All Drugs Should be Legalised for Recreational Use

Portugal Drug Decriminalization I"ll dispute your claims on Portugal. First off, they have not legalized drugs, they have decriminalized them, and there is a big difference. ""The police still search people for drugs,""Hashish, cocaine, ecstasy -- Portuguese police still seize and destroy all these substances. Before doing so, though, they first weigh the drugs and consult the official table with the list of 10-day limits. Anyone possessing drugs in excess of these amounts is treated as a dealer and charged in court. Anyone with less than the limit is told to report to a body known as a "warning commission on drug addiction" within the next 72 hours." ""data show[s], among other things, that the number of adults in Portugal who have at some point taken illegal drugs is rising. At the same time, though, the number of teenagers who have at some point taken illegal drugs is falling. The number of drug addicts who have undergone rehab has also increased dramatically, while the number of drug addicts who have become infected with HIV has fallen significantly" http://www.spiegel.de... All this information leads to a conclusion similar to the one I stated above. Addiction has gone up a lot, but now they are getting good needles, therefore, they don"t get HIV. More people are doing dangerous drugs"which, by the way, have consequences for people other than the user/the user"s body. As a side note, I"ll add that Portugal is number six in the world in Debt to GDP ratio, that is, sixth highest in its terrible economy. Prisoners in the US I found that in 2011: 53.5% of incarcerations were due to violent crimes 18.6% were due to property crimes 16.6% were due to drug crimes"and, breaking that down, I found that: 4.1% were Possession crimes 12.5 were "other" drug related crimes http://www.bjs.gov... Other Rebuttals "I have never disputed this however legal substances like cigarettes can cause issues that is as dangerous and as physically repulsive as addiction to hard drugs." Cigarette addiction does not typically break up families or seriously disrupt work habits"no, I would not honestly compare the two. They are quite different. Pro did not challenge my points on what happened with the crack epidemic, so it remains valid, and I"ll update it with some more information. Our most violent years in America, that is, the 15 years with the most violent crime take place from 1980-1996. The crack epidemic was from 1982-1990. Is there a correlation? Yes. In LA: The homicide rate from 1984-1994 more than doubled. Mothers couldn"t properly take care of their children, so the fetal death rate skyrocketed, along with the number of children in foster care. 'As a result of the low-skill levels and minimal initial resource outlay required to sell crack, systemic violence flourished as a growing army of young, enthusiastic inner-city crack sellers attempt to defend their economic investment.' (James Inciardi, Ph.D.) How much of this could have been avoided with legalization? We"ll never know, but we can make very good estimations. In Argentina: "Marijuana, the bulk of which is imported from Paraguay and used for domestic consumption, continues to be the most widely abused illegal drug. However, the prevalence of cocaine use has risen sharply, and the country has the second largest internal cocaine market in South America after Brazil. Cocaine remains by far the leading drug for which Argentines seek help at treatment centers, and the use of cocaine base is a growing problem among economically disadvantaged members of society." This headline was printed only last month: Overwhelmed by crime, Argentina declares emergency in Buenos Aires http://www.themalaymailonline.com... Crime is a major issue in Argentina, despite decriminalization.