Cheap Drugs "Cut Crime", page 1

US researchers revealed this week that robberies and violence in New York have fallen almost exactly in synch with collapsing prices of hard drugs, as addicts needed less money to fund their habits.

“Essentially our paper could be boiled down to this: Most crime is committed by drug users to finance the cost of drug use,' study author Travis Wendel, from John Jay College, told the New York World.

“Drugs got enormously cheaper so users didn't have to hit as many old ladies over the head and steal their pocketbooks,” he explained (New York World/ Daily Mail: https://bit.ly/tcsutC )

The new study (based on statistics which were 'tantalizingly close to the 95% confidence level,' the journal reported) was published just a month after experts singled out ‘the plummeting price of cocaine’ for reducing gang violence, specifically for making the job of street dealer no longer a  ‘viable profession.’

Reporting on the issue the Economist analysed the research of top sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh who said high prices for cocaine in the 80s and 90s were the primary reason for gang wars in the States.

“Without the high value of cocaine as a commodity, the incentive for protracted gang wars would dwindle,” the Economist noted, “As well as eliminate the economy for the illegal weapons, drive-by shootings, and mercenary “warriors” needed to help defend prime dealing locations.” (Economist: https://econ.st/tKzlSY )

Sir Richard Branson also entered the debate this week, declaring it’s ‘time to end the war on drugs’ after visited Portugal to study the country’s wildly successful decriminalization policy. Noting how since relaxing penalties ten years ago, drug use has plummeted, with marijuana use a quarter of what it is in the States, he also singled out crime rates.

“Property theft (in Portugal) has dropped dramatically,” Sir Richard said. “50% - 80% of all property theft worldwide is caused by drug users).”

“Current policy debate is that it’s based on “speculation and fear mongering”, rather than empirical evidence on the effect of more lenient drug policies. In Portugal, the effect was to neutralize what had become the country’s number one public health problem,” he added.

“Decriminalization does not result in increased drug use. Portugal’s 10 year experiment shows clearly that enough is enough. It is time to end the war on drugs worldwide. We must stop criminalising drug users,” Sir Richard urged. https://bit.ly/rM5gWp

Jonty Skrufff: https://listn.to/JontySkrufff
taken from: https://www.trackitdown.net/news/show/104889.html

There is a great article by Sir Richard Branson where he basically agrees with you and uses Portugals non-drug war as proof.

https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/blog/time-to-end-the-war-on-drugs

yes, it's referenced in the end of the article.. =)

https://bit.ly/rM5gWp - third link from bottom..

"Noting how since relaxing penalties ten years ago, drug use has plummeted"

That doesn't make any sense! why would people take less drugs if the penalties for drug taking were less harsh? if drug use has plummeted it will be down to another factor, like for example ,less drugs being available or a higher price   etc etc . Sounds like another distorted representation of the "facts" to suit a particular point of view rather then a balance representation of all the facts .

"It further rebuffed convention by placing the responsibility for decreasing drug demand as well as managing dependency under the Ministry of Health rather than the Ministry of Justice."

Smart move educating people about the health issues of drug use was probably the factor that reduced drug use


Making Drug users criminals is certainly far too right wing & does know good for anyone.Though allowing people access to more drugs could create more drug addicts, even if they didn't have to fund there addiction with crime an addiction is not something I'd wish on someone . Of course reducing Drug crime would be ideal.But their are other things that have to be added to the mix and other ways to reduce drug related crime  . For example you can visit any country's "mental health" hospitals and their will be many patients their as a consequence of drug abuse leading to mental health problems .

I think the remedy for drug culture like every other remedy is to be found at the root of the problem . Why do people feel they need that extra chemical stimulant in the first place . People take recreational drugs for a variety of reasons.

I agree that people whom take drugs should not be criminalized.But giving a license to business to sell more recreational drugs legally for non medical reasons ,as they do nicotine and alcohol would be a mistake that could only reduce our society's health .We still live in a culture where hundreds of millions of people pay to poison themselves by smoking Toxic cigarette  smoke.WHY? Well the smokers will all have there psychological excuses .In fact anything other than.. I'M ADDICTED ! .

And that is the point of addiction it's often blind . In fact the point a drug users accepts they are an addict is quite often the time that they wish to stop .

Education at an early age is the answer . Smoking Aside, as inhaling any type of smoke into the lungs is obviously very damaging .It's not  casual drug use that is the problem  .It's excessive use where the real danger is.

It sounds logical that living in a society where drugs are more freely accessible would as a consequence mean more people taking drugs whom others wise wouldn't .I.E - I wouldn't of began smoking at 16 if it wasn't a culturally acceptable thing to do and there were not cigarettes sold legally in shops .I simply wouldn't have thought about it . Inhaling toxic smoke is a very distorted accepted "tradition" that's .A Health destroying,growth stumping,cancerous addiction that has been passed on through the generations .Now I see people smoking and it seems alien to me . Why would any thinking person do this to there body? answer! There not really thinking about it that much.If they accepted the facts of what every single breath of smoke did to there lungs they'd think twice .Logic and reason trumps addiction.

As usual the answer are to be found in science . In fact many of the "designer " drugs that are associated with the dance music scene were firstly synthetically produced in a laboratory .Drugs in pill form or Smoking plants such as cannabis alter the brain chemistry .As science advance's it's knowledge in  neurochemistry we will be able to understand more deeply the effects and side effects drugs have both short term and long term .
Maybe in the future we will have society's that move away from taking the traditional recreational drugs such as alcohol & nicotine  and begin using legal designer "healthier" drugs .