I voted against any legalization, however, I do agree with you about tax revenue and eliminating the drug trade. I'm afraid of what the ramifications will be in legalizing drugs though. Look at all the offenses people commit while intoxicated with alcohol. Imagine the chaos with all the others. Look at all the kids that smoke today. Imagine them all on cocaine or pcp? Society will suffer if future generations are all fried from drugs.

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Yeah, that same argument came up last time this topic was discussed. Nobody would ever seriously recommend making drugs legally available to kids. They'd be held to similar, perhaps stricter, regulations as the ones currently applicable to cigarettes and alcohol, including public intoxication laws and the like. Kids get their hands on the stuff illegally right now. They'd still be getting their hands on it in the future. As for people going off on drug-fueled rampages, well, again that happens already under the current system. I wouldn't anticipate it happening much more frequently if drugs were legalized because I wouldn't anticipate a very high increase in drug usage. I don't do cocaine, or heroin, or anything of the legal stuff either for that matter. If it were legal, I still wouldn't. On the other hand, people who are curious about it will try it, and use it regularly if they like it, whether it's legal or not. There's no justification for overburdening our justice system with a war on drugs that achieves nothing but social chaos at the expense of taxpayers' money and security.

Let's face it, alcohol and other drugs that affect one's ability to thick clearly are not good for society. I would be for a test program to see if it would be beneficial overall - tax revenue, eliminate drug war, etc. Amsterdam is sort of an example. The only downfall is that drugs would be more readily available to kids and others who would never try them if they were illegal.

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Very few methods of recreation are any good for society. You're not only entitled to the things which you absolutely need, and which serve anyone's version of the "common good." If it can be allowed without severe detriment then it should be allowed. We tried banning booze in this country and learned from that mistake. Why are we so slow to learn with other drugs?

And, being not too far removed from being considered a "kid" myself, I can tell you that drugs couldn't be any more available to kids than they already are. I didn't use them because I didn't want to, but there will always be a supply available so long as there is demand. The question for me is whether it's worth the cost to combat people's right to exercise free will. Do the benefits (and there are some, I'm sure) outweigh the costs?

I think El Cid has the fundamental point here by the balls. It`s the age old liberal demand for the right to engage in any activity that does not harm others. Now we`ve come a long way since John Locke on this one and created all sorts of different ways of looking at harm, but I think recreational drugs can easily be placed in the same catagory as alcohol and be tolerated as such. If you reject this basic Lockian idea then you have to seriously review our practices concerning Alcohol, Drugs even fast food.

Are you talking about John Lock(e) from Lost? He is still on the island I believe. OK, enough said. Legalize drugs already d a m m i t !

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