Catch21 Productions | More money to invest in schools and clinics if we legalised all drugs?

More money to invest in schools and clinics if we legalised all drugs?

The most radical thing the government could do to shake up the drugs industry in the UK is to legalise all drugs, but is it as crazy as it sounds?

Drugs, Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs Now I don’t take drugs personally, not even coffee and only once in a blue moon do I have the odd bit of beer and wine, so I’m probably not best placed to understand how addictive some drugs are. What I do know however, is that drugs like cannabis and even class As such as Speed and Ecstasy are easy to get hold of if you want them (especially when I was at university). You’ve probably guessed what I’m going to say next; that if they’re that easy to get hold of you may as well just get them legalised. Well that’s true, but the big problem there is that if the government were to bring in such a change to the law it may come across as though they don’t care about people taking illegal drugs. The fact that so many people have lost their lives through taking such dangerous substances (the one I remember most is Leah Betts) is also very disheartening.

To counter that though, and given that drug barons make millions of pounds, it could be said that if all drugs were legalised the government could tax them. This could then bring in more funding for schools and clinics, which may not only bring better services to those who are recovering drug addicts but also create opportunities for other projects like youth centres, where people could spend more of their spare time rather than taking drugs.

Just a thought, but I’d be interested to hear what anyone else thinks...

Image thanks to boodoo @ flickr

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Dan
Posts: 6

Yes -drugs
Reply #6 on : Mon February 04, 2008, 18:27:45

Yep, agree with you there - government could get so much money. To be frank, they've lost control of monitoring them anyway

Alex Sergent
Posts: 6

Drugs
Reply #5 on : Thu February 07, 2008, 18:22:00

I'm not saying that all drugs should definitely be legalised but I do think we need a big discussion about the idea...

Jeannie
Posts: 6

Legalising drugs?
Reply #4 on : Thu February 07, 2008, 20:26:27

I'm not sure about this idea. It's always good to have more money to invest in schools and clinics, especially if the money were to come from people already making millions illegally. However, I don't think legalising drugs is the way forward. If drugs were legal I think more people would take them- it's almost like putting a statement out there saying, "well the government have made them legal so they can't be THAT dangerous..." The reason drugs are ilegal is not just the addiction factor but the fact they are so unpredictable too. You can be addicted to cigarettes but you won't die from one smoke, but taking drugs just once can be all it takes. People are always trying to find something new to do (or take) for excitement, to rebel or just to experiment. By legalising drugs what further extremes will people go to get this?

Bill
Posts: 6

Drugs
Reply #3 on : Wed February 13, 2008, 10:21:47

Jeannie, you've rightly pointed out that more people will be encouraged to take drugs, but by keeping drugs licensed you'd also keep out the impurities that get mixed into illegal drugs which cause people a lot of problems. The extra money could also be pumped into screening to see if people are likely to have an adverse reaction. If drugs were legal people who do react badly won't be afraid to seek medical help, rather than panicking over whether or not they will get caught.

Leon
Posts: 6

As Bob Marley said "Legalise it...".
Reply #2 on : Wed February 13, 2008, 15:47:58

A good argument for legalising them all and taxing them is taking the organised crime element out of the equation. Less crime also means more money to spend on other things our country needs.

Ceri
Posts: 6

If it's legal, it's not cool.
Reply #1 on : Tue April 22, 2008, 00:12:52

It's friday afternoon. You need to get hold of some MDMA before you head out for a heavy night. You pull yourself together after last night's binge and head out to the local shops. Ouch, you catch your reflection and it's not nice. You make it to the pharmacy, there's a massive queue. You wait behind some pensioner. And he smells. The lady behind you gives you a dodgy look. what's she looking at? That geezer at the front is taking ages. Here comes the headache. Crap, just seen my history teacher. Could this get any more embarrassing?...

How would you feel queueing up for drugs at your local pharmacy. Your drug habit will become public knowledge. If it's not underground, it's not so cool. Drug traffickers will be penniless, crime would fall as fewer people will commit crime to fund their next fix, the subject of drugs can be brought to the surface and will no longer be a dark and criminal matter.