Jez wrote:Wouldn't that just lead to a large increase in the amount of drugs being produced locally? Not to mention a potential crimewave as junkies are now compelled to do whatever they can to buy drugs that are soaring in price.
Many serious drugs can't be produced domestically, the ones that can (ala ICE) all require highly restricted substances that would ideally also be stopped before entering the country (with large jail sentences for domestic suppliers).
You're right about the rising price of drugs causing problems but that's something that would sort itself out pretty darn quickly, it doesn't matter how much you lie,cheat,steal if there's just no product to be had.
HandsomeSandwich wrote:Drug addiction is curable and a broken egg isn't so that doesn't make sense.
Addicts don't just wake up one day cured, much like chronic alcoholics many drug addicts will spend the rest of their life fighting their addiction (even if they aren't using). People can't just "go back" to what they were before becoming an addict.
HandsomeSandwich wrote:Yeah there is no organised crime syndicates and massive narco trafficking in South East Asia, you are correct. Draconian laws have created a drug free Asiaaaaoooh wait a minute...
Of course there is organized crime and drug trafficking still, SEA countries have some of the most corrupt and ineffective police forces/governments in existance. Compared to 20 years ago places like Malaysia have improved dramatically, expecting one change to eliminate all drugs when the entire system is broken is a little silly.
HandsomeSandwich wrote:Actually the part to highlight was 23 times more effective. The methods compared produce the same results at a lower cost.
Taking the cheaper option and then saying it's better because it's cheaper isn't really a valid argument, fighting supply is only going to be more effective if the program has the funds and the people in charge have the dedication to do it right, to solve the problem you need to target the supply and doing that properly is going to be MUCH more expensive than the alternative. Ideally money shouldn't be the limiting factor but it is, as the statistics say: it's easier and cheaper to just put in 60% effort and claim your stat increase.
If the problem is going to go away we need to put some serious money and effort into it rather than just short term fixes, long term change cannot be enacted by using the cheapest method every time, sooner or later something like this needs to be done right rather than being the usual government circlejerk.
When they tried to target the supply they had the right idea, they just didn't go as far as is needed for that route to succeed.
Novocaine wrote:Not every person who uses drugs is a junkie. Throwing any old person who has used drugs into rehab or prison would probably just make it worse.
Nobody really cares if you want to smoke a blunt after work to relax, using substances like meth, coca derivatives and opiates are dramatically different. I'm talking about hard drugs, not pot or the random substances you drop when you go to a rave.