I think one of the biggest roadblocks to better understanding of addiction & drug abuse/addiction/use issues is the stigma attached to it. Which either decriminalization or legalization would go a long way towards reducing. Certainly, whatever research has uncovered about addiction & drugs' effects on the body isn't permeating the general conscious or public debate, due in large part due to the misconceptions & assumptions people make based on prohibition arguments that have little to do with reality.

I believe that people should be free to do what they please with their own bodies. I also believe that the drug war is, at best, a short-sighted waste of resources and, at worst, a means to prop up the military industry and the prison industry, not to mention the pharmaceutical industry and foreign despots who favor corporate business models.

That said, I will reiterate that the threat of incarceration was the only thing that kept me off heroin long enough to get my shit together, get my brain chemistry together, get my relationships together well enough to choose to lay off the skag.

That said, I am an intelligent, hard-working, honest, charming man who would do much better than average in almost any work setting, but I often don't make the first cut when applying because I am a convicted felon. So, until bullshit cookie-cutter bureaucratic rote-decision-making human resources departments are eliminated, decriminalization suits me just fine and would have a tremendously positive impact on the lives of so many drug "criminals," so don't play it down like it's nothing.

This is something that bothers me to no extent. I have seen a lot of creative and intelligent people make some critical errors in their past only to have it come back to bite them in the present. Especially with minor offenses with marijuana. I wonder how many people have been incarcerated and turned bitter and angry opposed to becoming positive and trying to turn their life around. (worded funny, but i hope you get the point)

Expunging your record is the only option, which doesn't clear anything, but it seals it. If you can afford it and get a judge that will actually let you do it is another case in itself.

Recall reading that several genetic neuroreceptor mutations have been found which may be indicators for a person's susceptibility to addiction.

In a sane society I'd be interested in having screening tests developed from this knowledge, and available so individuals could make more informed decisions about drug use.

However, our society is a bit loopy, and until our attitudes change I share your concerns expressed in the "healthcare rationing" topic.

On the flip side... how many more people are hurt by the current system of incarceration. How many more people are introduced to more dangerous lifestyles through incarceration, thus leading them to make further criminal choices. We're turning into a prison state, all for the sake of keeping people off drugs.
You should really take a look at the Portugese system, I think you'd approve of it. People are given the choice of rehabilitation or to go on their merry way. They are confronted with their addiction and then given a choice to get better. Something which our current system does not address.

I would also like to point out the bullshit of expungement. Which I had to endure recently. You pay out the ass, they make promises about how you won't have to pay your fines if you keep your grades up and how your record will be cleared. Both of which were fucking lies. I paid out the ass for lawyer fees, drug testing, supervision fees, "drug education" etc etc... It took a year of scraping the bottom of my bank account, not toking up and enduring the humiliation of waiting with 20 other motherfuckers in a line for hours to see a CRO, all so that I could piss in a cup and throw away 40 bucks.

All of this only served to expose me to the utter bullshit of the criminal justice system and has disillusioned me from a sense of justice in America. Not to mention the fact that I'm still a daily smoker. Oh and did I mention that I started using "harder" drugs more frequently due to the fact that they stay in your system for a shorter period of time and thus wouldn't show up on a drug test. The current system is bullshit.

While I appreciate that it helped you "turn your life around", it has been nothing but a hindrance to me. I am full scholarship student, with no prior history of criminality. Yet when I showed up to the court house with two semesters being on Presidents List and in perfect compliance with their program, I was treated like an absolute piece of shit. And the 600 dollars in fees I was promised would be waved for maintaining at least a B average for a semester was reneged on for absolutely no reason.

This thread makes me sad because it was so far over my head and way too well thought out, articulate and intelligent. I always thought the answer was decriminalization with taxation but some many other complications were brought up that i never considered - the main points that impress me are that I forget so many people have an addictive personality so medical legalization would only increase drug use for many (xanax and vicodin are perfect examples) and then the complications and costs and failure rate and recidivism of rehab.

I hate when topics are beyond my comprehension... they make me simply turn them off in my brain.

I am glad there are smart people like you guys out there that are addressing these issues.

I agree with you on all those points, but my above response was to your saying decriminalization is a cop-out with nobody getting what they really want.

P.S. A cop-out where nobody gets what they really want is called "compromise." That's how shit works, seeing as no person is an island.

It hasn't exactly been a cake walk for me, either, but my life now is still better than it was before. A victim mentality is one hell of a cross to bear.

The problem with debating legalization v. decriminalization is that there is no model to compare against. For all the discussion about drug policies in European countries, there isn't a one which has an open legalization policy, instead those countries have opted for decriminalization.

Prohibitionists quickly point out that drug use in countries which have decriminalized drug use is reportedly much higher than countries which have not. Which is a great talking point, but it fails to realize that among populations where there is a stigma attached to drug use, naturally people are less likely to be open-- that is report-- their actual drug use. For instance, one site I found claims that 95% of all Americans don't use illicit drugs. Does anyone here really believe that to be true? I mean, it might be anecdotal & unscientific, but I can't imagine that I know nineteen sober people for every one drug-user that I know. Moreover, that number automatically discounts drug use that is legal, artificially inflating the number of sober people by not accounting for illicit use of prescription drugs & alcohol.

I appreciate the people in this thread who've come forward with their own stories & experiences about use & addiction. While I'm not in any way indifferent to their experiences, I think that its important to approach this issue with a really open mind. While for some people the possible legal ramifications of illicit drug use might be a deterrent, they clearly are not for a vast number of people who are forced to live off the radar because of their use & addiction, not to mention the huge & growing population of non-violent drug offenders in prison. Simply put, clearly the laws are not enough of a deterrent to discourage use, as so many people are using.

Additionally, decriminalizing drugs would not allow the government to tax drugs as a revenue stream. Nor would it do much to decrease the constant threat of danger many addicts & users have to contend with simply to enjoy getting high. Nor would it necessarily end the stigma attached to illicit drug use around the world.

Personally, how I envision a legalized system working is with similar restrictions that are presently on alcohol & tobacco. Set an age limit (18 works) for when you can purchase drugs. Create a distinction between hard & soft drugs, that is, any drug that can be grown with minimal chemical manufacturing or treatment should be generally freely available, anyone who can sell alcohol would be permitted to sell such drugs, so you could go down to the bar with a friend & they could have a shot while you smoke a joint. Drugs which require large amounts of chemical processing, such as heroin or cocaine, would be manufactured my licensed corporations, the pharmaceutical industry would be well served to expand into this market. Building further upon existing infrastructure, these drugs could be distributed through pharmacies. Since there's already a move underway to move medical records onto computer networks it would be simple for a notation to be added to a record that lets doctors & pharmacists know that a person has a history of addiction & therefore they shouldn't be prescribed or buying certain types of drugs. While this system would still be open to abuse, an honest person who is committed to trying to get clean would make it known, therefore their record would prevent them from getting that medication. Those who are less honest aren't going to be dissuaded from abusing this system any more than they would from breaking the current laws.

I think such a system would allow for casual users & addicts to have a regulated, consistent, & taxed supply of drugs, without having to break the law, while at the same time not creating such a level of availability that would encourage rampant abuse among x-addicts or teenagers. Or at least, no greater a level of abuse than is already possible, while at the same time regulating, taxing, & making safe the use that's already going on.