For those in favor of drug legalization: Meth?

[masteryoda34]

Meth is currently categorized as a Schedule II controlled substance, which according to the DEA makes it less harmful than marijuana which is a Schedule I controlled substance.

 

[Arkaign]

Meth is currently categorized as a Schedule II controlled substance, which according to the DEA makes it less harmful than marijuana which is a Schedule I controlled substance.

That goes a long towards exhibiting evidence of just how completely fucking riduclous US drug politics are.

It always comes down to $$ anyway.

 

[lopri]

Is it worse than drugs like heroin or cocaine?

Yes.

Addictiveness: Heroin > Meth > Cocaine
Potential Bodily Harm: Meth > Cocaine >= Heroin

 

[Arkaign]

Yes.

Addictiveness: Heroin > Meth > Cocaine
Potential Bodily Harm: Meth > Cocaine >= Heroin

Arguable. I know that Heroin has killed a lot more people here in North Texas than Meth or Cocaine.

There was a rash of it in the 90s where a good number of local high school students were OD'ing and dying. Then recently there was that stupid craze for some new variant of Heroin mixed with some cheap crap, that was dropping a good number of folks as well.

As an immediate killer, I think Heroin takes the cake.

As far as overall societal impact, well I think given that meth is much more common, I would handily agree that it's more of a problem at large.

 

[lopri]

If we're talking purely about toxicity, cocaine/heroin are relatively harmless even compared to many over-the-counter drugs. It's their addictiveness that makes them problematic. I think meth can be distinguished for its toxic nature. (Though ironically many OTC drugs contain pseudo-meths)

 

[micrometers]

Yes.

Addictiveness: Heroin > Meth > Cocaine
Potential Bodily Harm: Meth > Cocaine >= Heroin

The point of the thread is that libertarian-leaning people decry the war on drugs for not being perfect (i.e. yes, illegal drugs are still available, but they would enjoy wider availability if not for the law-enforcement crackdown on them), and while most people are okay with marijuana, how about meth?

also I'm wondering how much of meth is overblown and how much is really a menace.

 

[woolfe9999]

My feeling is that all drugs should be de-criminalized at the federal level, save for smuggling of drugs other than marijuana. This is a lifestyle issue, a "morality" issue, and a health issue. It should be left up to the states.

As for whether I would want my state to criminalize meth, not sure. Depends on how much increase in use, and technically there's no way to really project that in advance. Meth is nasty. I'm on the fence with all drugs other than pot.

 

[lopri]

Well with any drug overblown media frenzy is taken for granted, but meth does deserve its notoriety. It will be verrrrrry tough to make a case for legalizing meth since there is no acknowledged therapeutic usage.

 

[Howard]

Is that the rationale for making something illegal? That there is no therapeutic use?

Next thing you know they're going to ban roller coasters. You know, for the kids.

 

[Steeplerot]

I cannot see rural red state areas getting on board, what would they do for an economy without 3am walmart mass sudafed sales? Besides who would listen to talk radio bigmouths if they themselves were not fried out of their skull too?


This goes back to Reagan and his backroom dealing with big pharma,

I hate meth, leave the laws alone and go after the few manufacturing plants of the pseudoephidrine aeoumd the world. This worked in the 80s with quaaludes, the only win in the utter fail of the so called war on drugs. Its a simple soloution that works. But pseudoephidrine is big money to big pharma, which the US of course once again, play the role of the corporations prostrate bitch. So people burn out to shells and wither away with easy access. Money is USAs god, and drug. Meth is just another symptom.

I could make a colorful analogy of how rotten us culture and govt is in refrence to meth mouth, but you probably can visualize it.

 

[Craig234]

I think Meth should be illegal.

The only reason to make it legal would be if the impact seemed to clearly reduce its harm, rather than some ideology about 'freedom of choice'.

Meth is a horrific drug and should not be used. Whichever helps it reduce its use - illegality or legality with drug treatment and education - should be done.

 

[Arkaign]

If we're talking purely about toxicity, cocaine/heroin are relatively harmless even compared to many over-the-counter drugs. It's their addictiveness that makes them problematic. I think meth can be distinguished for its toxic nature. (Though ironically many OTC drugs contain pseudo-meths)

This really isn't the issue that I was raising. Heroin is spectacularly dangerous and easy to OD on. Simply botching a little and taking 1.5 or 2x the "normal" dose can cause death. This isn't akin to taking 4 aspirin instead of 2, or smoking twice the meth (lots of nasty addicts do meth for weeks on end anyway, horrible).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2967031/

The fatality statistics for Heroin are unrelated to long-term toxicity, but rather the incredible ease with which it can accidentally (or intentionally in the case of suicide) kill.

http://heroin.net/about/vital-heroin-statistics/

In short, heroin by a quite sizable order is dramatically more likely to kill an average abuser than any other common drug. About the only things comparable are other pharmaceutical products of similar natures, but even that isn't truly equal. A heroin abuser might buy a particular type of heroin for a period of time, and he could either switch dealers or the dealer could get a different supplier, and end up dying because he/she gets something a bit stronger than normal.

 

[BoberFett]

I cannot see rural red state areas getting on board, what would they do for an economy without 3am walmart mass sudafed sales? Besides who would listen to talk radio bigmouths if they themselves were not fried out of their skull too?




I hate meth, leave the laws alone and go after the few manufacturing plants of the pseudoephidrine aeoumd the world. This worked in the 80s with quaaludes, the only win in the utter fail of the so called war on drugs. Its a simple soloution that works. But pseudoephidrine is big money to big pharma, which the US is the.ations bitch, once again. So people burn out to shells and wither away with easy access. Money is USAs god, and drug. Meth is just another symptom.

I think Meth should be illegal.

The only reason to make it legal would be if the impact seemed to clearly reduce its harm, rather than some ideology about 'freedom of choice'.

Meth is a horrific drug and should not be used. Whichever helps it reduce its use - illegality or legality with drug treatment and education - should be done.

LOL, look at these two morons. Fighting the good fight against the fascists, they insist on telling people what they can and cannot put in their own bodies.

Is it any wonder people think you are both a couple of jokers?

 

[Steeplerot]

LOL, look at these two morons. Fighting the good fight against the fascists, they insist on telling people what they can and cannot put in their own bodies.

Is it any wonder people think you are both a couple of jokers?

You would think you would have grown out of childish haterism, or learned that not all liberties are black and white in reality. Adults understand conflicting pros and cons and can make rational decisions based off of harm reduction. Fascists think in black and white. Are you on the anarchist train now also?

I have no time or inclination to badger with silly crackpot idealists, go swing from pauls nuts more.

 

[Siddhartha]

Like the title says. Meth seems to have the worst image of all drugs that are abused.

Is it worse than drugs like heroin or cocaine? Lots of people want to legalize marijuana, but what about cocaine, heroin, or meth?

I've been watching breaking bad lately so I'm curious.

I am against fucking up people's lives by putting them in jail because they use drugs.

 

[Modelworks]

The guy who was responsible for getting drugs criminalized said before his death that it was the worst decision he made in his life, that if he could go back he never would have fought for it. The damage is done, you can't just overnight make drugs legal because you have hundreds of thousands of prisoners that would appeal their cases and that would crush the judicial system. If you are 18 years old I don't feel the government has the right to control what you do in your home as long as it doesn't effect the rights of someone outside your home.


Drugs like meth would exist regardless of legal or illegal just because it is something that man can make and some people like. People inhale paint fumes because those people like it, people are going to do what they want regardless of the laws. If you want to know where drugs like meth come from, all of the illegal drugs that are not naturally occuring came from chemical companies and research. Meth was a drug created decades ago in labs and so were with drugs like LSD. Crack is one of the oldest of all , dating back over 100 years to when coacine was a legal drug.

 

[zsdersw]

You can be irresponsible with any drug. Alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, meth... all of them. The people who are irresponsible and completely fvck over their lives with them are likely the same people who would be irresponsible and completely fvck over their lives even if they didn't do drugs.

As such, I see no significant reason to make any of them illegal... unless you're going to try to make stupidity illegal; good luck with that one.

 

[micrometers]

I am against fucking up people's lives by putting them in jail because they use drugs.

that doesn't happen though. people get thrown in jail for dealing the drug.

 

[zsdersw]

people get thrown in jail for dealing the drug.

... which, itself, isn't something that should be illegal either.

 

[micrometers]

... which, itself, isn't something that should be illegal either.

but given meth's toxicity, there is a compelling interest in prohibiting it.

 

[disappoint]

In short, heroin by a quite sizable order is dramatically more likely to kill an average abuser than any other common drug.

Then not only should it be legalized, it should be subsidized. I wouldn't mind my tax dollars funding a faster way to kill idiots. They already are funding the WoD which is a lot more expensive but tries to keep idiots alive.

 

[dawp]

Legalizing meth would legalize meth labs, and that shit is seriously nasty to everyone around.

It's odd how we have a war on cigarettes, yet drugs like meth have a more positive reaction from people? What?

no, it wouldn't. the labs exist because it IS illegal. if it was legalized and regulated, the manufacturing would be tightly controlled and likely put most of the clandestine labs out of business.

 

[cybrsage]

LOL, look at these two morons. Fighting the good fight against the fascists, they insist on telling people what they can and cannot put in their own bodies.

Is it any wonder people think you are both a couple of jokers?

Do you think people should be allowed to ingest smallpox, then go to work?

 

[zsdersw]

but given meth's toxicity, there is a compelling interest in prohibiting it.

Meth's toxicity is a compelling interest to not use it, whether it's illegal or not. Yet some people do anyway, which is a testament to their idiocy more than it is to the need for it to be illegal.

 

[zsdersw]

Do you think people should be allowed to ingest smallpox, then go to work?

The differences between drug use and smallpox make this question idiotic.