Health Care Law Stands

[rxlea]

The problem is, making drugs illegal does nothing to stop people from using illegal drugs (illegal drugs can't even be kept ouf of federal prisons!) All it does is waste billions of dollars in resources trying to stop illegal drugs, gives rise to enormous crime cartels whose violence is decimating inner cities (and Mexico), and destroys lives & families as people are sentenced to prison for simple drug possession/usage.

Look at tobacco, perfectly legal, yet the majority of people don't smoke. People have quit smoking because of education on the health risks, affordable treatment options for addiction, the inconvience of being limited to where they can smoke, and the cost of smoking due to ever increasing taxes on cigarettes. People don't have their lives & families being ruined for being sent to prison for smoking a cigarette, we don't see rival gangs killing each other & innocent bystanders over cigarette territory, and people aren't afraid to ask their dr or pharmacist about available treatments for their addiction hence they are more likely to get treatment & stop smoking.

Does it make alot more sense to handle ALL drugs in this manner? People aren't going to suddenly start using drugs just because they are legal (anymore than people start smoking just because its legal.) Spend the billions of dollars being used to arrest & imprision prison people on education & treatment options. From a human cost standpoint, this makes much, much, much more sense then the current futile efforts that end with over 50% of the US prison population being locked up for non-violent drug offenses.

Which goes back to my point. You shouldn't legalize everything unless you are providing the mental health care and substance abuse treatment, which we aren't. Look, I'm all for allowing people to do what they want as long as it only affects them. But it doesn't. You'll still need regulation to protect everyone else just like with alcohol and just like smoking, which is banned in certain areas to protect others from second hand smoke. mental health services suck in this country. People go to jail, detox, and go back to the drug because they don't get the care they need.

People say it shouldn't be the burden of society to deal with addicts. I couldn't disagree more.

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[StevePerry]

Which goes back to my point. You shouldn't legalize everything unless you are providing the mental health care and substance abuse treatment, which we aren't. Look, I'm all for allowing people to do what they want as long as it only affects them. But it doesn't. You'll still need regulation to protect everyone else just like with alcohol and just like smoking, which is banned in certain areas to protect others from second hand smoke. mental health services suck in this country. People go to jail, detox, and go back to the drug because they don't get the care they need.

People say it shouldn't be the burden of society to deal with addicts. I couldn't disagree more.

Lmao -- I can already picture the conversations at restaurants:

"Excuse me sir, my wife and I are trying to peacefully enjoy injecting ourselves with copious amounts of heroin, and you are totally ruining our buzz with your second hand meth smoke!"

"Well, well, we didn't say anything earlier when your crack smoke sauntered over here!"

Honestly though, I think those in society have a moral responsibility to help people with addiction out on a case by case basis, but it shouldn't necessarily be a legal one -- although that would still be far better than the current system. The strictly mental health part though, I'm with ya on...

 

[rxlea]

Lmao -- I can already picture the conversations at restaurants:

"Excuse me sir, my wife and I are trying to peacefully enjoy injecting ourselves with copious amounts of heroin, and you are totally ruining our buzz with your second hand meth smoke!"

"Well, well, we didn't say anything earlier when your crack smoke sauntered over here!"

Honestly though, I think those in society have a moral responsibility to help people with addiction out on a case by case basis, but it shouldn't necessarily be a legal one -- although that would still be far better than the current system. The strictly mental health part though, I'm with ya on...

lol I know, right? That's what I'm saying though. I mean, they already smoke crack in the alleys. If it was allowed anywhere..? Just sayin'. I am not saying it can't be done but it sure as hell would be difficult to do in this society. I mean, what if they have crack bars? Lol it all just seems ridiculous. Granted, I'm making assumptions here but still....the average medicaid mama might protest of her medicaid baby is exposed to tha'.... Wait a minute....

 

[StevePerry]

Errh, since when did vimpat became an antipsychotic? It's an adjunct AED.

The ones that are not generic are latuda, inviga and abilify. Of these I think only abilify and latuda has significant clinical value.

Yeah and it is too bad b/c it seems like Abilify has become the pimp daddy of SGA's...

 

[BidingMyTime]

You'll still need regulation to protect everyone else just like with alcohol and just like smoking, which is banned in certain areas to protect others from second hand smoke. mental health services suck in this country. .

And most people who are saying that all drugs should be legalized, are *not* saying they should be legalized without any restrictions. I hear arguments like we can't legalize drugs because people will be driving around high--well almost nobody would support legalizing drugs while driving. People supporting legalization of drugs almost invariably support common-sense regulation of such drugs--no driving while high, age limits of 18 or 21, restricted areas of use, no public "highness"....all the laws that are currently use to control alcohol & tobacco use could certainly be applied to any recreational drug use.

 

[BidingMyTime]

People say it shouldn't be the burden of society to deal with addicts. I couldn't disagree more.

Realistically, where addicts are creating a problem for society, society really has no choice but to deal with that problem. Currently, society's way of dealing with the problem is punitive--I just don't see how that ultimately benefits either society or the addict problem, and I believe it creates a lot more societal problems. There is a lot of debate on the "best" way for society to deal with the problem of addiction, but I firmly believe it needs to minimize punitive methods and maximize rehabilitative methods (I believe punitive methods should ONLY be used when a violent crime has been committed that's related to that person's drug use)