to think that most on here have tried class B or A drugs at some point in their lives?

[apologies]

I'm increasingly struggling with the wisdom of prohibiting drugs and this is increased by a suspicion that far more people have taken or take drugs than are ever willing to admit it. I am thus curious as to MNetters experiences.

Shagmund I really don't get it - how can an LSD experience be important to you? Because it's not really an experience at all is it? It's just your synapses firing when they shouldn't be? Isn't it kind of fake as the stuff you saw/heard etc was never there at all? I find it weird that experiencing something that didn't exist is important. I'm curious - please explain

sunshine - about 50% of acquisitive crime (burglaries/thefts/robberies) in this country is directly connected with securing a supply of illegal drugs. The connection between Class As and prostitution is well recorded.

A massive proportion of violent crime (2-3rds of murders) is to do with being drunk, yet alcohol is quite legal.

I have and still do occasionally (no kids).

Cannabis, pills/mdma, coke, speed, ketamine a few times.

Ketamine for me was horrible.

Immediately passed out on the floor and vomited, remember nothing until the next morning. That for me was scary so I wouldn't take it again.

Never had a particularly bad experience with any of the others, though. Most vomiting/crying/loss of memory is related to alcohol rather than anything illegal.

I've only ever used recreationally, though, and not particularly regularly. Average over the last ten years of once every couple of months I suppose. Drink only at weekends, hold down a professional job.

Not really sure about legalisation. I do find it terribly hypocritical when people take a blanket view of drugs=bad booze=ok. Quite often they are people who have no first hand experience and, as someone mentioned previously, lump things like pills and heroin together.

I've never even smoked a normal cigarette or drunk alcohol. Paracetamol and a wee bit of morphine post-cs and that's it.

LittleTyga we were told that weren't we - that we would all end up with mental health issues in the future as so little was known about E's back then.

We used to go raving on a Thurs, Fri and Sat in London (from 16 - 20) and have taken up to 6 E's a night with speed, have also done acid and alot of cocaine and i used to smoke alot. All the while holding down a good job, which i admit most of my friends didn't!

Although it is not something i am ashamed of now only with hindsight do i realise how lucky i am to be here and be healthy.

I haven't had any drugs or even a cigarette since i found out i was pregnant with my first dc in 2002.

Pills, coke and speed. I have smoked weed but not a fan. I used to smoke and I drink fairly heavily.

DH had a coke addiction just after university and took copious amounts of pills in the early nineties.

I had diamorphine in labour with dd... Street name heroine. They gave me a full dose which was horrible. I don't like not being in control. With Ds they gave it in small doses which calmed me and I was sleepy. Never smoked and only had diazepam on prescription. Have the odd drink.

My friend went to a secondary school thing that talked bout keeping teenagers off drugs. She said they were asked to guess the statistics about how many 11-15 year olds had tried all the various drugs, and they all predicted percentages that were much higer than the reality. I can't remember any of the figures she told me, but it was encouraging to know that statistically the problem isn't as bad as the majority of people thought it would be.

Legalize it and tax it.

cocaine and ritalin. The coke just recreational and not a problem, the ritalin more of a coping device and not okay.

I don't think you should legalise it though. Most of the time drugs are fine but all it takes is one bad trip or a dodgy pill/line and you can end up emotionally, physically or mentally damaged for life (or dead I guess!)

I smoked pot as a teen and tried speed once. Dh has never touched anything as he has an adictive nature so feels its best to keep away from it. TBH i would rather smoke pot than drink aclchol, i never got a hang over with pot .

I think that a lot of people fall into the trap i.e. most of my friends do drugs so it must be fairly common for the population at large. No, it isn't.

Smoked lots of dope at Oxford and periodically thereafter. Dabbled in a couple of other things at various points.

Never even had a cigarette, and very rarely drink.

Never ever tried it although offered once or twice. I had a school friend who got into it and a lovely girl who was a very successsful model ended up in the tabloids for shoplifting because it got out of hand. A former boyfriend had a friend who was destined for a fantastic design career who had got hooked at 6th form, his problem got worse and worse and after three children his lawyer wife could stand it no more - he was unable to keep himself clean, unable to keep his job and died homeless at 43.

DH has never tried it and I imagine 99% of our friends haven't either.

We live in London and drugs are the mainstay of the gang culture and related gun and knife crime. Drug dealers are something many young people on estates aspire to becoming becasue on their limited horizons they see it as glamour. The tragedy I suspect is that even the users are being duped by powerful organised crime.

Personally, I don't think the answer is legalisation but far far more severe penalties for those who bring it in and sell it. That, I don't think would stop true addicts from becoming addicted or from destroying their own lives and the lives of others but it might reduce the overall crime rates.

It would be interesting to look at crime rates in relation (thieving, violence, prostitution) to drugs compared to alcohol and nicotine.

No, never. Neither has DH.

And even in wild youth, only a tiny number of our friends did. And amonsgst the teens in our families, we know of none (and have quite good evidence - from sports training regimes that there can be none or at worst very little).

I think the "but we all do it" line simply isn't true, and I worry that it actually has the effect of normalising hazardous behaviour.

how do you smoke tramadol? i have a massive boxful i can't take as i'm a bit allergic to it. which is a shame as it stops to back from hurting. i wonder, if i smoked it would it have the same side effects?

Nope, never have and never will...when I was a teenager I was living in a country where they lock you up and throw away the key if they find anything on you, which was quite a good deterrent!

Not sure how I will pass this healthy fear (if you can call it that) onto DCs though

I was a big clubber in my student days, so yes, I have dabbled a fair bit. Haven't for years though, I find it just doesn't sit well with work and children! I'm surprised how many people here have said no, at the time it seemed everyone did.

I used to be very liberal about legalising drugs, and probably still am, but i feel more informed about the dangers of even cannabis now, because I've watched my close mate become a different person due to her heavy use. She holds down a good job but god knows how since she can hardly finish a sentence. I miss who she used to be.

No have never tried anything! Walked behind a group of people once while out shopping though and got a pounding headache - then realised they were smoking dope!

No never, neither has my DH, neither has my 22 year old DD - drugs are pathetic. I don't actually know anyone who has openly said they've used drugs.

When DD lived in halls during her first year at Uni, she and her roommates got a girl kicked out for bringing cocaine back to the flat with her deadbeat druggie boyfriend, she ended up pregnant and left her degree, what a waste of a young life.

weed, coke, crack, lsd, mushrooms, mdma, ecstacy, speed, bass and did I mention weed????

So yes I have tried, and loved, drugs. But not now I have dcs.

Oh and some legal ones in labour and after c section.