Ignorance, stupidity and, nothing else… And we thought New Labour were stupid and arrogant when all they did was ignore the scientists’ advice. The Tories don’t want them advising them AT ALL.
WHAT THE FUCK? Arrogant, willfully ignorant twats.
For those that don’t know, currently in the UK Ecstasy and LSD are both classified at the same level as Smack and Cocaine (class A). I have lost track of where Cannabis is, Labour bounced back and forwards on that.
Whilst the scientists go by evidence, politicans operate in the arena of public opinion, and are accountable to it.
Rational scientific thought is not always a vote winner, being seen to be doing ‘something’, preferably something tough and macho plays well to an ignorant public - hence the song title lyrics ‘The public gets what the public want and the public wants what the public gets’
No need for logic here, emotion and ingorance will do fine for the politicians.Debate is too difficult and people might actually think - can’t have that now can we?
So why don’t they enact policies that people favour? I’m pretty sure the majority of Australians would allow gay marriage but they don’t permit it. The majority of Australians don’t want troops in the Middle East but they are still there. I don’t think most Australians want 60% of people in prison to be drug users from difficult backgrounds.
It seems as though the issue of legalizing drugs like cannabis, Ecstasy, LSD, and other drugs is as much a political third rail in the UK as it is in the States. Until a major elected political leader can advocate legalization and/or decriminalization of some or all controlled substances and not get tossed out of office, you’re not going to see much change on this issue.
Just out of curiosity (and for comparison with American laws), what are the penalties for someone being caught with possession of marijuana in the UK? Do people still serve hard time for possessing a fairly small amount or is it pretty much a fine?
It was sort of decriminalized in 2004 (moved to Class C) and then moved back into Class B in 2009 after the government ignored a study it commissioned to determine what effect decriminalization had.
A small amount the police would probably ignore completely (or confiscate for personal use :)). As Really Not All That Bright says for a while possession for personal use was pretty much legal. You could do time now for supplying, I knew someone who did (long story). But that was a shortish sentence in an open prison, not exactly “hard time”. The drug laws here (or at least sentencing policies) are still slightly less ridiculous than in the US.
Drug policy is going to be dictated by the Mail and the Express for a while.
The problem with scientific advice is the old adage of the truth having a left wing bias - and we have a very right wing government now, Lib Dem fig leaves notwithstanding.
I don’t think the OP is suggesting that they be legalized, just that they shouldn’t be classified with heroin. I disagree as far as LSD - that stuff messed me up more then all the other drugs I’ve taken combined - but certainly Ecstasy is mostly harmless.
I disagree - surely the fact that there are almost no documented deaths, possibly none as the fatal does is very very high, from LSD ( I looked for a few mins and could’nt find any ) is what matters. Alcohol and tobacco ( both legal ) have documented deaths in the millions.
My feeling is that LSD is category A not for the harm it does but because of the people it’s associated with.