Illegal drug usage, have you, will you, tempted?

[Bogball XV]

I'm interested to find out just how prevalent the taking of illegal drugs is in our society.  I'll start the ball rolling, I have smoked some weed, I know many people who've dabbled in the likes of E and acid etc, I know of several people who've taken coke (and enjoyed it), but not on a regular basis.  I also know of people who've taken heroin with serious consequences.
On the whole I think the 'war on drugs' is as futile as the 'war on terror' and we need a total rethink of our drugs policy, I favour some sort of legalisation, simply because the side-effects of keeping these substances illegal outweigh (imo) the possible outcome of legalising them.
We have a whole criminal sub-culture who thrive on the profits of keeping these illegal, we don't really have any idea of the scale of usage throughout society, we keep users ill-informed (see the lads in waterford eating damp cocaine), we allow criminals to distribute the drugs thus the product quality itself can lead to fatalities.  We already allow the sale of dangerous substances such as alcohol and nicotine.
I appreciate there are as many arguments against the legalisation, but I'll leave it up to you all to put them forward.

[screenexile]

Personally I am totally against illegal drugs and have never even thought about trying any of them to be fair I have to be in very bad shape to take any kind of legal medication as well.

As far as legalising it goes I would only be in favour of legalising weed. The experience I have had of it through friends who have done it is that there are no lasting side effects and it only seems to calm them down or make them giggle and uncontrollably!

As for other drugs I completely can't stand them and if I thought any friends were doing them on a regular basis I wouldn't be happy at all. Why risk so much for so little gain from what I can see. I also think any sc**bag dealing drugs should be locked up and have the key thrown away on them!

[take_yer_points]

Personally I am totally against illegal drugs and have never even thought about trying any of them to be fair I have to be in very bad shape to take any kind of legal medication as well.

As far as legalising it goes I would only be in favour of legalising weed. The experience I have had of it through friends who have done it is that there are no lasting side effects and it only seems to calm them down or make them giggle and uncontrollably!

As for other drugs I completely can't stand them and if I thought any friends were doing them on a regular basis I wouldn't be happy at all. Why risk so much for so little gain from what I can see. I also think any sc**bag dealing drugs should be locked up and have the key thrown away on them!

You say you're totally against illegal drugs? What if say cocaine was legalised? Would  it become ok then? Is it the drug and it's effects that you're against or is it the fact that its illegal?

I'd be in favour of some type of legalisation of weed and some of the stronger "hard" drugs. I think this is the only way that the contents of those drugs can be monitored and therefore minimizing the risk to users. I've seen some of these in regular use and apart from the next day hangover/come down there doesn't seem to be any lasting effect that i can see.

I know there are stats thrown around about the number of deaths from alcohol/cigs vs the number from illegal drugs - it would be interesting to get the comparison.

[The Claw]

Never have never will, never tempted. Its the effect of the drugs, not the illegality of them that i'm opposed to. Eg. if I had the power i'd outlaw cigarettes without thinking twice.

[thejuice]

heres another question, if you knew of someone in your locality or elsewhere who was dealing drugs would you report them to the authorities? Baring in mind the possiblility that if you were found out to have informed the Gardai you could be in danger.

[screenexile]

Personally I am totally against illegal drugs and have never even thought about trying any of them to be fair I have to be in very bad shape to take any kind of legal medication as well.

As far as legalising it goes I would only be in favour of legalising weed. The experience I have had of it through friends who have done it is that there are no lasting side effects and it only seems to calm them down or make them giggle and uncontrollably!

As for other drugs I completely can't stand them and if I thought any friends were doing them on a regular basis I wouldn't be happy at all. Why risk so much for so little gain from what I can see. I also think any sc**bag dealing drugs should be locked up and have the key thrown away on them!

You say you're totally against illegal drugs? What if say cocaine was legalised? Would  it become ok then? Is it the drug and it's effects that you're against or is it the fact that its illegal?

I'd be in favour of some type of legalisation of weed and some of the stronger "hard" drugs. I think this is the only way that the contents of those drugs can be monitored and therefore minimizing the risk to users. I've seen some of these in regular use and apart from the next day hangover/come down there doesn't seem to be any lasting effect that i can see.

I know there are stats thrown around about the number of deaths from alcohol/cigs vs the number from illegal drugs - it would be interesting to get the comparison.

Sorry TYP I didn't explain myself properly I would be totally against any current drugs deemed to be illegal being downgraded or legalised. I just don't agree with recreational drugs at all and to be honest I don't see the point in them.

[take_yer_points]

I see where you're coming from but I don't think my stance would be as hard line as your own. I would be against heroin and cannot see the point in anyone using it but I think there is an argument for the regulation of the likes of cocaine/ectcasy. As I said, with more regulation and testing they can be made safer - never mind the revenue generated from taxation on them (imagine - drug takers paying the wages of the gaa players!!  )

In past personal experience I have seen the effects of alcohol be more influential in a person's life than any other drug. It can change the attitude of a person just as much as anything else.

[his holiness nb]

As a hill16 going Dub, it may shock you to find I have never done cocaine! 

[stpauls]

i would have been a regular user of weed during my uni years, and would also still enjoy an occasional spliff. would never do anything harder, ie ecstasy or coke, just wouldn't want to risk getting a bad one, and ending up in hospital or worse.

i would never hold it against anyone who did anything stronger, i would just wonder why they would take such a risk in doing so!

i also feel that legalising some of these drugs would certainly reduce the amount of crime on the streets, as well as reducing the death toll due to people taking drugs spiked with stuff to fill it out ir rat poison, ground down glass etc., as well as generating money from the sales of it to be put back in to public spending.

[Declan]

On the whole legislation argument does the question of why there seems to be an insatiable desire for people to use mind altering substances arise at all?.

[Bogball XV]

On the whole legislation argument does the question of why there seems to be an insatiable desire for people to use mind altering substances arise at all?.

I don't know, but it appears that most of us are hard wired that way, ever since man discovered that when he left the apples to rot for a while before eating them they made him feel different, to the discovery that chewing on certain leaves gave man the power of visions and so on we seem to have been into it.  I suppose a pyschologist would be best placed to answer, but I suppose that it gives people an escape from the ordinary, it lowers inhibitions making people think that is the real them, they may allow people to see deeper inside themselves, allow creativity to flourish  -  I'm probably talking a lot of crap here, but, what's new.
We should remember that many substances currently outlawed were in common everyday usage until the prohibition era of the 30's, then the US decided to outlaw many of them and Europe followed suit, don't get me wrong, there were many, many societal problems of drug abuse but that doesn't mean that prohibition was ever going to be the answer - what has man ever managed to eradicate by prohibition?

[Puckoon]

Bogball, I think you've made a mistake with classifying Cocaine and Heroin together in one of your poll choices. Personally Id have put cocaine in along side Ecstasy as a recreational drug (regardless of which class it is in, although I think they are classed one and the same).

Years ago Id have tried anything, except those which scared me - namely heroin and crack cocaine. Even if you compare two drug related movies which demonstrate heroin use(trainspotting), and cocaine use (Blow) heroin doesnt even look close to being something that you even enjoy. Cocaine IMHO is at least enjoyable and when used in a group is sociable - something I cant envisage with heroin, although I cant compare. People dont take recreational drugs because its not fun.

Although every now and then I yearn to party like we used to, I think I remember it as being more fun than it actually was. I dont think I could ever be persuaded to do so much as one smoke again. Life changes, responsibilities come along and you eventually grow out of it.

[AZOffaly]

Life changes, responsibilities come along and you eventually grow out of it.

If you get a chance. Too many people in Ireland in the last 6 months or so won't ever grow out of it.

[Puckoon]

Not 100% sure what you mean AZ.

Its not just in the last 6 months that people are struggling with addiction in Ireland, or the world at large.

Heroins been ruining intercity areas since as long as I can remember.

What I meant by growing out of it was the average recreational drug user. No one that I know of, didnt make it out when they decided they'd had enough. Maybe its a demographic thing. Maybe thats because they stayed away from the really bad stuff. (I realise how ridiculous that might sound, but I firmly believe that heroin and crack cocaine are the devil incarnate of the drug world - not that im saying anything else is ok before the usual suspects round me up). Its hard to know.

[lynchbhoy]

never never never

all drugs should remain outlawed (drink should be permitted in quotas)
drug dealers should get life or in the case of persistent big shot dealers - maybe commutation to dundalk/death.