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Sources for the Positives on Drug Decriminalization/Legalization for the Uneducated

O

opi8

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May 21, 2010
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I posted this in another forum but it didn't get a single reply. Maybe some fellow Aussies could help me out?

Groups like L.E.A.P., NORML, Garden Freedom spring to mind that I'd recommend to people. Also the proven scientific success of Portugal's drug law relaxation has to be mentioned but I'm sure there are plenty more that us Aussies could mention. Please leave out GetUp, they're pro-prohibition and I have a deep disrespect for them, even if I agree with some of the things they're doing, their opinion on drug law reform is one that I feel very strongly about.

My original post which was ignored below.

I have spoken to people who are open minded enough to give the relaxation of worldwide drug laws a thought or two, but they're not convinced relaxing drug laws is the right way to go forward. This includes either/or the decriminalization of some, or even full legalization, regulation and taxation of all drugs. However, these people don't read about drugs in their spare time like I and they obviously don't get any help from the mainstream media in this regard so they haven't seen enough scientific evidence, case studies or read enough to understand why it could be a good idea for many reasons, and not just a position many people take just because they want to get high legally.

What are a few of the most notable studies/organizations/websites or resources you would direct people to in order to educate them about how the current drug war is currently, and always will be, a losing battle? Ideally, these sources would be targetted at people who don't follow drug laws and news closely, but who believe in freedom of speech, expression and personal choice.

Thanks for your input, I think this could be a really great resource for many people who just don't know where to look, or what to search for, when trying to understand this global issue.
 
Since when has basic rationality and logic needed sources? I can understand what you're trying to do here, but it just seems to me that the knowledge required does not need to be cited, and if someone who is exposed to that knowledge absorbs it and then wants to become an activist is when they might be interested in looking at the topic with more depth and looking at studies on drugs and yada yada yada
Getting someone to see how absurd the WOD doesn't require studies. Educating them about drugs requires studies, not giraffes.

I'm quoting P A because he made a great post
P A said:
This is a point that cannot be overstated nor repeated often enough in contexts such as these. I have found myself facepalming and indexthumbnosebridging more times than during the Star Wars prequel trilogy when participating in or listening to debates re. the merits of drug decriminalization/legalization (D/L) vs those of prohibition for this reason alone. An expected increase in mean per capita usage (which is, of course, dubious to begin with) and volume of consumption are typically offered as deterrents to D/L, but the principle dilemma that is so often neglected is the one summarized above. The issue isn't whether one variable or another is significantly reduced - it's a matter of 1) How well the suggested policy's benefits stack up to its deficiencies and costs; 2) To what extent said policy's sociopolitical justification and implementation is in keeping with collective interests and current social theory; and 3) The actual plausibility of this policy's implementation in the first place, i.e., its relationship to consensus reality. If one considers these criteria to be effective metrics of legislative merit, the issue is unthinkably simple.

As mentioned by L2R above, the WOD is maintained on the behest of dubious historical tradition, rigid sociocultural attitudes, and, most importantly, the political cowardice of our leaders. Who has need for conspiracies when this all-powerful axis of idiocy can be readily cited for blame?
Click to expand...
 
Some people who I communicate with would like to read articles instead of listen to my own (obviously biased) opinions and what I think is obvious, they are skeptical about. That's why certain studies, especially those I may not have heard about, would be beneficial. Ideally, I am thinking large here, this could be a thread where other people who are "on the fence" or undecided, are directed to in order to find a large list of reputable sources, which would help them from thinking I'm some crackpot making up stories to support my radical (in their eyes') viewpoints. Australia21 is a good one, The Alternative World Drug Report another, but there are so many, I'd appreciate the input of others just so it doesn't look like I'm spending all of my time scouring the web and finding obscure, irrelevant, crackpot theories.

Once people understand that this is not only common sense, but also widely accepted scientifically, maybe it could be a thorough educational resource for a significant part of the general public without a firm opinion either way, probably due to lack of knowledge, to enable them access to real information, rather than scare tactics and FUD after the years and years of brainwashing propaganda that we've been subject to by governments worldwide.
 
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