I'm sure that everyone realises how dangerous drugs are and the harm they cause to users, their family and society. In "Synthetic drug fentanyl causes overdose boom in Estonia", Sam Wilson reports on fentanyl, a highly addictive drug causing major problems in Europe.
Sadly, the fact that the drug is illegal causes most of these problems. If fentanyl were legal, addicts could more easily get help. If it were legal, the price would be lower, so there would be less crime. If it were not illegal, the quality could be regulated, so there would be fewer deaths and other health problems. And of course, if the drug were decriminalised, there would be much less tempatation corruption of police and other officials. Making the drug illegal has created far more serious social problems, as usual when recreational drugs are criminalised.
Meanwhile, politicians in Colombia, the worlds cocaine capital, are realising that there might be a lot of very real and practical economic and social reasons for legalising the production of cocaine: it would cut the massive profits to the mafia types that now profit from government policy; it would reduce the violence and crime now associated with drug production; and it would likely decrease the production of drugs ("Colombian Lawmakers", 2012).
Finally, at home in Thailand, "Hazards that spell disaster", a recent editorial in the Bangkok Post reminds us that the number one deadly drug for Thai society is alcohol, with most traffic accident deaths being "fuelled by alcohol abuse" (2012, ¶ 1).
The Bangkok Post's editor forgot to point out that, consistent with the government's popular and impressively failing "War on Drugs" policy, the users of this dangerous recreational drug of addiction should be imprisoned, and the producers and sellers executed.
__________
References
Hazards that spell disaster. (2012, March 31). The Nation. Retrieved April 3, 2012 from http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/286793/hazards-that-spell-disaster
Wilson, S. (2012, March 30). Synthetic drug fentanyl causes overdose boom in Estonia. BBC News. Retrieved April 3, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17524945
As we saw this morning, sexism and racism are both examples of prejudice. That is, they discriminate between people for no relevant reason. Sadly, in most countries, the law also supported these unjust prejudices, although recently, in some cases very recently and not every where, the law is much more just than it used to be.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of a prejudice might be how the law discriminates between different recreational drugs of addiction.
If you are one of the majority who voted in the poll that "some of these addictive drugs should be legal for adults", do you have a relevant reason for discriminating between different drugs?
I suggest that you:
1. first state the relevant reason for discriminating,
and then
2. apply it to some examples to see how that reason for treating the popular recreational drugs that people like works.
According to your suggested morally relevant reason for discriminating, which drugs of addiction end up in the group that should be legal? Which end up in the group that should be illegal?
I can't understand the last sentence" the users of this dangerous recreational drug of addiction should be imprisoned, and the producers and sellers executed".Does it mean you support that it is illegal to use illicit drugs for fun?
ReplyDeleteCrystal,
DeleteNo.
It means that since there is no relevant reason for treating alcohol differently, the editor of the Bangkok Post and the Thai government must logically and morally treat the producers, dealers, and users of alcohol the same way as yaa baa, heroin, marijuana and other drugs and their users, dealers and producers are treated, which in Thailand means imprisonment and execution.
It's not my opinion, but what follows logically from the stated opinions of the Bangkok Post and the Thai government. If this logical conclusion is absurd, or unjust, then that injustice or absurdity must be in the initial ideas of the government and the newspaper.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn my blog post here, which paragraphs are summarizing a source? (There are three.)
ReplyDeleteAnd which paragraphs are giving my own ideas? (There are two.)
Dear commentators,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I would like to say that I am not expert of addicted drugs but I am the one of health staffs who try to promote of proper drug use and reducing adverse drug reactions.
According to Essential Drug List in Thailand and Thai Law. it shows that Fentanyl is legal for treatment at hospital. Moreover, Thai Law, allow health staffs use Opium and its derivatives for treatment with systematic cautions.
Second, I am going to keep nacotic drugs like other kind of drugs. It's meant that I will consider it between essential and adverse effect of them too. Most of Drug dependent peoples is poor knowledge on nacotic drug use (Like peoples who have problems with traffic accidents and with police men). They have gotten lesson learn from their peers. How do they know that drug dealer are going to change the content of drugs or do something else? How do they know that a little higher doses can make them pass away? or How do they know that they are going to survive after take really high dose but get Emergency treatment? The each drugs give difference of effects and adverse effects. Do you think knowledge and practices are important? Even though they have enough knowledge but they do not practice, it will cause the same problems.
I agree with you that it is the problem of law which make these addictive drugs be illegal and legal but it also the problem of drugs that affect to a human, social and countries too. You are thinking to much for government aspect.
Why don't you think that rarely cases of drug-taking peers protest for their right to take narcotic drugs? They seem to hide their status in poor conditions for take those drugs independently. Normally, drugs addicted peoples need to take more and more drugs for their happiness and they need more doses as well as more money to buy these narcotic drugs. As the results, it push them to do rob or steal or do the criminal issues.
one small point is that if you were drugs users, you would clear understand what, where, when, why and how they do like this and that. You should not just or think for them of they don't ask your help.
which drugs should be illegal and which one should legal. it should be depend on their experience. For example, In Thailand, Opium and Heroin used to be the most problems then they keep it illegal whereas glues and paint thinners used to have little problem, then they keep in legal.
Finnally, I emphasis on knowledge and practice of additive drug users, individual consideration, and especially, the idea of the proper drug use and the adverse drug problems in this drug abuse cases. I think this topic is irrelevant with discrimination and prejudice in individual level.
Additive discussions.
ReplyDeleteAccording to your first reference, BBC new cites that Mr. Velasquez said "Let's see how well the laws of the market work"("Colombian Lawmakers", 2012) as well as you would like to use drugs market price to reduce drug abuse problems without law concern in your second paragraph. These reasons cannot be work.
In Columbia, BBC news implies that Columbia's government cannot control their Mafias. Moreover, this government has no plan to destroy the coca leaf and heroin farm productions as well as they (Government) do not cut the way of international drugs exports to neighboring countries and transportation to their population. Therefore, it seems to be good solution for "propose bill to decriminalize drugs" ("Colombian Lawmakers", 2012) because they don't need to lose more blood in their countries. Furthermore, they cannot stop drugs' customers to consume this essential drugs for their life.
How is the legal drug abuse not work?
First, Columbia is the special case study that Government cannot control Mafias and they do not to make any problem with these Mafias and most of their population.
Second, the Coca leaf and Heroin farming still be the high-income occupation and most of people can do it with less problem because they work under-control of Mafias (and some government staffs support?) like other countries.
Third, don’t you think that these drug abuses are essential drugs for addictive drug customers? They still need it because it gives both physical and mental addiction. Less success of give up, if they see or go back to their society, they are more likely to get addicted repeatedly. It is essential drug, I mean, it is can be sell even it is very high price. If it very low price, should it improve drug's quality and will they cancel or reduce their drugs' production by themselves? In really, it is not like that because it can increase number of drugs user (increase demand of drugs) and less controllable of country population by law. As the result, how this country can develop? If most of population, involve with drug abusers, which cause bad health, bad society and bad nation.
Fourth, these consequent can spill over to neighboring countries like US. Increase more demand of drugs all over the world for these strong drug-related problems for among International countries, within country and individual level. If these re-creative drugs extremely cheap price, who will agree to get treatment and recover from these drug abuse. It will rise up cause of death toll and health problem for these users and their children.
Finally, how government can control these drug abuses from those Mafias as a majority of their population in the future? However, I agree that reducing price of drug and uncontrollable by law will make less crime and make people happy to take drug abuse easily, they give higher risk and worse consequence because the Coca leaf(Cocaine) and Heroin is the strong drug addictions and strong problem in many countries.
References
1. Colombian lawmakers propose bill to decriminalise drugs, (2012, March 30). BBC News. Retrieved April 9, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17558382
2. National Institute of Health (NIH) (2012, April 8). Drugs of abuse: Cocaine. National Institute on drug abuse, the science of drug abuse & addiction. Retrieved April 9, 2012 from http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/cocaine?device=desktop
3. National Institute of Health (NIH) (2012, April 8). Drugs of abuse: Heroin. National Institute on drug abuse, the science of drug abuse & addiction. Retrieved April 9, 2012 from http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/heroin
Since I read the “Hazards that spell disaster” couple of times, at first, I disagree with you that Bangkok Post’s editor was not mean that “the number one deadly drug for Thai society is alcohol” in your summary. The "fuelled by alcohol abuse" (2012, ¶ 1) means the alcohol can be mediating factors which make more number of traffic accidents. But later on, I have gotten one evident that alcohol give their own effect (Alcohol dependence/harmful use) in the fourth top twenty causes of DALY loss in 2004 and it give indirect effect (Traffic accidents) in the second top twenty rank of DALY loss among Thai male where as it give only indirect effect (Traffic accidents) in the seventh top twenty rank among Thai female (Bundhamcharoen, et al., 2011). I mean now, I do agree with you after I have gotten the second source of recent information (2012, ¶ 1).
DeleteIt shows that Thailand fail the alcohol legalized policy which is not work in Thailand. According to "Hazards that spell disaster", columnist point out that alcohol is increase death toll (2012, ¶ 1). It means that Alcohol give worst direct and indirect effect on health and number of death for Thai society. Even though the price and quality of alcohol is good and this expected results can give less problem of this drug for thai population, it might give worst phenomena in Thailand like I mention above. Moreover, it show unsolved social problem of discriminating alcohol.
Should we put alcohol to be illegal drug? It will be good question to solve this situation but it might be bad idea as well, because alcohol need for Thai social drinking in special occasion and this is Thai drinking context that hard to be change among male. Even if Thai people already know that Alcohol give bad health and high risk to die but they still drink it and seem to increase number of new drinking young generation it should be the consequence of low price and good quality of alcohol market trade which available alcohol close to their hand.
Hazards that spell disaster. (2012, March 31). The Nation. Retrieved April 16, 2012 from http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/286793/hazards-that-spell-disaster
Bundhamcharoen, K., P. Odton, et al. (2011). "Burden of disease in Thailand: changes in health gap between 1999 and 2004." BMC Public Health 11(1): table 1.