King Heffy Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Yeah, I wouldn't go as far as legalizing all drugs xD Pot only makes sense because it isn't truly a major health risk. Unlike literally every other drug. Most drugs started as medicine but ended up banned when they realized just how damaging they are to the human body. Including lots that are legal. Many prescription painkillers are opium based. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRussianRocket. Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 Yeah, I wouldn't go as far as legalizing all drugs xD Pot only makes sense because it isn't truly a major health risk. Unlike literally every other drug. Most drugs started as medicine but ended up banned when they realized just how damaging they are to the human body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlainVigneault'sGum Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Provide some examples of illegal drugs that are that harmful to the body that they should be illegal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackberries Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Student's death in Colorado raises questions on pot and health Bs. I ate 5 weed cookies once and im still here. Levy Thamba, 19, jumped off a hotel balcony last month after eating a marijuana cookie. Some fear too little attention has been paid to the drug's risks, particularly in edible form.http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-colorado-pot-woes-20140407,0,5725785.story#ixzz2yMalmVrT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllEyezOnMe Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Provide some examples of illegal drugs that are that harmful to the body that they should be illegal? Hmmm cocaine, bathsalts, heroin, LSD etc any of those drugs will kill you or severely damage you in a matter of time. Legalize all drugs? I know I wouldn't want to live in a place where that would occur UNLESS addicts are put into designated areas and are properly supervised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlainVigneault'sGum Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Hmmm cocaine, bathsalts, heroin, LSD etc any of those drugs will kill you or severely damage you in a matter of time. Legalize all drugs? I know I wouldn't want to live in a place where that would occur UNLESS addicts are put into designated areas and are properly supervised. None of these are that harmful on their own. In fact, opiates, which are considered by many to be the absolute worst for your health, are actually completely harmless to the body, aside from causing constipation. They were made illegal because rich white people didn't like Asian people smoking opium. Cocaine, while it can be hard on the heart in people with a pre-existing heart condition, is completely fine for most people. It was made illegal because white people thought it was causing black men to rape their women. Methamphetamine is neurotoxic, but I don't believe it is any more so than alcohol. I'd have to do some reading to confirm that, though. You see a lot of these "before and after" pictures of meth users that look pretty nasty, but like with the aforementioned drugs, it's not the drug itself that's doing that to people. It's the lifestyle that comes with being a drug addict. Regular amphetamine is less harmful, and if you made that available at a pharmacy or something, I'm willing to bet that you'd see a general decline in meth use. LSD is one-hundred percent harmless. You will simply not have any health issues if you take LSD. It is remarkably non-toxic. If you have a predisposition for mental illness, you shouldn't take it. But in a healthy individual, it is completely safe if used responsibly, just like anything else. It's next to impossible to become addicted to it, since the experience is so powerful that most people really don't have the desire to repeat it too often or make it a habit. You're right about bath salts. Bath salts are a medley of research chemicals, mostly stimulants like MDPV, which do not have a long history of human use. As such, we really don't know what they do to the brain or the body. It's a good idea to stay far away from this one, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackberries Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Hmmm cocaine, bathsalts, heroin, LSD etc any of those drugs will kill you or severely damage you in a matter of time. Legalize all drugs? I know I wouldn't want to live in a place where that would occur UNLESS addicts are put into designated areas and are properly supervised. LSD actually is and has been used in clinical trials to treat depression in Holland .There are several relavant medical uses for it.Also Native Columbians have been chewing cocoa leaves for thousands of years and contrary to your sentiment their society didn't crumble..although now it is due to the criminal aspect of cocaine sales with the cartels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Aerosex Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Hmmm cocaine, bathsalts, heroin, LSD etc any of those drugs will kill you or severely damage you in a matter of time. Legalize all drugs? I know I wouldn't want to live in a place where that would occur UNLESS addicts are put into designated areas and are properly supervised. Take 15 Advil and you'll drop dead. That's about 3000 mg. that's more lethal than cocaine, meth, and certainly LSD (virtually non-lethal and absolutely non-addictive). What's your point? Approximate number of deaths due to prescription drugs in the States: 106,000 a year Approximate number of deaths due to illegal drugs in the States: 10-20,000 a year. You probably work with/are friends with numerous prescription pill poppers and you just don't know it. Addicts are normal people, brother. Just have an illness. Sending them to jail doesn't help the illness, in fact it will likely make things worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Keep combating the ignorance brothers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickVega Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Tourism dollars go up. Hotels, restaurants, stores all see a piece. When is a better time to get high then when you are in nature? BC's long time slogan - "Super Natural British Columbia". Liberal government has a chance to prove they are truly business friendly and with a 100% sustainable industry. There's your Job Plan, Madame Premier. Yes, it's federal jurisdiction but isn't it federal jurisdiction in the states as well. Let's take the Washington/Colorado approach and say "We don't care". Business wins!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlainVigneault'sGum Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Tourism dollars go up. Hotels, restaurants, stores all see a piece. When is a better time to get high then when you are in nature? BC's long time slogan - "Super Natural British Columbia". Liberal government has a chance to prove they are truly business friendly and with a 100% sustainable industry. There's your Job Plan, Madame Premier. Yes, it's federal jurisdiction but isn't it federal jurisdiction in the states as well. Let's take the Washington/Colorado approach and say "We don't care". Business wins!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVG61irwfiE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 My concern with all legalizing all drugs goes beyond just health risks. There is a very big difference in dealing with someone who is drunk and dealing with someone who is high on PCP. Or any drug that causes aggression, hallucination, or makes someone near immune to pain. The prescription drugs argument doesn't do much for me. The stats are lopsided because far more people take prescription drugs. How many people on this board take prescription drugs compared to how many do heroin, PCP, meth, cocaine ecstasy, etc.? If you take away the legal concern, the job drug testing concern, and simply dealing with shady characters to get the stuff that may be tainted you will end up with more people willing to do and try the drugs and I have no doubt the stat would rise. If people will abuse prescription drugs then people will abuse what are now illegal drugs. While I am not a doctor or expert on medication and drugs from my own personal experience I am reluctant to support open drug use of hardcore drugs. I believe if someone willingly takes a drug or substance for pleasure they will be liable to abuse it. I have known 4 people who have died from hardcore drug use before the age of 21, a girl who unintentionally killed her baby, and the one person I know now who still does heroin has it written all over her body. Complete addict still owes me $200 from years ago and can't not be high without vomiting. On the other side nearly everyone else I know takes at least 1 prescription drug and they all look healthy and function normally. Maybe I am ignorant in a way but if all drugs were legalized I would still have a prejudice towards people who use those hardcore ones and would push them far away from my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Aerosex Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 My concern with all legalizing all drugs goes beyond just health risks. There is a very big difference in dealing with someone who is drunk and dealing with someone who is high on PCP. Or any drug that causes aggression, hallucination, or makes someone near immune to pain. The prescription drugs argument doesn't do much for me. The stats are lopsided because far more people take prescription drugs. How many people on this board take prescription drugs compared to how many do heroin, PCP, meth, cocaine ecstasy, etc.? If you take away the legal concern, the job drug testing concern, and simply dealing with shady characters to get the stuff that may be tainted you will end up with more people willing to do and try the drugs and I have no doubt the stat would rise. If people will abuse prescription drugs then people will abuse what are now illegal drugs. While I am not a doctor or expert on medication and drugs from my own personal experience I am reluctant to support open drug use of hardcore drugs. I believe if someone willingly takes a drug or substance for pleasure they will be liable to abuse it. I have known 4 people who have died from hardcore drug use before the age of 21, a girl who unintentionally killed her baby, and the one person I know now who still does heroin has it written all over her body. Complete addict still owes me $200 from years ago and can't not be high without vomiting. On the other side nearly everyone else I know takes at least 1 prescription drug and they all look healthy and function normally. Maybe I am ignorant in a way but if all drugs were legalized I would still have a prejudice towards people who use those hardcore ones and would push them far away from my life. I think you're missing the point. Once again, drug addicts are going to do drugs, regardless of their legality. But if they're legal, distribution can be regulated (a drug dealer likely doesn't care if their customer is a child or if they're buying enough to put down an elephant). All the money wasted on a war on drugs can be put towards better rehabilitation. Less people who are only guilty of being addicts will go to the horrible prison system we have in North America. The product itself won't be as dangerous. And criminals have far less power as a result! It's not like if certain drugs are legal, some pharmacist is going to drive down the city streets shooting bundles of drugs down the alleys like a mascot shoots gift bundles at a hockey game. Crazed naked people aren't going to swarm all over you and eat your brains, don't worry. For what it's worth, I've never gotten a prescription. I've tried salvia once, I take MDMA recreationally on occasion, smoke marijuana fairly regularly recreationally and for medical use. I'm a happy healthy human being. The only time I've ever been in any real danger from drugs is when I've been drunk and either done something extremely stupid or just drank enough to bring me to the edge. A family member of mine used to be a cokehead for 3 years, and nobody knew until she came clean about it a couple years ago. And I know plenty of rich kids who pop oxy and are getting through school and into jobs from their parents' money. Wouldn't guess it by their clean-cut image they project. A once close friend of mine is homeless now, pounding back cough syrup and doing heroin. The drugs didn't come until after his life went into the toilet. Not all drug addicts are bums on skid row just because the drug is illegal; that lifestyle results from a combination of factors. In fact, one of the biggest reasons that the people who abuse prescription drugs can appear to function normally is because the drugs are legal. They don't have prices jacked up on them just because they're that desperate for a fix. You don't have to suck a man off in an alleyway if you want some pills; just tell your doctor you still feel sore. Put your prejudice to the side and look at the situation logically. Also, I find it interesting looking at this previous quote of yours: Yeah, I wouldn't go as far as legalizing all drugs xD Pot only makes sense because it isn't truly a major health risk. Unlike literally every other drug. Most drugs started as medicine but ended up banned when they realized just how damaging they are to the human body. Who's to say the same thing won't happen with oxycodone, vicodin, xanax, etc.? Hmmmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Weighing in on the legal/prescription drug v. Illegal drug debate with some personal experience (disregard if you will): When I was 17 I was involved in an accident and was given Oxycontin to help me deal with my pain. I was on it for about a month taking a couple of doses a day. By the end of the 2nd week I wasn't even really feeling any pain anymore, yet I kept taking my prescription. On one occasion (stupidly) I decided to drink a little while on my prescription, which lead to one of the most unsettling experiences I've ever endured. After a month my prescription ran out, but for months afterwards I would get random urges to have it again. All despite generally not really enjoying my experience on the drug, I hated the way it made me feel most of the time. On the other hand, I smoked weed for years (have since stopped), and taken a couple other illegal drugs and generally enjoyed my "highs", yet have never once had some rabid urge to get high like I did with the Oxy. Research has shown the dangers of Oxycontin, that coupled with its high prevalence for addiction, what constitutes it to be legal over a something like LSD or Heroin which have both been seen to have a legitimate medical purpose? Anywho, I think at bare minimum ALL drugs should be made available for medicinal purposes as regulated drugs would increase the safety of those who are addicted. This would also serve as a way to help people curb their addiction by very slowly reducing the strength and dosage given to them, until they are able to wean off the drug completely without possibly subjecting them to violent withdrawal symptoms. At the same time, I have a pretty Libertarian view about what people do to there own bodies, so I think ALL drugs should be legalized, regulated, and taxed. But I realize thats a few steps above the current system and will take a while to get to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyledude Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I can't believe there are still prohibitionists in this day and age... whether they know it or not, they are working for the cartels and the banks that launder the drug money.None of the arguments are ever based on facts or reality, only phoney ideology and assumptions based on personal bias. If you are genuinely concerned with the welfare of others, you should want to see an end to the madness that is the drug war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogbyte Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 The fact that two US States legalized marijuana before us is almost embarrassing given the much stronger stigma towards it down there is. Massive untapped revenue source. Yeah definitely thought we'd wake up before the of US of A on being reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlainVigneault'sGum Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 My concern with all legalizing all drugs goes beyond just health risks. There is a very big difference in dealing with someone who is drunk and dealing with someone who is high on PCP. Or any drug that causes aggression, hallucination, or makes someone near immune to pain. The prescription drugs argument doesn't do much for me. The stats are lopsided because far more people take prescription drugs. How many people on this board take prescription drugs compared to how many do heroin, PCP, meth, cocaine ecstasy, etc.? If you take away the legal concern, the job drug testing concern, and simply dealing with shady characters to get the stuff that may be tainted you will end up with more people willing to do and try the drugs and I have no doubt the stat would rise. If people will abuse prescription drugs then people will abuse what are now illegal drugs. While I am not a doctor or expert on medication and drugs from my own personal experience I am reluctant to support open drug use of hardcore drugs. I believe if someone willingly takes a drug or substance for pleasure they will be liable to abuse it. I have known 4 people who have died from hardcore drug use before the age of 21, a girl who unintentionally killed her baby, and the one person I know now who still does heroin has it written all over her body. Complete addict still owes me $200 from years ago and can't not be high without vomiting. On the other side nearly everyone else I know takes at least 1 prescription drug and they all look healthy and function normally. Maybe I am ignorant in a way but if all drugs were legalized I would still have a prejudice towards people who use those hardcore ones and would push them far away from my life. The crazy stories you hear about PCP are pretty rare. Growing up in a family of alcoholics, I've seen people do things that are just as bad/worse while drunk. PCP isn't very popular anywhere anymore, though, so there wouldn't be much demand for it anyway. Especially with the increasing number of safer analogues of it becoming more available online. While a lot more people use prescription drugs, most of them are still in the same classes of drugs as the illegal ones. An opiate is an opiate and an amphetamine is an amphetamine. The reason there are relatively few people on the street with Vyvanse or Oxycontin addictions as opposed to methamphetamine or heroin, is because the drugs are clean., more readily available, and more socially accepted. It makes it a lot easier to function when you know which dose you're taking every time, you only have to go to the pharmacy to pick the stuff up, and you don't have to deal with the stigma that comes with being a drug addict, so long as you don't make it obvious. Even if your addiction comes to light, people don't think it's as bad as being addicted to street stuff. There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that drug use would rise if they were legalized. Of course hard drug use shouldn't be condoned, but that doesn't mean that people shouldn't be educated. The way tobacco is viewed now is a good example of how things would ideally look if hard drugs were legalized. The entire point of using recreational drugs is for pleasure. What constitutes use and abuse shouldn't matter, so long as the user isn't harming anyone but themselves. People who cause trouble and bother other people should be punished, but if someone can do a shot of heroin in their house and not cause a problem, how have they committed a crime? I've hung around in bad crowds for most of my life, and seen quite a bit of crap. I've seen people die from overdoses, and the common factor in all of them is that they could have been prevented if it weren't for these stupid ???? laws. It sucks that you never got your money back, and that someone would actually do that to another person, but the reason the crap is so expensive and people even have to resort to that kind of stuff in the first place is because the drugs are expensive because they're illegal. Not making excuses for her, but that could be prevented. The crap costs less than aspirin to produce, it's the risk of transporting it that drives the prices up. It's your decision whether or not to hang around people who use drugs, but most hard drug users are just normal people, and you wouldn't even be able to tell unless they told you. If you choose to remove someone from your life because of their preferred buzz, that's fine, but using drugs doesn't inherently make someone a thief, a liar, or a bad person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thema Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Well said. I'd go even further and give addicts FREE drugs until they were able and willing to quit. The cost to give them these drugs would be much cheaper than the cost of detaining them in prison from property crimes, added to the cost to the owners of the property.Holland and Switzerland say hi... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Holland and Switzerland say hi... Yup, seems to be working just fine over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRussianRocket. Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 Colorado to bring in an estimated $98 million in marijuana tax revenue this year, exceeding the state's original expectations by 40 percent http://reut.rs/1hKVGd6(Reuters) - Colorado, the first state to tax legalized recreational marijuana sales, expects to bring in an estimated $98 million in revenue this year, exceeding the state's original expectations by 40 percent. The state began levying sales and excise taxes on recreational marijuana on January 1, 2014. Moody's Investors Service, in a report released Friday, said legal sales in Colorado will reduce the size of the black market and revenue from legal sales will mean more tax payments flowing into state coffers. The funds are slated for treatment, school construction and deterring young people from using the drug. School districts will likely get $40 million, or nearly 30 percent, of the projected $134 million in total marijuana tax revenues. New revenues will only make up 1.4 percent of the state's available general fund. "There's been a lot of buzz around legalization," said Andrea Unsworth, a Moody's analyst. But she cautioned that tax revenues were "still a very small fraction of the state's overall budget. It's not going to sway things too much in one way or another." Colorado imposed a 15 percent excise tax on wholesale marijuana and a 10 percent sales tax on retail sales. That's in addition to a pre-existing 2.9 percent tax on medical marijuana. Local governments will keep 15 percent of sales tax revenue, while the rest of the money will stay with the state. Tax collections started off slowly this year, only totaling $7.5 million or $45 million if amortized to the full year. But Moody's said the new revenues are likely significantly understated in the long term because only a limited number of retail facilities had opened, growers had not yet met buyers' demand, and many local jurisdictions had yet to issue licenses. Moody's projected that the decriminalization of marijuana would likely reduce policing costs, although other enforcement expenditures might also arise. The net effect is uncertain. In March, the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police asked the governor for 10 percent to 15 percent of marijuana's total tax revenues, citing the need to police unlicensed sales of the drug, diversion to other states, and drivers under the influence of marijuana, among other costs, the report noted. The only other state to legalize recreational marijuana, Washington, will begin marijuana sales in June. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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