Originally Posted by Aegis

No. Once addicted, drug use is an involuntary act to satisfy that addiction.

Originally Posted by The Libertarian

Originally Posted by W.E.B. Du Bois

You like the Prohibition of alcohol analogy, right? What if I told you that I obtained and was offered alcohol while I was underage (and thus illegally) by:

* illegal access to my families liquor cabinet There is a much much larger amount of drinkers than hard drug users. Access to youth would be nearly diminished. Even if some do still get it, there's no possible way it could get worse than it is now.
* alcohol obtained from another underage drinker Yes, but prohibition of drugs doesn't stop this either.

* alcohol offered by a shopkeeper I was friends with Like I said, when they become legal(if the population comes to it's senses), the penalties for buying or giving hard drugs to someone who is underage would be very severe.


Then all of this applies to drugs as well, right?

Drugs obtained and used illegally by minors from:

* the stash of someone in the family Yes, there is a much much smaller amount of hard drug users than drinkers.
* friends No different than right now.
* store owners Penalties would be very severe.


Thus, even with legalization of drugs, drugs still get consumed illegally by minors AND millions more people do drugs and get addicted AND lastly, more powerful and more addictive drugs are continually invented by corporations.

This is a better situation? Yes, they still do get consumed. So what? Prohibition doesn't prevent this. Saying that millions of people will become addicted to drugs is mere speculation. How many people do you know who want to do crack or heroin but is waiting for the laws to change? Gangs and drug cartels are just as able to invent new drugs than corporations do, so this is an irrelevant point.


WEB

Originally Posted by The Libertarian

Only by legalizing all drugs will the illegal drug market disapear.

Originally Posted by Bradgriff

You don't think that a 6 and 9 year old are responsible for letting thier parents start them on heroin do you? ....because that's part of what I'm trying to point out. If you're not an addict or alchoholic, it's no wonder you're baffled by the behavior of an addict. This is completely irrelevant as these things happen legal or not.

As a drug/alchohol counselor....this problem is too complex both physiologically and socially to be solved by the solutions I've heard presented on this thread so far. What is so frustrating for me....is that I've been on both sides, I've cheated and lied to get drugs, and now I've been clean and sober for 10 years. I bet you haven't been on both sides, have you?

Originally Posted by The Libertarian

Again, not true. Addiction cannot be cured but through abstinence and therapy an addict can cease the use of drugs or alcohol. Nope, it is impossible for it to be impossible to quit drugs. Period. I don't see how this is a valid reason to support prohibition as these problems happen either way.



The act of taking the drugs was involuntary because of the addiction.

Originally Posted by rodog

Libertarian just tell the truth. You really have no idea what would happen if these drugs were legalized. There is no survey or data done that could possibly tell you. Let common sense prevail over stupidity. You just don't want tax dollars to be spent enforcing drug laws so you can keep more of your own money. You have no idea what you are talking about, assuming I take illegal drugs because I don't support prohibition. This has absolutely nothing to do with helping anyone. Not the addicts, not the bystanders, not society. Well you must not know how to read, I'm not repeatedly posting things. This is an issue of the billions of dollars government spends to keep drugs off the street.