Heroin should be legalised

Thucydides · 26-02-2010 10:12PM #1

Firstly, I’m not a drug addict or user of any drug legal or otherwise. Alcohol, yes, though I’m not a huge fan of it.

So, why?

I, like most people, would never have imagined myself saying such ‘heresy’. However, I’ve changed my mind after reading a very eye-opening article by Nick Davis, a writer at the Guardian newspaper. Davis is one of the most respected investigative journalists in the UK and was winner of UK Journalist of the Year some years back.

The article itself, there’s a few of them, was originally published back in 2001 to accompany a documentary on Channel 4, Drugs – The Phoney War.

Needless to say, it caused quite a response

Have a read:

http://www.nickdavies.net/2001/02/01/what-s-wrong-with-the-war-against-drugs/

Prof.Badass · 26-02-2010 10:15PM

Chipping these in before this thread degenerates to ****;

http://reason.com/archives/2003/06/01/h

http://www.drugscope.org.uk/resources/mediaguide/heroinmyths

xzanti · 26-02-2010 10:16PM

Stop shouting, we can hear you..

ilovelamp2000 · 26-02-2010 10:18PM

Everyone should read Nick Davies' book, Flat Earth News fwiw.This article also appears in it.

While I agree with his analysis as to what happened when it was made illegal, the situation won't be reversed now by legalising it. It's too far gone.

Joey the lips · 26-02-2010 10:19PM

another stupid thread on drugs being legalised....:rolleyes:

Your either preaching to the converted,junkies or someone who does not give a shhhh dam.

karlog · 26-02-2010 10:19PM

Great more junkies. As if there wasn't enough already.

Fluffybums · 26-02-2010 10:22PM

I have no problem with this as it should make medicinal drugs a bit cheaper. Heroin is addictive and the FDA and most regulatory authority require testing to be done to determine if this is true for proposed medicines, especially psychiatric medicines. This type of testing is time consuming and expensive.

redout · 26-02-2010 10:24PM

Heroin legal = Fail

Thucydides · 26-02-2010 10:26PM

karlog wrote: »

Great more junkies. As if there wasn't enough already.

If you had read and understood the article, you wouldn't be saying that.

Hank_Jones · 26-02-2010 10:29PM

C'mon, you can't push for the legalisation of heroin without being in support of legalising crack and meth.
Everyone knows that these drugs are really just being ruined by what they are cut with. :rolleyes:

karlog · 26-02-2010 10:30PM

Thucydides wrote: »

If you had read and understood the article, you wouldn't be saying that.

Meh, i glanced through it, saw the words heroin and legal. Then i thought of Dublin and nope, no good can come of this.

dcmu · 26-02-2010 10:31PM

vinylmesh wrote: »

http://reason.com/archives/2003/06/01/h

The exception to the rule, vinylmesh. Nice story, but if you're one of the hundreds of irish families torn apart by this drug, it's not so compelling a read, I'd wager.

caseyann · 26-02-2010 10:43PM

My eyes

And no :mad:

bleg · 26-02-2010 10:43PM

I love the way people post articles by journalists. How bout an article from a doctor, pharmacist or pharmacologist?

B0X · 26-02-2010 10:46PM

bleg wrote: »

I love the way people post articles by journalists. How bout an article from a doctor, pharmacist or pharmacologist?

Doing something logical is against the AH charter.

Daemos · 26-02-2010 10:46PM

Oh good, I hadn't seen this sort of thread today yet, I was starting to get worried...

Rented Mule · 26-02-2010 10:47PM

bleg wrote: »

I love the way people post articles by journalists. How bout an article from a doctor, pharmacist or pharmacologist?

Can we find an article by a parish priest wanting to start a day care centre ?

Sea Sharp · 26-02-2010 10:50PM

Controversial!

I think the policies recently adopted by Portugal, Mexico etc.. are the right way forward.

There's not a chance in hell I'd touch the stuff though!!!

bigeasyeah · 26-02-2010 10:52PM

The Guardian is crap like this thread and its subjectmatter.

nxbyveromdwjpg · 26-02-2010 10:57PM

The ****ing morons in this thread are so depressing, dont even read the article, but just respond negatively anyway.. a great little glimpse into everything thats wrong with the country and in particular these laws.. no constructive thinking whatsoever. In fact no thinking at all whatsoever.

The current laws dont work, at all. So yes.. lets keep at them.

Try a new system? JUNKIE!! :rolleyes:

consultech · 26-02-2010 10:59PM

I wouldn't neccesarily be against legalising it. It would stand to cull the useless non-contributary members of society at least.

Mrmoe · 26-02-2010 10:59PM

It is an interesting article an educated me on a number of points. However, it is not certain that if a drug such as heroin is legalised that the blackmarket will end. If heroin is legalised you will always get people who are unable to afford the price of purchasing it legally.

Kurtosis · 26-02-2010 11:16PM

Mrmoe wrote: »

However, it is not certain that if a drug such as heroin is legalised that the blackmarket will end. If heroin is legalised you will always get people who are unable to afford the price of purchasing it legally.

Very good point. Look at cigarettes, they're legal. Is there a black market? Oh, there is.

Dubs · 26-02-2010 11:20PM

Rented Mule wrote: »

Can we find an article by a parish priest wanting to start a day care centre ?

Theres a difference between wanting to rape children and being concerned for the publics health, however slight it might seem to you.

Sea Sharp · 26-02-2010 11:23PM

Mrmoe wrote: »

It is an interesting article an educated me on a number of points. However, it is not certain that if a drug such as heroin is legalised that the blackmarket will end. If heroin is legalised you will always get people who are unable to afford the price of purchasing it legally.

That's a fair point but taking Portugal as an example:

Five years later, the number of deaths from street drug overdoses dropped from around 400 to 290 annually, and the number of new HIV cases caused by using dirty needles to inject heroin, cocaine and other illegal substances plummeted from nearly 1,400 in 2000 to about 400 in 2006, according to a report released recently by the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C, libertarian think tank.

Riddle101 · 26-02-2010 11:31PM

Yeah and rather then actually having people buy the Heroin. Maybe they can hand out the Heroin when people come to collect their Dole money from the Dole office:rolleyes:

As Frank Gallagher would say "Cheaper drugs now, make poverty history, Cheaper Drugs now"

Seriously though, while I do think Pot could be legalised. Heroin is just going too far. It's not even funny what Heroin can do to people, and it would cause more problems then solve.

K4t · 26-02-2010 11:44PM

Nah, what we need is a Dublin 'Hamsterdam' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamsterdam

Kurtosis · 26-02-2010 11:44PM

Thucydides wrote: »

http://www.nickdavies.net/2001/02/01/what-s-wrong-with-the-war-against-drugs/

What a great read. It's a pity that it really is littered with fallacies and errors. I know this is not written on the Irish situation but that's why some of it really doesn't apply here. Anyone know the legal classification of heroin here?

Fago! · 26-02-2010 11:47PM

Should heroin be legalised?

Short answer - No!!

Long answer - No!!!!!!

Only answer - No!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuggin junkeez!

Mike 1972 · 26-02-2010 11:54PM

consultech wrote: »

I wouldn't neccesarily be against legalising it. It would stand to cull the useless non-contributary members of society at least.

I doubt if all the members of the Oireachtas would try it

xw2lj9uspm1eyh · 27-02-2010 12:04AM

Wont somebody please think of the children:(.

Heroin should be legalised

Comments