# Russia decriminalizes all drugs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 16, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356 "2004-05-16T01:57:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/21 "2004-05-16T22:23:15Z")
I think this thread has veered right into GD territory, but anyway… Arguments that claim drug users and abusers should be incarcerated as a means of forcing them to stop using are foolish. > [@](#): > > I can’t speak for JamesCarroll, but I’d say that it’s foolish to think that these things don’t affect you in some way. Even if you don’t directly experience the deleterious effects of these drugs, you may still have to put up with family members that are slaves to drug abuse, or whose addictions affect their work performance, or who place undue (and easily avoidable!) loads on an already overburdened health care system. No man is an island, and it’s foolhardy to think that one’s personal consumption of these substances has no effect on anyone else. How is one to be an effective member of a family if he’s been thrown in jail for possession of marijuana? And how is this hypothetical drug user’s work performance going to improve as he cools his heels in jail? And then we get to the health care argument. It looks compelling for a moment actually. It’s true that a heavy drug user may become so dependent on their drug that he is unable to work and is forced to depend on the state for medical care. In such cases, yes, he would be a burden. It’s also true that he may have developed health care issues such as HIV or Hepatitis C from his drug habit though the rates of infection from shared needle use for both of these diseases would, IMO, drop if some drugs were legalized or penalities were lowered. In such an environment, a drug user would be more likely to go to clinics for free needles, health testing, etc. So yes, health care costs for drug users are higher than typical Americans. But we can’t forget that with the ‘war on drugs’, in 1997(the latest data I could find) the US was imprisoning 21, 668 people in state prisons and another 55474 in federal prison. Cite: [http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cpus9704.pdf](http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cpus9704.pdf) In California, it costs $30, 929 to house an inmate. In Tennessee, $2, 835. So there’s a bit of a discrepancy there. [http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/online/section2/correct.pdf](http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/online/section2/correct.pdf) [http://www.corr.ca.gov/CommunicationsOffice/facts\_figures.asp](http://www.corr.ca.gov/CommunicationsOffice/facts_figures.asp) [http://www.bop.gov/progstat/om015\_03.pdf](http://www.bop.gov/progstat/om015_03.pdf) A federal inmate costs $22, 517 to house for a year. This money could instead be used for drug treatment centers and drug education. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/22 "2004-05-17T01:13:33Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Hm, 28 grams to the ounce, so that would be 14 joints to the ounce? > > How much does a regular tobacco cigarette weight? I can vaguely remember seeing joints in HS and uni that were roughly the same size as a cigarette… A 0.5 gram joint would be about the same diameter as a cigarette. A 2 gram joint would be huge. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/23 "2004-05-17T01:28:10Z")
When Canada made a move toward decriminalizing pot, the Bush administration made a lot of noise about how wrong it was and meddled rather extensively. I can’t imagine that Vladimir Putin would give a shit what Dubya and friends think about such a shift in policy. ---
**Author:** ![VertexShader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@VertexShader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VertexShader)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/24 "2004-05-17T03:28:18Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > When Canada made a move toward decriminalizing pot, the Bush administration made a lot of noise about how wrong it was and meddled rather extensively. They threatened trade sanctions as well. I love our country. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/25 "2004-05-17T15:50:07Z")
> [@Max\_Castle](#): > > A 0.5 gram joint would be about the same diameter as a cigarette. A 2 gram joint would be huge. Well… Back when I actually rolled joints, it was about average for me to get 8 or so out of a quarter. (I reeaaallly suck at it though…) I’ve seen people use rolling machines and get about 5 well packed ones, so I’d assume if you use slightly bigger papers, it wouldn’t be that hard. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/26 "2004-05-17T18:53:13Z")
[This](http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/3064.html) article refers mostly to marijuana, but the thought process is easily adaptable to other drugs. Thank Og Bill C-38 is going to go down in flames in the coming election… ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/27 "2004-05-17T21:09:25Z")
**Yup, we should just make drugs legal. That way people could just throw their lives away, beholden to an addiction that has taken control of them.** Because we all know that our current drug laws have prevented everyone who wants drugs from getting their hands on them and thus nobody has ever thrown their life away for drugs because of our wonderful anti-drug laws. Sheesh. I’m pretty much on the fence when it comes to drug legalization but even I can see that what we’re currently doing **isn’t working**. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/28 "2004-05-18T01:29:51Z")
> [@](#): > > At best, that would only excuse the use of these substances for medicinal purposes. It would not imply that they are suitable for recreational use. Wait, wait, wait. Define “suitable for recreational use”. If it’s fun, it’s recreational. Y’know what? Gettin’ high can be loads of fun. Try it sometime. > [@](#): > > However, people frequently consume alcoholic beverages for the flavor, not for the buzz. So? I love the taste of weed. Does that mean I’m allowed to smoke it now? (I just love watching the anti-druggies desperately scramble to justify their bias.) > [@](#): > > In other words, the purpose behind consuming alcohol does nto necessarily have to be “fucking oneself up,” as you put it. Does that mean you’d support a ban on any alcohol with a proof greater than, say, 20? > [@](#): > > but I’d say that it’s foolish to think that these things don’t affect you in some way. So? You need to establish that it influences one in an inherently _negative_ way. Just because some newbie lightweight takes a few too many 'shrooms his first time, that doesn’t mean it’s a negative substance. Just one that requires about the same level of judgment as liquor. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/29 "2004-05-18T02:19:26Z")
I just hope this doesn’t apply to ICBM controllers and reactor technicians, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/30 "2004-05-18T03:47:46Z")
I could easily eat an entire double-fudge chocolate cake in a couple of hours. Mmm… And I’d really enjoy it. But, it would most likely screw me up real good. What it all comes down to is moderation. Unfortunately, not everyone is responsible or strong enough (willpower-wise) to limit themselves when it comes to many activities. Anyhoo… ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356/31 "2004-05-18T03:54:07Z")
> [@Beauty Personified](#): > > I could easily eat an entire double-fudge chocolate cake in a couple of hours. Mmm… And I’d really enjoy it. But, it would most likely screw me up real good. What it all comes down to is moderation. Unfortunately, not everyone is responsible or strong enough (willpower-wise) to limit themselves when it comes to many activities. > > Anyhoo… But I take it you’re not in favor of banning double-fudge chocolate cakes? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-decriminalizes-all-drugs/245356.md?page=1)