C'jais Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 Yes, it's me again... Before you start flaming/commenting, read what I have to say: Drugs should still be illegal to sell on the street. Drugs are given for free on special drug clinics - the drug has to be taken on the spot, and at the clinic there'll be brochures and offers on rehabilitation, but it's not a requirement to take them. Why would this work? First, the drug users would start right away by going to the clinics since it's free of charge to get the drug there. By drug users, I mean the "hardened" users who are in severe drug abuse already. The drug lords only get their money from those same hardened users - they don't earn anything on the first timers. With time, more and more hardened drug users will turn to the clinics to get their drug, and the drug lords will have lost their source of income. The first timers are still required to try drugs "on the street" for their first time, since they'll be turned down if they seek it on the clinics. But the drug lords are no longer on the market to offer them these drugs since their income have vanished with the drug clinics. Of course, the drug lords could try to flood the market with cheap drugs, but in the end it'll only hurt themselves because it's way better to get the drug for free on the clinics than to commit crime in order to get the money. Anyone think this could work? [EDIT] - Forgot to mention it's always possible to simply stop the whole idea, if the development is going in the wrong direction. Either way, it's still worth a shot, there's nothing to lose and everything to gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemme w/Stick Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 It would prolly work, but where the heck would you be able to find a goverment who would allow this?? Well, I think it could work, but I dont think that any goverment would allow this..... Well, thats kinda repeating myself.... -Clemme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C'jais Posted November 10, 2002 Author Share Posted November 10, 2002 Originally posted by Clemme w/Stick It would prolly work, but where the heck would you be able to find a goverment who would allow this?? -Clemme I know what you mean Clemme - there'd be an outcry at first, especially considering the mothers of the drug users who'd be appaled to find that their kids can get the drugs legally and free. However, you'd have to look at the long term effects on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET Warrior Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 I don't see this working atall. How can the government afford to just supply infinite amounts of free drugs to anyone who wants them? And how would a clinic know if somebody is a first time user or a hardened user? THEN, what would this accomplish? Maybe we'd eliminate drug lords.....but we wouldn't solve the drug problems....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C'jais Posted November 10, 2002 Author Share Posted November 10, 2002 Originally posted by ET Warrior I don't see this working atall. How can the government afford to just supply infinite amounts of free drugs to anyone who wants them? And how would a clinic know if somebody is a first time user or a hardened user? THEN, what would this accomplish? Maybe we'd eliminate drug lords.....but we wouldn't solve the drug problems....... It's fairly easy to see who the first timers are - tests can show this. And these first timers are forced to get their fix elsewhere, but that elsewhere is nowhere to be found since the drug lords have moved away due to the complete lack of income. The only reason drugs are expensive is because the criminal market can enforce whatever price they want to - they know they're the only place that the drug users can get their stuff from. Drugs without the heavy criminal taxes aren't so expensive really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemme w/Stick Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 Originally posted by ET Warrior I don't see this working atall. How can the government afford to just supply infinite amounts of free drugs to anyone who wants them? And how would a clinic know if somebody is a first time user or a hardened user? THEN, what would this accomplish? Maybe we'd eliminate drug lords.....but we wouldn't solve the drug problems....... I see your point!! Well, we have this option for telling whether they are hardened users or not. All drug users go to their doctors and take some sort of test, to see if they are hardened or not. If they are hardened they get a certificate proving that they are hardened and therefore get access to free drugs! this doesnt solve the money problem though..! I have to work on that one!! -Clemme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C'jais Posted November 10, 2002 Author Share Posted November 10, 2002 Shameless *bump* I'd like more opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kstar__2 Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 well, the idea is good, but where do the clinics get there drugs from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C'jais Posted November 10, 2002 Author Share Posted November 10, 2002 Originally posted by kstar__2 well, the idea is good, but where do the clinics get there drugs from? Good question. I'd assume that an entire government could get the drugs through some means, although I don't know which exactly.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breton Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 It is a good idea, but the clinics must also encourage and help the drug users to quit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kstar__2 Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 Originally posted by cjais Good question. I'd assume that an entire government could get the drugs through some means, although I don't know which exactly.... so you are saying the goverment should get it from the drug lords? or make their own? (not flaming on you, just pointing out) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C'jais Posted November 10, 2002 Author Share Posted November 10, 2002 Originally posted by JM Qui-Gon Jinn It is a good idea, but the clinics must also encourage and help the drug users to quit. Yes, that's what's the brochures and offers for rehabilitation are for Kstar: I'm not implying they should get it from the drug lords, but maybe the government could get it from the countries that produce the drugs, or they might even make it themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Dooku Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 Originally posted by cjais Yes, it's me again... Before you start flaming/commenting, read what I have to say: Drugs should still be illegal to sell on the street. Drugs are given for free on special drug clinics - the drug has to be taken on the spot, and at the clinic there'll be brochures and offers on rehabilitation, but it's not a requirement to take them. Why would this work? First, the drug users would start right away by going to the clinics since it's free of charge to get the drug there. By drug users, I mean the "hardened" users who are in severe drug abuse already. The drug lords only get their money from those same hardened users - they don't earn anything on the first timers. With time, more and more hardened drug users will turn to the clinics to get their drug, and the drug lords will have lost their source of income. The first timers are still required to try drugs "on the street" for their first time, since they'll be turned down if they seek it on the clinics. But the drug lords are no longer on the market to offer them these drugs since their income have vanished with the drug clinics. Of course, the drug lords could try to flood the market with cheap drugs, but in the end it'll only hurt themselves because it's way better to get the drug for free on the clinics than to commit crime in order to get the money. Anyone think this could work? [EDIT] - Forgot to mention it's always possible to simply stop the whole idea, if the development is going in the wrong direction. Either way, it's still worth a shot, there's nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don't think this would work but if everyone could get drugs from the clinics, the illegal drug sellers would go out of business, then maybe you could stop the supply of drugs again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C'jais Posted November 10, 2002 Author Share Posted November 10, 2002 Originally posted by Darth Dooku I don't think this would work but if everyone could get drugs from the clinics, the illegal drug sellers would go out of business, then maybe you could stop the supply of drugs again. Why wouldn't it work? As far as I can see, you've just proved that it can yourself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ET Warrior Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 There is of course though, the amazing cost involved, putting the country who tries this into massive debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C'jais Posted November 10, 2002 Author Share Posted November 10, 2002 Originally posted by ET Warrior There is of course though, the amazing cost involved, putting the country who tries this into massive debt. Huh? Did you read what I wrote to you before? And, you've got to consider the cost to society of having drug users running around stealing things to get money for drugs, putting them to jail etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormHammer Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 I'm sure that such simple and elegant solutions to the world's drug problems have been raised and scrutinised in minute detail in the past, but must have been considered unworkable. Here are a few of my thoughts on the issue... Firstly...this is not something you can start up, ween everyone off the drugs, and then stop. It won't work that way. Assuming that the clinics could do their job, and get the majority of drug users on the straight and narrow... demand for their services would decrease, and they would eventually be phased out under the next round of economic budget cuts. So what happens then? The next generation comes along and starts to experiment with drugs...and the whole vicious cycle starts over. Having said that...I think drug barons will always find some kind of market for their wares, unfortunately. So the clinics would have to remain in place, and become a large financial drain, which will be recouped in the easiest way possible...by raising taxes to pay for them. Make no mistake...governments get most of their income via taxes of some sort or another, whether it's visible as a deduction on your wages docket...or the more familiar stealth taxes that are employed these days. So instead of a minority of people losing their possessions to burglars, the majority of the population will lose another small percentage of their annual income in taxes to pay for drug rehab programs. And even if that were feasible...no-one is going to accept it if the drug-users are not coerced into rehabiliation as a matter of course...otherwise it's money down the drain (or in the vein - the very thought makes me sick). Secondly...there is the issue of where these drugs would be obtained. Again, if the government foots the bill, and starts up a production line of their own, that costs a lot of money. In addition, no matter how much regulation such a system might attract, no system is foolproof, and there will be abuses of such a system...i.e., you could get workers pocketing the 'merchandise' and using it themselves, or distributing it to those 'new drug users' as a sideline, because the big drug barons are out of the way. Thirdly...any government-run drug distribution system will automatically slap a 'Drug Pusher' sign on that administration, and cause a public outcry that the government itself is promoting drug use by funding it - no matter what the noble intentions of such a project might be. It would be...in fact...a vote killer, and so I cannot see any sensible government administration entertaining such a concept. This, I feel, is perhaps the primary reason why such ideas for dealing with the drug problem have not gone ahead, because in politics, you live or die by the vote. So..where does that leave us? Pretty much where we are now...with increases in regulation, laws, police powers, in order to try and take the drug barons down via a more direct approach. If we could tackle the very root of the problem, which is the motivation that some people have for starting to use drugs in the first place...then perhaps we could make more headway. But until we can gain a better understanding of human nature, and self-destructive tendencies, I can't see us having a geat deal of success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedragon Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 its things like this that make me despise the world i live in. not you cjais but the idea that you brought up *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C'jais Posted November 11, 2002 Author Share Posted November 11, 2002 Good points Storm. The clinics would still be there, after most drug users have been cured or are gone (IE - dead ) - they would then only serve as a way to maintain that the drug lords can't get a foothold again. The cost to manufacture drugs would decrease with time, since the drugs aren't needed anymore - no drug dealers -> no new drug users -> no drugs needed anymore. The drug users would be, of course, constantly "punked" to enter rehabilitation each time they entered a clinic - but not forced, since this would scare them away. However, this wouldn't be a problem since there'd be no drug users anymore. I have the belief that there'd be no reason to take advantage of those drugs - why sell it to "new users" when they can afterwards get it for free? You could at most only give it as a one time try out, because afterwards the newly created drug users would go to the clinics to get their fix - it'd be self defeating to try to take advantage of the system that way. So we end up with two problems, the first being the cost of the clinics who are now seeing very rare use. I don't think it'd cost that much, it's just another small public institution, and I won't even try to get into detail just how much we pay in taxes in Denmark - 65% being the most severe case, but not abnormal. Plus, if you consider the strain on police and whatnot to keep an eye on drug users, public campaigns, rehabilitation, crime etc - then you get a lot of money in return. That leaves us with the daunting political aspect of going through with this. I honestly have no immediate solution to this, only the hope that people might wake up and realize it's going to be a big problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pad Posted November 11, 2002 Share Posted November 11, 2002 i think we r almost goin to that system here in belgium and i dont think its that bad. i only hope it will help the right ppl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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