What is your political party

[Kasz216]

Sqrl said:

SamuelRSmith said:
Eh, I'll just copy and paste something I wrote on drugs:

The use of drugs should never result in a prison sentence or a fine; instead if someone is caught with drugs for personal use, then that person should only be offered rehabilitation. Parents of young children will have to go through rehabilitation, or risk losing their child, whilst everyone else will retain the rights to reject the rehab offered.

Similar schemes have been introduced in Portugal, and it has had many staggering results:

- Rehabilitation was found to be cheaper than incarceration.
- Illegal drug use amongst teens has decreased.
- The number of HIV cases caused by sharing dirty needles decreased.
- The number of people seeking help for their drug problem doubled.
- Deaths related to heroin and other drugs more than halved.

These are the results of drug use becoming less of a taboo (which makes “rebellious” teens less likely to start), and so people stopped using them underground, and society became far more open to drugs.

Actually that is a big part of the problem, drugs aren't seen as taboo by the people who get involved with them.  For most it is a way to fit in and belong to a group.  From a social engineering standpoint (a field I'm not overly fond of but whatever) the ideal would be for drug use to be something that would alienate you from a group not help to fit in.

A great example I can think of, and maybe this was a regional thing, but in my area it used to be really popular and "cool" to have a beeper when they were prevalent...but when cell phones started taking over it was "pshaw...you still use a beeper?".  Granted beepers aren't addictive but today nobody even considers buying a beeper ..the point being that if you don't ever get it you can't get hooked.  Perhaps a bit of a convoluted example but again..whatever =P

There are other types of users of course, those who want an escape for example, but in their case the drug use is a symptom and not a cause so addressing it requires a different approach.

As for the plan you present I agree rehabilitation is far and away the best choice with "drug crimes".  But people have to want help or it does absolutely no good.  At the very least it would be a large step in the right direction though.

Ah but look at cigarrettes.

Cigarrettes "used" to be cool.

But slowley do to all their negative effects have been villinized by the public at large.

Cigarrettes are really only cool with one group now.

Kids under 18.