Tomtegubbe
Rising Star
Recently the PM of Finland has been the center of attention over video material that got leaked from a private party she attended. On the videos there are allusions to drug use, though no hard evidence. The PM was very strict about not having ever witnessed drug use among the people she hangs with. It's probably difficult in her position to say anything else, but this brings us to the question that has bugged me a lot: how should the society How should society treat psychoactive substances in legal terms?
The war on drugs has gone badly awry and harsh punishments for victimless crimes erode the trust in the righteousness of the laws, which in turn erodes the trust for the society as whole.
However, with regards to many psychoactive substances, let's take MDMA as an example, there are people who know the risks and can handle them and then there are people who disregard the risks and cause great harm to themselves with it. On general level I believe the alcohol has the worst track record of all substances, but on an individual level there are different kind of risks involved with the controlled substances, that can be sudden and critical.
Then there are a range of substances that cause a lot of misery, but are very addictive. Should the war still be waged on them?
The difficulty with these substances is, that they can be fun and relatively safe for some, but bad for others. The western society rests upon the principle of equal rights. Then again, we have such concepts as driving licenses.
Decriminalizing everything doesn't seem like the ultimate answer as it can generate additional problems when there is no legal source for the stuff.
With regards to plant medicine, I see no reason why they couldn't be legalized everywhere immediately and treated like any plants.
So, what do you think? Should we head towards a society where all the common substances are produced and sold legally, despite the risks? Should the grey market just be tolerated? What about private clubs with legal vendors for people who can handle their stuff?
These are the kind of questions that can't be postponed for much longer in the modern world.
The war on drugs has gone badly awry and harsh punishments for victimless crimes erode the trust in the righteousness of the laws, which in turn erodes the trust for the society as whole.
However, with regards to many psychoactive substances, let's take MDMA as an example, there are people who know the risks and can handle them and then there are people who disregard the risks and cause great harm to themselves with it. On general level I believe the alcohol has the worst track record of all substances, but on an individual level there are different kind of risks involved with the controlled substances, that can be sudden and critical.
Then there are a range of substances that cause a lot of misery, but are very addictive. Should the war still be waged on them?
The difficulty with these substances is, that they can be fun and relatively safe for some, but bad for others. The western society rests upon the principle of equal rights. Then again, we have such concepts as driving licenses.
Decriminalizing everything doesn't seem like the ultimate answer as it can generate additional problems when there is no legal source for the stuff.
With regards to plant medicine, I see no reason why they couldn't be legalized everywhere immediately and treated like any plants.
So, what do you think? Should we head towards a society where all the common substances are produced and sold legally, despite the risks? Should the grey market just be tolerated? What about private clubs with legal vendors for people who can handle their stuff?
These are the kind of questions that can't be postponed for much longer in the modern world.