I think we need a grown up discussion on drugs. It always seems to end up in a war between the pro legalisation lobby and the vehemently anti lobby.
I fall somewhere in the middle. As part of my job I deal with the dark side of drugs. I meet countless addicts who think nothing of burgling an old lady and pushing her over in order to fund their next hit. I come across children who have to be taken into care because the parents are in no fit state to be caring for them. I come across young men who have been beaten or even stabbed because of a war over territory or even just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Women - and children (the link between drugs and child sexual exploitation in street gangs is rife) - who have been abused. And this happens every day in just one city. It is a BIG problem. It is, however, with the exception of burglaries, quite well contained within those communities so many people can live on top of it and not quite see it.
I also come across people who have no dealings with criminality whatsoever other than trying to buy some pills or cocaine on a night out. People who hold down decent jobs, contribute to charity, have functioning families, etc. Now while I may think they're stupid to jeopardise all that and run the risk of a criminal record just for the sake of a quick high, to me it seems ludicrous that we are putting them in the same categories as those I mention in my first paragraph. This is something that is now being recognised and the criminal justice system is changing as a result - offering awareness courses rather than criminalisation and penalties for first-time offenders.
The one thing both groups share in common is that they encourage the growth of organised crime by buying the drugs. Someone mentioned up thread about crime labs in Europe. The products made in these places still has to get to the dealer, whether that be the respectable looking dealer who talks properly in a night club, or the gang member on the corner of the street. In fact, someone higher up in that same gang has probably sold it to down the chain to that 'respectable' dealer.
Fact is that until drugs are legalised they remain illegal. And while they're illegal, anyone taking them is contributing to that seedy underbelly whether they like it or not. I have more time for recreational drug users who put their money where their mouth is and actually campaign for legalisation which could remove some of these issues. There are some sensible debates to be had. Those who don't do that, however, just strike me as the sort who think that the rules apply to everyone bar them.
The other point, more pertinent to this thread, is that while drugs remain illegal, anyone taking them runs the risk of a criminal record or damage to their reputation in certain circles. This explains why some people are cagey about discussing it years later. The point of a conviction may have passed, but in some careers the suggestion would be enough to tarnish a reputation.