Gawd damn it.

[Scouse]

It seems that there's been an attempt by the UN to have the UN's position on drugs to be that governments worldwide should decriminalise. But that attempt has been scuppered.

However, what is available is the briefing document by the UNODC that's caused the kerfuffle. And it makes for very interesting reading...

The international drug control conventions do not impose on Member States obligations to criminalise drug use andpossession for personal consumption. Member States should consider the implementation of measures to promote the right to health and to reduce prison overcrowding, including by decriminalising drug use and possession for personal consumption

'bout time this sort of message got sent out by our current government tbh. And not just the message - they should be legislating.

Shame the Lib Dems didn't get their time - this is one policy area that they'd have jumped all over.

 

[Job]

It sounds like a sensible idea, in practice though everyone you meet would be beaked up to hills and dropping down like flies with heart attacks.

 

[Scouse]

It sounds like a sensible idea, in practice though everyone you meet would be beaked up to hills and dropping down like flies with heart attacks.

Not the case at all in other countries that have decriminalised. In fact - there's been a massive decrease in drug-related harm. That's probably because they've moved towards a more health-related approach than due to decriminalisation itself, but your assertion lacks any basis.

Look up portugal, for example. There's been no massive uptake, and a reduction in deaths and harm.



Edit: Linky

 

[Moriath]

I agree should be decriminalised. Wont get all that shit cut i to it and would know the doseage you are taking. Would be a lot better.

Government could tax it then as well.

 

[DaGaffer]

I agree should be decriminalised. Wont get all that shit cut i to it and would know the doseage you are taking. Would be a lot better.

Government could tax it then as well.

People taking responsibility for their own actions? Are you mad?

 

[Bodhi]

I'd agree with what they've said for certain drugs - weed, pills, acid etc, not sure on Coke and Heroin however.

What I am sure about however, is the War on Drugs has been an unmitigated disaster, and it's even easier than ever to get hold of your chosen poison. Even America seems to have acknowledged this with the number of states flat out legalising weed, one area I would fully support us following the American way.

 

[Raven]

Nothing wrong with a bit of weed, the fact that it is still illegal is retarded.

 

[Billargh]

We're barely allowed squash with sugar in these days, not a chance they'd give us drugs.

 

[Moriath]

Yup mad to think at nanny state would let us near a dull knife let alone some opium.

 

[TdC]

free drugs for all. any problems will sort themselves out.

 

[Job]

Never gonna happen, everytime some coke filled twat. dies/crashes into a primary school/ kills someone, it will be the governments fault for legalising it.

 

[mooSe_]

Heroin and crack and whatever else you want is already available in basically every town in the UK. If someone wants to get hold of them they can. Decriminalising them won't suddenly cause regular people to go out and bulk buy drugs.

Spend the money that's currently wasted on chasing down addicts on something productive like rehab or education about the effects of drugs.

 

[Embattle]

My usual opinion hasn't changed, silly idea and won't ever happen.

 

[soze]

I still think it's a good idea leagalise and tax it. You can control the strength and quality. You can also hand it out to the job less addicts so they don't need to steal to make some drug baron richer.

 

[Job]

Heroin and crack and whatever else you want is already available in basically every town in the UK. If someone wants to get hold of them they can. Decriminalising them won't suddenly cause regular people to go out and bulk buy drugs.

Spend the money that's currently wasted on chasing down addicts on something productive like rehab or education about the effects of drugs.

I disagree, it will, people are sheep, who'd have thought legal alcohol would casuse such widespread carnage

 

[Scouse]

My usual opinion hasn't changed, silly idea and won't ever happen.

Why do you think it's silly? In the countries where it has happened the evidence shows that it's overwhelmingly a good thing.





Prisons empty, solving the crisis there, addicts seek treatment, disease levels fall, employment increases as people aren't stigmatised with criminal records, other crime falls as police time isn't wasted on misdemeanours, drug use levels fall overall as addicts get treatment and also as a factor of a perverse facet of human psychology that the more illegal something is the more humans want it (weed use went up in the uk when it was reclassified up to group A).

Overwhelmingly a good thing. But are we missing something? If it's just that you fear drugs and the idea of decriminalisation just doesn't resonate with you then that's understandable - that's been a governmental objective for decades.

As for never happen - I think it's a matter of when, not if. The media narrative over a long time has been increasingly pointing in that direction. Add to that the proven cost savings and benefits other countries experience...

 

[Scouse]

BTW - wtf is up with this editor on phones. I'm on FF and it's *painful* to put paragraphs in etc (hence the big gap above - it was the smallest paragraph it would accept at that point).

 

[DaGaffer]

I disagree, it will, people are sheep, who'd have thought legal alcohol would casuse such widespread carnage

It ain't the legality, its the marketing. Alcohol consumptions was in long-term decline in the UK until the 1960s, then the heavy marketing campaigns began and consumption rose again. Looks like its peaked and is on the way back down again though; consumption has been declining for the last decade as ad and promotion restrictions have kicked in. Lesson is you can legalise but you don't give free reign to marketing.

 

[soze]

Needles are another reason why this needs to be sorted. The Tesco near my old work routinely closes the toilets because even though there are Needle boxes on the wall the druggies still just leave them laying around. If it becomes legal you can then sell it in doses and design the packaging to hold the old needles and offer money off when they are returned? Stop the arseholes leaving them in parks where kids play with them.

 

[Moriath]

It ain't the legality, its the marketing. Alcohol consumptions was in long-term decline in the UK until the 1960s, then the heavy marketing campaigns began and consumption rose again. Looks like its peaked and is on the way back down again though; consumption has been declining for the last decade as ad and promotion restrictions have kicked in. Lesson is you can legalise but you don't give free reign to marketing.

Or it declined during the depression and the wars and took a little while to recover after rationing. Then when people became more afluent the use went up. Theres more than just marketing happening in those years.

 

[Scouse]

Look at both the graph and your words again Moriath.

 

[Moriath]

Look at both the graph and your words again Moriath.

Low units were consumed from 1915 to 55 when the wars depression and rationing were in place. After that when money got more plentiful and rationing stopped from 1959 onwards. Whats wrong with that?

 

[Scouse]

Whats wrong with that?

There are other things happening in the graph that your selected explanation ignores.

If you're going to say what you've said then it has to explain the whole thing, not just the little bit that (sort of) fits what you want it to fit.

 

[Moriath]

There are other things happening in the graph that your selected explanation ignores.

If you're going to say what you've said then it has to explain the whole thing, not just the little bit that (sort of) fits what you want it to fit.

That the high start was when the victorians were gining it in gin houses and such ? Decreased since then? Or was there a lot of marketing in victorian britain that gaf didnt explain either. Drugs of all sort were prevalent an easy to get hold of in the 1800s. I think the higher level is the normal and i was explaining the abnomalities of the down turn. Back up to where it is today. And that it had little to do with marketing which is a brand pushing machine. So you drink this brand over the other brand. And the small drop off recently is statistcally insignificant and would need to be sustained to prove that the health messages are having an impact.

 

[Bodhi]

Dont think you cam tie it down to one particular factor, marketing is one, end of rationing and people becoming more affluent is another, then you have the rise of Lad culture in the 90s and the start of my own drinking career, plus all the immigrants from Ireland making our numbers look bad.

One of thr above reasons my be tongue in cheek.

 

[Scouse]

the start of my own drinking career, plus all the immigrants from Ireland making our numbers look bad.

One of thr above reasons my be tongue in cheek.

Yep. Leave the irish out of it. I bet your drinking alone explains the rise in the 90's

 

[Bodhi]

Yep. Leave the irish out of it. I bet your drinking alone explains the rise in the 90's

The 90s? Was born in 1980 dude, right about the first peak. All down to my bottles I expect.

 

[Moriath]

Dont think you cam tie it down to one particular factor, marketing is one, end of rationing and people becoming more affluent is another, then you have the rise of Lad culture in the 90s and the start of my own drinking career, plus all the immigrants from Ireland making our numbers look bad.

One of thr above reasons my be tongue in cheek.

Which was what i was trying to point put that you cant see that graph and say its marketing.

 

[Job]

we live to get pissed in the UK and we would just upgrade to crack/pixiedust overnight.

Anyway just LOL

 

[Scouse]

we live to get pissed in the UK and we would just upgrade to crack/pixiedust overnight.

Lol at the pic, but bullshit to the rest.

Only very low rents live to get pissed - and if they moved onto weed then they'd be better off anyway. Most people grow out of a life focussed on getting battered constantly*.

*which reminds me - must by my tickets for the Steel City Beer Festival this weekend