h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A few weeks ago I say a television programme in wich it was played that drugs were legal in Britain. Also, there were the pro's and contra's highlighted. As a Dutch this interested me; we have a very laidback attitude towards drugs. That is to say "softdrugs" as marihuana. Harddrugs are illegal, frowned upon and seen as not-done.

The question is therefore; should Britain adopt the Dutch policy of "gedoogbeleid" where softdrugs are allowed and harddrugs are not? Or should it all be legalised?

Gedoogbeleid is hard to explain; the best I can do is to tell you to watch "Pulp Fiction" where in one of the first scenes John Travolta and Samuel Jackson sit in a car and John is telling about Amsterdam.

My personal opinion is that the dutch system works pretty good. Because marihuana is legal the quality of it can be regulated and sale points can be controlled. This refects in statistics; compared to the rest of europe the consumption of marihuana is low... Harddrugs in my humble opinion should remain illegal for the average Joe on the street but there should be a lot of help for those who are addicted; methadon programs and even free administration of heroin to long time, nothing more to do about it, addicts. Although the last should be well controlled and regulated.

But my opinion does hardly matter, what does is your view to this!

Some soft drugs are legal in Britain: alcohol is a very popular one.

Alcohol, tobacco and cafeine are indeed drugs

There are some interesting, long term research findings coming to light. This morning we hear about a study in, I think, Glasgow that has followed long term heroin users who have stable, noraml lives with partners and jobs. The other study points to the evidence that long term cannabis use leads to an increased risk of schizophrenia.

My own view is that we need to use market forces to reduce the profit element that fuels the crime culture surrounding drugs. Legalise, educate, control. The obvious two examples are our current use of alchohol and the effects of prohibition in the USofA and how that spawned a criminal culture that still pertains.

I think that selling hard drugs is a very serious crime, particularly to teenagers. I have to assume that heroin addicts didn't realise what they were getting themselves into when they took their first shot. Nobody would willingly do that to themselves. The drug dealers are preying on people's ignorance and stupidity to make money out of ruining other people's lives.

Marijuana, on the other hand, does not seem to do any harm, although there is very little research done on it, since it is illegal in most countries to experiment on it.

>>Marijuana, on the other hand, does not seem to do any harm, although there is very little research done on it, since it is illegal in most countries to experiment on it.

But more and more research is coming to light suggesting that Cannabis brings on schizophrenia in prone individuals and can also bring on heart attacks in prone individuals.

indeed. Needs further research, but the key word is prone. And, unfortunately, I imagine it to be near impossible to state that a prone user would not have developed any illness or complication anyway.
But it is noticable in care homes when the residents have hold of some cannabis. the problems, the mental ills in some individuals are markedly increased. But then that could be for a number of reasons.

Personally, I think cannabis should be legalised and controlled. The only slight worry is that Phillip Morris (tabacco giant) has already acquired the rights to sell cannabis cigarrettes should they ever become legal. So it won't be an open market, the companies have already been jockeying for position.
On the other hand, the government are going to need a new source of income as tobacco sales fall 9if their anti smoking drive works).

Indeed. I thought the Glasgow study was rather pointless at best and downright irresponsible at worst.

Anecdotal evidence has suggested for years that prolonged exposure to Mary-Jane can bring about schizophrenia and other mental problems - look at the lives of reggae stars Peter Tosh and Lee Perry, for a start.

The Government in the UK, in combination with the Metropolitan Police have launched an attack on the 'weekend' drugs crowd, which I find quite interesting. The number of smug, self-satisfied Guardian readers who eat organic food, low-mileage fruit and the rest yet openly take drugs such as Cocaine which is grown in such exploitative circumstances it makes N*sc*f* look like a charity and is also one of the most chemical intensive production cycles of any crop is simply mind-boggling.

Should we be de-criminalising drugs? If they are proven killers, such as Coke, Herion and ecstasy then the answer is clearly no. If there is, as seems likely, a link between drugs and long term mental health issues, as with marijuana, then the answer is still no.

I laughed when I heard that study being described on the radio, about the link between cabbibis and mental illness, the funny thing was we look so hard to find such links but fail or so it seems, to ever mention the well proven over teh years link between alcohol and mental illness, heart disease, cancer, liver damage, etc But alcohol is alright, cannibis is just plain evil I guess ~==

No, its merely a matter of time making alcohol part of our ingrained social structure.

If cannabis had been being used by the romans my guess is it would be legal. It's very difficult to ban a substance like alcohol as the Americans discovered in during prohibition, when the organized crime rackets that sprung up around illegal alcohol made todays drug runners look pretty weedy (pun intended).

Spot on So there is no just reason for cannibus to be legal in this country, as its remaining illegal goes against common sense evidence etc Well its practically legal anyhow, Its certainly as easy to get hold of I find as it is to get hold of cigarettes that haven't got a 'Duty paid' sticker on them Actually, thinking about it, it is easier to get hold of cannibis on a Sunday than it is to get hld of alcohol or cigaretes/tobacco thanks to our stupid liciencing laws and everything closing early for some stupid reason

Cannabis may be socially acceptable and widely available, but it is not *legal*, or even virtually so.

it is (somewhat) in the netherlands, should it also be so in england?

I agree with Wanderingalbatross - when a thing is illegal (such as booze during prohibition) criminals get involved. People will drink illegal or not and so they will take drugs. If drugs were legalised they could be controlled. Perhaps then little old ladies wouoldn't be battered for the few pounds they have in their houses.

So drug addicts are harming their health - so are smokers but they dont have to burgle to get their fags.

I agree with Wanderingalbatross - when a thing is illegal (such as booze during prohibition) criminals get involved. People will drink illegal or not and so they will take drugs. If drugs were legalised they could be controlled. Perhaps then little old ladies wouldn't be battered for the few pounds they have in their houses.

So drug addicts are harming their health - so are smokers but they dont have to burgle to get their fags.

Blues Shark
Got any evidence about the number of Guardian readers who take cocaine? I've never met any of them.

There is a lot of disinformation sourounding heroin. It is I believe still the number one pain killer and widely used. There are also issues, rarely aired, about it's addictiveness. I am not advocating the wholesale legalistion of drugs, they are dangerous substances, but there has to be a better solution. Our spineless, self seeking politicians do not have the balls to face up to what is obvious.

The manufacture of pharmaceutical quality diamorphines is common practice. Why not make them avaliable, heavily taxed just like alchohol and tobacco, start an advertising campaign to inform users and potential users of the dangers, just like alchohol and tobacco, limit their availablity to adults, just like etc etc, and prosecute those that break the law, just like etc etc.

I despise Richard Littlejohn as a person and a pundit but his book To Hell in a Handcart neatly lays out the scenario.

There is a lot of disinformation sourounding heroin. It is I believe still the number one pain killer and widely used. There are also issues, rarely aired, about it's addictiveness. I am not advocating the wholesale legalistion of drugs, they are dangerous substances, but there has to be a better solution. Our spineless, self seeking politicians do not have the balls to face up to what is obvious.

The manufacture of pharmaceutical quality diamorphines is common practice. Why not make them available, heavily taxed just like alchohol and tobacco, start an advertising campaign to inform users and potential users of the dangers, just like alchohol and tobacco, limit their availablity to adults, just like etc etc, and prosecute those that break the law, just like etc etc.

I despise Richard Littlejohn as a person and a pundit but his book To Hell in a Handcart neatly lays out the scenario.

Sorry

Blackberry, I think the term you are looking for is 'hyperbole'...