Science based Approach would Decriminalize Drug Users.

smiles302

I stumbled across this on twitter.
http://www.viennadeclaration.com/the-declaration.html

We further call upon the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to urgently implement measures to ensure that the United Nations system—including the International Narcotics Control Board—speaks with one voice to support the decriminalisation of drug users and the implementation of evidence-based approaches to drug control.

Do you agree?

The criminalisation of illicit drug users is fuelling the HIV epidemic and has resulted in
overwhelmingly negative health and social consequences. A full policy reorientation is needed.

The general rule of thumb on these boards is to offer your own opinion first. I'll hold off until I hear yours since you're posting this up.

Zombrex

I agree, I think the criminalization should focus on the drug sellers rather than the drug users.

Wolfe Tone

Wicknight wrote: »

I agree, I think the criminalization should focus on the drug sellers rather than the drug users.

I think it should focus on both.

Eliot Rosewater

I saw an interesting TED video in which the speaker argued that government regulation of drugs can often make the situation worse.

In one country in South Asia the government banned having needles for non-medicinal use. The law clearly intended to curtail the use of drugs such as heroin. The result? Drug users started sharing needles, so as to minimise the risk of being caught, hence escalating the number of cases of HIV within the country.

AngryBadger

In terms of drug regulation in general, in our own country we see millions pumped into this every year, and yet people still use drugs. There's an almost weekly furore about head shops at the minute, and yet while many people decry the existence of these outlets right up until certain parties started attacking headshops there was no violence associated with their existence, or the substances being sold in them. Similarly in the case of substances such as marijuana the prevailing stance of illegality seems to fly in the face of established scientific evidence.

My point being that what a lot of legislation in this area really achieves is to drive the drug culture further underground, where there is less/no regulation whatsoever, no quality control whatsoever, and a much greater likelihood of violence.

In the specific case of the link between drug use and HIV, it's already well established that, for example, needle exchange programs, (an example of scientific evidence being applied as a solution on the ground), have been implemented in several areas around the world and it's hard to dispute that infection rates would not have been higher without these programs.

And all of this is without even considering the revenue possibility of a legalised drugs market.

So yeah I'd agree with this in principle.

Pace2008

AngryBadger wrote: »

And all of this is without even considering the revenue possibility of a legalised drugs market.

Legalisation and decriminalisation are not the same thing.

AngryBadger

Pace2008 wrote: »

Legalisation and decriminalisation are not the same thing.

I'm aware of that, it was an ancillary point, if you'll note I said "all of this without even considering...", in other words policies which don't take proper account of scientific data are a problem which should be acknowledged and addressed, but that's not the only problem with drug legislation.

As I said though, ancillary point.

Cool Mo D

Is there any evidence that making drugs like heroin illegal has lowered the number of addicts? Because I don't see it.

Personally, I believe that most recreational drugs should be legalised in some way. I don't really believe in decriminalisation, because that leaves distribution in the hands of criminals, when the reduction in crime due to taking the dealers market away would be the major benefit of legalisation.

For hard drugs like heroin, giving addicts a set small amount each day, clean needles, and a quiet out of the way place to use it would keep addicts off the street, and away from anti-social crime with the threat to cut off their supply if they commit another offence.

If someone can convince me that keeping drugs illegal is really saving lives and preventing crime, I would support those laws, but as far as I can see, illegality is not keeping drugs away from anyone who wants them.