EU ready to end drug prohibition

Elevator · 09-12-2010 02:37PM #1

yes you seen it right, I cannot wait, read on

http://encod.org/info/EU-READY-TO-END-DRUG-PROHIBITION.html?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4cffe5ad708c21f2%2C0

cypharius · 09-12-2010 02:40PM

QUICK! SOMEBODY CALL JOE!

Biggins · 09-12-2010 02:40PM

O' good.
Something more we can slap a tax on then!

Another few million in the coffers then a year later.

Dean820 · 09-12-2010 02:59PM

Forget the drugs... legalise the hoes, y'all.

mikom · 09-12-2010 03:02PM

The hearing was organised by Member of European Parliament Michael Tremopoulos (Greens, Greece) and ENCOD, a coalition of citizens for drug policy reform. It brought together the expertise of representatives of civil society -among others leading Spanish activist for legal cannabis Martin Barriuso, spokesman of the Union of Dutch Coffeeshops Marc Josemans, and Richard Cowan, former director of NORML, USA’s largest reform organisation

Oh ****..............

Duggy747 · 09-12-2010 03:05PM

So this means I can carry my crack-pipe to work, then?

FunkZ · 09-12-2010 03:07PM

I was gonna clean my room until I got high
I gonna get up and find the broom but then I got high
my room is still messed up and I know why
- cause I got high
- cause I got high
- cause I got hiii-iiigh

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 09-12-2010 03:08PM

Duggy747 wrote: »

So this means I can carry my crack-pipe to work, then?

Of course. No more will we be unable to have a nice relaxing smoke of crack just because we're 'working'.

barrackali · 09-12-2010 03:08PM

Except in the case of medical use, I can't see any government in this country ever ending drug prohibition.

liah · 09-12-2010 03:10PM

About time this idiotic prohibition starts to come apart. This is great news, or at least, has the potential to be.

ejmaztec · 09-12-2010 03:13PM

barrackali wrote: »

Except in the case of medical use, I can't see any government in this country ever ending drug prohibition.

They will when they realise that being stoned is the only way that anyone living in Ireland will ride out the financial storm for the next 30 years.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 09-12-2010 03:13PM

did anyone read the link?

the eu is not ready to end prohibition, they're just not going to stop it if a member state decides they want to..

thirtythirty · 09-12-2010 03:16PM

Dibs on distribution contracts!

Sweet. Now that I got that locked down, just gotta wait for the cash to roll in :pac:

Wazdakka · 09-12-2010 03:16PM

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

did anyone read the link?

the eu is not ready to end prohibition, they're just not going to stop it if a member state decides they want to..

Still a step in the right direction imo..

liah · 09-12-2010 03:16PM

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

did anyone read the link?

the eu is not ready to end prohibition, they're just not going to stop it if a member state decides they want to..

Exactly.

That's all it takes. Once one country actually goes ahead and legalizes it fully, it'll go like dominoes when they realize the tax benefits and the crime drops.

prinz · 09-12-2010 03:17PM

EU body confirms they have no role in forcing drug policy on Member States. No impact whatsoever on national legislation.

......and they say drugs have no effect on people :pac:

TheZohanS · 09-12-2010 03:17PM

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

did anyone read the link?

the eu is not ready to end prohibition, they're just not going to stop it if a member state decides they want to..

Pity the election is so near, if the tokers got together a political party and won a few seats on the back of it they might have been able to get a trial run on a few smoking "Coffee Shops".

prinz · 09-12-2010 03:18PM

liah wrote: »

Exactly.
That's all it takes. Once one country actually goes ahead and legalizes it fully, it'll go like dominoes when they realize the tax benefits and the crime drops.

What fully, exactly? You realise different EU countries already take different approaches yes?

This does nothing whatsoever to alter the status quo as it is.

liah · 09-12-2010 03:24PM

prinz wrote: »

What fully, exactly? You realise different EU countries already take different approaches yes? This does nothing whatsoever to alter the status quo as it is.

It will help to alter the status quo in the long term, massively I believe.

The way the war against prohibition needs to be won is exposure, education and people just plain talking about drugs. This will make people talk about drugs-- the fact that the EU has basically given the go ahead is a massive step forward.

Like I said, all it's going to take is one big player of a country to legalize it and over the next 20 years or so it will be like dominoes once they realize the world isn't going to end.. or even change all that much with drugs legalized.

prinz · 09-12-2010 03:28PM

liah wrote: »

It will help to alter the status quo in the long term, massively I believe. The way the war against prohibition needs to be won is exposure, education and people just plain talking about drugs. This will make people talk about drugs-- the fact that the EU has basically given the go ahead is a massive step forward..

The EU hasn't given any kind of go ahead. They have reaffirmed the current position.

liah wrote: »

Like I said, all it's going to take is one big player of a country to legalize it and over the next 20 years or so it will be like dominoes once they realize the world isn't going to end.. or even change all that much with drugs legalized.

......

...... Again, are you talking about one drug in particular? The approach of Portugal is already different to the approach of Poland. Has there been any hint of a domino effect?

bleg · 09-12-2010 03:29PM

Can't read the link, not provided in Gaeilge, an official language of the EU.

liah · 09-12-2010 03:38PM

prinz wrote: »

The EU hasn't given any kind of go ahead. They have reaffirmed the current position.

............ Again, are you talking about one drug in particular? The approach of Portugal is already different to the approach of Poland. Has there been any hint of a domino effect?

It doesn't matter if they've given any sort of official go ahead or not changed their stance. The point is, they brought it into the news, it will drive conversation towards it now that pretty much all of Joe Public will know the official stance. Especially the bit about how much money it could generate.

It will get people thinking and it's driving the people who actually want to do something about legalization one step closer now that they know the only barrier without a doubt is their own government.

Mostly I'm talking about pot, because it's the most innocent of them and the most well-documented. I would like to see others legalized but for the sake of argument just assume I'm talking about pot, hash, and other relatively harmless (in the sense that they're certainly no worse than alcohol) drugs.

prinz · 09-12-2010 03:40PM

bleg wrote: »

Can't read the link, not provided in Gaeilge, an official language of the EU.

It doesn't have to be as it's not an official EU document. It's in fact an article by a lobby group from the looks of it.

Duggy747 · 09-12-2010 03:47PM

This news isn't going to exactly open the floodgates for other countries to legalise drugs. What works in one culture won't neccessarily work in another. Anyways, the government isn't the pro-drug lobby's only barrier, there's also the anti-drug gang and other groups as well as people who would surely protest such a move. It'll be a long haul and a nightmare through endless red-tape.

The whole mullarkey with Amsterdam and it's cafes and what-not hasn't been exactly welcomed with open arms by other countries in the EU, despite the mutual agreement that it plays a huge factor in it's tourism industry. Hasn't the Dutch government been pushing to tighten up these cafes for the past few years and recently stepped it up a gear, too?

Whatever about Hash / Weed but the rest like coke / tabs / acid / etc can stay illegal, too many idiots using the stuff already.

scientific1982 · 09-12-2010 03:48PM

All drugs should be legal.

prinz · 09-12-2010 03:54PM

liah wrote: »

It doesn't matter if they've given any sort of official go ahead or not changed their stance. The point is, they brought it into the news, it will drive conversation towards it now that pretty much all of Joe Public will know the official stance. Especially the bit about how much money it could generate..

I'll watch the news tonight with interest.

Procasinator · 09-12-2010 03:55PM

liah wrote: »

It doesn't matter if they've given any sort of official go ahead or not changed their stance. The point is, they brought it into the news, it will drive conversation towards it now that pretty much all of Joe Public will know the official stance. Especially the bit about how much money it could generate.

It will get people thinking and it's driving the people who actually want to do something about legalization one step closer now that they know the only barrier without a doubt is their own government.

Mostly I'm talking about pot, because it's the most innocent of them and the most well-documented. I would like to see others legalized but for the sake of argument just assume I'm talking about pot, hash, and other relatively harmless (in the sense that they're certainly no worse than alcohol) drugs.

To be honest, I would only expect Ireland to fall like a domino if the UK, and to a lesser extent the US made the move.

As already stated, Portugal has been very liberal with drug use for over 5 years now. This hasn't had any domino effect, despite a glowing review of the benefits of the drug reform in Portugal.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, are gradually getting stricter.

Political heads often avoid this issue because it is so controversial and with so many differing opinions. I don't expect to see this change soon, as all the EU has said is that we can make our own mind up. That much could have been assumed.

papajimsmooth · 09-12-2010 04:02PM

Ireland is too old fashioned and religious to ever allow this to happen. The only way drugs will be legalized in Ireland is if the EU forces us to.

Sanjuro · 09-12-2010 04:03PM

Duggy747 wrote: »

Whatever about Hash / Weed but the rest like coke / tabs / acid / etc can stay illegal, too many idiots using the stuff already.

Exactly. There's a demand. And where there's a demand, no matter how you try to police it, these people will find a way to get what they want, and criminals will find a way to supply it. Now, I'm not saying, drugs for some, miniature European flags for others, but regulating the supply and the taxation it would generate would make far more sense than persuing the failed drug war.

liah · 09-12-2010 04:03PM

I already stated it wasn't going to be instant. Things are always rocky at the beginning while things get fine-tuned and sorted out-- it's why I ballparked it at roughly 20 years or so. Currently legalization in the EU is still in its infancy with the Netherlands and Portugal, and, no offense meant to either-- neither of them are exactly the big players in the EU, and in the Netherlands it has always been restricted and not fully legalized. I don't know the actual status in Portugal.

People expecting instant change are very short-sighted; in the case of drugs things tend to get worse before they get better, but they do certainly get better. Again and as always, alcohol prohibition is a perfect example.

Dean820 · 09-12-2010 04:05PM

We've enough dopes in this country without adding to them.

EU ready to end drug prohibition

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