New research chemicals are ubiquitous and the problems associated with them are growing. From the front lines we see the situation getting worse rather than better. The new compounds are poorly understood and have little or no history of human use and therefore the problems we see are harder to characterize and therefore treat.

The classic psychedelics are actually quite safe in comparison to the new largely stimulant based compounds. Thus today instead of dealing with existential psychological issues we see seizures, delirium, combative intoxication and even deaths. Even discounting the hyperbolic news coverage of face eating zombies the real situation is substantially worse with legal research chemicals than it ever was before.

It is sad that what is currently legal is substantially more dangerous than what is illegal.

Coming from someone who at worst drinks sake and beer socially about once a month, no government should ever have the right to tell me what I decide to ingest into my own body. I consider this a fundamental human right.

Current drug laws are arbitrary and focus on entirely the wrong problem, unless of course you’re in the business of telling other people what to do.

And +1 for legalize.

thats all.

With THC and MDMA I have been to Barcelona. You haven’t. I could give you facts but you couldn’t access them.

You can believe whatever you wish. All you need to do is look toward Portugal, Spain, Australia, Great Britain, or The Netherlands to get FACTS about what has happened after allowing drug use. No its not all gum drops and rainbows, but over all consumption is down.

Its already easy to find pharmaceutical grade anything. Stupid people have always and will always do stupid things. Why do you or anyone else feel the need/right to protect people from themselves.

As long as we allow the sale of alcohol, and tobacco, not to forget sugar, salt, and fatty foods we have no right to tell other what they can and cannot put in their bodies for their own safety.

Les

You point out that there are are people who will ingest chemicals they know nothing about the origin or purity of, other than what their mates or drug dealer tell them. I’m not particularly motivated to help people who are so profoundly and willfully stupid.

Would a regulated drug market be enough or too much of a safety net for them? I.e. Once pharmaceutical grade MDMA, Cocaine, Heroin, Benzos, Ketamine etc. was provided, will people want to ingest something novel not regulated by the state? Would people stick to safe levels of consumption in a suitable environment? They certainly don’t with nicotine or alcohol.

People discount the future consequences of their actions, think they know more than they actually do and believe they are more in control of their behaviour than they actually are. Because of these characteristics I don’t believe legalising illicit drugs and creating a regulated market would result in better outcomes than we have at the moment.

Why don’t we educate people on the true dangers and effects of the chemicals they wish to ingest instead of using propaganda and hyperbole. Just about everything people can do will lead to problems in they over indulge. Who are we to decide what is allowed or isn’t allowed. Especially when there are other legal mind altering chemicals available.

What are known as research chemicals are being sold just about anywhere. I can walk into just about any convenience store and buy powders that emulate cocaine, herbs to mimic pot, and pills that are similar to opiates. You can buy them in bulk online if you wish. Now these chemicals are unstudied, no one knows what health effects they will have or how dangerous they can be. Children can buy these “fake” drugs as easy as buying candy. I would rather people be able to buy a controlled, regulated, and sale restricted substance of known strength and origin then have them play Russian roulette with the crap being sold now.

Are there dangers to others? Sure! I put my life into the hands of others every time I leave my house anyway.

Les

Natural does not equal safe and very much doubt there are _any_ reputable studies that show cannabis to be completely safe. Use of MDMA in therapeutic conditions appears to affect the emotional component of traumatic memories in people with PTSD, but that’s somewhat different to popping a few pills willy-nilly at a weekend to make the music and/or people around you seem better.

Les,

Would the world be a better place if more people around you now were either on strongly psychoactive drugs or craving them? In general legalising illicit drugs _would_ increase usage, which will lead to more people having problems either directly or indirectly caused by their use.

However, I’m all for social experiments and would like to see trials with well defined measures and end points performed on recreational drugs such as MDMA to observe the effects of legalisation.