No, we should pass tougher drug laws

It criminalises non violent drug users, encourages people to access the black market on drugs and puts a further burden on the criminal justice system.

Adults should be free to make decisions about what they injest so long as it doesn't pose significant risks to others.

This can be an emotive issue for people and it is important not to generalise about the reasons people would support tougher drug laws. But whatever their reasons the stance ignores the effects of decriminalisation in countries like Portugal, which have seen rates of drug abuse decline. Ultimately, the people who most benefit from tough drug laws are the ones at the top of the criminal hierarchy who are above the law. As much as we might not want these people to exist, they do, and they are embedded into the political, economic and social elite. The main reason we have the current laws and policies is because law makers are scared of these people.

Drug laws have failed systematically over the last 100 odd years. Addiction is an illness and needs to be treated that way, through proper health and social care.

Prohibition doesn’t work; organised criminals will have an even bigger monopoly and be strongly benefited by such law just as in America in the 1920s.

tougher drug laws unfairly target victims of drug abuse, or those who have been trafficked/groomed into it. they should build safe drug injection sites to gradually help withdrawals and rehab and allow the people to return back to normality, without the stigma of their past.

I’ve worked in drug rehabilitation and have seen first hand the devastating impact drugs have on families, communities and people.

People need help and often when in prison people still access drugs. It doesn’t ’rehabilitate’ people - which is what people really need. They need help, not locking up.

Further to this I think you need to look at the wider societal and economic of why people take drugs and address that.

Arrest and apply tougher sentences to the head honchos of things like county lines organisations - sure. They deserve it. But not the people at the bottom who are stuck in addiction and just trying to survive.

People will do drugs wether it's legal or not, fighting it is utterly pointless. It's much better to tax and regulate it.

For certain drugs, perhaps, but not for drugs that can be used for medicinal purposes e.g. cannabinoids

we have encountered the issue countless of times and changed laws and nothing has still changed. so what is the point?

Drugs will still be used, we should regulate safe testing facilities and allow people to choose to consume, education rather than ban.

If someone wants to smoke weed then let them. Mind your own business. Let the government tax it and make billions. if you don't like weed then just don't smoke it

Legalisation of drugs would reduce the crime associated with supply the supply of drugs and the social harms it causes. It also reduced the glamour associated with drugs such as cocaine. Cocaine is a drug that is often used as an act of coolness of rebellion for people with ordinary lives. Legalisation removed this glamour.

Peoples decisions on what they do with their bodies is their choice. As far as selling drugs, i think the laws on this are strict enough

Regulation, education and prevention have proven to be more effective in other countries. More studies around drug use would be a better use of money

We should not pass tougher drug laws as many people will still find ways of sneaking in drugs from abroad and rates of exploitation and trafficking amongst people will increase as drug dealers are more worried about the tougher drug laws.

I would much prefer a rehabilitation system for buyers of drugs because we’ve already proved that a retribution based system has not worked as we have a huge problem with drugs at the minute with a high rate of relapse. If we take away the demonisation of drugs, we can begin to give people the help that can bring them out of a drug addiction rather than persecute them for it. In the case of sellers, many of them are people who need to make an income in some way to get by. If we give these people a way into stable jobs, there wouldn’t be as big of a need to commit crime as a living

Drug addiction is a mental health issue that needs support, instead of clamping down on users, you should legalise and safely distrubute clean drugs for the people who want them and that can also be taxed to fund institutes to help people with addiction creating a safer environment for all.

Irrational statement made out of lack of life experience, people have addiction and the demand will always be there. Supplying clean, recorded and reliable places for these activites to be done and a clean supplt will reduce overdoses, needle based disease and a safer supply reduces the stigma and risk.

All my life, this has been tried. I ha e not seen it working.

Take dugs out the hands on the dealers, remove the profits for them a s put users into the care system. So help is there when they need it.

The main cause for many gang related violence, will and always will come down to drugs and the selling of them. If we increase more law onto drugs, the more crime there will be reason to be.

We pay tax to catch and penalise people for taking something that will only affect themselves, when we could spend that money focussing on the people selling it and the violence that it comes with. Regardless if drugs are decriminalised or not it’s obvious people will still do them, so why don’t we target the route and real dangers caused by drugs rather than people just trying to get high, by educating kids on the science backed risks of drugs and then let them make their own decisions. If they’re not hurting anyone why am I paying for them to be locked up.

Legalising drugs would take the power away from criminals and also generate a source of revenue for the country. Alcohol and nicotine are legal so why not other drugs. Studies have shown plenty of prohibited drugs are not as harmful as certain legal (including prescription) drugs.

No, Adults should have free ability to take drugs, as long as it doesn't put others in a direct danger

Passing tougher drug laws will just result in more addicts being mistaken for criminals and crime statistics would increase

No, because everyone should have equa rights and we should come up with better ways to deal with this problem

No, Adults should have free ability to take drugs, as long as it doesn't put others in a direct danger.

adults (25+) should be allowed to use drugs (with regulations such as not using in public spaces) as long as it doesnt harm others

it's what's been said for many years with no improvements being made, politicians just need to admit they were wrong and make the changes that will actually help people. decriminalisation can help people and legalisation can create jobs and extra taxes

Tougher drug laws do nothing to actually prevent drug abuse, it merely enables organised crime to exploit the criminalisation and expand their power base.

Trying to stop people from using drugs is like trying to stop a river from flowing - almost impossible.

Much easier and more feasible to guide and direct the flow.

People will want to do drugs and will have access to them. By creating legal channels and not making drugs taboo you encourage communication between consumers, business, healthcare and government so people can make informed choices and you improve accessiblity to quality drugs as opposed to these third rate drugs you get form dealers who yoi have no way of quality control testing.

As long as it doesn’t hurt any Adult who wishes to take the drug or cause any issues to those around them. It should be allowed, primarily for drugs that do not cause significant harm to that person.

We've been fighting the war on drugs for 40 years, never made progress, and filled up prisons with nonviolent criminals. It's time to explore different strategies.

Drug use - whether recreational or addictive - is a health or cultural issue and not a matter of criminal law.

Each individual who uses drugs are not the same, tougher drug laws on illegal distribution and sale of drugs which pose significant threat to human life should be enforced but drug usage recreationally to aid people with their physical and mental imparities should be encouraged with a nationalised system for use.

I think we should push for legalisation and less stigmatism on "lighter" drugs such as weed, ones that have no deaths due to OD's linked.

i think it would be safer if we legalise drugs as we will then know more about them and know they are legitimate rather than made illegally and have other substances put in them. people use drugs infested with all sorts of things because you can’t buy them safely. drug dealers want money so don’t care what they sell whereas if they were sold legally in supermarkets and big companies then the government can oversee them

Look at other countries where legalisation has helped. we can monitor the drugs making them safer and tax them making money

Drug use is a health and social care issue, not a security issue. Putting addicts in jail does nothing to solve the problem and is a waste of my tax money, put them in rehab and get them off the stuff so they don't reoffend. It's not bloody rocket science

We can raise taxes through people legally buying drugs whilst also finding out who are the addicts to get them the help needed. We can also stop waisting police’s time on petty drug crimes.

Drug criminalisation has been proven as ineffective compared to legalisation and better regulation. Why are we still debating this? Let people do what they want.

tougher laws only work with some element of legalisation and monitoring, why aren't we adding alcohol to the drug policy considering the number of deaths and injuries associated to it and caused by it each year?

drug abuse is a medical problem, but a crime problem. perpetuated by a lower standard of living and mental health challenges. criminalising it only pushes addicts and users closer to crime.

The war on drugs has failed. Drugs have won. Millions are spent each year on a loosing battle. Police shut down massive drug operations for them to be reastablished hours later. We need to review our view on drugs taken into account all the latest studies and non biased information, and take into account other countries approach. Such as Uruguay, Canada, Holland and some states in America.

It has zero effect on the rate of criminality, and it punishes a crime that predominantly effects the individual being charged. It's a question of personal freedom and harm reduction. Drugs are a health issue, not a criminal one.

The war on drugs has failed. All it does is create a black market which is currently thriving. If drugs were regulated it would create a safer world, create more jobs and tax revenues.

Current policy has failed for decades and huge numbers of otherwise legal citizens are drug users regardless of it being illegal. Criminalising drug use has not helped it to reduce harm and in fact has done the opposite.

Decriminalising would help allow for better medical research into their impacts and what can help.

Any legalised drugs could be taxed and profits would no longer be able to be used by criminal gangs and cartels, reducing funding to organised crime and terrorism. Funds gained from taxation could be used to improve the country.

Tougher drug laws on illegal drugs, dangerous drugs, unclean cut drugs on the streets - yeah those people should be caught and have the law come down on them.
But making it safe to consume chemicals that when used in a safe environment can be beneficial especially for psilocybin and MDMA for use in Trauma and other therapy as well as to help maintain mental wellbeing for alleviating stress and anxiety.

Tougher drug law may make people think twice before using or inflicting drugs on innocent party's, such as spiking drinks.

Tougher drug laws just pushes the problem under ground. The war on drugs is already lost. Anyone can get drugs anywhere. Legalise drugs, bring the problem into the open, tax them and use the revenue for rehabilitation

The law will not change the number of drug users but only make drug users more isolated, alinated and therefore dependable.

Some drugs (not all) are proven to tackle a number of illnesses related to stress, arthritis, panic attacks and more.

we should not put tougher drug laws on because as long as, when your taking it you are under supervision or your doing it and not causing harm to anyone then in my opinion theres nothing wrong with it

The United States of America has waged a useless and very expensive "war on drugs" that consisted of tougher laws and enforcement. This resulted in thousands of casual offenders being put behind bars and the black market expanding and becoming more associated with organised crime. Stronger more dangerous types of drugs have also become more common, such as fentanyl, which is much more potent per gram, making smuggling more efficient, but resulting in more deaths overall.

Increasing the risk doesn't prevent use, more people are using weed since it's class B designation. You just increase the likelihood of conflict at the point it's discovered.

Yes there should be harsher laws on class A drugs
Expect medical drugs should be allowed for medical purposes

The science (and their is lots of it) clearly states that current drug policy is totally counter intuitive, is criminalising many people for the possession of drugs that are less harmful than alcahol and if fuelling a vast illegal market. This costs the public purse billions.

Countries like Spain and Portugal show up how backward our policies are.

Our policy is based on appalling lies that are designed to generate political capital, the lives that are ruined by these policies are seen as expendable by the politicians.

People will be doing drugs no matter what it would be better to see it as a health problem as opposed to a criminal problem. Take the power away from the black markets and regulated it and allow people to receive help that they deserve

What does convicting the user of a drug actually do? People still take drugs and risk it. Decriminalise usage

No, Adults should have free ability to take drugs, as long as it doesn't put others in a direct danger.

Most drug laws were originally designed to destroy communities and arrest people they disagreed with

It fails to address the issue regarding drug use. It stigmatises users socially which leads to development of mental health issues and further drug use in the future. All whilst taking up police time, prison space an tax payer money for policies that penalise specific drugs that have a lower, or non-existant correlation to other antisocial or criminal behaviour. Especially when compared to crimes committed whilst intoxicating with legal drugs such as alcohol.

And from a healthcare perspective the current policies make it difficult to undertake pharmaceutical research. It also has been proven…  Read more that illegal drugs (mushrooms, cannabis or LSD) have a lower impact on both long term physical or mental health.

Making it more illegal won't stop it. It will make it less safe and people are less likely to seek help out of fear and shame

This will only increase the criminalisation of people who use drugs in the UK. If we legalise certain drugs and gather research, bit by bit we can realise how each one might benefit certain people with certain conditions and maybe even realise that one or two of them aren’t harmful. Plus being able to monitor the use of drugs provides the government with control whereas it feels like through increasing the amount or severity of laws on drugs use/possession the government are trying to gain control of something that they can’t. If they allow it to run its course they might find it easier not only to regulate but also gather research on.

It should be treated as a health issue instead of a criminal issue unless its about dealing drugs, then it should be tougher.

And crimilise people who are just exploring the limits of their brains. Being illegal is part of the excitement of drugs for young people. Legalise and have age limits.

We should target the circumstances surrounding use such as mental health problems and offer support rather than lock people away.

No, Adults should have free ability to take drugs, as long as it doesn't put others in a direct danger.

There is already tough laws in place, drugs still get on the streets, sometimes with awful effects. have safe havens where people can go to get their drugs checked and tested that are anonymous so people can actually be safe and help people overcome their need for said drugs

It'll only affect poorer communities. People will continue to take drugs and the current prison and health care systems cannot accommodate.

Legalise and regulate marijuana and less harmful drugs such as psychedelics- it would create more jobs and less pressure on the police- especially legal marijuana. Adults should be free to make their own decisions as long as they aren’t harming others.

If substances occur naturally in the environment which alter a state of mind, then there is something integral in the world and universe which is inevitable to be experimented with. You should not and essentially can not control that without causing destruction

The is scientific proof for drugs like marijuana that they are safe to consume and physical proof that it not only is better for mental health of patients in pain but better for the economy as it can be taxed and better for physical health of those who already use the substance as it would be grown in safe environments with less chemicals and would take money out of the hands of drug dealing organisations

No, Adults should have free ability to take drugs, as long as it doesn't put others in a direct danger.

Tougher drug laws do not prevent harm and keep people safer, decriminalisation allows for more testing and understanding of drugs and allows people to be more open and or and practice safer drug taking habits.

Decriminalisation has worked to reduce harm in Portugal successfully. Legalisation of cannabis in Canada and many US states has brought in millions in tax revenue.

Tougher drug laws will not reduce drug use but only incarcerate further low level users. Leading to further public spending. Decriminalise class Cs

Just look around you. Drugs will always existed and will ckntinue to exist and people will continue useing themLet's legalise, tax it and control it.

An individual who has the capacity to make their own decisions regarding their health should have the right to decide what is put into their body as long as it does not cause problems for anyone else or put unnecessary strain on the healthcare system. The existing drug laws restrict and criminalise the use of drugs which cause minimal harm and are not addictive, for example, Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). This drug has a low dependance liability and a very low addiction liability. LSD is classified as a class A drug, and could see you spending up to 7 years in prison, and given an unlimited fine or both. Drugs like ethanol (alcohol) have very little restrictions, but harm caused by alcohol use costs the NHS around £3.5 billion each year.

Drugs will be taken no matter what is banned if the drug is accessible and in large quantity (basically any namable drug). And criminalising drugs will only lead to more issues as the money going though the black market of drugs is untouchable from the government

It fails to combat the causes that cause addiction and dependence. It only makes it harder for people to get help.

I agree. Not only does it raise a good amount of duty for the treasury, but the drugs themselves would be regulated and thus safer to take. And further, no drug addict should ever be imprisoned for what is a mental health condition

it’s has been proven in countries like portugal that decriminalising drug use is more effective than making laws stricter.

Hard drugs such as Cocaine and Heroin shouldn’t be on streets, you’re right. However, a soft drug like weed that makes you a little paranoid and hungry shouldn’t be a crime to consume. If you are driving, I agree, you shouldn’t be high on ANYTHING but you can’t criminalise a drug like weed if alcohol is sold in almost every store you walk into.

Children should be protected with strict laws, but for anyone with true consent, our bodies are our own. The war on drugs has demonstrably given power to violent criminal gangs and caused untold suffering to those harmed by unregulated and contaminated drugs.

It doesn't work. Decriminalisation is the way to go. People are going to do it so they may as well get help, medical care and support

Totally dependent on the drug in question. Cannabis should be legalised and other drugs should be carefully looked at. I'd much rather be out late at night and dealing with a bunch of stoners than a bunch of drunks or cokeheads.

What a waste of time, energy and resources. Support drug users with access to services and regulated use and end drug crime.

It is more dangerous to buy on the streets, increasing deaths for people buying(drugs that are laced) and also the sellers (increase in gang activity)

Marijuana would be an income stream, legal distribution would take money out of the hands of criminals, and people addicted to harder drugs should be helped, not punished.

the issue is if we keep making it a taboo more people will get hooked into that way of life, if we are able to regulate and decriminalize it we will be able to help people to get out of the issue there is one massive part could be taking the issue and legalising certain substances and being able to tax them in the same way as cigarettes so that we can generate more money for the economy and get rid of traffickers who run in illegal ways

An individual's right to put whatever they want in their body. Healthy or otherwise no government should be able to ban any form of consumption. Business models that are set up to distribute said drugs, have an influence upon the education received and addiction services available for when people over medicate.

Legalisation of all drugs will eliminate majority of spending in removing organised crime relating to drugs and the tax placed on those substances will be hugely beneficial. As a grown adult I should be allowed to enjoy various forms of non-sobriety or experiment with consciousness. Alcohol is widely consumed and is no less dangerous then cannabis.

Drug laws now exist as a barricade towards usage but there also exists drugs that medicinally provide benefits to people. If tougher laws would reduce their usage of improvements in their life... Then Absolutely NO.