Green Party wanting to legalise drugs.

[YorkieTheRabbit]

Maybe I’m not thinking this through correctly, so could anyone explain to me how legalising heroin would work.

It’s highly addictive, causes physical dependency and can damage to the body.

Then, who is supposed to be paying for the supply? Would it be taxpayers basically paying for people to become addicted then paying to treat the addiction?
I know that people will take drugs regardless but I just can’t get my head around this.
Surely the Greens don’t think that drug dealers will just shrug their shoulders and go and get a proper job 🤷‍♀️

Will they be delivered by deliveroo, along with a KFC?
Or will people be able to buy drugs from dodgy Dom down the road, who’ll pop round in five minutes with whatever you fancy,. Plus Dom will need to fill in a tax return. Or will people need to catch a bus to the nearest dispensary? The mind boggles

Are they planning on charging VAT the same as alcohol or will it be free on prescription?
Please excuse my rambling as I’m sleeping deprived but this really has me pondering.

Is there? Which country has fully legalised and taxed class A drugs?

Does it matter ?

Clearly none, but a number of countries have legalised certain drugs and usage has not increased.

nodoubtinmind · Today 13:49
Fufus · Today 13:48
They have some mild nutritional benefits. I know what is wrong and what is right.
Show quote history
But in the long term, or large quantities, they’re harmful. Same as drugs and alcohol

Yes but someone eating a lot of chocolate or drinking a lot of coffee isn’t going to cause the terrible damage to children and family members that drug addiction and alcoholism do.

In the US it was, during prohibition. That didn't stop people drinking, and the War on Drugs hasn't worked either. The Temperance movement did successfully get people hooked on sugar, chocolate, soft drinks and cereal though, and look where that's got the US.

Those in favour: if you have a child, would you be in favour of their being legally able to go and buy some heroin or fentanyl or crack? Why 18 if voting is to be lowered to 16? So would you be accepting of their recreational use of hard drugs whilst still at school?

All of the above apart from spice would have been in circulation pre '71.

The UK rarely does policy by looking at other countries.

If something works for Johnny Foreigner then it won't work here - because we aren't foreign.

If it doesn't work for Johnny Foreigner ... well what more proof do you need ?

Heroin ® was developed to overcome the addictive properties of morphine.

Laudanum anyone ?

Yes this I agree with, but as far as I can see it's not the Greens policy.

Exactly. Their putative policy is not managed use for addicts, but free-from-prosecution ability to purchase what you fancy from approved channels.

Unfortunately one cannot have a “dry run” to see how it would work without creating maybe thousands of new addicts and the resulting criminality to fund the habit. Look at the shoplifting epidemic - if people will steal meat, imagine if there were heroin/crack shops on the high street…

I think there is a valid point about the relationship between the current drug industry and organised, violent crime, money laundering, county lines, trafficking. Would the legalisation of drugs lead to greater quality control, availability of counselling/ detox?
Also, there is no detox help unless you can pay a lot of money for it. No mental health services for kids who have been physically, mentally, sexually abused and go on to self medicate due to the damage they suffer.
I doubt you would find a secondary school in the country that doesn't have a drug problem.
The status quo isn't working.

However, I wouldn't trust the greens to create a policy and implement it.

It takes the power away from the dealers

They will not let their investment of the past 55 years go to waste if they can help it. Their industry would collapse overnight.

Well yes it does matter.
If you say there is evidence that legalising class A drugs doesn't increase drug use, I don't see how that evidence could exist if it's never actually been tried.

I refer you to my point that it's a waste of time looking abroad for inspiration.

Meanwhile, the comments on this article suggest there is a ready appetite for the Green initiative

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ckg1jely4n8o

So to be clear you agree with me and disagree with the PP that there is evidence to show legalising all drugs doesnt increase use.

No other country has tried it, but we should because you predict it would work. Could be catastrophic if you were wrong though couldn't it?

I dont think youve fully understood the policy at all.

There is lots of information online about the policy, including a lot of evidence for why it's the most effective way to reduce harm.

I tend to agree @SerendipityJane. If drugs are available to buy from the state, dealers would likely be able to undercut.
So would it be a case of either being free or very heavily subsidised

Also @SerendipityJane did you mean to share the article about Swansea city FC? Is that relevant?

So to be clear you agree with me and disagree with the PP that there is evidence to show legalising all drugs doesnt increase use.

Not really. Nowhere near enough data to make an ill informed decision, let alone an informed one.

So why are you arguing with the person who pointed out there wasn't data rather than the person who said there was?

You can already get weed via private prescription in the UK, the weed market is huge, if it was done legally and safely i.e via growers/shops that had proper licenses it would be much safer, and it could be taxed.

It’s easy to get hold of any drug nowadays so people who want to do them will do them. I have only ever tried weed, drugs isn’t my bag but I’ve always known where to get them, its rife.

Tackle the smugglers/gangs/dealers and get the addicts help thats the approach I think is best

It’s easy to get hold of any drug nowadays

Famously it was easier to get cocaine in lockdown than flour.

“Tackle the smugglers/gangs/dealers” sounds so easy! As a pp observed they ain’t going to go quietly - look at the trouble Mexico is in.

I can understand that in theory the plan’s a plan at least. But I don’t really want to see “state” heroin shops on the street. And, again, what’s the price? I have a relative who is a very heavy smoker (ugh). He buys cigarettes from a corner shop where they haul the fags up on a rope through a trapdoor in the floorboards. The govt aren’t seeing a penny in tax.