Washington state's marijuana laws keep getting more sane

[Sbane]

We need to stop imprisoning people for drug violations. I am not just talking about Marijuana, but any simple drug possession. Those people need help, not prison. Of course the prison industry won't like that.

[Sbane]

We need to stop imprisoning people for drug violations. I am not just talking about Marijuana, but any simple drug possession. Those people need help, not prison. Of course the prison industry won't like that.

why do people in possession of drugs "need help"?

People addicted to Heroin, Meth and Nicotine don't need help?

[Sbane]

We need to stop imprisoning people for drug violations. I am not just talking about Marijuana, but any simple drug possession. Those people need help, not prison. Of course the prison industry won't like that.

why do people in possession of drugs "need help"?

People addicted to Heroin, Meth and Nicotine don't need help?

not necessarily, and regardless of what they 'need', forcing help on them is going to be counterproductive.  but the key point here is that possession is not equal to addiction.  you wouldn't call someone carrying a six-pack an alcoholic.

So do you think meth should be sold in stores?

[Sbane]

I am a little wary of completely legalizing these highly addictive drugs. Maybe they should only be available in certain stores where we can also counsel them on the harm they are causing themselves and inform them of the resources available to them to kick their habit. And most importantly, not be judgmental about it.

Marijuana is a soft drug. It is not the in the league of heroin, meth and cocaine to a lesser extent.

[Sbane]

Sbane, while addiction is not good, there does not seem to be any good evidence that treating it as a criminal problem instead of a medical problem is more helpful to the addict, and treating drug use as a crime definitely causes problems by encouraging violent crime that occurs as part of illicit trafficking in the substances. That's why in determining which drugs to legalize first, I pay little attention to whether the drug is soft or hard, but mainly whether the drug has an agricultural source that makes possible trafficking that can destabilize societies.  So I'd begin legalization with the raw materials and refined products of the following five natural five: magic mushrooms, peyote, marijuana, coca, and opium poppy. There are some others such as khat that should also be legalized on this basis, but they don't see much use here and would likely see even less if the above were legalized. Plus each one that is legalized will need a taxation and control structure put in place to keep the harm they cause to a minimum and to keep them from minors.

I agree with this too. Keeping the supply chain illegal doesn't solve any of the criminal problems related to drugs. Still, people who are heavily addicted to heroin and other destructive drugs need help, so just selling it to them without any restrictions would not be right. The clinics they had (have?) in Vancouver that give heroin addicts their fix but help them if they accept it is what should be done.

[Sbane]

Sbane you should read this book.

Of course people will use mind altering substances. Alcohol and Marijuana are mild altering substances, and people should be allowed to indulge in them in their free time. I just don't think it is as easy to function if you are hooked on heavily addictive drugs like Heroin and Meth. Heroin is purified from Opium. While people have been smoking Opium for a long time now, heroin is a relatively new drug. Same with Cocaine. Coca leaves have been used for a long time now, but purified cocaine from it, not so much. And while I completely disagree with the greater sentencing for crack, it is easy to understand why crack is more destructive. It gives you a greater and cheaper high, leading to more chance of addiction. Obviously there are a lot of people addicted to Marijuana and Alcohol as well, but it's much easier to be a functional stoner or alcoholic than a meth head or opiate addict.

[Sbane]

Sbane you should read this book.

Of course people will use mind altering substances. Alcohol and Marijuana are mild altering substances, and people should be allowed to indulge in them in their free time. I just don't think it is as easy to function if you are hooked on heavily addictive drugs like Heroin and Meth. Heroin is purified from Opium. While people have been smoking Opium for a long time now, heroin is a relatively new drug. Same with Cocaine. Coca leaves have been used for a long time now, but purified cocaine from it, not so much. And while I completely disagree with the greater sentencing for crack, it is easy to understand why crack is more destructive. It gives you a greater and cheaper high, leading to more chance of addiction. Obviously there are a lot of people addicted to Marijuana and Alcohol as well, but it's much easier to be a functional stoner or alcoholic than a meth head or opiate addict.

I hope you're not subscribing to the fallacy that drug use=drug abuse. I mean I certianly don't advocate for people using hard drugs and throwing their life away but if people are experimenting a little bit then I'm not going to tell them they can't. I think we should educate people on the risks, without using misleading propaganda (that only serves to diminish the value of the education). Part of the problem is we tell kids how horrible marijuana is and they realize when they're older that it's no big deal at all and figure "well, if they lied about weed, they probably lied about this too". America has a lot of fundamental problems when it comes to illicit drugs and prescription drugs and addiction treatment and mental health. It's really weird that we still don't have the motivation to confront these problems in a way that mgiht lead to change.

I completely agree with this. We should be honest with people. If my proposal is carried out, and people want to head to their local opium den to try some out one time, that is fine with me. But they should be educated about it's addictive potential and hopefully they will make it a one time thing. I personally know of people who moved on to harder drugs because they were lied to about Marijuana and its effects. I don't want to repeat that mistake with counseling about any drug. It should all be fact based and based on evidence and reason.

[Sbane]

Of course people will use mind altering substances. Alcohol and Marijuana are mild altering substances, and people should be allowed to indulge in them in their free time. I just don't think it is as easy to function if you are hooked on heavily addictive drugs like Heroin and Meth.

this is mostly just prejudice.  there are plenty of heroin and cocaine addicts sheltered within middle-class and above.  it is no harder to be a 'functional' alcohol cocaine addict than it is an alcohol addict, and the only reason why it would be are due to the consequences of legal prohibition.

Yes, Cocaine is in a bit of a gray area I think. Heroin is extremely addictive though.

[Sbane]

Of course people will use mind altering substances. Alcohol and Marijuana are mild altering substances, and people should be allowed to indulge in them in their free time. I just don't think it is as easy to function if you are hooked on heavily addictive drugs like Heroin and Meth.

this is mostly just prejudice.  there are plenty of heroin and cocaine addicts sheltered within middle-class and above.  it is no harder to be a 'functional' alcohol cocaine addict than it is an alcohol addict, and the only reason why it would be are due to the consequences of legal prohibition.

Yes, Cocaine is in a bit of a gray area I think. Heroin is extremely addictive though.

drugs have many different properties.  capacity to produce harm and the capacity to form habit do not necessarily align.  nicotine is more-or-less harmless in the short and medium-term but is extremely habit-forming.. addictivity (if you will) and harmfulness are separate properties.

Yes, and on both those criteria, Heroin is horrible.