History of Liberals and Conservatives

[nova]

I'll probably reply more some other time but at the moment I have to get ready for a beach vacation this next week :thumbup

One of the issues with drugs like Meth for example, is how its usage can adversely affect others. Heightened aggression and unpredictably amongst users can possibly harm others. Domestic violence and child neglect/abuse are higher among meth users than other families, as with property and violent crime.

Some users, steal specifically to fuel their habit. Just "letting them be" places a massive burden on Social, Health and Police services. This comes at a cost to the community at large. If I'm scared to go out at night because most a bunch of meth-heads are out, then it limits my own personal liberties, in a sense. Well, that's how I see it anyway

See, my position is you don't really stop any of that by having it illegal. There's quite the possibility that being illegal actually increases associated property crimes because the black market drives the price up.

Make it legal but regulated and even tax it like alcohol and tobacco and use that money plus the money you save in law enforcement to fund treatment programs and the like. Portugal did something really similar and few years ago and all available information shows that it has been quite a success.

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work? - TIME

Here's a very interesting documentary about meth usage in Australia, I recommend you watch it, very interesting - Four Corners Broadband Edition: The Ice Age

Its funny, I'm probably a bit more knowledgeable about meth than most. My wife's sister's husband had a wild youth so to speak and did 40 months in the Federal Pen for manufacturing and distributing. He's done quite a job educating me about it.

Like the fact you can tell which houses have users by the blinds. If the blinds in the windows are messed up, there's a fair chance users live there. Meth makes you paranoid and so they start bending the blinds to look out all the time, damaging them. :eek

 

[alice in chains]

I heard they don't like sunlight much, either.