# Legalizing drugs and prostitution in various progressive countries. How did all that work out? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 18, 2011, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalizing-drugs-and-prostitution-in-various-progressive-countries-how-did-all-that-work-out/585926 "2011-06-18T11:21:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalizing-drugs-and-prostitution-in-various-progressive-countries-how-did-all-that-work-out/585926/21 "2011-06-23T02:37:28Z")
> [@B.Serum](#): > > Drugs in Portugal aren’t exactly legal, but the offense is purely administrative. Cannabis is pretty much reduced to a minor citation under California law, although, as already noted, we remain under that pesky federal law which makes it a felony. Still, I believe it would be pretty hard to get oneself busted under the Federal statute, short of sparking one up inside a Federal courtroom, or in a milieu where day-to-day regulation is largely a Federal matter, e.g. aviation. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalizing-drugs-and-prostitution-in-various-progressive-countries-how-did-all-that-work-out/585926/22 "2011-06-23T03:44:43Z")
> [@RaleighRally](#): > > Yes, both were legal. I think this article may interest you: [Sex Purchase Law is a flop](http://translate.google.se/translate?hl=en&sl=sv&u=http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/sexkopslagen-ar-en-flopp_802973.svd) 😕 Waitaminnit, this article seems to assume that the **existence** of prostitution is a **problem** in and of itself. The law is a “failure” only because prostitution still happens. But, was that really the thinking behind it? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalizing-drugs-and-prostitution-in-various-progressive-countries-how-did-all-that-work-out/585926/23 "2011-06-23T03:46:31Z")
> [@ruadh](#): > > I’m researching this at the moment (from a sex workers’ rights perspective) and I’m actually shocked at how badly designed some of these regimes are. Not to detract from the value of your work, but, **dammit,** why doesn’t anybody ever study these things from a **customer’s** -rights perspective?! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalizing-drugs-and-prostitution-in-various-progressive-countries-how-did-all-that-work-out/585926/24 "2011-06-23T04:19:37Z")
Vancouver’s safe injection site, [Insite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insite), is considered a success across the board, if the board doesn’t include theoretical moral objections of the conservative government. The crime rate in the neighbourhood is down, transmission of disease is down, health issues related to injecting drugs (like ODs) are down, and entrants to rehab programs are up. While they don’t provide drugs or actually shoot people up, they provide clean injection supplies, assist in a limited degree, and make available basic health care and opportunities for rehab. It’s not an example of legalization, per se, but it does operate under a special exemption to the drug laws. A constitutional challenge to the non-renewal of the exemption by the conservative government in 2008 led to a ruling that the laws prohibiting drug possession and trafficking were unconstitutional just because they interfered with access to Insite, so the exemption enjoyed by Insite is now a constitutional exemption. As the only example of its kind in North America that’s run long enough to have a measurable impact, it’s been studied quite extensively now, and found to have a wide array of demonstrable benefits. So, overall, it’s been smashing success. Even the Vancouver police support it. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalizing-drugs-and-prostitution-in-various-progressive-countries-how-did-all-that-work-out/585926/25 "2011-06-23T05:22:37Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 Waitaminnit, this article seems to assume that the **existence** of prostitution is a **problem** in and of itself. The law is a “failure” only because prostitution still happens. But, was that really the thinking behind it? Well actually, yes, it was. The law was brought in on the basis of the following assumption: prostitution exists because there is demand for it; by criminalising the buyers you can end demand; then there will be no more prostitution. The flaws in that argument should be obvious, but they weren’t to its Swedish supporters. The law also initially appeared to be a success (viewed in that light) because the amount of _street_ prostitution did diminish fairly quickly. Since then there has been mounting evidence that all it did was move indoors and into the shadows, but the law’s supporters stubbornly resist admitting this. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalizing-drugs-and-prostitution-in-various-progressive-countries-how-did-all-that-work-out/585926/26 "2011-06-23T05:36:33Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Prostitution is legal in most jurisdictions in Australia and has been for as long as I remember. Various local councils have different regulations but if it is in an approved brothel or a single worker’s premises then there’s no legal problem. Amazingly to me they still find the occasional illegal brothel, but in general this arrangement keeps problems down to a minimum. Australia was one of the countries I was thinking of when I said I was amazed at how badly designed some of the legalisation schemes were. There are different laws in different states and the only two I’ve studied in depth are Victoria and Queensland, but both have major, major problems, with illegal brothels being a big one in both jurisdictions - mainly because the brothel licensing requirements are so onerous that there’s a great incentive for them to operate outside the law. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalizing-drugs-and-prostitution-in-various-progressive-countries-how-did-all-that-work-out/585926.md?page=1)