Home› Politics & Debate
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options

Mexico to decriminalise pot, cocaine and heroin

2

Comments

  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If alcohol is the "single biggest and most dangerous drug known to man", presumably cos it's so widely consumed, should its use be controlled? If not, why not? Is danger good?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Danger is just a part of life, just like any other.

    Where do you draw the line? Do you ban salt and sugar? Fags? Full cream milk?

    No, of course you don't.

    Drugs are no different.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You ban things that are unacceptable to the society to which the law makers are accountable, and you ban things that are harmful to protect people. Salt, sugar, tobacco and fatty foods have all been targetted in healthy eating campaigns. What does beggar belief is the desire to inflict harmful substances on people.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kentish wrote:
    You ban things that are unacceptable to the society to which the law makers are accountable, and you ban things that are harmful to protect people. Salt, sugar, tobacco and fatty foods have all been targetted in healthy eating campaigns.

    These are to minimse harm to users, giving them the best information to make their own free choices.

    Kentish wrote:
    What does beggar belief is the desire to inflict harmful substances on people.

    Do you think legalising a substance pushes them onto people? I think it would be better to have people educated enough to make informed decisions as to whether and how they use substances than to punish them for those decisions. Banning drugs doesn't really protect people anyway, it pushes drug taking underground and encourages missinformation as well as the human dangers in illegal drug traffiking.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kentish wrote:
    You ban things that are unacceptable to the society to which the law makers are accountable, and you ban things that are harmful to protect people. Salt, sugar, tobacco and fatty foods have all been targetted in healthy eating campaigns. What does beggar belief is the desire to inflict harmful substances on people.

    So some man or woman decides NOT to mind their own business and sticks their nose into someone else`s. Surely "It`s to protect you from harm" is the least credible excuse. How does anyone protect someone else by threatening them(and ultimately killing them,of course,if they keep ignoring the threats) ? :confused::confused:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote:
    These are to minimse harm to users, giving them the best information to make their own free choices.

    Do you think legalising a substance pushes them onto people? I think it would be better to have people educated enough to make informed decisions as to whether and how they use substances than to punish them for those decisions. Banning drugs doesn't really protect people anyway, it pushes drug taking underground and encourages missinformation as well as the human dangers in illegal drug traffiking.

    I agree, just look at the stat for pot smoking, Netherlands is not the first country when it comes to smoking pot...
    Despite the legalization of soft drugs, use of cannabis in the Netherlands is not higher than most other countries in Western Europe: 9.7% of young males consume cannabis at least once a month, which rates the Netherlands 7th in the EU after Cyprus (23.3%), Spain (16.4%), United Kingdom (15.8%), France (13.2%), Italy (10.9%) and Germany (9.9%)
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    I guess the point is recognising that adults in their full mental capabilities have the right to do anything they please with their bodies without anyone punishing them for it.

    One day in the future the entire world will be like this- and they will look back at the 20th and 21st centuries and be amazed at the fact that a person could be penalsied for taking something that might be harmful to them.

    The very notion of it is so ludicrous it beggars belief.


    But isnt that just evolution of society and the changing of peoples opinion?
    One upon a time Crucifixtion was a common way to punish, now it is seen as barbaric. Once upon a time the use of drugs was common place and seen as a gentlemenly thing to do, now it is criminal. It is cyclical, it iwll never be legal then stay legal it will always bounce back and forth.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    I guess the point is recognising that adults in their full mental capabilities have the right to do anything they please with their bodies without anyone punishing them for it.

    One day in the future the entire world will be like this- and they will look back at the 20th and 21st centuries and be amazed at the fact that a person could be penalsied for taking something that might be harmful to them.

    The very notion of it is so ludicrous it beggars belief.

    Why not try applying that viewpoint consistently on all situations ? ;)
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    mexicos move is unfortunatley half baked cos it will help the drug dealers enormously.
    not thoise who are shipping huge ammounts or manufacturing so much but ...the guys who turn over ten grand a week will be helped no end.
    their runners will only be carrying permissable ammounts.
    so ...criminal activity will flourish even more.
    total legalisation and licensing is the way.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    subject13 wrote:
    But isnt that just evolution of society and the changing of peoples opinion?
    One upon a time Crucifixtion was a common way to punish, now it is seen as barbaric. Once upon a time the use of drugs was common place and seen as a gentlemenly thing to do, now it is criminal. It is cyclical, it iwll never be legal then stay legal it will always bounce back and forth.
    As the human race evolves and becomes more advanced, it also (slowly) becomes more civilised.

    That is why punishing individuals for choosing to take any particular substance they fancy will one day in the future seen as stupid and barbaric as laws against homosexuals or so-called heretics were.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    As the human race evolves and becomes more advanced, it also (slowly) becomes more civilised.

    .
    thats very debatable!
    we have become civilsed to the point where our economic system sees two thirds of the world going hungry ...whilst our advanced techno;ogy and science produces enough food to feed eight planet earths.
    the comfort of the few blinds us to the suffering of the many ...
    we can now wipe out entire cities and their people at the push of a button ...
    our technology may seem awsome but the people certainly don't seem more civilsed from where i'm looking at it.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fair point.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Clandestine wrote:
    All the more humorous/pathetic (take your pick) is his regular application of that irrational label despite the fact that he himself is not even American.

    Bizarre logic even by your unusual standards Clan. So one has to be American to recognise blatant anti-American hatred? I’m not American, although I have quite a lot of family in the states and I plan to live there myself, might go to uni there too. Er anyway, you don’t have to be American to recognise its virtues - nor do you have to be a US citizen to support the US. Just because you hate your country Clan it doesn’t detract from others admiration for it.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    But it used to be legal to use drugs and an everyday thing if you could afford it. Then it became criminal. I think it may become legal again...but then criminal again and so on. As i said a cycle of events. Nothing really changes except the people involved and the technology used.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    subject13 wrote:
    But it used to be legal to use drugs .
    and not a criminal in sight.
    apocatharys chemists herbalists ...were licensed (controlled) ...in selling you heroin morphine opium and cocaine.
    we need to back there.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    Fair point.
    this link comes from clans taliban thread ...this suggests to me that men mostly behave civilised when they are well fed and watered ...remove those things and our supposed civility vanishes pretty quickly.
    it's easy to see ourselves as civilised when we have everything.
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2157951,00.html

    we may build great civilisations but i become more and more convinced ...we never truly become civilised.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    morrocan roll wrote:
    and not a criminal in sight.
    apocatharys chemists herbalists ...were licensed (controlled) ...in selling you heroin morphine opium and cocaine.
    Yep. And it's only when the masses developed a taste for it (unlike previously when it was mostly an upper class thing) that suddently the powers that be decided drugs were an evil substance that must be made illegal and demonised.

    Or am I being cynical?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    Yep. And it's only when the masses developed a taste for it (unlike previously when it was mostly an upper class thing) that suddently the powers that be decided drugs were an evil substance that must be made illegal and demonised.

    Or am I being cynical?
    the workers could afford cannabis and laudanum ...or opium tincture ...opium disolved in alcohol.
    i have had the pleasure ...very strong stuff!
    gin was once a medicine ...but the workers discovered it was realy booze ...so eventualy it became booze ...you cynical old sod!
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Wasnt it all the people who wasted away in chinese opium houses that forced the powers that be into action? I forget actually. Though i do find myself thinking government control of drugs would be best option. But then again i think Brothels should be legal too and government controlled with health inspections and blood testing, etc.

    I suppose if i was against legal drugs but for legal brothels i woul dbe nothing but a hypocrit!
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Funnily enough, the British waged war with the Chinese for the right to continue trading opium after the Chinese had banned it.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Blagsta wrote:
    Funnily enough, the British waged war with the Chinese for the right to continue trading opium after the Chinese had banned it.
    there wasn't actualy opium in china until the british bombarded them with it to force them into opening up to trade. the brits owned all the indian opium and shipped it mostly to china.
    you could call it a form of chemical warfare ...and it worked. it's how we ended up with hong komg.
    as for opium dens ...they actualy became the solution to the problem.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Decriminalisation is a very very slight step in the right direction, though to my mind it has almost as many down sides as illegal drugs have. You set up supply networks which are much more set, much more an accepted part of life (see Holland).

    I can also see why the US is concerned about this, a huge amount of cocaine comes the border and Mexico is quickly becoming totally corrupt from top to bottom.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    morrocan roll wrote:
    amazing!
    expect a big trade barrier between usa and mexico to be announced though.

    They can't due to NAFTA (not that I think you are right anyway)
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Toadborg wrote:
    They can't due to NAFTA (not that I think you are right anyway)

    They are talking of making a big wall though.
  • Options
    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    morrocan roll wrote:
    amazing!
    expect a big trade barrier between usa and mexico to be announced though.

    Not with the US Govt's interst in the Coke Trade, you got to be kidding!
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teh_Gerbil wrote:
    Not with the US Govt's interst in the Coke Trade, you got to be kidding!
    yeah well thats the only bit that will be legal.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That bit, Rolly, comprises the vast bulk of the import into the US. Another reason the war on drugs (like the war on terror) has been a fraud since it was first introduced.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Clandestine wrote:
    That bit, Rolly, comprises the vast bulk of the import into the US. Another reason the war on drugs (like the war on terror) has been a fraud since it was first introduced.
    C.I.A COCAIN IMPORT AGENCY ....how many years has that been bandied about?
    however much evidence and confessions etc the public see regards these events ...has no effect on anything whatsoever.
    thats the worrying bit.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    morrocan roll wrote:
    C.I.A COCAIN IMPORT AGENCY ....how many years has that been bandied about?
    however much evidence and confessions etc the public see regards these events ...has no effect on anything whatsoever.
    thats the worrying bit.

    So it is actually true what I heard that the CIA imported cocaine and distribute it as well as crack to make cash to start up?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The CIA have been very definitely implicated in the cocaine trade.
    http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=cia+cocaine+noriega&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
Sign In or Register to comment.