A.I.B.U not being on cocaine or smoking weed?

[Drinkwinewithme]

Because everyone and his neighbour seem to be and no one says a word any more. I do not know many who do not take cocaine or weed. It,s all over my workplace- i know those who take it and don't we know when the weekends over, in awful moods.

The smell of weed is everywhere now. By shops , by schools, i can smell on peoples clothes and wonder really if i called the police would they laugh down the phone and suggest they thought it too be legal since lockdown, stop wasting police time?

Well I'm not either

I think it should all be decriminalised, wouldn't report it and hate it.

You remove a lot of the social issues if you just legalise. It does stink though.

I don't know anybody who uses it. Most of my colleagues don't even drink. But we're in rural East Anglia and work with vulnerable people whose lives have sometimes been ruined by addiction.

I am increasingly surprised when visiting cities because you can smell weed everywhere. And it's quite openly used in bigger towns and cities.

Cocaine is highly addictive and easy to overdose on. Cannabis is legal in many places and much safer. The two are really apples and oranges.

I don’t touch any of the stuff. Probably due to lack of opportunity though!
But I am really rather against it as it can really fuck up peoples lives.

It's not everyone OP come on!

Is your work v young? Or an industry which is known for it?

All my workplaces those who do drugs have not been open about it. The ones who do kind of tend to find each other and know each other etc and do on nights out but it's never been blatant.

Smelling weed out and round town has been slowly increasing for 20 years or more I'd say!

Where do you live?

And no the police won't do anything for personal use and haven't done for decades at least round here. What would be the benefit of arresting charging etc?

I smoke weed very occasionally. It should be legalised in my opinion. Never touched cocaine. None of my friends use drugs.

I'm with Terry.

Legalise. Tax. 'war on drugs' has been an utter disaster. Here. And globally just terrible.

The drug which causes most harm. Early death, impact on others, crime, NHS costs, violence etc is alcohol.

Some drugs that are illegal cause very little harm.

The whole thing is a mess. Legalise. Treat addiction as medical issue as it should be. Gangs etc gone. Tax for govt. Decent quality. Etc etc.

Prof nutt awesome. Sadly it's all about politics not about what's sensible.

@MissConductUS

Cocaine is highly addictive and easy to overdose on. Cannabis is legal in many places and much safer. The two are really apples and oranges.

No it isn't.

In order I'd guess alcohol then opioids, although they may have taken over in many places. Cocaine's not physically addictive like alcohol and causes fewer overdoes, unlike alcohol. And detoxing from alcohol can kill you, not cocaine.

I don't like cocaine use but you can't argue it's had worse social effects than alcohol.

We were in London last weekend and although we had a fab time we were gobsmacked at the overpowering smell of weed on virtually every street we walked on! It’s as if the whole city stank of it! Oh and the professional couple we stayed with were talking about how unusual they were amongst their friends because they don’t do cocaine. And we are all in our 50s!
Weird.

And no, the police would not care about someone smoking weed in the street. They save their resources for dealers who are growing large amounts with a high street value.

I don't do any illegal drugs or even drink alcohol.
I'm surprised by how many people do drugs and have children as their norm, and you would never guess it. It used to be a thing for rebellious young people or people on the fringes of society, but I agree, it's everywhere now.

I don't really know what you're talking about. I know people that smoked weed in their teens and a few that took coke when they were younger adults, or who occasionally do now. But I the vast majority of people I know don't do either. And I only occasionally smell weed.

Where do you live OP ?!

Anybody who thinks cocaine is not addictive, or that drugs should be legalised, wants to spend a couple of days in the magistrates’ courts to see the absolute drug addled messes that come through the door. I’d say 90% of defendants, aside from minor driving cases, are using some kind of drug, mostly weed and coke (you don’t get a lot of heroin these days) and are also misusing prescription drugs.

I also thought weed was all fun and games before I started working in courts most days.

Don't do drugs but l am aware of people that use 'charlie' on the weekends. I felt pretty shocked by it.

Of course yanbu!

It is really common though, you're right. I did smoke a bit of weed at uni tbf, but it just made me edgy and then sleepy. Coke makes people act like twats and it's so bad for your heart and MH. I come from very non judgemental medical family and they all said stay away from coke. If any young person comes in with a heart attack the first thing they think is "coke".

Anybody who thinks cocaine is not addictive, or that drugs should be legalised, wants to spend a couple of days in the magistrates’ courts to see the absolute drug addled messes that come through the door.

I think my decades of work with people in addictions trumps a couple of days in court.

Cocaine isn't physically addictive. It is psychologically addictive as are many behaviours and substances.

And they should be legalised not because they are 'fun and games' but because it's been proven to reduce all sorts of measures. Crime, first use, deaths, social issues and in and on.

I think cocaine is bad and people shouldn't do it AND it should be legalised.

i find it weird that it's normal now and that i am the odd one out. i know of a man in his 60s taking cocaine. i do not want to smell weed out and about. How is it okay with everyone else?

I know a few people who do drugs but I wouldn't say I see and smell ut everywhere I go. Maybe I need to get out more!

I've heard people say this but I've always been completely oblivious to it.

I live in an area where apparently a lot of people do take cocaine but I wouldn't have a clue. There must be some at the school gates but no idea who they are.

I don't even know what cannabis smells like even though my colleagues all used to remark on how bad it was in the street behind our office. Apparently there were even dealers out there and I walked down there every day to get lunch and I never noticed

So you could be right OP but I wouldn't have a clue

@Drinkwinewithme

i find it weird that it's normal now and that i am the odd one out. i know of a man in his 60s taking cocaine. i do not want to smell weed out and about. How is it okay with everyone else?

One of my relatives had a patient who developed a heroin habit in their 70s. Started as self medication for an old injury and went from there. Bonkers

The relative is a psychiatrist BTW. So there you are.

@JaniceBattersby

Anybody who thinks cocaine is not addictive, or that drugs should be legalised, wants to spend a couple of days in the magistrates’ courts to see the absolute drug addled messes that come through the door. I’d say 90% of defendants, aside from minor driving cases, are using some kind of drug, mostly weed and coke (you don’t get a lot of heroin these days) and are also misusing prescription drugs.

I also thought weed was all fun and games before I started working in courts most days.

Is the current approach of criminalizing these substances working? Are you seeing less drug addled individuals now vs 20 years ago? Is the war on drugs reducing the availability of elicit substances? Do the drug classes acutely represent the risk of these drugs both to the individual and society as a whole ( NHS, crime, long term carers ect)? No is the answer to all of these questions. I also have never taken anything stronger then weed or alcohol because I am aware of the risk. However many up thread have made good points and decrimanlising these substances and treating addiction as a disease rather then crime has been shown to reduce the dangerous effects of these drugs both to the individual and society as a whole. Another vote here to watch some of David nutts talks

Is it really so bad to develop a heroin habit in later life

@Dojacatpaws

Is it really so bad to develop a heroin habit in later life

It was for this person, yes, as they ended up in a psychiatric ward!