With regards to the last point
Agreed - legalisation does not bring us to a utopia where all the problems are solved. Personally, I now feel at 40 I've got a bit bored of drugs, and thankfully as I was never a fan of charlie and didn't go down the smack route, all's well that ends well - I have no criminal record and drugs for me have been good things rather than bad things. Likewise, I don't smoke any more and I rarely drink (is life worth living now !). Anyway, I'm lucky enough to be able to "take it or leave it" when it comes to things that affect one's brain.
Many people don't have that luxury. Do we want to live in a strung out society you ask - I'd argue we already do ! Ideally, no, everyone just dips in to the occasional bit of consciousness-changing product, and then gets on with their lives. This, of course, is outright crap and will never happen.
Legalisation doesn't get rid of the users, but it gets rid of a lot of criminals. It also secures purity and price of supply - saving lots of users from injury and death. It generates tax revenue that could be used to help get people off substances if that's what they want.
You'll never stop consumption of things that fuck the brain up - it's what we as a species have been doing from day one. So "prevention" is always going to be a failed policy. "Cure" on the other is more realistic, but trying to limit supply is not a cure that will ever work and like I've said, just creates a massive criminal underclass.
( I_Was_Mordred, Thu 21 Feb 2008, 7:56, Reply)