While I don't believe in complete legalization, I believe in de-criminalization.
I can't remember at the moment which countries they were, other than Iran(Though they may have changed this in recent years) but anyone found with drugs would be treated as a patient who had a drug-addiction. They wouldn't pay a fine, they would have to take a compulsory rehab cycle.
While this is effective, better than that would be a compulsory educational program about drugs - facts about neurotoxicity, why certain drugs may cause depression/suicidal thoughts/paranoia and other bad side-effects from drug
abuse.
If a user has a strong struggle with addiction, they should be put into rehab on the word of their immediate-family or gaurdians.
Part of the taboo on drugs and the dangers of addiction/abuse stem from the fact that drugs are illegal and the consequences of getting caught, or even publically saying "I am sorry but I have a problem, I have a drug addiction" will make a person stick out amongst their peers. Even recreational drug users, who don't suffer from addiction problems will have this problem with 'regular' society catagorizing them into a group. Sure there is a group, but why is there none for drinking? It's either you drink or don't drink. Why does it have to be "He smokes pot? Damn he must be a heavy brain dead drug-user?"
Don't get me started on if a person uses stimulants, downers, or empathogens.
If any drug is used responsibally, it
can be safe. So long as you are not
addicted or abusing them.
Then it's not a problem from the drug, its a psychological problem that therapy, care, and proper attention can help a person better their life. Sometimes the drug-addiction
phase of a person's life can be benificial to them in the long run.
If laws remain the way they are
and they become more strict it can't do anything except worsen an already terrible situation globally.
If the government de-criminalized the selling/manufacture of drugs, and focused on helping drug-users, they would see a tremendous downfall of drug-use. Prices would go down for one, drugs cut with toxic fillers would disapear, people would be able to do proper studies on drug-abuse/use and the effects on the mind to help drug-users, and more people would openly be supportive of say - Opiate abusers, or Stimulant abusers, or Psychedelic abusers.
A drug user in rehab will relate a lot better to a therapist or psychiatrist who has used or knows the effects personally than they would to somebody who would demonize them for using an illicit substance. Society does this already - the psychiatrist is part of society as well, even if they have used drugs they would not be able to share this simple but very important fact with their patients.
Most people in rehab will talk with people who use the same drugs that they used themselves. If the head therapist doesn't relate to them, how can they reach them on a personal level to find out why people use drugs?
There are an infinite amount of reasons why people use drugs, in the end it stems to psychological/social/anxiety/personality problems from abusers(who are sometimes worsening their symptoms), and the responsible users are looking for an alternative way of thinking,spirituality, or a simple intoxication that doesn't involve the damaging dangers of legal subsitutes or alcohol.
Decriminalization all the way, if they want to stop drug-cartels killing thousands, they have to cut off their main revenue. Legalizing and keeping manufacture illegal will only increase productive capabilities.
As a user, i'd rather have clean, cheap & worry-free albiet hard to find drugs rather than cut,expensive, sketchy at times though easy to find drugs.
Those who really want to use them responsibly will go out of their way to do it with or without breaking the law.
The government shouldn't focus on the stigmatization of the users or the extermination of the source... rather they should let it be and work on finding out why people use them, help fix their own societies problems, and lower the demand for these drugs.
Most people won't like stims, most people won't like opiates, most people won't like psychedelics, most people won't like empathogens, most people won't like alcohol.
But with the option, knowledge and freedom, people can focus to use their class of intoxication safe & responsibly. It will balance the demand for each type of drug, and thus the sources will have to cater to less customers but rather constant & reliable ones who if gone down the path of addiction can get the help they need to either use responsibly or stop/switch to a safer drug, or find the reason as to why they abused a drug so tremendously.
Nobody loses anything, and everybody gains anything. (Though this route will eventually lead to taxed drugs, as well as the removal of Class 1 Drugs & possibly turning them into disposable substances for doctors, rehab clinics, and psychiatrists trying to help their patients in a proper manner according to their patients problems.)
The key to any decriminalization process from the inevitable influx of abusers is the very important step in focusing millions of dollars on rehab, therapy and research. With the benefit of not looking for drug-manufactures or wasting millions if not billions on something like this 'drug war' from court costs, to prison maintenance, to financing something like the DEA, ALL of their money can be focused on treating drug-users and more than likley spending a lot but still spending less than we are now...
The process is long overdue and the longer we wait the more difficult it will get.
