Quote:
Originally Posted by Metro-One
Lower level drugs need to be legalized and regulated (very happy that pot will be by next year), but on the flip side I actually feel that stricter laws and harsher penalties are needed for extremely hazardous drugs (and by that I mean for pushers and producers, not end users). There are some things that should not be legal for general recreational use.
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This is a very important point. I very strongly believe that individual drug users should never, ever be criminally prosecuted for their usage. Only the sellers and producers should ever be. Buying & possessing small quantities of any drug should be decriminalized. Drug addiction should be treated as a health problem, not a legal problem. All countries that have taken "health-oriented" approaches to fighting drugs have seen major successes compared to countries that have taken the "war on drugs" route.
Some of the biggest harms stem from the fact that drug users are often scared to get help because of legal fears. People who are about to die of an overdose won't call 911 because they're worried the cops will find their drugs. Thankfully, this specific example is about to go away because the Liberals are about to pass the "compassionate exception" law which would grant amnesty to drug possession charges if the evidence is found during a medical emergency call.