What do YOU think?

[DJFyrewolf36]

I guess this is a dog house topic...
I was wondering what you all think:

Lets take something that people view as "Bad for you" like drugs. What is worse? Making it illigal so people get desperate for it and commit REALLY stupid acts or make it legal so people are doing it but they aren't doing all the rest of the crap cause its easier. I guess what Im getting at is is the act worse than the things that happen *murders, robieries etc.* because the act is made illigal? Just wanting to know.

BTW I am NOT advocating any opinion, Im just using drugs as an example.

Thank you for responding!

[catnapper]

On some things I think it would be best to legalize. Say prostitution. Then the "girls" can get mandatory tests, they can be clean, no pimps to be afraid of. AND the government would be able to tax it and make some serious money. Also, then the manager (is that what you'd call them?) would know which prostitute was which man & where.... there wouldn't be the murder rate of prostitutes we have now. This opinion from the biggest prude on the East Coast! I think that this is one of the seedier things that would beneift from being legalized.

As for other things, such as drugs... I have NO idea what to think. I am vehemently against drugs (well, prostitution too, but... well...) but I live within a few miles of a city and I see the gang wars, the kids running drugs, the drive bys, and the mothers that are so doped up that they can't take care of their kids. Will legalizing the drugs make all of this go away? Will the doped up people suddenly decided to clean up and get jobs? Will they decide to be there for their kids, stay with the mother of their babies? The junkies will still be junkies, and the gangs will still exist because of intolerance between races in my community. Will the people who do ANYTHING to get the drugs stop just because they are legal? The crime rate might go down a bit, but not enough since people who commit the crimes do it because they don't have money... so even if it was legal, they'd still steal to pay for their legal drugs.

By the way DJFyrewolf36 - what IS you opinion here? Buy... I'm almost afraid to hit post.........

[Cataholic]

Hmmmm...well, if you consider that alcohol is legal, and the problems that stem from it are pretty rampant, I don't know that legalizing drugs, or prostitution, would do much but make the government richer. If prostitution were legal, it would still be largely a inferior position that the woman finds herself in (no pun intended, seriously). It wouldn't really make it much better for the women, would it? They would still be prostitutes, just cleaner for the job.

As for drugs..well, again, would it do much to the people that use the drugs? I think it would just keep them down, and the government would profit.

[heinz57_79]

Personally, I think we, as a country, as making the wrong drugs illegal. Drugs like crack, cocaine, heroin and the like should totally be illegal. However, there are more deaths resulting from tobacco and alcohol than from pot or some of the other recreational drugs. The only problem is that by making certain drugs illegal it's like the "wanting what you can't have" syndrome. But in terms of consequences, I've seen more people do more harmful and stupid stuff after having a few drinks than after smoking a joint or 2. And we all know the effect tobacco has on people... cancers just being the tip of the iceberg. With alcohol comes DUIs, accidents, domestic abuse and other problems.

Basically, I think if you're going to make a drug illegal it should be the ones that cause the most harm to you and to others, or just make it all illegal or legalise it all.

[heinz57_79]

I meant to cover prostitution too but forgot... Prostitution is never going to go away. It's been around since Biblical times. I agree that with legalising it and regulating the working girls, it would be better for everyone involved. That way, they could be monitored health-wise, provided with birth control and contraceptives, and generally it would be a much cleaner environment.

In Bangkok, even tho it's not legal, all the prostitutes get tested constantly. That, in itself, is a good thing, however the way they deal with the positive women isn't. Most of the time they get chucked out into the street or sent back to the parents who sold them into it in the first place. They then become prostitutes in the village, and end up spreading disease. If it were regulated better, it's a good idea in theory and one that we should look to snatching up and using to set an example.

[leslie flenner]

could be decriminalized. Prostitution. I have mixed feelings. I work (in human services) with a population that, when desperate, will prostitute themselves. It's a good thing when they get caught because they are forced into treatment. In Nevada, I believe, the law is very different! anyone out there know??
Of course we want all people who engage in risky behaviors to be as safe as possible because they're going to "engage in risky behaviors" anyway. But then the question is- if the govt. intervenes to make sure women and johns are safe (and then one can get into young boys, etc...) then do they not have the obligation to ensure those deemed unsafe are no longer engaging in those risky behaviors? How much govt. intervention do we really want here? This isn't Bankok (thank god, those children are miserable and stuck), so it's not an easy kind of pro or con!

[DJFyrewolf36]

Leslie: Prostitution is legal here (nevada) except in cirtain counties/city limits. The girls are tested and some places make the clients bring in a recient clean bill of health for added insurance.

As for my opinion...

I agree with hienz57 mostly. Alchohol related deaths are at an all time high here. Smoking rates are insane and so (concequently) are the deaths related to smoking. Casinos even GIVE free drinks if you sit and gamble long enough. Pretty soon you find yourself drunk and without a paycheck...pretty sick but it works. I don't know too many potheads that gamble *the light hurts their eyes I think lol* Perhaps if the casinos were passing out pot instead of alchohol people would end up just leaving...I guess casinos would be kind of po-ed about that...
More addictive *and dangerous* things are legal such as pain killers. Although, kids in middle schools are selling THAT now...ugh. Sometimes I wonder what is better...and I find that I have no real clear answer, thats why I posted the thread to begin with. Sigh Im confused....
Dumb messed up world...

[2kitties]

My opinions change on this stuff. I just don't know where you draw the line. I do know that it is time our govt look at ways to garner more tax revenue so we don't have to cut music and art from our schools. If that means taxing protsitution... well, I'm probably all for it.

I also have my moments when i believe it's high time the government stop moralizing and get out of my business. Also, I think it is time people in general start taking responsibility for their own actions. We all know the risks of prostitution and heroine. Am I to believe it's the government's fault that people die from stuff like this? Grownups in this country need to start acting like it. We don't need a law against heroine for people to understand it could kill them or worse. We shouldn't need a law against prostitution for men to know it could ruin their marriage, give them diseases, or for women to know they could get sick or beat up or worse by doing it.

[DJFyrewolf36]

Originally posted by 2kitties
. Am I to believe it's the government's fault that people die from stuff like this? Grownups in this country need to start acting like it. We don't need a law against heroine for people to understand it could kill them or worse. We shouldn't need a law against prostitution for men to know it could ruin their marriage, give them diseases, or for women to know they could get sick or beat up or worse by doing it.

Well said 2kitties, well said...

My generation is especially prone to the whole "Blame someone else, I'm a victim" game and it really makes me upset cause people automatically assume we're ALL that way...ugh. I'm a full time college student with a part time job * I work full time in the summers* Married, in my own apartment paying my own bills. Sheesh. I'm not living in my parents basement or anything but since I'm 22 I automatically end up getting put in this group of "leeches" sigh...sorry I got off on a rant there....but I relate it cause the government and everyone else seems to think that they need to control EVERYTHING because no one is capable of being adult about things. Sigh...I don't think the government can be "adult" about some things either.

[catland]

I think there's something wrong with our "war on drugs" because some people will always seek out ways to change their sensory perceptions. Prohabition didn't work. the War on drugs doesn't either. All its really done is fill up jails depending on what state you live in.

I think that penalties for dealing drugs to children should be extremely harsh and unmerciful.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the alcohol companies have really good lobbyists that advocate for harsh drug penalties because this means that more people will turn to drink and they make more money.


I watch a little too much of the history channel. Some things that I've learned include:

Pot originally became illegal as a racist ploy to discriminate against Hispanics.

When Christopher Columbus went out to find a new shorter route to India for "spices" he was really looking for opium.

Until this past century, there was no such thing as an illegal drug. It is all a contrivance.

[Pam]

This might not really be an answer to your original question, but I just have a thought on some of the anti-drug ads we see on TV, etc. Years ago there was an egg which was put into a pan and cooked. The ad was "this is your brain (the egg) and this is your brain on drugs (cooking)." Couldn't we do better than that? The ones today are no better which basically say "talk to you kids about drugs." Duh! Isn't that a no-brainer? Many years ago I watched a documentary which dealt with heroin addiction and followed an addict through withdrawal. Now that got my attention as I am sure it did for anyone with the stomach to continue watching! They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. How about a video like that being used in an ad so that kids can see a real picture of their future should they start down that path. Just my two cents.

[DJFyrewolf36]

Pam,
I agree!
Watching my brother deal with his drug addiction was enough for me to not even try the stuff. He went through hell *withdrawls, legal problems etc etc* I learned more about the subject from him than I EVER did in those stupid anti-drug programs in school. Just talking isn't enough...sometimes being shown works better. And WHY do they focus on pot in those anti drug comercials anyhow? Why not focus on the REALLY dangerous things like crack and methanpetamens(sp?). Substances that can KILL you very easily. You never see a comercial where a parent says "Hey there Sally, I found crack in your backpack. We need to talk..." Ugh. Its been proven (in places where pot is legal) that pot isn't a derned gateway drug. EVERY person I've talked to who does pot *trust me, I know quite a lot both online and IRL* has told me that they either A: never tried anything else and never will cause that stuff will kill you or B: has tried everything beforehand and said that they were tired of the stuff killing them and tried pot last just to get away from the highly addictive junk. I'm hijacking my own thread...oops....but I just had to get that out. Anyone have any other input?

[leslie flenner]

it's been in the news a lot. Kids (teens and early 20's) are getting addicted and can't afford it ($80.00 a pill I last heard). so they go to heroin- much cheaper! but while heroin won't kill them (it's not a killer drug by itself), the overdosing does. And young people od, they mix with alcohol and ecstasy etc. and get themselves killed without meaning to. I agree, television ads should address the real problems not pot for heaven's sake! If kids just did pot, it would probably be decriminalized by now. (as in some areas where it's accepted use for glaucoma and pain from cancer). but anyway, I liked that ad with the fried egg and have a t-shirt that shows a picture of eggs and says this is your brain on drugs and below is a picture of eggs, toast, and bacon on a plate that says "this is your brain with a two strips of bacon and a piece of toast". Makes me smile everytime I see it! Gotta have a sense of humor sometimes!!

[DJFyrewolf36]

LOL I agree!

*thinks about my brain with bacon and toast mmmmm*

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by leslie flenner
"this is your brain with a two strips of bacon and a piece of toast". Makes me smile everytime I see it! Gotta have a sense of humor sometimes!!

Can I substitute sausage for the bacon and get a glass of OJ??