MattW

You've heard it before but the mad mullah is back.

BBC NEWS | Wales | Brunstrom's campaign over drugs

North Wales Police chief constable Richard Brunstrom has said he will be "campaigning hard" for drugs such as heroin to be legalised.

SJ_Skyline

I love it when public figures go mental:
- Judge James Pickles
- David Icke
- Richard Brunstrom

davegtt

They only want it legalising because

a. They cant police it atm and

b. Tax it

what would scooby do

Read High Society by Ben Elton, funny but interesting book about a government minister who tried to legalise drugs in a time when the whole world is taken over by drug culture.

Odds on

He's been giving speed guns to Grannies according to the papers. Now it all makes sense....

He's been smoking pot.

dpb

He needs another go with that tazer !

Dieseldog

If half of all crime is perpetrated by addicts, then maybe it's not such a bad idea. Theoretically policing costs, insurance costs, NHS costs etc would all go down. The fear of everyone turning to it? Well, not everyone smokes...

Just buy it off the Afghanis, distribute it through the NHS, slowly dilute the mix, then BAM! give 'em some uncut stuff...

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Great idea IMHO. We have already harmful drugs available to us and with improved controls over the past 50 years people are now seeing them for what they are and giving them up in record numbers!

amahrap

most sensible idea that i have heard in years

- why are they illegal in the first place (from a moral stand point?)

prohibition has failed in just about every case that has ever been tried, time for some new thinking as the "war on drugs" was lost years and years ago

astraboy

This is never going to happen.
Whichever government who passes this will automatically lose the next election.
I wil have "I love Brunstrom" tattoo'd on my **** if this gets made law.
Then I'll double drop
astraboy.

Felix.

It would appear he has gone quite mad….!!!

The courts need to be tougher on dealers and users of drugs. They tend to be punished for the associated crimes – such as shop thefts, but the underlying drug problem is never addressed. I think if it is drug related, they should receive a custodial sentence or secure accommodation at the other end of the country until they are clean.

Either that, or put them all on a big ship with as much drugs as they want and sail it off into the sunset – next stop Iraq

David Lock

Has it been tried in other countries and what were the results?

_RIP_

I'm not a drug user other than 'legal' ones that is, but I'm interested to hear why you say users of drugs should be receiving more punitive measures?

Say I'm a successful businessman/lawyer/doctor or whatever, and I take a toot/smoke/whatever now and again. Why should I morally be punished for this?

It's a very naive person who thinks that only ******* take illegal drugs. I personally fail to see the moral difference from getting stoned or getting pished.

astraboy

IIRC I beleive Portugal legalised all drugs for personal use a few years back.
I believe dealing, importing and manufacture are still illegal though.
astraboy.

fbladerrv900

Good point i like the odd toke now and then,

_RIP_

CharlesW

There is a lot to be said for this proposal. How much is the trade in illegal drugs worth? It's worth billions, all of which now goes to organised crime and Al Quaeda and the Taliban. Heroin is in itself quite cheap to produce. Just ask the farmers in Afghanistan how much they get for their opium crop.

In this country as much as 80% of all thefts, muggings and burglary are committed to finance a heroin habit. Before it was made illegal in the 60s heroin addiction was not very popular. Not many people chose that way of life. Those that did, and they only numbered a few thousand, could get their heroin on perscription. It was pure so they knew how strong it was, and so there were few overdoses. As soon as the only supply could be had from drug dealers, its use increased dramatically. It's in the dealers' interest to get people addicted, so the kids who came to score a bit of blow would be offered heroin to try. Once addicted they were addicted they are in the dealers' control. The heroin could be cut and so they had to buy more to satisfy their habit. The strength was inconsistent, so accidental overdoses became common. If a user or dealer lower down the pecking order caused problems, just give them a bag of uncut smack. No problem after that.

No legalising drugs particularly heroin would solve a lot society's current problems.

Recreational drugs aren't such a problem apart from putting money in villains' pockets. They are generally not addictive like heroin. Enough people get blutered on booze every weekend. People who've smoked a few spliffs or drooped a few pills are generally less of a nuisance. Besides most people grow out of it

Rant over.

David Lock

How do you deal with stuff like crystal meths which I understand is very addictive and wrecks people?

Is cocaine addictive?

CharlesW

Crystal Meth. If it's not illegal at least you can treat it as a medical problem first and foremost. It's not exactly mainstream is it?

Cocaine is addictive if you have that sort of personality. I am sure there plenty of city people who have a toot now and again, without becoming addicted.

A lot of the problems that we see now with drugs are maybe caused and certainly are exacerbated by the current social context. If drugs are legal and there is no associated glamour or bravado, you might find that their use becomes a lot less attractive to many youngsters.

_RIP_

Well said Charles.

MattW

So where do you think people will buy Heroin then, Asda? Would you support legalising dealing then? After all there will still be a market, still a reason to get people hooked.

mickywrx

iTrader: (29)

FPMSL

Why on earth would anyone want legalised drugs?

The thieves, Government, would tax it to death for starters. The gear would be overpriced. The only people to benefit would be smack heads, that get their methadone of free.

Talk on the news lately, about lowering the drinking age to 16, yet the dumb ******* have put the age to buy tabs upto 18 I'm yet to see someone smoke ten Lambert and then go on a wrecking spree.

mickywrx

iTrader: (29)

You sure? Smack heads are the lowest of the low, with regards to drugs. Heroin isn't exactly recreational.

Felix.

Well it hasn't worked for smoking

SiPie

Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back ?

David Lock

I can see a strong argument for legalising heroin as that is seriously addictive and for many getting the next fix means mugging an old lady or shoplifting. But this would have to be linked to some well funded and well thought out treatment programmes.

But it seems harder to justify free doses of allegedly non-addictive stuff like coke and Es and especially the really nasty ones like Crystal Meth (very addictive and bad for you).

Shame it's got to this stage. dl

davegtt

No. Shes not normally sleeping when shes on her back

amahrap

the problem that i have always had with the issue is this:-

what right does any government that i "employ" (or any other human being for that matter) have to dictate to me what i can and can't do with my own body? If as a fully aware, consenting adult on my own property and of my own free will this action has no detrimental effect on anyone but myself?

why then should the ingestion of a substance that grows naturally in nature result in the risk of a prison term in many countries?

Chris L

Well we already have legal addictive drugs - tobacco and alcohol. Prohibition has clearly failed (as it did in the US in the 30s and only served to create and build massive Mafia crime empires). The fact of the matter is that people want this stuff and they will get it either via legal or illegal means.

The illegal drug trade is estimated to be the biggest business in the world. Whilst there is that amount of money to be made from it, people will take the risk in importing and distributing it. Even the death penalty in South East Asia doesn't stop people.

So what do you do? You accept the inevitable, make it legal, control cost and quality. Political suicide I'll admit, but probably the only answer.

The cynics view would be that there are very powerful entities that would prefer if certain drugs were kept illegal - most notably the drinks industry, the police and customs and excise. After all, if the vast majority of crime is drug related, what would they do? And who wants to down 6 pints of 'wife beater' and wake up with a raging hangover, when you could get much more pleasant effects for less money and little or no hangover? Food for thought....

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

Its the same argument for legalised prostitution. Oldest profession in the world, you'll never stop it so why not regulate it and tax it and provide a safe working environment for those who work in the sector (or want to - see Diary of a Call Girl at the mo) without being exploited by a pimp.

The legal drugs issue is very difficult but the fact is rich smack head can be a fully functioning member of society. You don't notice them or hear about them though. It is the scum buckets theiving that causes a problem and they steal because it costs so much. I can't believe everyone would suddenly think it was ok though, it is the same with all these anti junk food campaigns, we know eating a Big Mac and large fries isn't good for us but we do it anyway. The argument presented here show drugs could be treated similarly...

5t.