In the face of a growing number of deaths and cases of HIV linked to drug abuse, the Portuguese government in 2001 tried a new tack to get a handle on the problem—it decriminalized the use and possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD and other illicit street drugs. The theory: focusing on treatment and prevention instead of jailing users would decrease the number of deaths and infections.
Five years later, the number of deaths from street drug overdoses dropped from around 400 to 290 annually, and the number of new HIV cases caused by using dirty needles to inject heroin, cocaine and other illegal substances plummeted from nearly 1,400 in 2000 to about 400 in 2006, according to a report released recently by the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C, libertarian think tank.
Hey U.S. Government… check this out.
Found by ECA on Cage Match.
Funny how just as the overwhelming trend in the country seems to be to ostracize cigarette smoking, we hear so much call to legalize pot (and presumably cocaine, heroin, meth, etc.).
If it happens, figure on things to get ugly.
http://momsagainstmeth.com/index.html
#20 I agree.
But as they say there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Decriminaliztion and legalization isn’t the same. Laws to control, sounds good to me. I just think it’s time to stop putting users in jail. Why the hell should taxpayers have to take care of these people? Jail should be there to protect society from people who don’t respect the rights of others, not to punish people who want to trash themselves.
Forget how decriminalized drugs have turned The Netherlands into the drug cesspool of Europe.
Forget how decriminalizing drugs will just move the criminals into even more frightening addictive designer drugs (as opposed to flowershop owners).
Forget about all the road deaths due to zonked-out drivers.
“People who habitually smoke both tobacco and marijuana are about three times more likely than non-smokers to develop serious lung disease.”
“Innately, it seems logical that marijuana (alone)would be a risk factor for COPD (chronic obstructive lung disease). The noxious fumes are identical except for the THC in marijuana and the nicotine in tobacco,” said Tan, adding there is a synergistic effect between marijuana and tobacco smoking.
“Experts have found one marijuana joint is equal to the effects (on lungs) of 2.5 to five cigarettes.”
Vancouver Sun
http://tinyurl.com/ckrs3r
from Canadian Medical Association Journal
“In 2005, approximately one in 20 deaths in the United States had COPD as the underlying cause. Smoking is estimated to be responsible for at least 75% of COPD deaths…During 2000–2005, COPD was the underlying cause of death for 718,077 persons overall aged >25 years in the United States.”
Center for Disease Control & Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5745a4.htm
Forget marijuana alone because even though cigarettes and and mj have virtually the same noxious ingredients, the effects of mj alone are yet to be officially proved. (But why should that small point stop decriminalization?)
Now go calculate the increase COPD deaths due only to the combination of mj + smoking, especially after a decriminalization. Then you can feel oh-so-sorry for Portugal’s 110 extra overdose deaths.
RBG
Next step: Legalize terrorism, that way there wouldn’t be that many deaths. Also legalize illegal immigration.
I think the latter is just a push away.
When the RICH only, can afford drugs..
then ONLY the RICH will have drugs..
Oil(unregulated?)
Utilities(unregulated)
Corps(unregulated)
Banks(unregulated)
Drugs??
What do all these things have in common??
They are mostly controlled by the RICH. AND THATS HOW’ they got rich..
Yes, it’s ingenious. Mostly rid our country of the drug problem by hyper-inflating the cost of drugs.
RBG
#24 RGB
It’s yet to be proved that chocolate ice cream causes herpes. Better ban it!
Much better to lock people in jail for drug offences, is it? Does wonders for your health, future prospects and the public purse.
#8 Guess your rant was just right-wing bullshit after all. Would applying the same standards to alcohol jail too many republicans, or whites, or is it that its better to do crime while pissed?
Similar to mj smoke vs cigarette smoke & lung disease, you might want to ban chocolate ice cream if it was the only flavor not yet proven to cause herpes.
Much better to teach people to respect the law from the start with long sentences which have an extremely low recidivism rate and does wonders for other people’s health, future prospects and the public purse. Not to mention less highway deaths, more personal motivation & less criminal activity.
RBG
#30 RGB
Nothing like a police state to get people into line, eh? Screw liberty! Obedience is paramount.
So I take it your in favour of making other drugs, such as ALCOHOL, illegal. It causes untold carnage on the road, reduces personal motivation and is often involved in criminal activity. Or are you another right-wing hypocrite who sanctions YOUR drugs while demonising the drugs of people you don’t like.
(I’m not expecting an answer here. The right generally falls silent when alcohol prohibition is mentioned.)
FINE BY me..
Take all those without jobs and put them in jail on computers, to search for jobs…
WITH THE number that are IN JAIL NOW, and add ALL those that need employment, WE COULD hit 50%..
30 Hugh.
Your liberty is my kid’s death. Society chooses between liberties all the time.
Line up the bodies of the dead moms, dads, aunts and children killed by drunk drivers and, absolutely, I would ban alcohol as not being worth the trade-off. Unfortunately you would also have an automatic revolution on your hands. So it is simply a matter of being pragmatic. It’s easier to keep an object at rest (drug decriminalization) than it is to try to stop an object in motion (the alcohol industry). Besides, there are no drug-impaired tests the cops can do analogous to the breathalyzer.
You don’t expect an answer because most folks asking for drug decriminalization haven’t actually thought the issue through beyond their next buzz.
31 ECA. The reason there are so many folks are in jail over drugs, is because the penalties have never been severe enough to the point where they actually are a deterrent. I mean aside from their mis-belief that people get to pick and choose the laws they can follow.
RBG
#33 RGB
I understand where your coming from, but IHMO most of the harm that comes from illegal drugs is a product of their illegality. Also, I dont want my hard earneds to be used to turn harmless stoners into criminals.
Btw the cops here in Australia do have a drug driving test. Not sure how effective it’s been, but it has highlighted how many drivers are doped up on ‘legal’ pharmas.
The prescription drug industry would never allow legalization, because you can’t patent marijuana or coca. The government would never allow legalization because you can grow your own and it can’t be easily taxed. And the cigarette industry would never allow legalization because it competes with their products.