Editor's Opinion: The misery of drug abuse

“Your right whatatown I had 5 years in the smoke and the way people except gateway drugs round here is crazy you walk down streets here and every so often you smell it even my neighbours son smokes it in there garden and we smell it in our house....”

“I have lived all over the UK, and spent 13 years in London, and never seen as much drugs and drug users as I have seen in humberside.

there is a real problem here, and it starts with the attitude of many to all drugs.

I have heard people complain about "smack heads" and then go on to talk about "skinning up" a joint. They seem to think that softer drugs like dope are ok, and infact part of every day life.

until there is a re education and a total zero tolorance, the drug problem here will continue.”

“another point when legaliseing is in what quantity do you supply the dose as different people have altering levels of tolerance . If a lethal dose is supplied who will be accountable and will they be liable or considered responsible (could end as a good earner for no win no fee)....”

“WoolfySmifff, Legalization, yes I agree, BUT, here's a thought provoking exercise though.
What would it take to legalize drugs ? I, mean, seriously think about it. Take the legality of alcohol as a prototype - the age limits involved, the licensing of manufacture, wholesale, retail, the purchase laws, who can consume what, when, what other activities, such as driving, can be done under what quantities, and a load of other aspects- and try and get a picture of what it would logistically take for a country to legalize drugs. Don't forget, of course, that with just alcohol legal at the moment, it's pretty simple, but with a multitude of different substances suddenly available, combinations of things, complicate matters exponentially.
I'm not even looking to discuss this with anybody. Don't feel obliged to reply with anything - just give the issue some serious thought, for your own entertainment, or interest or whatever.
For the record I'm very much in favour of making drugs a public health and a social issue, rather than a criminal one. The thought of actually making that happen boggles the mind. Try it.”

“again woolfy some good points , but more money to deal with crime is not the answer prevention is better than cure and in referance to the rich addicts they are not the main problem they do not commit crime to fuel there habit on the whole and crime is what highlights junkies to the authorities....”

“The Apple said: "you give the idiots who choose to go down this slippery path into addiction,the drugs free".

Apart from Zero Tolerance .. ( Sweden has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs .. even for cannabis I believe, and it doesn't have the horrendous drug abuse that we have in Britain) .. State-provided drugs is of course, the most sensible solution, but it will never happen because there is far too much money at stake. I think I remember reading recently that the illegal drugs trade is the second largest industry on the planet .. second only to the oil industry, I think. And there are far too many crooked politicians, judges and coppers in the pay of the cartels for it ever to happen on any meaningful scale.”

“what you do as I have said many many times is this ,you give the idiots who choose to go down this slippery path into addiction,the drugs free,this straight away take the need for them to rob and murder for the money and as now if they are stupid enough to over dose so be it ,”

“"And it is those at the bottom of that supply chain who will continue to suffer – the addicts themselves. Once addicted, a person will do anything to get their required drug".

I'm sorry, but I vehemently disagree with 'the poor old victim' scenario you are trying to present.

They all knew what they were getting into. They CHOSE to be addicts. They are as culpable as the drug barons themselves.”

“But the country would have more money in the public coffers from the legal sale of the drugs to deal with the criminal element ... kind of like how the tax from tobacco and alcohol help support the country now. It's naive to imagine that all smack heads and coke addicts are poor, jobless criminals just like not all alcoholics and smokers are.”

“Making a drug like Heroin isn't going to stop the crimes associated with it from happening. If an addict can't get a prescription or afford to pay for heroin they will buy it from the black market and steal to pay for it.

The only drug that should be legalised or decriminalised is Cannabis.”