were legal, because in many ways that lifestyle wouldnt be as wild as whats happened in the show. The whole premise of the show essentially is that he went bad, to provide money for his family if he was to die. And prices are that high, because its illegal.

Although the show with the dad from Malcolm in the Middle is good, it's fiction. I go down to my local Walmart and easily spot meth-heads. That is an entirely different lifestyle. People rotting away in front of my eyes.

BinauralJam

I would schedule a vacation as soon as possible.

musicismylife78

Jason P wrote:

musicismylife78 wrote:

Jason P wrote:

You don't use meth because of a "lifestyle". You use it because it's cheap, easy to get, and highly addictive. Turning your brain to mush and having your teeth rot is not a lifestyle. It's a disease.

look at Breaking Bad. Alot of the problems walter and everyone else face, revolve around him having to hide what he's doing and then deal with creepy dealers and whatnot. Fring is a result of the lifestyle of it all. Who mr white has turned into over these 4 seasons is a result of the lifestyle. The show wouldnt work if drugs were legal, because in many ways that lifestyle wouldnt be as wild as whats happened in the show. The whole premise of the show essentially is that he went bad, to provide money for his family if he was to die. And prices are that high, because its illegal.

Although the show with the dad from Malcolm in the Middle is good, it's fiction. I go down to my local Walmart and easily spot meth-heads. That is an entirely different lifestyle. People rotting away in front of my eyes.

of course. no doubt this is a tv show. But i also think part of why it is such a great show, along with other great shows of our time the wire, and the sopranos, is the cast and crew create a realistic show. I think the show is extremely realistic. The meth lab at Frings place, was and is realistic, evidently Vince consulted with the DEA among others to make it as real as possible, and crew suggested you really could make meth in that setup.

My point about the show is that, a major part of the show is Mr Whites dealings with beyond insane creepy characters who inhabit the black market and drug world. I think that part is very realistic. And i think those indidviduals are a product of the fact that drugs are illegal. Put it this way, I dont think if drugs were legal, youd have the amount of murder, and death and mayhem and outrageous behavior that you have now. Sure there would be some crazy folks. its plain and simple a lifestyle. The drug prices, the outsider stance drug users and dealers have to take etc... The illegal nature of the drug trade allows these characters to flourish and take route. Drug deals gone bad, people breaking into homes to get money or items to sell and get money for drugs, high risk behavior, its all sort of tied into the fact that drugs are illegal and thus neccesitate a certain stance by people

For me, its just the hypocrisy. Sure meth has major consequences, But so does alcohol and tobacco. talk to some family who lost their family as a result of being hit by a drunk driver if they feel alcohol is destructive. We all grew up with those images of people with holes in their necks, with odd voices as a result of smoking. The amount of people who have died from lung cancer, or from liver disease from drinking, is astronomical. Way more than the amount of people who die from meth or any other drug combined.

thats my main beef. Either all drugs are bad, including tobacco and alcohol and thus should be outlawed completely. Or some drugs are helpful to people ie, codeine, pot, those who claim wine is beneficial, etc... and thus should be legalized. You cant have it both ways. Saying drug use is awful, while allowing cancer patients to ease their pain by smoking pot, or allowing people to freely drink to death at the local bar. Its blatant hypocrisy.

josevolution

The only one i say should be legalized is weed all the others please never ...

Jason P

musicismylife78 wrote:

For me, its just the hypocrisy. Sure meth has major consequences, But so does alcohol and tobacco. talk to some family who lost their family as a result of being hit by a drunk driver if they feel alcohol is destructive. We all grew up with those images of people with holes in their necks, with odd voices as a result of smoking. The amount of people who have died from lung cancer, or from liver disease from drinking, is astronomical. Way more than the amount of people who die from meth or any other drug combined.

thats my main beef. Either all drugs are bad, including tobacco and alcohol and thus should be outlawed completely. Or some drugs are helpful to people ie, codeine, pot, those who claim wine is beneficial, etc... and thus should be legalized. You cant have it both ways. Saying drug use is awful, while allowing cancer patients to ease their pain by smoking pot, or allowing people to freely drink to death at the local bar. Its blatant hypocrisy.

I agree. But alcohol and tobacco are readily available without prescription and that is why the damage they cause is astronomical. With the end of prohibition, we did eliminate the amount of murder, and death and mayhem and outrageous behavior associated with the black market. But as you pointed out, issues associated with alcoholism and tobacco use are a huge and disparaging.