<story><title>Suspected head of $21B crime syndicate may be world’s most innovative drug lord</title><url>https://torontolife.com/city/this-man-is-the-jeff-bezos-of-the-international-drug-trade/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>version_five</author><text>I think drugs should be legal (or decriminalized) but probably with at least two categories, which no doubt causes it&amp;#x27;s own set of problems:&lt;p&gt;1. Recreational, like marijuana and alcohol and many hallucinogens, where regulating and taxing is the best solution, to deter organized crime and make sure people are getting the product they want to get&lt;p&gt;2. Harmful (and the definition is tough here) like meth and heroin, where the goal is something closer to medically supervised use, and breaking the habit where appropriate, but also making sure people are getting real drugs and not resorting to more dangerous alternatives or those of unknown origin.&lt;p&gt;The point isn&amp;#x27;t that drugs are good, it&amp;#x27;s that people will do them anyway, so how do you remove the criminal element and keep people safer under the circumstances. I agree that they shouldn&amp;#x27;t sell meth at convenience stores, but someone addicted should be able to talk to a doctor and get it, and not have to buy some dangerous unknown thing off the street.&lt;p&gt;I imagine if this happened, the next fight would be social control advocate groups pushing for currently legal drugs (alcohol) to me moved to my category 2. People&amp;#x27;s own puritan values and a hatred of the idea that someone else may be enjoying themselves in a way they don&amp;#x27;t endorse are a (the) main root cause of all the societal problems with drugs imo</text></item><item><author>cgh</author><text>Very difficult to legalize and tax meth, which is what this guy mostly sold. It’s hugely addictive and harmful, and you can make it in a home lab.&lt;p&gt;I was shocked to read in the article that one in seven Australians have tried it. Is that true? That’s a real crisis if so.</text></item><item><author>yaseer</author><text>When I see a number like $21 billion, I can&amp;#x27;t help but think of all the economic and social good from drugs being regulated, like Cannabis, Tobacco and Prostitution.&lt;p&gt;That&amp;#x27;s a lot of taxation money lost, a lot of policing wasted, and a lot of lives lost needlessly.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>dillondoyle</author><text>It&amp;#x27;s very easy to make an argument alcohol is more dangerous than heroin. &lt;i&gt;especially&lt;/i&gt; in a regulated market with clean well dosed drugs.&lt;p&gt;Alcohol already kills more people than heroin. Sure you could argue maybe perhaps more people will do heroin if it&amp;#x27;s legal, but I highly doubt that.&lt;p&gt;I 100% agree on the puritan social preaching being a hinderance to support. People don&amp;#x27;t want to &amp;quot;support someones addiction&amp;quot; which means basically no resources.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;m for full legalization personally.</text></comment>
<story><title>Suspected head of $21B crime syndicate may be world’s most innovative drug lord</title><url>https://torontolife.com/city/this-man-is-the-jeff-bezos-of-the-international-drug-trade/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>version_five</author><text>I think drugs should be legal (or decriminalized) but probably with at least two categories, which no doubt causes it&amp;#x27;s own set of problems:&lt;p&gt;1. Recreational, like marijuana and alcohol and many hallucinogens, where regulating and taxing is the best solution, to deter organized crime and make sure people are getting the product they want to get&lt;p&gt;2. Harmful (and the definition is tough here) like meth and heroin, where the goal is something closer to medically supervised use, and breaking the habit where appropriate, but also making sure people are getting real drugs and not resorting to more dangerous alternatives or those of unknown origin.&lt;p&gt;The point isn&amp;#x27;t that drugs are good, it&amp;#x27;s that people will do them anyway, so how do you remove the criminal element and keep people safer under the circumstances. I agree that they shouldn&amp;#x27;t sell meth at convenience stores, but someone addicted should be able to talk to a doctor and get it, and not have to buy some dangerous unknown thing off the street.&lt;p&gt;I imagine if this happened, the next fight would be social control advocate groups pushing for currently legal drugs (alcohol) to me moved to my category 2. People&amp;#x27;s own puritan values and a hatred of the idea that someone else may be enjoying themselves in a way they don&amp;#x27;t endorse are a (the) main root cause of all the societal problems with drugs imo</text></item><item><author>cgh</author><text>Very difficult to legalize and tax meth, which is what this guy mostly sold. It’s hugely addictive and harmful, and you can make it in a home lab.&lt;p&gt;I was shocked to read in the article that one in seven Australians have tried it. Is that true? That’s a real crisis if so.</text></item><item><author>yaseer</author><text>When I see a number like $21 billion, I can&amp;#x27;t help but think of all the economic and social good from drugs being regulated, like Cannabis, Tobacco and Prostitution.&lt;p&gt;That&amp;#x27;s a lot of taxation money lost, a lot of policing wasted, and a lot of lives lost needlessly.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>cgh</author><text>Yeah, I agree on all points (I’m a proponent of legalization and live in a country with legal pot). I’ve witnessed first-hand the effects of prolonged meth addiction and it is not pretty. Your point of making it available by prescription is the good and obvious path. But will still be available as a party drug via illegal means of production and distribution.</text></comment>