Legalise all drugs, say Lib Dems

[Nonphixion]

Senior Liberal Democrats have urged the party's leadership to consider backing the legalisation of all drugs.

Chris Davies MEP said the "war on drugs" had been lost and the only way to undermine the criminals controlling the trade was legalisation.

Speaking at a fringe meeting at the party's Brighton conference, he urged Lib Dems to lobby home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg to change policy.

He was backed by education spokesman Baroness Walmsley.

She told the meeting it was time to "think the unthinkable" on the drugs issue and consider legalisation.

"I think the issue is a no-brainer. We have got to go along this direction," she said.

Drug capital
It would contribute to harm reduction, tackle gun culture, save police time and reduce the amount of drug-related crime including theft.

"We are not talking about selling penny packets in a sweet shop. We are talking about sensible controls," she told the meeting.

She urged party members to "perhaps write to Nick Clegg and say we want more discussion in the party".

She denied the stance was seeking to turn Britain into the drug capital of the world.

"The last thing we would want is for any child to take drugs," she said.

"But also people should have the freedom to put into their bodies what they want without any more harm than they would want."

'Ammunition'
Mr Davies, who is an outspoken campaigner for the decriminalisation of drugs, said he wanted the Lib Dem policy on drugs to be "looked at again".

"I hope Nick Clegg will explore this issue again. I know from brief talks with him he is mindful to do so but I know he is mindful of giving ammunition to his opposition," he told the meeting.

The North West MEP likened the "war on drugs" to the Emperor's new clothes. "We keep saying 'war on drugs' year in year out but it achieves nothing.

"It's time to stop pointing and laughing at this piece of nonsense."

Mr Davies said he had never taken an illegal drug but had once been arrested for possession of a tiny quantity of cannabis he was using to illustrate a point at a public meeting.

'Licensed outlet'
He said state licensed drug dealers could undercut illegal dealers on price and put them out of business.

He also called for a debate about how drugs would be sold once they had been legalised, "if you are going to sell it through a licensed outlet, a chemist's shop or something like a sex shop".

He argued that legalisation could not just occur within the UK but had to happen around the world.

He urged party members to lobby the United Nations, which meets in Vienna in March to reconsider the 1961 convention on illegal drugs, which guides policy around the world.

'Fighting hard'
Inspector Jim Duffy, chairman of the Strathclyde Police Federation, backed Mr Davies' call for legalisation.

Stressing that he was speaking in a personal capacity and not on behalf of Strathclyde Police, the inspector said: "We are not winning the war against illegal drugs.

"We are fighting hard, becoming smarter and sharper; as are those we are fighting against. If the current rules of engagement do not change then we are destined to continue to fail."

He said drug addicts should be given access to substances that "do exactly what they say on the tin".

"Lives could be saved if addicts purchasing regulated drugs could be sure of their strength and purity," he added.

Source: BBC NEWS | Politics | Legalise all drugs, say Lib Dems

[Kytro]

Not an entirely bad idea. Abuse of drugs cannot be legislated out existence

[Stylerod]

So people in England want to make all drugs legal AND pointy kitchen knives illegal. Yeah, ok.

Something tells me more peoples lives have been destroyed by drugs than pointy kitchen knives.

[tbone]

LOL, I read the headline and thought WTF the dems are going to shoot themselves in the foot again...then read the article and realized it was the U.K., not the U.S.

[lew]

I was hoping it was the Democrats here. We need to legalize drugs.

[WickedLou9]

Letting people do what they want with themselves so long as it effects no one else FTW.

If we were to implement this in our country.. crime would probably go down by 75%. Tax revenue would also go up. Spending on Police and on Prisons would go down.

but Drugs R bad MMkay?

Alcohol and ciggarettes kill more people evry year than just about anything else.. They are still legal.

[beez]

I wish they would legalize and tax all illegal drugs here .

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by beez

I wish they would legalize and tax all illegal drugs here .

Taxing is ok as long as it isn't prohobitive If it is, you're not fixing any problems.

[beez]

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

Taxing is ok as long as it isn't prohobitive If it is, you're not fixing any problems.

Tax it like alcohol or cigarettes (outside of NYC/CA where it is a prohibitive tax) and put that money into catching serious criminals. ftw!

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Letting people do what they want with themselves so long as it effects no one else FTW.

If we were to implement this in our country.. crime would probably go down by 75%. Tax revenue would also go up. Spending on Police and on Prisons would go down.

but Drugs R bad MMkay?

Alcohol and ciggarettes kill more people evry year than just about anything else.. They are still legal.

Watch a few episodes of Intervention and see what drugs to do peoples lives. Not just their own, but their friends, parents, siblings and kids.

And why would crime go down? Because if it was legal addicts wouldn't still steal and rob to pay for their next hit? C'mon.

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Watch a few episodes of Intervention and see what drugs to do peoples lives. Not just their own, but their friends, parents, siblings and kids.

And why would crime go down? Because if it was legal addicts wouldn't still steal and rob to pay for their next hit? C'mon.

If someone wants drugs all they have to do is get them.
Legalizing drugs won't make more people with those kinds of problems.
Those people already get them illegally or have other, legal, vices they can ruin themselves on.

[lew]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Watch a few episodes of Intervention and see what drugs to do peoples lives. Not just their own, but their friends, parents, siblings and kids.

And why would crime go down? Because if it was legal addicts wouldn't still steal and rob to pay for their next hit? C'mon.

Have you studied Prohibition at all? Or even why drugs laws were created in the first place?

Alcohol and cigs are not related to crime. But during Prohibition, they were. All the booze runners were also involved in murder, prostitution, and other illegal crimes. Once alcohol was made legal again, those ties were severed.


And drugs were legal for centuries before becoming illegal due to racist propaganda. There is NO LINK between drugs and violent crime. There is only a link between illegal activities and other illegal activities.

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by lew

Have you studied Prohibition at all? Or even why drugs laws were created in the first place?

Alcohol and cigs are not related to crime. But during Prohibition, they were. All the booze runners were also involved in murder, prostitution, and other illegal crimes. Once alcohol was made legal again, those ties were severed.


And drugs were legal for centuries before becoming illegal due to racist propaganda. There is NO LINK between drugs and violent crime. There is only a link between illegal activities and other illegal activities.

[garbagemanlb]

A blanket legalization of all drugs is a horrendous idea. I believe marijuana should be legalized, but not much else. The deciding factor should be the addictive qualities of the drug and their strength. I personally don't want to see meth/heroin/crack cocaine legalized and ignored by the police. Physical dependence almost always leads to a downward spiral resulting in criminal activity.

Weed is arguably less dangerous than alcohol, and the only reason that I can think of why it has not yet been legalized is that it would be difficult to regulate as compared to alcohol.

[lew]

Originally Posted by garbagemanlb

A blanket legalization of all drugs is a horrendous idea. I believe marijuana should be legalized, but not much else. The deciding factor should be the addictive qualities of the drug and their strength. I personally don't want to see meth/heroin/crack cocaine legalized and ignored by the police. Physical dependence almost always leads to a downward spiral resulting in criminal activity.

Weed is arguably less dangerous than alcohol, and the only reason that I can think of why it has not yet been legalized is that it would be difficult to regulate as compared to alcohol.

That is simply not true.

Again, we had no drug laws for centuries before creating them because of racist reasons. People with drug problems should be helped, not thrown in prison.

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by lew

That is simply not true.

Again, we had no drug laws for centuries before creating them because of racist reasons. People with drug problems should be helped, not thrown in prison.

That's the other thing.

Empty the prisons of the people who were only charged with drug possesion/sales charges.

[lew]

Originally Posted by Scrumtralecent

That's the other thing.

Empty the prisons of the people who were only charged with drug possesion/sales charges.

Why should we be jailing people for engaging into a capitalist process and selling goods. It's quite retarded.

[garbagemanlb]

Originally Posted by lew

That is simply not true.

Again, we had no drug laws for centuries before creating them because of racist reasons. People with drug problems should be helped, not thrown in prison.

Then make treatment mandatory instead of jail time. That's fine with me, and I actually agree with that method. The point is that it is not something the law should just ignore.

[lew]

Originally Posted by garbagemanlb

Then make treatment mandatory instead of jail time. That's fine with me, and I actually agree with that method. The point is that it is not something the law should just ignore.

Mandatory treatment is equally retarded. People won't receive help unless they want help. Forcing someone to get "treatment" just wastes time and money.

[IminWonderland]

Originally Posted by lew

I was hoping it was the Democrats here. We need to legalize drugs.

So was I....what a let down...LOL