大象传媒

Should soft drugs or prostitution be legalised/decriminalised/tolerated?

legalised, becuase i love smoking an ounce every once and a while
mark watson

The tragedy of this case highlights the need for an open and rational debate about drugs legislation in this country. This needs to be supported by the media ,who have often shot down politicians and high ranking police who have been prepared to stick their necks above the parapet and say that prohibition is clearly not working. Prohibition hands the regulation of drugs over to criminals and draws vulnerable people into a life outside the safety of the legal system. As a result the criminal justice system is over stretched managing cases of drug users who should be supported from a health perspective. Supervised consumption rooms, diamorphine scripts, regulated parlors are all harm reduction interventions that could have saved the lives of these women, and many thousand of other drug users. The freeing up of money from the failed criminal justice interventions could be redirected to support, treatment, education for drug users and other aspects of the crippled health service in this country. Please, isn't it time that we called for a revision of the Misuse of Drugs Act in order to save lives? Let's moved to proper controls of drugs within a safe legal framework that doesn't turn users into criminals. TRANSFORM's website puts forward the case for rational debate. The media needs to get behind this.
Ben Curran

It would be naive to believe that Holland dosent have its own problems associated with its lenient policies on drugs/prostitution but there has to be a compromise and realistic approach to all things. The use of soft drugs in western society is common place and research clearly shows they are less harmful than alcohol abuse and smoking. Should we 'criminalise' 40% of our population because of that? Our European neighbours have an adult approach to the worlds oldest trade and allowing licenced premises/areas for prostituition that are safe/clean. It is fair to say that our draconian attitudes toward this trade has contributed to the local murders last year where girls are forced to tread dark back allyways to ply their trade putting themselves at risk to nutters instead of safe controlled areas they we should have. CALLEN [The Voice]
CALLEN [The Voice]

yes it should be legalised
morees

Working with a lot of Dutch staff in my line of work most avoid the 'Safe' areas in Amsterdam as addicts of any drug will try and get money for their drug, hard or soft, by any means necessary. They also recon it attracts more prostitution which is not always regulated and increases the sex slave trade and hard drug dealers. I personally would prefer not to go down the Dutch route and think it would be better to try and help those addicts who have to walk the streets.
David Watson

Looking at the teenage pregnancy rates, drug abuse rates and general problems and/or lack of them in the Netherlands it seems to indicate that their approach at the very least needs looking at seriously by others.
Katy