Liberal Democrats plot to have heroin decriminalized: Party’s proposals would see nobody…(UK)

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 18:53 EST, 22 June 2015 | James Slack and Tamara Cohen

[Olog-hai]

Possession of all drugs, including heroin and cocaine, would be decriminalized under radical plans tabled by the Liberal Democrats today.

The party’s push, led by ex-police chief Brian Paddick, will attempt to ambush a Government Bill to ban the sale of legal highs when it is debated by the Lords.

Under their proposals, nobody would be arrested or prosecuted for possession of drugs—even the hardest Class A substances. Instead, police “may” ask the offender to attend a drug awareness course or treatment program. […]

Kathy Gyngell, of the Centre for Policy Studies, described the latest plan to decriminalize heroin as “bewildering”. The drugs campaigner said: “The evidence of Brian Paddick’s own disastrous experiment in Brixton shows just how dangerous and irresponsible this approach is.” …

[Olog-hai]

Full title: Liberal Democrats plot to have heroin decriminalized: Party’s proposals would see nobody arrested or prosecuted for possession of any drug

Having seen lots of drunks living on the street, legality would sure not change stuff like that for dope addicts; as for the issue of ease of creating new addicts, the can of worms is open for re-canning.

[ansel12]

Libertarians want them legal, and fully advertised.

[EagleUSA]

Destroying minds with liberalism in schools, destroying minds with drugs on the street...they will do anything to create an army of Democrat voting zombies, devoid of any functional though.

Anything for votes and power.

[pepsionice]

The problem with this idea is that you as a business owner might be forced to hire a guy who regularly does heron and shows up to work still in a daze. I personally don’t care what a guy does at home but once at my business....you’d best be fully functional and able to think without some crutch. I could see some stupid court telling me after I fired a guy....he was entitled to be doped up and I have to keep him on the staff. That’s where this stupidity goes, if you allow it to go forward.

[StormEye]

Now that’s an idea. With decriminalized heroin maybe all the junkies will finally find it easier to overdose and die off.

[nathanbedford]

This attempt to legalize drugs will no doubt fail but some sort of legalization is inevitable over time.

The public is beginning to weigh the harm done by a war on drugs against the presumed good it does and, at least with respect to marijuana in Colorado and elsewhere, we have concluded that the harm outweighs the good. The same test will eventually be applied to hard drugs and the same conclusion will be reached after prolonged and acrimonious debate.

The process will be difficult and critics will argue from anecdotal damage caused by hard drug abuse. The harm caused by drugs is notorious but the harm done by the war on drugs to our liberty, our foreign policy, our economy, our respect for the rule law, our level of public corruption, and our liberty is more difficult to see or to moralize about.

Ultimately, however, the eternal inconsistency of the war on drugs which only sustains the dollar value of addictive drugs by creating scarcity and profits to a multilevel marketing endeavor will bring a close to this disastrous "war" on drugs.

[clearcarbon]

[plain talk]

Our liberals will push this crap at some point.

[GraceG]

The Islamo Nazi would love to hook us all on the poppys from their fields, better for them to fight a drunken debilitated people...than an awake people..

[GraceG]

[ Now that’s an idea. With decriminalized heroin maybe all the junkies will finally find it easier to overdose and die off. ]

Opium Dens! Hopium Dems...

[equaviator]

They’re talking about taking a chance on overdosing on decriminalization of too many hard drugs when cleaning up their act could mean curtailing jihadist poppy growers and opium processors. I have felt for a long time that what they have over there in those poppy fields are chemical weapons of mass destruction.

[ConservingFreedom]

The harm caused by drugs is notorious but the harm done by the war on drugs to our liberty, our foreign policy, our economy, our respect for the rule law, our level of public corruption, and our liberty is more difficult to see or to moralize about.

Ultimately, however, the eternal inconsistency of the war on drugs which only sustains the dollar value of addictive drugs by creating scarcity and profits to a multilevel marketing endeavor will bring a close to this disastrous "war" on drugs.

Well said!

[antidisestablishment]

The inherent fallacy of the Libertarian argument is the obvious failure of decriminalization to ever affect the leviathan. The BATF was the result of the repeal of prohibition. Once they legalize drugs, who will the leviathan target?

From my perspective, it would be those anti-abortion, bigoted, capitalist, discriminatory, evil, fascist, gun-loving, heterosexist, intolerant, jingoist, KKK-supporting, lying, monotheistic, narrow-minded, offensive, patriarchal, queer-hating, racist, stereotyping, toxic, ungenerous, violent, wicked, xenophobic zombies. (AKA conservatives)

[ConservingFreedom]

Once they legalize drugs, who will the leviathan target?

So rather than fight the bear, you'd save yourself from being eaten by squirting BBQ sauce on the guy the bear is currently eating?

[antidisestablishment]

Not an issue. Legalization is not important; anymore than transgenderism. It’s all a distraction. Keep worrying about it, though.

I don’t see that Colorado has targeted asset seizure—that is a clear violation of rights. I prefer to address the gross violations. I really don’t care for the cause de jour. The root issue is not legalization, but assumed powers in violation of the ninth and tenth amendments.

[ConservingFreedom]

The root issue is not legalization, but assumed powers in violation of the ninth and tenth amendments.

Sure, 'fighting drugs' was and is just a smokescreen - but tackling the root issue politically will be easier if the smoke is dispelled.

[antidisestablishment]

I’m tired of fighting smokescreens. States have the power; they don’t have the will. Playing in the Federal sandbox is a losing proposition. Obama and his minions are happy to continue to “overlook” your transgressions as long as it fits their narrative of assumed power. They don’t have the power unless our “representatives abdicate it.