A city where all drugs are legal

[Gennadiy1981]

Let’s switch to a different topic, I see the political debates get very heated where each of us have their own biases. Let’s speak on a more neutral topic.

i stumbled on a very interesting video and wanted to share with everyone and I didn’t know actually it was true that in Vancouver British Canada they legalized pretty much all drugs for personal use only.  Meaning no decriminalization. There was another video but not sure how legit so not posting where they show where people sell drugs and cops pass by and not do anything. But back to the point.

I am always a proponent to let people do whatever they want to do. And in addition when you go to festivals to listen to especially house music, it’s not a secret that people take drugs but many times the bouncers and cops make such hard time so it spoils experience, and also getting psychedelic for personal development, even LSD or mushrooms or DMT we all have to get under the table. Wouldn’t life be easier if they would be open?

On the other hand, watching this video, people are getting drowned, they show this neighborhood that is pretty much drug friendly and you can take a look yourself.  People loosing themselves. So then is the government doing a right thing? Where do you cross the line or is there even a line to be crossed. 
 

I don’t bite the argument where one say that their are responsible for using substances and everyone is not.  Also I am not sure the idea with Nixon war on drugs was a good idea and where it came from as they made all into one bowl of soup.

Want to get your opinion and what do you all think about legalizing all or keeping ban on all. (And I do not qualify weed to be in this category).

 

[mrPixel]

I live in a city where all drugs are decriminalized. Portland, OR. This city has become a complete shit show. The hope was that people would be able to get help rather than being locked up for non-violent drug offenses. What actually happened is that homeless people and cartels flocked here from other states/cities to take advantage of the situation. Most on the street don’t want to get clean, they want to maintain the same lifestyle without risk of being locked up. People openly smoke fentanyl on the streets, tent cities have erected everywhere, crime has skyrocketed. Businesses have shut down and people have moved away to get away from the crime. 

Last I heard, we were going to recriminalize drugs, but I don’t know if that was the final decision and if so when that might happen. I’m in support of this decision but it would be nice if we were allowed to keep our psychedelics. 

[mrPixel]

I forgot to mention, I think the experiment failed because we didn’t have the necessary programs and policies  in place to make it work. It’s also possible that the outcome may be different if we keep trying, but make changes, adjust, and learn from the mistakes we made rather than throwing our hands up in the air and giving  up. Long story short, the city just wasn’t ready for the shit show this has become, and people are really sick of it.  

[Gennadiy1981]

Thanks for sharing your story. Oh I wasn’t aware that in Oregon they decriminalized all drugs I thought it was only weed, mushroom and coke. That’s a first time I am hearing such. And sorry for confirming are you sure substances like meth and fentanyl are not criminalized?

Yeah I also noticed that there is no such thing as healthy balance. It’s either has to be from one extreme to another. I don’t know, before Nixon who made this war on drugs by banning all substances, what would happen if he would not. Maybe it would not be like this. And it’s like it’s a forbidden things become legal and people are thirsty to have it and they abuse it.

I personally think when it forms for festivals and people wanna bring all types of things it should be allowed but then you mention crime goes up and people get mugged and shops are closed then the society deteriorates and that’s a bad thing. If that is the case then society collapses. 
 

So I guess there is no formula to satisfy everyone. Unless as you say it should be gradually maybe to people get nature and treat drugs with respect rather than escape like we do here with psychedelics.

[mrPixel]

These are pretty good articles, most of what I suspected is true:

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/27/1240892448/why-oregons-groundbreaking-drug-decriminalization-experiment-is-coming-to-an-end

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/us/oregon-drug-law-portland-mayor.html

Also, drugs were recriminalized on April 1, 2024. I'm not sure if this applies to psychedelics. In 2023 we actually made psilocybin legal (with constraints) but it's unclear if that was rolled back.

[Merkabah Star]

I think legalising drugs is the way. 

Or even just small amounts for personal use, not that i use drugs these days, but i think people shouldn’t have their lives ruined for having a bit of fun and carrying small amounts on them. Seems extreme. 

[Leo Gura]

The truth is that most humans cannot use drugs responsibly, which is why they are illegal in most places. It protects the average user by making drugs too difficult to access.

The biggest problem with legalization is that it makes access too easy, which leads to experimentation, which leads to addiction.

It is easiest to avoid addiction when you don't have access.

Edited July 20 by Leo Gura

[Thought Art]

4 hours ago, Merkabah Star said:

I think legalising drugs is the way. 

Or even just small amounts for personal use, not that i use drugs these days, but i think people shouldn’t have their lives ruined for having a bit of fun and carrying small amounts on them. Seems extreme. 

I used to think this, but now I don’t think legalization is the answer. Specifically hard and addictive drugs

Edited July 20 by Thought Art

[OBEler]

What we need is a licence for psychedelics. Like for driving a car.

Just this.

[Merkabah Star]

31 minutes ago, Thought Art said:

I used to think this, but now I don’t think legalization is the answer. Specifically hard and addictive drugs

It’s a hard one to navigate and how it would work.

In my local area there used to be a big drug problem with people just injecting out in the open, so the government allowed a medically supervised, injection centre to open where anyone can go and inject drugs in a safe environment with nurses and they give them free needles and i think they wait in an area at the back in case they OD. Cleaned the streets up. Was very controversial when it opened but it works. 

[vibv]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

The truth is that most humans cannot use drugs responsibly, which is why they are illegal in most places. It protects the average user by making drugs too difficult to access.

The biggest problem with legalization is that it makes access too easy, which leads to experimentation, which leads to addiction.

It is easiest to avoid addiction when you don't have access.

That's certainly true. The average human is not developed enough to handle drugs if they had been be completely legalized. It shouldn't be a crime to use and possess them, though.

5 hours ago, Merkabah Star said:

I think legalising drugs is the way. 

Different regulations for different drugs is the way I think. The two worst approaches are: 1) Legalizing everything completely and 2) the full prohibition and war on drugs.

Cannabis and other psychedelics can be legalized first - and that's of course already happening. Maybe they contribute to the development needed to give people full personal responsibility with drugs  

[Rafael Thundercat]

Substances that turn cosnciouness buttons need a Mystery School Container to Initiations and Self Study and the Study of the Substance itself. To give all freely to anyone is obviously to invite chaos to a community, similar to give knifes and matches to a bunch of Toddlers, they will end up killing themselfs. 

We cant just assume people will make responsible use of substances. And the history gave proof enogth that irresponsible use is more the case, look for the use of Alcool, Tobaco and Weed. 

 

[Rafael Thundercat]

And is very interesting that the very one person that was bringing polarization and bias to Israel Palestine topic, end up changing the topic. Is like when we are in a conversation and we notice we messed up so we change the topic to avoid deal with our BS. Just saying hehe. Lets see how much neutrality we can keep in this drug topic. Old habits die Hard.

Edited July 20 by Rafael Thundercat

[r0ckyreed]

 

[Yimpa]

4 hours ago, OBEler said:

What we need is a licence for psychedelics. Like for driving a car.

Just this.

Texas surprisingly has a great medical cannabis program. The first year I was restricted; I could only purchase exactly what I was prescribed. Now that I’ve proved that I can take cannabis responsibly, I am able to purchase any type and amount of medical cannabis product. Someone who is addicted would obviously abuse this system, but I don’t. 

It also helps that God slapped me hard in the face when I first used weed.

Edited July 20 by Yimpa

[Rafael Thundercat]

1 minute ago, Yimpa said:

Someone who is addicted would obviously abuse this system, but I don’t. 

I heard a story where two man are walking and they see in a garden a sign saying something like "Forbiden to Yadayada" well, not yadada, i just forgot the story, but was a clear sign put by someone as a warning. One of them said to the other: Well, this sign make no sense lets take it out. The other respond: Hey wait, if the sign was put there must be for a reason. 

So with this example we can ask about many things that are men created: Rules, Ideologies and so fort. Why someone created that or why that thing came to rise?

Same with Democracy, Republicans,Liberals,Capitalism and more complex things. If something came to be it came to be for a reason or even a interconected long tread of reasons. So sometimes the initial reason make no sense anyomore but the sign is still there or sometimes is not a good ideia to remove the sign yet. In this case, we need to ask : Is really Good to remove that?? Is really good to open free acess unregulated of drugs to everyone? Is good to restrict? Is good to not have Democracy anymore? When we add something to reality or substract , there will be always some consequences. 

[Yimpa]

14 minutes ago, Rafael Thundercat said:

I heard a story where two man are walking and they see in a garden a sign saying something like "Forbiden to Yadayada" well, not yadada, i just forgot the story, but was a clear sign put by someone as a warning. One of them said to the other: Well, this sign make no sense lets take it out. The other respond: Hey wait, if the sign was put there must be for a reason. 

 

[Twentyfirst]

8 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

The truth is that most humans cannot use drugs responsibly, which is why they are illegal in most places. It protects the average user by making drugs too difficult to access.

The biggest problem with legalization is that it makes access too easy, which leads to experimentation, which leads to addiction.

It is easiest to avoid addiction when you don't have access.

But there was an old argument saying why would they make cigarettes or alcohol illegal if they kill more people than some of the more harmless illegal drugs and are more addicting 

Edited July 20 by Twentyfirst

[Gennadiy1981]

13 hours ago, Merkabah Star said:

I think legalising drugs is the way. 

Or even just small amounts for personal use, not that i use drugs these days, but i think people shouldn’t have their lives ruined for having a bit of fun and carrying small amounts on them. Seems extreme. 

I agree with you, and the whole war on drugs leaves a bad taste. Look for criminal justice system like when people commit theft, burglary, physical assault, yes they should be prosecuted accordingly and really should to keep society in tact. But when someone carries substance for personal use just to have fun and not hurting anyone, why should they get in trouble, that I don’t understand.

But I see @Leo Gura point, it also makes sense, so it kinda reminds me of solipsism, should only be taught to most mature people and those who are not there should be forbidden. I mean that makes sense. And like @OBEler says to even have license. But what about an average Joe who wants to go to rave and pop a pill once?

[Rafael Thundercat]

4 hours ago, Yimpa said:

 

The Geiser was hungry like a Crocodile was hungry for Meat, Geiser and a man meet and vouchsssss..

Edited July 20 by Rafael Thundercat