Why stop at just drugs? I can't think of anything that's been banned or outlawed that has prevented a person from doing something.
I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about laws and bans. I asked if robbing a bank weren't legal would he do it.
He said he would and when i asked why he said because he wouldn't go to jail.
I asked him how he felt about getting shot, and he claimed it was usually only one guard so he wouldn't get shot. I replied with if it isn't against the law what makes you think they would still only have 1 guard? I know if i owned a bank I would have a small military force or something, you'd be dead the second you tried anything. Metal detectors all sorts of extra stuff.
Right now most people know its insured and the cops will chase you so there isn't much incentive. If the cops didn't care I would say the risk is worse than jail.
Yes. Well done you completely missed the point.
Definitely. It's about harm reduction, not about creating a perfect world. The war on drugs doesn't work, we need another solution.
I also think people should have the right to decide what to do with their own life, as long as it doesn't put others in danger. You should be allowed to use drugs (other than alcohol) if you want to, just as you should be allowed to do extreme sport, or other potentially dangerous activities even though there are a certain amount of risk involved.
Exactly. Looks like you read the article. Thanks for your well reasoned comment.
I wasnt suggesting that the war on drugs was working. As far as harm reduction junkies have caused a fair amount of harm to the people around them. Thats for all of them to deal with. I got to watch my sisters 2, 3 , 9 year old kids go through having a junkie for a mother for as long as i could stand it. Im not mad I wish my sister well and hope she can get whatever help she needs someday. Fact is she continues to choose that life after several treatments. No one can stop it except her.
@zerowole I can sympathise about your attitude towards drug use however your sister's case has no bearing on whether drugs should be legalised or not. It sucks that people make bad choices but as your sister has shown people will make them anyway. A lot of people suffer because their parents are alcoholics but that does not mean we should ban alcohol.
Not everyone who takes drugs is an addict, same way that not everyone who takes alcohol is an alcoholic. The banning of alcohol and then it's subsequent legalisation has shown that prohibition does more harm than good. It also wastes vast amounts of money criminalising people instead of giving them treatment.
Maybe your sister has refused treatment in the past or maybe she has failed because she is unable to cope with life without drugs.
I don't know her specific case but I come across a lot of people who found it almost impossible to give up in the throes of addiction.
It is an illness and should be seen as such. An addict is unable to make rational decisions. That is not and never should be a basis to make decisions about the rest of the population.
That would be like banning peanut butter because some people have peanut allergy.
I also don't think you should ever give up on your sister but that is for you to decide.
I have known many people who were unable to change after being given multiple chances and seemed like they were completely lost.
Then for whatever reason, something changed, they realised what they were doing and had some kind of epiphany which enabled them to accept help.
It was never a completely smooth road but many of those people have succeeded in fighting their addictions and starting the path to recovery and remission.
It is rarely (if ever) too late to change.