'Demand for drugs must be cut'

[boomerangutang]

If you look at drug laws in Thailand, you'll see they're identical to US drug laws from 20 years ago. However, US drug laws are changing, as evidence from pot becoming legal in some states. Thailand should update its drug laws also.

Just today, US Attorney General (America's top law enforcement officer) strongly recommended that sentencing for certain drug offenders be eased. The main reason; to save money, because it costs between $22k and $34k/year to house a prisoner. Second reason: People are realizing how ridiculous most drug laws are. Often, when drug laws get harsher, they wind up causing more harm to society - than if the laws were reasonable. Some US states are making their drug laws less draconian. The state of Tennessee alone, has saved over $8 million in the past year from letting small time dealers get out of jail. Of 1000's of those let go, guess how many have committed new crimes? Answer: none.

SE countries in general, and Thailand in particular think they're doing the right thing by coming down harshly on small time druggies, but in reality, they're hurting their countries more than helping them. Another example: the hundreds of young Thai women holed up for many years (of for life, or for execution) in Vietnam and HK and other Asian prisons. Their offense? Most just made one stupid mistake, by agreeing to transport a drug package. If those of us reading this were jailed for one stupid mistake made in our younger lives, we would all be reading this post in a prison cell.

[apetley]

No solution until the Royal Thai Police Force is taken out of the supply chain.

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[KireB]

The only solution is to decriminalize drugs! Lets just face the facts, drugs are so delicious that throughout the history both men and animals used mind altering substances.

Lets turn abuse in use, or treatment. Educate and regulate , garantee quality. So what is a few percent of us cant handle this freedom. The costs for society are much higher when drugs would stay illegal.

[Curt1591]

The only solution is to decriminalize drugs! Lets just face the facts, drugs are so delicious that throughout the history both men and animals used mind altering substances.

In the Pacific Northwest, psilocybin mushrooms grow wild. The biggest competition for the harvest is the elk that wander the meadows. These huge beasts will go from mushroom patch, to mushroom patch, devouring the hallucinogens.

[Commander Tamson]

Former PM Thaksin had a way of taking care of the drug problem. He had the police KILL THEM So what 2500 people were killed. He did it to get rid of the drugs.]

Oh! And that worked, did it?

[Commander Tamson]

Number 1 killer is booze 4% of people globally each year.Prohibition on acohol didnt work The war on drugs hasn't worked.Legalise it,tax it,treat addicts as patients rather than criminals.Surprisingly the US. Is leading the way with Colarado and Washigton as the vanguard.The war was always lost-Lets take care of the wounded instead of filling the prisons.

Oo-f'king Ra! It's like putting prisoners in prison.

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[Commander Tamson]

Recent campaigns in our Tambon against drug use with the younger population has been a sucess. Dissapearance or loss of urine test samples has risen in cost from last year to the current rate of 15,00Baht.

Quite a deterrent as few of the village famlies can offord this and have to "borrow" from the local Shark at 3% per month interest.

What a magic solution! Hit the poorest families hardest! You should enter the Philanthropist of the Year competition