Conscience amongst drug users?

Here’s a question for you all, you’re somewhere with a friend and that friend has had way too many drugs – they’re in the state where they no longer know who they are let alone what they were doing and they do something stupid – say steal a car, smash a shop window, punch an old lady, stab someone, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter the action, nor it’s severity, I’m sure you get the idea.

Now, this person gets picked up by the cops, charged. You know a lesser charge will be laid if it is made known that they were heavily under the influence.

Do you speak up?

Well?

Now the situation could be as small as them smashing a window and being ordered to pay damages and it would be as big as them killing someone and your knowledge saving their lives. There’s no limitation here but to your imagination. But what would you do?

Is it always protecting number one or do you have a line that you will cross?

This is something that has intrigued me for a while, in any illegal activity it has always been look out for yourself (and those above you) and hope like hell nobody below you sings when caught. Amongst drug users we’re all doing something illegal and for many people that something illegal often brings about something stupid.

Now if you get caught out doing something stupid, would you hope that your friends would come forward and help you or would you know that there is no way they’d talk. If your friend needed you to admit to doing illicit substances to the police in order to help them, what would you do? Where does your conscience sit on that?

I hope this is clear, it’s hard to put into words what I’ve been thinking about and no one scenario covers it all so I’ve been as broad as possible.

I've included a poll for those who don't want to actually write their thoughts but I'd love some feedback on how this all plays out in your own mind.

I'm not sure I get it. From the implications of the situation, who wouldn't own up? You're helping out a friend at the expense of your own face. Its not much to give away to people you don't know is it? If the drugs are in the system, you're not carrying, and you aren't the one being charged? ... Simply admitting to the police that you had some illicit substances isn't much of a big deal is it?
Even if you were still carrying, find some way to ditch it, and tell the truth. I'd be pretty shocked to know about anyone who wouldn't help out a mate just to save face and about 50 bucks!

^^^ but that's what i mean - to some people it isn't a big deal... to others it may be.

I wouldn't hesitate myself, but a discussion i had with a friend in the week reminded me that not everyone is the same, he wouldn't have even thought about owning up. It makes no sense to me but that's how he felt.

I'm curious as to how many people are like him.

Well, naturally, as tight as I am, I'm a giver, and when push comes to shove, I usually sacrifice myself. So in a situation such as above, I may think about it, but theres no way I'd let a mate take something I could prevent

But yeah, there are people out there who think differently. Fifty bucks is a measely amount of money to some but not all

I'd be talkin it up all the way if I thought being under the influence would help get someone off on diminished responsibility. Although I can't see it ever happening with my friends thankfully, they'd be too worried about how broken glass would throw off their look or mess with their karma.

can you actually still use diminished responsiblity as a defense?

^^^ no idea actually... *shrug* i guess the hypothetical remains regardless.

Someone studying law might be able to answer that Now I'm curious.

When it comes to your crew you have to stick by them unless something really heavy goes down and even then the truth is usually the best policy. Especially if I've got nothing to lose apart from having a few cops look disapprovingly at me. Hell, I don't even need to say anything to get that. I have long (but well kept) hair and drive and old car, so it wouldn't be much different from the status quo for me.

Its friends like that which scare me Kitty. I want to be confidant that if the shit goes down the crew will pull together, for the greater good ect. I guess one needs to be selective with the people they chose to have adventures with. Drug related or not. I need to have a pretty good feeling about someone before inviting them out, not so much for fear of something destructive but no one likes ending a big night on a sour note because of other peoples shit.

Cuddles

yep agreed that the hypothetical remains

just wondered about diminished responsibilty as a defense because i am pretty sure that you can either

a) not use it at all or

b) it is hard to use as a defense

anyway guess thats getting away from the point of the thread!


i would definately help a friend out, and if need be admit to using an illicit substance if it helped them get off in anyway

i guess for some people the question would come up how good a friend are they? and how well do i know them, am i willing to put myself in trouble with the law for someone that i dont even really know (this relating to people you might meet up with off the internet etc to go party with)

i would like to think i would help my friend out, but that said i think it would depend largely on the circumstances - i have never been int hat situation so i can't say for sure...

It's like asking someone whether they'd have an abortion or not... until you're in that situation you never really know what you would do...

So what would be the maximum penalty you would incur if you did own up? Assuming that you weren't carrying anything and had no prior record?? Surely it's more than $50????

You forgot the obligatory option about hating polls!

hmmm I chose the bottom one, if they couldnt tell he was on drugs... then they wouldnt believe me if i told them. And he could just say... That he was on drugs... and they could test to see... If i get involved im just feeding myself to the wolves for no reason.... If i was there and he stabbed someone in self defence and he just happened to be on drugs... then I probably would be there as a witness to say that he did it in self defense...

Hmmm... my background is very anti destruction, i dont think i have friends who would do that on anything other than alcohol. And if on Alcohol me saying he was drunk wouldnt really help the situation either hey

basically, until the situation arose i have no idea what i would do. the scenario you have given is not detailed enough.

wow, this reminds me of the computer game Ultima, where you have to choose your virtues. that was, and still is, a COOL game :D

i guess if it was a situation where i knew about what my friend was going to do before (s)he did it then i would feel guilty about allowing it to happen... but my ideas on what is right and wrong are not concrete enough to say either way. the severity of the crime is the key factor here. is the punishment for the crime going to help the situation either way? is a more

from a simplicity point of view, as long as one is not hurting somebody else or having a negative impact on somebody else then what they do is their own business. but i cannot imagine a time when the actions that one does to themselves would not have an effect on the people who love them.

Cohaa.

Tell the truth for sure, this is a no brainer, absolutely nothing bad can happen to me if I tell the cops my mate was intoxicated so I have nothing to lose. My friend however will suffer greatly if he stabbed someone and didn't have intoxication as a mitigating circumstance in his defence, it could be the difference between jail time and rehab/fines/suspended sentence.

He/she would most probably be tested anyway.
If he/she were in such a drugged up state it would be fairly obvious.
Diminished responsibility won't help you too much afaik. Won't get you off a broken window, might make murder charge become a manslaughter charge. Although this often happens in cases where no drugs are involved, as it revolves around whether there was intention to do it.
Punishment has to fit the crime, and society hates drugged up abusers.

unless there's some real hardcore result for me (like i'd end up in jail or something) i'm definitely gonna protect my friends. anything i could do, i would. anyone who wouldn't...have a serious fucking think about yourselves (or get some new friends ).

If you dog your friends, you are just that, a dog.

^^^ exactly my point!

*bump*

Hmm
depends on the friend really
if it was solely the friends responsibility, and they fucked up royally, I'd make sure they knew, and leave them to their own wits. All of my friends are smart enough to know when to call it quits, so I dont see this situation occurring

If it was someone I really, truly gave a shit about then I'd put myself in the firing line and would willingly cop a charge if it helped in one way or another

I'm very loyal towards good friends
(or so i like to think)