# Make up the regulations for legalizing prostitution **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-up-the-regulations-for-legalizing-prostitution/450963 "2008-05-29T00:01:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-up-the-regulations-for-legalizing-prostitution/450963/21 "2008-05-29T23:23:24Z")
I think the best governmental reason to require a drug test in this case would be to be consistent with what \*\*Daljo \*\* and perhaps some others were getting at about ensuring people were signing up for this willingly, without coercion, and had the mental health to make such a statement. If this wound up in a corporate model, as opposed to the collective model some proposed, it sounds like the kind of job an employer would be likely to require a drug test for, for liability or marketing reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-up-the-regulations-for-legalizing-prostitution/450963/22 "2008-05-30T01:39:32Z")
The minimum regulations that would certainly be required: health screening (STD & drugs) no underage girls zoning (no streetwalkers outside schools, etc.) But yeah, if the license requirements banned HIV-positive, crack smocking 16-year olds from being prostitutes, I’m sure they’d keep on working illegally. There’s no lower limit to how cheap and skanky a ho’ can be and still find customers. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-up-the-regulations-for-legalizing-prostitution/450963/23 "2008-05-30T06:21:25Z")
If I can chime in with how things work in Queensland, Australia. Which seems to work OK. The idea seems to be to make it a “boutique” low profile industry. I’m not an expert but the basics as I understand it are; Streetwalking is not allowed. Prostitutes are allowed to operate (as a single operator) from a residence, OR can work from a brothel. With brothel’s, they are limited to having 5 girls working on premises at any one time (sort of that boutique thing). Safe Sex/Condom use is mandatory. The girls must periodically (I don’t know the frequency) have sexual health checks and provide a certificate to their employer that they are free of STD’s. Brothels must not be located within 100m (I think) of a residence, or 200m of a school or church. Means most of them are in light industrial areas A brothel must be registered with the government, and pays a licensing fee to the relevant government authority. I don’t know how much that is. The prsopective owners/operators of a brothel undergo extensive background checks which is supposed to be there to keep any sort of criminal element out of the industry Single Operators Must operate by themselves. I believe they are allowed to hire one other person, who does not provide services. They would invariably be for a security person. I don’t believe there is any sort of licensing for sole operators. They must operate from a private residence, where no children (\<18) reside. I think they may be allowed to provide callout services - a brothel is not. And of course workers must in any case be above the age of consent (\>18) ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-up-the-regulations-for-legalizing-prostitution/450963/24 "2008-06-04T20:28:34Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] otherwise, not sure I agree with what others have said about screenings/condoms etc I think is up to the customers and whores to negotiate. [/QUOTE] The condom requirement would be pretty much the same basis as the requirements for gloves in the food industry. Helping to prevent the spread of disease. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-up-the-regulations-for-legalizing-prostitution/450963/25 "2008-06-04T20:49:27Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] I don’t hate pay whores in general, just the ugly ones (which includes most of them). I get skeeved out seeing ugly women hard at work whether it is on the mean streets or at my corporate workplace. I would love to see hookers get screened for not only diseases but also for physical appearance. [/quote] All kidding aside, isn’t this really a problem for the market to decide? The concentration of ugly streetwalkers can, I’d conjecture, be explained by the correlation between illegal prostitution and abuse of illegal drugs. (Hey, meth rots your teeth.) Thus, accomplishing your aim could conceivably be accomplished by regular tests for illegal drugs. There’s a rational basis for this, in that intravenous drug use poses HIV risks, and it could arguably not be accomplished by regular HIV testing because of the window between exposure and the time when the virus becomes concentrated enough in the bloodstream to result in a positive test. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-up-the-regulations-for-legalizing-prostitution/450963/26 "2008-06-04T23:23:35Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] …no pimps - girls have to collectivise to run a brothel, like a closed corporation, and can collectively hire secretaries/bookers/agents/pay rent, but no non-jobbers can profit directly from the business. Sketchy on this point, but I’m sure something could be worked out… [/QUOTE] So basically all brothels will be run exactly like law firms? 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-up-the-regulations-for-legalizing-prostitution/450963.md?page=1)