morality question no. 1157

[Meshugger]

This depends on what drugs you buy. I know a certain someone who likes to smoke some green. He buys it from a guy who sells it to finance his hippie-life (playing with his prog-band in bars for the rest of his life), who in turn buys the seeds from Holland where owning seeds is legal.

 

What terror and destruction did he finance again? Or are we only talking about hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin and meth here?

Edited July 6, 2007 by Meshugger

[Jorian Drake]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6272684.stm

 

I wouldn't encourage anyone to admit to doing class A drugs on an internet forum. However, I would ask the members whether they feel using drugs such as cocaine and heroin make them complicit in the activities of the drugs barons and terrorist groups that grow them.

Fionavar!?

[Walsingham]

That big lizard has claws in a bunch of stuff. He's the John Gotti of the magical beast kingdom. Health potions, potions of speed, xenotoxin, you name it.

 

Meshugger I agree that it depends what you are buying. But isn't marijuana a case in point example of what happens when prohibition declines? Any fool can grow it. So any fool does. I'm not saying it's not got drawbacks, but it's not financing FARC.

 

Off topic, talking about prostitution, in the UK it's legal to offer sex for cash. It's ilegal to ask for sex for cash. Which always struck me as terribly polite.

[Guest Jy Kon Star]

Doing drugs is like drilling a hole through your head, Ya you got something in there but at the sametime you lost something as well...So you can see kids drugs are bad Um-Kay.

[Guard Dog]

I guess we should legalize prostitution too!

I think that both prostitution and Drugs would loose their stygma if we were to just legalize them and make them live up to certain standards (like prostitutes must have a blood test every week type of thing.)

So do it. Write your State rep and suggest a bill to him. You live in California right. Just let him/her know how much money could be made in taxing and licensing. Nevada did it and it works there. That is how we do things in America.

[Gfted1]

Why is it assumed if the government takes over it will drive dealers out? It could be argued that dealers would simply undercut the governement price and most likely provide a better product.

[Tale]

Why is it assumed if the government takes over it will drive dealers out? It could be argued that dealers would simply undercut the governement price and most likely provide a better product.

Because people aren't still going to the Mafia to get their beer and whiskey.

 

The majority of consumers of these type of illicit goods would really prefer to purchase from more reliable and legal sources. Instead of that one twitching kid with a bag at the party.

Edited July 6, 2007 by Tale

[Gfted1]

Why is it assumed if the government takes over it will drive dealers out? It could be argued that dealers would simply undercut the governement price and most likely provide a better product.

Because people aren't still going to the Mafia to get their beer and whiskey.

 

The majority of consumers of these type of illicit goods would really prefer to purchase from more reliable and legal sources. Instead of that one twitching kid with a bag at the party.

 

 

Yeah, but booze is widely accepted and consumed. That causes it to be dirt cheap to produce in massive quantities. Hard drugs on the other hand will always only cater to a relatively small niche of society. So you take the facilities, people to run them and then the always popular "tax the hell out of it" (read: the government) and I can easily see it being more expensive the the twitching kid.

[Tale]

Why is it assumed if the government takes over it will drive dealers out? It could be argued that dealers would simply undercut the governement price and most likely provide a better product.

Because people aren't still going to the Mafia to get their beer and whiskey.

 

The majority of consumers of these type of illicit goods would really prefer to purchase from more reliable and legal sources. Instead of that one twitching kid with a bag at the party.

 

 

Yeah, but booze is widely accepted and consumed. That causes it to be dirt cheap to produce in massive quantities. Hard drugs on the other hand will always only cater to a relatively small niche of society. So you take the facilities, people to run them and then the always popular "tax the hell out of it" (read: the government) and I can easily see it being more expensive the the twitching kid.

 

Oh, it'll certainly be more expensive. But that doesn't mean people will go exclusively to the cheaper option.

Edited July 6, 2007 by Tale

[Hell Kitty]

Ive always found that to be a silly arguement and a poor attempt at trying to force users to shoulder some kind of guilt.

 

This reminds me of an advertising campaign several years ago urging consumers to support Australian businesses and products. Kids and mothers holding babies and whatnot were looking sad behind chain link fences all in bleak black and white, with the message being "if you don't buy Aussie products you'll destroy Aussie businesses and families". **** that, you try to guilt me into buying your product and I'll go for the competition just to spite you.

 

For all I know the money I spend at my local supermarket may eventually find its way into the hands of terrorists.

[Laozi]

Yeah, I could see that. If we did legalize/decriminalize drugs they'd probably have ad campaignes like, Smoke American Tweedz, they get you the krunkist!

[Walsingham]

It absolutely positively should not be taxed. I agree with gfted. It would get hoiked higher and higher and we'd be nearly back where we started. The whole point is to make it as easy as suicide.

[Tale]

It absolutely positively should not be taxed. I agree with gfted. It would get hoiked higher and higher and we'd be nearly back where we started. The whole point is to make it as easy as suicide.

This is why we can't have nice things.

[Calax]

I feel it should be pointed out that we do have completely legal forms of speed and Marijuana (the latter depending on the state).

 

If you didn't know, Ritalin is essentially a prescribed form of speed. And often at high school students will sell their ritalin or ritalin equivalent (concerta, Adderol) for $300. Mainly to get a car.

[Tale]

I feel it should be pointed out that we do have completely legal forms of speed and Marijuana (the latter depending on the state).

 

If you didn't know, Ritalin is essentially a prescribed form of speed. And often at high school students will sell their ritalin or ritalin equivalent (concerta, Adderol) for $300. Mainly to get a car.

Prescription drugs aren't completely legal. They're only legal if prescribed to you. Selling your prescription drugs is not legal. Additionally, drugs like Ritalin and Adderoll (and I presume Concerta, but have no experience), do not behave like speed in those they are intended for. I'm on Adderoll myself.

[Pop]

I think he means No-Doz and all the other trucker-tweaker drugs.

[Tale]

I think he means No-Doz and all the other trucker-tweaker drugs.

Ahh, I had some caffiene pills once.

 

Mixed with Mountain Dew and (pre-sugared, oops) Kool-Aid mix. We call it Go Juice. I think that was the time I was up for 3 days straight. I was popping caffienated chocolates on that third one.

[Calax]

I feel it should be pointed out that we do have completely legal forms of speed and Marijuana (the latter depending on the state).

 

If you didn't know, Ritalin is essentially a prescribed form of speed. And often at high school students will sell their ritalin or ritalin equivalent (concerta, Adderol) for $300. Mainly to get a car.

Prescription drugs aren't completely legal. They're only legal if prescribed to you. Selling your prescription drugs is not legal. Additionally, drugs like Ritalin and Adderoll (and I presume Concerta, but have no experience), do not behave like speed in those they are intended for. I'm on Adderoll myself.

actually they operate on the same basics as speed they are just moderated somewhat for a more theraputical effect rather than a high (you realize that if you don't take your adderoll correctly your basically feeling the effects of dropping off a speed high right?)

 

But my point was mainly to prove that again, alot of drug money goes to somebody other than the drug lords.

[Fenghuang]

Adderall has a higher street value than Ritalin anyway...also it should be noted that Adderall (and possibly Ritalin, never been prescribed it) is only available by triplicate in California, as a precautionary against tweakers getting their hands on it; same control method used with drugs like Oxycontin.

 

Also I should tell the story about how I drank four Red Bulls and four Sobe No Fears in under eight hours. That was one crazy couple of days.

[Nick_i_am]

On one hand, if nobody used cocaine, nobody would be making cocaine, but on the other, if cocaine wasn't illegal then people wouldn't be buying it illegally either.

 

But cocaine destroys lives so it's right to ban it, but so does alcohol, so why isn't it banned?

 

so...many...gray...areas...can't...breath

[Tale]

I feel it should be pointed out that we do have completely legal forms of speed and Marijuana (the latter depending on the state).

 

If you didn't know, Ritalin is essentially a prescribed form of speed. And often at high school students will sell their ritalin or ritalin equivalent (concerta, Adderol) for $300. Mainly to get a car.

Prescription drugs aren't completely legal. They're only legal if prescribed to you. Selling your prescription drugs is not legal. Additionally, drugs like Ritalin and Adderoll (and I presume Concerta, but have no experience), do not behave like speed in those they are intended for. I'm on Adderoll myself.

actually they operate on the same basics as speed they are just moderated somewhat for a more theraputical effect rather than a high (you realize that if you don't take your adderoll correctly your basically feeling the effects of dropping off a speed high right?)

 

But my point was mainly to prove that again, alot of drug money goes to somebody other than the drug lords.

You realize that a Dopamine deficiency can cause particular drugs to have a different effect, right? It is an amphetamine, which is what speed is. But on the genuinely ADHD, it's operating for a different effect.

 

If your point is that illicit drug money goes to people who abuse prescriptions and unethical doctors, then I can see that point.

Edited July 7, 2007 by Tale

[Calax]

If your point is that illicit drug money goes to people who abuse prescriptions and unethical doctors, then I can see that point.

But they aren't columbian drug lords or any drug lord now are they?