OT: Mexico decriminalizes all drugs for personal use

[Keyser Soze]

now there you have slipped outside the bounds of reason - according to what you said there 99% of people who smoke weed will move onto bigger things, but it just isnt true, even remotely. ALOT of people who smoke weed WILL ALSO take other drugs, but not because they took weed, but because they are already curious and want to.

.

I did not say that 99% of people who smoke weed will move on to bigger things. I won't bother repeating again what I said, read it again if you can be bothered!!

[Machinesworking]

I'm all for drug legalization. We have all sorts of stupid shit legal that's far worse IMO.
I've known plenty of people who died because they were drug addicts, or because they randomly ended up doing too much downers, or got too drunk and drove.
Plenty of my parents friends are dead from cancer and other diseases that you could probably connect with their rampant drug use. It was obvious to me that Bob Marley didn't help his chances of getting cancer smoking the size of splif he did. It's simple, we humans are not supposed to inhale smoke, period.

We need to get over romanticizing drug use, and separate the dissident voices from the stoned voices to some degree. I would love to see drugs legalized and sold like cigarettes, it would kill the cool factor.

[leonard]

that is 1000 times more than cocaine and heroin combined.

I'm sure if heroin was as widely available, advertised and glamourised as alcohol is, then you would have alot more junkies floating around.

[D DAS]

maybe maybe not, it would be safer for the user if they could readily get clean needles and buy clean pure dope instead of dirty shit cut with shoe polish

[forge]

now there you have slipped outside the bounds of reason - according to what you said there 99% of people who smoke weed will move onto bigger things, but it just isnt true, even remotely. ALOT of people who smoke weed WILL ALSO take other drugs, but not because they took weed, but because they are already curious and want to.

.

I did not say that 99% of people who smoke weed will move on to bigger things. I won't bother repeating again what I said, read it again if you can be bothered!!

well, whatever, but the mere mention in that context of suggesting weed should be illegal because it leads onto other things - it's a stupid argument and the connection shouldnt even be made because it's a different issue - you want to look at the issues in a person's life that made them decide to try Smack enough times to get hooked, nopt whther or not they smoked weed first because it has fuck all to do with it.

It's like saying psychos who shoot 50 strangers liked fireworks before they liked guns so we'll ban fireworks as well. Unrelated issues.

[forge]

that is 1000 times more than cocaine and heroin combined.

I'm sure if heroin was as widely available, advertised and glamourised as alcohol is, then you would have alot more junkies floating around.

yeah but whoever in any REAL world ever suggested that??

the point of legalising drugs is that, at the moment there is a very powerful criminal element because they have access to a huge source of untaxed revenue - that's 1 point, point 2 is that people who are often perfectly normal reasonable, otherwise law abiding people becoming criminals over what is essentially a lifestyle choice.

I've actually met smack addicts who hold down a job and lead a normal life - and rather than necessarily creating more addicts there would probably be more people who might otherwise rob or beg who could actually find ways of getting on with their lives too.

look at how unpopular smoking is getting now - due to public awareness and advertising on the dangers

are you seriously telling me that normal people who enjoy their lives and dont have a need to escape it are going to suddenly become addicts because it's become legal in a low key way with the same public awareness smoking has?

Legalising would only be a good thing, it would take alot of power from organised crime and it would enable society to tackle it's problems out in the open without making people criminals who only harm themselves.

[leonard]

are you seriously telling me that normal people who enjoy their lives and dont have a need to escape it are going to suddenly become addicts because it's become legal in a low key way with the same public awareness smoking has?

Legalising would only be a good thing, it would take alot of power from organised crime and it would enable society to tackle it's problems out in the open without making people criminals who only harm themselves.

I'm sure that the increased availablity, and less stigma (to do with it being legal, socially and culturally acceptable) would lead to more people giving it a shot. My point was, that the reason that alcohol related deaths are much higher, is because it is socially and culturally acceptable, even glamourised (heck, we've got sporting heroes promoting alcohol consumption on TV. Large breasted women enticing "the boys" down to the local for a "night on it"), therefore is more widely integrated into our lives, therefore the higher consumption per capita, higher related death rate/health problem rate, etc.. Heroin and cocain would have just as high, if not higher related deaths, health related issues, and an increased impact on society if they were treated the same way.
It's true that the increased avalablility would reduce crime (and I'm all for decriminilazation for users, treatment programs etc). Maximum penalty for dealers, treatment programs for end users. I'm stopping now, as I can feel myself digging a hole here.

[Keyser Soze]

well, whatever, but the mere mention in that context of suggesting weed should be illegal because it leads onto other things - it's a stupid argument and the connection shouldnt even be made because it's a different issue - you want to look at the issues in a person's life that made them decide to try Smack enough times to get hooked, nopt whther or not they smoked weed first because it has fuck all to do with it.

It's like saying psychos who shoot 50 strangers liked fireworks before they liked guns so we'll ban fireworks as well. Unrelated issues.

I also didn't say that weed should be made illegal. I actually said:

Just because drugs are decriminalised is no cause for celebration. At the risk of getting a lot of flack and sounding like a prude, I am against the idea of a lax attitude towards drugs.

Why is it that no one properly reads?

I totally disagree with your point that it is issues in a person's life that makes them decide to try smack in the first place. We all have "issues" in our lives that manifest in some form or another. There are very few of us who are the perfectly well rounded, sane individuals. Some people get addicted to chocolate, shopping, writing on internet forums, masterbating, etc.......
In many cases it is the cool factor and the I want a bigger thrill factor that make people want to use drugs and not some "issues" with their lives they may be having. The first time anyone tries a cigarette isn't because they feel their body needs it or because of issues, it is the "cool factor". I want to impress and stand out from my friends or belong to a particular social group. I have never heard of one case when someone who tried a cigarette for the first time even likes it, but they keep doing it for the reson I just mentioned. Then because of subconscious programming that goes on within the brain and the addictive substances in cigarettes, BANG!!! They are hooked. In the majority of cases that is how people get hooked on drugs too. the very same principal.
Yes, fireworks should be banned too!!! They stink, scare animals and are poo poo.

[rtopia]

4 pages of posts and no one has asked the fundamental question....

"how does one produce ONLY 5 grams of any of these substances"?

The article said nothing about decriminalizing production - so - in order to avoid breaking the law you gotta buy it from someone else.

This means you could still be committing a crime if caught in the process of buying it.

Now that the cops are focused on production and distribution - the end price may go up.

This looks more like an opportunity for the Mexican government/military to extort more money from the producers than real decriminalization.

-r

[b0unce]

it means you can grow your own personal supplies, so long as the weight you're busted with equates to around 5 grams a day. you wont get jail time so long as you dont try and produce more then you can take - common sense and pretty reasonable, and as a result cops wont be persueing small time growers, they will probably be going after industrial growers - which i dont necessarily object to. in ireland, its reprobate criminals running most of the drugs - the drugs are shit and they are getting rich & armed - i'd rather we had a situation where these violent types dont get rich & decent people didnt get records for doing with their body what they wish & sick addicts get treated not locked up with rapists and murderers etc. of course other then the banditos there are personal growers who may pass a little on to their own circle of friends. I became a 'concientious objector' a long time ago with respect to every mind altering substance sold illegally in ireland. its 99.99% garbage+random-cheap+dirty-amphetamine-&/or-cheap+dirty-ketamine/heroin - seriously I'm not even exagerating.

so how to create this situation, well basically follow portugal's footsteps. dont waste police resources on busting small-time growers, for every gram of weed grown in an individuals grow-space in ireland thats 10 euros less some murdering scumbag earns. and probably a few million less braincells culled. kill the body and the head will die. if one follow's logic, well then this seems like perfect sense, right ? if you criminalise something you create a black-market automatically - whatever the merits of the object/activity, good or bad - it doesnt matter. low-life scum will always coagulate in the black market. so for the safety of the tax-paying citizens it only makes perfect sense to decriminalise weed/hemp especially.

of course tho, behind the scenes - it only takes one bad egg to change the whole situation from a logical one to a mad one. one bad egg who stands to make money some-how. how likely is that ? very likely in ireland.

[tonetripper]

Woo Hoo!! Finally a country who's politics make sense. If only Canada would follow suit, then America, after eradicating the Bush style politics and right wing concepts, would have to do the same as the rest of North America.

..... yah right!

[tonetripper]

.... moderator please delete this double post.... if you have time

[forge]

Read Ben Elton's "high society", he puts forward some really good arguments for legalistation

[b0unce]

to all the hootin' & a hollerin' slack-jaws, it takes more then a tolerant stance on growing/smokin weed to make a country a good place to live - not even mentioning the cultural divide between white americans and south americans. The experience of moving to and living in Mexico is not going to change for the better or worse as a result.

computo, you said the mexicans would welcome the money and as such would welcome fat americans with open arms, lol...I dont disagree with you about the money, but wanting money from someone and disliking someone are not mutually exclusive. However disliking someone and giving someone a good deal/not stabbing them and taking their passport are.

This new legislation means mexican people can grow small-time easier, it doesnt automaticaly change the moral fibre of the corrupt cops & the ruthless criminals. It could quite easily put the squeeze on the more morally challenged citizens of mexico, and you as a tourist do not want them to be squeezed.


just my two cents, and slightly off tangent.. I know this decriminalisation is a good thing, I only refer to all the 'woohooo yeee haw mexico is neverland all of a sudden' stuff.

[computo]

Ok Keyser, I didnt write you off until you said chronic masturbaters do it for the cool factor.

Get out of here you moron.