Something needs to be done about drugs in UK

Watched a documentary shot in Canada where some guy OD'd in the street and they brought him back with NARCAN.

He was a lucky one though, few minutes later and he'd have been gone.

People choose to take drugs knowing it’s illegal.

Alcohol and tobacco aren't though. And they do far more harm than all the illegal drugs combined.

Well politicians and law enforcement would hope forever. And given how they are "waging" it, that seems a fair bet.

If you measured success in terms of reducing addicts, rather than increasing seizures ....

It's hard not to conclude that whoever makes the laws in the UK is paid by drug dealers.

People choose to take drugs knowing it’s illegal.

Drug dealers are scum, but if people didn’t want to buy drugs they wouldn’t exist.

"illegal" is a madey-uppy thing. Like religion.

If you want to ban things that do harm, I repeat again - start with alcohol and tobacco.

Otherwise you risk looking like you aren't really interested in peoples well being at all. Which I am sure is not the case.

Fentanyl (synthetic opioid) was largely responsible for fatal overdoses peaking above 112,000 last year, for the first time in U.S. history.

Only a matter of time until it starts wreaking similar havoc over here.

Decriminalisation is what needs to be done, how long does the failed war on drugs have to go on?

The "something" that needs to be done is decriminalisation.

This country is nowhere near ready to have an actual grown-up debate on drugs though.

Cars.
Baths. In fact, probably best just ban water altogether.
Toasters.
Hard edged furniture.
Tiled floors.
Trees.
The sun.

29,742 killed or seriously injured ( KSI ) casualties by cars in 2022, 1,711 fatalities. Better ban them as well

Sounds fair.

Cars and dogs too.

So ban anything with potential to kill then?

I'm in Scotland where we have the worst drug death levels of Europe. The studies have found that hardline stance doesn't work it's a multilayered issue which needs addressing including easy and quick access to rehab. Sadly that's not happening along with a lot of other failings.

Most things are illegal in Singapore, not a place I'd particularly like to live thank you. Drugs aren't murder, plenty of people choose that route, I agree young people being caught up in county lines etc is evil though

So was prohibition in America, lol. Look, people have been getting high since the dawn of time. Tackle the root causes rather than go in saying ALL DRUGS BAD, because it's simplistic and doesn't work.

I agree with @TimeForTeaAndG legalisation for sure, with perhaps a little more care taken with class A drugs like heroin.

@RegretMisery A big part of the OD risk with drugs is that people don't know what they are getting and the supply isn't regulated. If it was, that would change and lives would be saved. Naloxone (brand name 'Narcan') counteracts opiate ODs and saves lives, it is given out in many areas where drugs are an issue, esp. in Scotland but should be more widespread.

The war on drugs has failed. It's time for something different.

Something Must Be Done

Like? You can't stop it

Drugs are everywhere

It's their choice to do it. Sorry, but it is. Everyone takes responsibility for their own actions.
Drugs will always be around because prohibition doesn't work and pushes it further underground. In fact, based on the premise that people will always want to do drugs, a further clampdown just makes it even more dangerous - look at weed, imagine if that were legal a la Canada (and most of Europe), that would massively stop how many people are spiked with spice and other synthetic cannabinoids.
Drug education and harm reduction should be taught more widely, then it's up to you to make an educated decision to do it or not do it.

Drugs have always been a problem

But who would you try for murder? Because there's a chain...

OP is right.

Alcohol and tobacco kill thousands of people a year.

Something Must Be Done.