Police chief says legalise heroin

[Nihil]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3460485.stm

...

North Wales Police Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom says he is
prepared to see drugs such as heroin openly on sale because current
drug laws are doing "more harm than good".

...

"Heroin is a very, very addictive substance, extremely addictive, far
more so than nicotine, but it's not very, very dangerous. It's
perfectly possible to lead a normal life for a full life span and
hold down a job while being addicted to heroin.

...

Mr Brunstrom believes that legalising drugs would wipe out a multi-
million pound criminal trade and says he has been amazed to receive
"massive" public support for his views.

...

Nihil

[Virgil]

1. Heroin should be given to addicts

People can live productive and long lives while on heroin. The purpose of prohibition is much more to drive up price than it is to reduce the harm in society.

Heroin should be administered by people with the idea of lending a helping hand instead of the threats of of beatings and prison. In this country we have methadone programs that just administer a synthetic opiate that is also addictive.

The black market itself lends to the finding of new addicts as that is the way they make their money. A person making money selling heroin is just like a car dealer that will do anything to make that sale. Unfortunately, the body has its weaknesses and a few sales of heroin can lead to a highly profitable relationship with a steady customer.

The police chief is right and if the media in this country carried on a sensible conversation by letting the voices of reason have an outlet prohibition and the drug wars would be over. Once people are brought in for treatment they can work on lowering their requirements of heroin. But hey we give them methadone in this country and it is wonderful, but for some reason the heroin that is also an opiate is just god awful.

The drug wars are a crime against humanity. It is all about militarization, destabilization, victimization, and profiteering by those strategically placed in the prison industry, the testing industry, the prison industry, law enforcement, politicians that are bribed, and those that seize lands through forfeitures/seizures as in Colombia.

The best view for seeing the corruption in the government is the drug wars. If a person would have riden out to Mt. Vernon, in 1803 and told him Jefferson had the federal government pass a law saying he could not grow hemp, Washington would have thought the man completely mad. The drug wars carried federal powers far beyond what they ever were meant to be.

The drug wars show us how the thought herders work as your 200 channels are not going to bring you opposing views to what is universally declared a failure if not a crime against humanity. We are going about it all wrong. Prohibition creates a black market that has motive to find new addicts. The prohibition of alcohol showed us what failure was, but at least they had enough sense to call it quits.

Where alcohol prohibition needed a constitutional amendment all these other prohibitions came about by just ignoring the line the states set on the limits of federal power. But then if the media were worth a darn, you would know that and there would not be the failure of the drug wars with all the inhumanity.

The clear proof that the drug warriors could care less revolves around the treatment of addiction with ibogaine. Ibogaine is made from a bark of a tree in Africa. If I were Rush Limbaugh I would be facing a serious hardship in breaking an opiate condition. I myself would seek ibogaine treatment. Usually two sessions will end an addiction. But in this country it is illegal, because we would rather play games than fix anything.The drug warriors will shout it is a joke and not worth researching. It is all more nonsense from the drug warriors that love prohibition and could care less about life or liberty or helping people that are wanting to break an addiction. They will not even research it and will not discuss it in their media.

If you want to see the corruption in this country, you should study the drug wars. It is this country that took the drug wars global with the UN Single Convention Treaty in 1961. We are just mad about forcing black markets on everyone. Black markets need to be prohibited.

[loftycity]

2. Book by Mike Gray "Drug Crazy" inside look of how

Awful the Drug laws are. This book tells who really makes the money and the crafters of draconian laws.
It has to change soon.

[ze_dscherman]

6. Full ack

Drugs are a problem, but the "war on drugs" causes much bigger problems. And yes, many, if not most, addicts could live decent lifes if they were not forced to become criminals.

But I doubt the "crime and fear industry" (politicians, law enforcement, prison system, lawyers ...) would be willing to give up their reason to be and source of profit. My highest respect for a police chief willing to face the probably severe repercussions for telling an unpleasant and unpopular (?) truth.

The chief of police in my German hometown was criminally prosecuted and kicked out of office by eager right-wing politicians and state attorneys when he "failed" to prosecute addicts. This was "official" policy at the time, nevertheless he was hasseled big time. Finally, he was acquitted, but still fights to get compensation for the purposely done damage to him.

[ze_dscherman]

7. Sorry, double posting

-----

[denverbill]

9. Maybe when drug merchants start buying ads, they will.

But with Bud and Coors being some of their biggest customers, I don't think the media wants to piss them off.

[Minstrel Boy]

3. If it's legalised does that mean the CIA will have to go legit?

They don't call him "Poppy" for nuthin'.

[salin]

4. Wasn't there a former police chief (or other higher up in enforcement)

from San Jose, California who used to speak to the enforcement value of legalization of some currently classified 'illegal substances'? Name that comes to the tip of the tongue (but could be wrong) McNamara?

[Alexander]

5. Two words: KEITH RICHARDS

That is why no one should ever do heroin.

[Hegemony Cricket]

8. What? Don't become rich, famous, and long lived?

Me = Devil's Advocate:evilgrin:

Seriously, Heroin is an awful drug.

I've had several friends die from Heroin ODs (the most horrific was a friend who died while his other friends/junkies watched...he didn't have the money to buy the speed to counter his dose and they were too browned out to care).

Of course, I've had friends/relatives die from drunk driving, alcoholism, smoking, and prescription medication. If someone is hell bent on destroying themselves, they're going to do it.

In general, consensual crimes (suicide, drug abuse) are impossible to effectively control...the best we can do is shift that money from imprisoning addicts into education and rehabilitation.

It worked for human-rights darling China when they stopped imprisoning Opium addicts and mandated rehabilitation...guess what happened to the opium epidemic in their country? (of course Mao-ist rehabilitation couldn't have been a walk in the park)

[DogFart]

10. yup

although I agree with the beer points, and that drug laws are ridiculous, I can't get around the fact that heroin is simply bad.

[SoCalDem]

15. .."the fact that heroin is simply bad."..

Lots of things are "bad", but having one group of people decided what is bad or good is even worse than "bad"..

There have always been self-destructive people, and there always will be..

The "taboo" nature of drugs/alcohol/nicotine is part of the allure. If "people" really want to help, they would decriminlize and treat the ones who want to quit, and tax the ones who don't..

The standard restrictions would have to apply , of course.. No one wants a strung out bus driver or pilot.

Other than that, the law people need to butt out..

( I am a non-drinker...never user of drugs (even pot)...(nicotine is my vice)..

The prison system would buckle if drugs were ever made legal, so it will never happen in my lifetime.. Add to that the fact that some in our society cannot resist the impulse to control what "other people do", and it's easy to see why drug wars must continue..:(

[teach1st]

13. Most heroin overdoses are caused by its outlaw status

It's hard to know what you're getting on the street. Illegality makes the safe use of heroin difficult. Furthermore, besides overdoses, many of the health issues associated with heroin use are a direct result of the its being illegal. Illicit heroin is artifically expensive, which results in most of a user's resources having to be allocated toward buying heroin instead of to healthier living, i.e., food, medical care, and decent shelter.

[durutti]

11. He's wrong about one thing...

Nicotine is more addictive than heroin.

[Snappy]

12. Drug Laws

Benefit the Drug Lords and the Enforcement agencies the most. It's all a shell game. The losers? The public.

[RamblingRose]

14. Does Addictive = Pleasure

I understand nicotine is addictive, and have never had any desire to smoke a cigarette. Yet I hear heroin is addictive, and I think "wow, that must be some good stuff". Alcohol & Marijuana are not addictive, but they are enjoyable. LSD is also not addictive, nor deadly for the most part. What is so addictive about some drugs (heroin, nicotine,...)? Is it the pleasure derived from the substances? I've never tried heroin, and would be scared to death to try it, because all you hear about is how addictive it is. I'm all for pleasure, but don't care for the addiction part, or death!

[Eroshan]

16. Alcohol is addictive

both physically and mentally. Marijuana is felt to be mentally addictive. Substances that are physically addictive are harder to quit. They cause severe withdrawl symptoms. Alcoholics and heroin compound addicts can experience severe seizures that can cause death if not treated. Making drugs legal just gives people an excuse to experiment and find the thing they can become addicted to. I am in favor of decriminalizing drugs but not making them legal for the purposes of purchasing them.