War on drugs a failure

Sunnyisland

A high-level international commission declared the global "war on drugs" a failure and urged nations to consider legalising cannabis and other drugs to undermine organised crime and protect their citizens' health.
The Global Commission on Drug Policy called for a new approach to reducing drug abuse to replace the current strategy of strictly criminalising drugs and incarcerating drug users while battling criminal cartels that control the drug trade.
"The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world," said the report issued by the commission today.
There are 250 million users of illicit drugs worldwide, with less than a 10th of them classified as dependent, and millions are involved in cultivation, production and distribution, according to UN estimates quoted in the report. The study adds that decriminalisation initiatives do not result in significant increases in drug use.
"Now is the time to break the taboo on discussion of all drug policy options, including alternatives to drug prohibition," former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria said
Countries that continue to invest mostly in a law enforcement approach should focus on violent organised crime and drug traffickers, the commission said, and it called for the promotion of alternative sentences for small-scale and first-time drug dealers as the majority of these people are not gangsters or organised criminals.
The report says "vast expenditure" had been spent on criminalisation and repressive measures.
"Repressive efforts directed at consumers impede public health measures to reduce HIV/Aids, overdose fatalities and other harmful consequences of drug use," it stated.
The commission's report adds that money spent by governments on futile efforts to reduce the supply of drugs and on jailing people on drug-related offences could be better spent on different ways to reduce drug demand and the harm caused by drug abuse.
Reuters

Sunnyisland

Its about time governments changed and implemented a new policy in combating addiction & drug dealing,its been proven time & time again prohibition does not work.

digme

well it is when the cia are the ones controlling the trade.

Fukuyama

I'm pro-legalisation.

But all these daily drug threads are ruining AH :mad:

Give it a rest...

PogMoThoin

Yes, even Richard Branson and Judi Dench have called for the UK Government to consider decriminalising drugs

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/branson-backs-drugs-policy-change-230530832.html

who what when

If the war on drugs got the same kind of effort as the war on terror then drugs would be very hard to come by indeed!

Where theres a will theres a way. Unfortunately theres fcuk all will!

Sunnyisland

Dean0088 wrote: »

I'm pro-legalisation.

But all these daily drug threads are ruining AH :mad:

Give it a rest...

Chill out man, have a spliff,:)

orourkeda

I think we can safely assume that drugs will never go away.

Lets legalise them. Perhaps junkies will dies quicker and the criminals can sell something else illegal to fund their crime empires.

Hookah

Dean0088 wrote: »

I'm pro-legalisation.

But all these daily drug threads are ruining AH :mad:

Give it a rest...

'War on Drugs-Threads' imminent.

mikom

Eurons

Scrappychimow

The drugs trade is an important source of income for south american countries,according to United nations ,the illegal drug industry employed 10% of bolivias workforce during the early 90s, the illegal Drug industry is a major player in the world economy ,its affecting the evolution of our societys..

At the height of the cocaine trafficing in the 80s,there was a construction boom in Cali columbia-luxury flats,five star hotels,.

The injection of narcodollars ,galvanised the economy,there were jobs galore for architechts& masons,plumbers,lawyers ,investors & financial consultants.Dirty money became one of the engines of the economy and still is over there,the drug industry has reached all sectors of society from the peasant farmers growing the ****,to street dealers,business people and state institutions . If drugs were made legal ,think what would happen over there.

tayto lover

orourkeda wrote: »

I think we can safely assume that drugs will never go away.

Lets legalise them. Perhaps junkies will dies quicker and the criminals can sell something else illegal to fund their crime empires.

And all the junkies from England, Scotland, Wales etc will descend on Dublin and make it an even nicer place to live. The jails are already full too.

Cork boy 55

It's been won, in Singapore.

Nodin

realies wrote: »

A high-level international commission declared the global "war on drugs" a failure and urged nations to consider legalising cannabis and other drugs to undermine organised crime and protect their citizens' health.
...........

....and fuck all will be done about it as usual. Depressing.

Hookah

tayto lover wrote: »

And all the junkies from England, Scotland, Wales etc will descend on Dublin and make it an even nicer place to live. The jails are already full too.

Just like all the Irish junkies descended on Portugal?

120_Minutes

John Q'a tax eurons funding failure??? Say it ain't so!

My name is URL

I doubt this will even be acknowledged by our lot..

the US have already dismissed the report as 'misguided'.. ffs

Sunnyisland

Scrappychimow wrote: »

The drugs trade is an important source of income for south american countries,according to United nations ,the illegal drug industry employed 10% of bolivia's workforce during the early 90s, the illegal Drug industry is a major player in the world economy ,its affecting the evolution of our society's..

At the height of the cocaine trafficking in the 80s,there was a construction boom in Cali Columbia-luxury flats,five star hotels,.

The injection of narco dollars ,galvanised the economy,there were jobs galore for architects masons,plumbers,lawyers ,investors & financial consultants.Dirty money became one of the engines of the economy and still is over there,the drug industry has reached all sectors of society from the peasant farmers growing the ****,to street dealers,business people and state institutions . If drugs were made legal ,think what would happen over there.

Now is the time to break the taboo on discussion of all drug policy options, including alternatives to drug prohibition," former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria said.

I do get what your saying but by ignoring the problem and locking up small time criminals(mostly)we are going to be in a worse place in the not so distant future.

Chuck Stone

120_Minutes wrote: »

John Q'a tax eurons funding failure??? Say it ain't so!

John Q taxpayer funding 'professional' failure.

TD's
Solicitors
Judges
Gardai
Prison Officers
Probation Officers
Social welfare
Customs Officers


It's a royal scew-the-tax-payer-cluster-fuck and anyone who supports this spectacular failure is one of either 2 things

1. Stupid
2. Making a living from it (inc drug dealers and the above).

Or a combination of both.

Sunnyisland

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

It's been won, in Singapore.

Strong community support against drug abuse has been critical to our fight against drugs. Singapore society resolutely rejects drug abuse. Several voluntary welfare organisations run halfway houses to help recovering addicts adjust back into society. Many employers also come forward to offer reformed drug addicts employment opportunities.

Drug traffickers are a major part of the problem on the supply side. They make drugs available in our communities and profit from the human misery they help create. This is why tough laws and penalties are needed, including capital punishment for trafficking in significant amounts of the most harmful drugs. This sends a strong deterrent signal to would-be traffickers. But unfortunately, attracted by the lucrative payoffs, some still traffic in drugs knowing full well the penalty if they get caught.

Hookah

Chuck Stone wrote: »

John Q taxpayer funding 'professional' failure.

TD's
Solicitors
Judges
Gardai
Prison Officers
Probation Officers
Social welfare

It's a royal scew-the-tax-payer-cluster-fuck and anyone who supports this spectacular failure is one of either 2 things

Stupid
Making a living from it (inc drug dealers and the above).

It's better to pay all this than have John Q footing the hospital bills of pizza-faced hippies, tripping after smoking their last joint, IMHO.

mikom

tayto lover wrote: »

The jails are already full too.

Simple solution to that.
Stop imprisoning ordinary members of society for the act of consuming a plant or the non payment of TV licence fines.

Or perhaps you prefer to keep the prisons as a training ground where ordinary members of society learn the ropes from hardened criminals.

strobe

who what when wrote: »

If the war on drugs got the same kind of effort as the war on terror then drugs would be very hard to come by indeed!

Where theres a will theres a way. Unfortunately theres fcuk all will!

Nah, in between 'the war on communism' and 'the war on terror' there was only 'the war on drugs', it was the big show in town. It's what filled that gap. It had the CIA, military intelligence, and FBI all competing aggressively with each other to become the lead runners on it as it was clear to all of them it was going to be the main funding recipient at the time. Everything was thrown at 'the war on drugs' at one time. Nothing happened. A couple of drug rings were disintegrated and twelve smaller smarter ones popped up in their places. Over and over again. The war on terror is fighting a small number of people (relatively) with limited resources (relatively) and virtually no public support of any kind from the general global citizenry. The drug trade is an entirely different kettle of fish.

pragmatic1

My name is URL wrote: »

I doubt this will even be acknowledged by our lot..

the US have already dismissed the report as 'misguided'.. ffs

The US is making too much money from drugs. Prisons, police, FBI, even wall street gets hundreds of millions from cartels.

Chuck Stone

Hookah wrote: »

It's better to pay all this than have John Q footing the hospital bills of pizza-faced hippies, tripping after smoking their last joint, IMHO.

1.

Hookah

pragmatic1 wrote: »

The US is making too much money from drugs. Prisons, police, FBI, even wall street gets hundreds of millions from cartels.

Not to mention the amount of black-ops funded by drug money. Far too many vested interests in the States for them ever to take the lead in legalising drugs.

dilallio

realies wrote: »

A high-level international commission declared the global "war on drugs" a failure

Hmmmmmm :rolleyes:

How high were they when they figured it out?

DarkJager

Hookah wrote: »

It's better to pay all this than have John Q footing the hospital bills of pizza-faced hippies, tripping after smoking their last joint, IMHO.

You obviously have very little understanding of what a joint is if you think people start tripping off them.

Rented Mule

Here is the one question to ask if yourself if you are running a 'War on Drugs':


Does anyone looking for drugs ever have any trouble trying to find drugs ?

strobe

DarkJager wrote: »

You obviously have very little understanding of what a joint is if you think people start tripping off them.

Borrow mine.

mikom

DarkJager wrote: »

You obviously have very little understanding of what a joint is if you think people start tripping off them.

*Taking the piss alert*
As if the username was not enough of a giveaway, I suggest you check Hookah's post history

Pete M.

who what when wrote: »

If the war on drugs got the same kind of effort as the war on terror then drugs would be very hard to come by indeed!

Where theres a will theres a way. Unfortunately theres fcuk all will!

Yeah right :rolleyes:

Since the 'war on(of?) terror' started, the world has been bricking it.
It's wall to wall terror alerts ffs

And what about will? Everyone wants to see the problems with drugs sorted out. Crime, addiction, poor health etc. and the best way to do it is to frickin legalise the lot.

Prohibition doesn't work y'all.

Ignorance is bliss though.

Pete M.

mikom wrote: »

*Taking the piss alert*
As if the username was not enough of a giveaway, I suggest you check Hookah's post history

But he said IMHO :eek:

Sunnyisland

Rented Mule wrote: »

Here is the one question to ask if yourself if you are running a 'War on Drugs':


Does anyone looking for drugs ever have any trouble trying to find drugs ?

Its not a problem finding/making/growing them its who is best controlling them.

Hookah

DarkJager wrote: »

You obviously have very little understanding of what a joint is if you think people start tripping off them.

I'm tripping on one right now.

I was only kidding. I am a warrior in the War for More Drugs.

Mike 1972

In the war on drugs how is one supposed to figure out if theyre a conscientious objector or a resistance partisan

Pace2008

who what when wrote: »

If the war on drugs got the same kind of effort as the war on terror then drugs would be very hard to come by indeed!

Not really. "The War on Drugs" is an absurd misnomer as the powers that be are not fighting against a tangible enemy, they're battling in vain to stamp out an abstract concept - the human desire to alter one's state of consciousness, which will never cease to exist.

tayto lover

mikom wrote: »

Simple solution to that.
Stop imprisoning ordinary members of society for the act of consuming a plant or the non payment of TV licence fines.

Or perhaps you prefer to keep the prisons as a training ground where ordinary members of society learn the ropes from hardened criminals.

I'm on record for saying that prison does not work except for paedos, murderers and rapists. There is already moves to stop petty offenders being sent there including, i believe, small time drug users. The problem is what to do with the petty offenders as an alternative. I suggest community work schemes otherwise nobody will pay fines and everybody will be a small-time drug dealer or user. Can you think of any worthwhile alternatives ?

mikom

tayto lover wrote: »

Can you think of any worthwhile alternatives ?

Horticultural training courses for growers perhaps.

tayto lover

pragmatic1 wrote: »

The US is making too much money from drugs. Prisons, police, FBI, even wall street gets hundreds of millions from cartels.

Even Superman, Yogi Bear and the Roadrunner.
Do you believe all that or can you provide links to you're proof ?

tayto lover

Chuck Stone wrote: »

John Q taxpayer funding 'professional' failure.

TD's
Solicitors
Judges
Gardai
Prison Officers
Probation Officers
Social welfare
Customs Officers


It's a royal scew-the-tax-payer-cluster-fuck and anyone who supports this spectacular failure is one of either 2 things

1. Stupid
2. Making a living from it (inc drug dealers and the above).

Or a combination of both.

What would you have as an alternative to all of the above ?

Pete M.

Mike 1972 wrote: »

In the war on drugs how is one supposed to figure out if theyre a conscientious objector or a resistance partisan

Maybe you're a conscientious partisan?

Or vice versa...:pac:

tayto lover

mikom wrote: »

Horticultural training courses for growers perhaps.

Try something realistic, please.

My name is URL

tayto lover wrote: »

Even Superman, Yogi Bear and the Roadrunner.
Do you believe all that or can you provide links to you're proof ?

Do you know why cannabis was made illegal in the first place?

Hookah

Mike 1972 wrote: »

In the war on drugs how is one supposed to figure out if theyre a conscientious objector or a resistance party-san

FYP

tayto lover

My name is URL wrote: »

Do you know why cannabis was made illegal in the first place?

Yes its been done to death but the reason why its still illegal and will be is medical. Look at all the articles, they're written by the medical profession.

mikom

tayto lover wrote: »

Yes its been done to death but the reason why its still illegal and will be is medical. Look at all the articles, they're written by the medical profession.

It has been done before, you're right
I seem to remember the last time was when we educated you on its original reason for banning, thus blowing out of the water your preconceived ideas for the law.
I can dig the link up again for you.

Here we go....

tayto lover wrote: »

All illegal drugs were made illegal because they were found (by the medical profession) to be dangerous. Thats why some drugs are legal and others not.
It will take new research by the same medical profession to change the law and make it legal. Nothing to do with me or you at all.

mikom wrote: »

Cannabis was not made illegal on medical grounds.
So try again.
Think slavery and servants in the early 1900's
You've been codded up to the eyeballs.


The original banning didn't take into account research.

Jagle

tayto lover wrote: »

Yes its been done to death but the reason why its still illegal and will be is medical. Look at all the articles, they're written by the medical profession.

and look at the other medical articles saying how it helps heal people, causes little to no effect in moderate users, is safer to smoke then drink and drive, and how the gateway drug theory is false, and proven untrue

long time cannabis user here, im using right now, only thing that would happen if they made the cultivation and use legal for small time users like me is id have more money to spend down the pub or on things that can help the economy instead of funding possible criminal gangs.

Hookah

tayto lover wrote: »

Try something realistic, please.

Not a bad idea from Mikom.

We could regulate the parity of the levels between THC and CBD, a large disparity of which can lead to psychotic episodes, instead of leaving it to unregulated criminals.

Rented Mule

realies wrote: »

Its not a problem finding/making/growing them its who is best controlling them.

What I am saying is that 'I don't know anyone who wants drugs that is having a hard time finding drugs'.

The war is futile when this is the case.

TheDukeOfEarl

Go f*ck yourself War on Drugs, you, you, you stupid...pointless.........war