Budget hits the "poorest" hardest!!

[shaunbhoy]

Legalize drugs, tax them to high heaven, and get most of the money back.

Not a bad idea.

[EternalOptimist]

Not a bad idea.

Could be good for the taxpayers alliance as well, they could do with some new blood. I can just picture the first meeting, with 'MuleMaster Mangler' the recently installed assistant spokesman on 'relaxation taxation'

'Dis is bad mon. Totaaally baad. pass de ganga mon. from de left hand side. NO TAXATION WITHOUT err ....what wus I saying mon????'

[sasguru]

When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.

That is true, but for every genius there are thousands of dunces who talk like a dunce, act like a dunce and are in fact dunces of the first degree. You, SB, clearly belong to the latter category.

HTH

[shaunbhoy]

That is true, but for every genius there are thousands of dunces who talk like a dunce, act like a dunce and are in fact dunces of the first degree. Believe me, if anybody knows that it is I, sasguru.........Prince of Dunces!

HTH

FTFY

[OwlHoot]

Not a bad idea.

The snag is if you legalize drugs then all the scumbags who make a living out of them will move on to something even more unpleasant, like mugging or kidnapping for ransom etc.

[snaw]

Just for the record snaw. What exactly WOULD be your strategy for dealing with junkies on benefits?

Well the aim is to get people off drugs. There is no magic formula that works, what works for some won't work for others and to my knowledge no society has this one sussed completely.

The secondary aim, is at east to minimise the impact on society from the associated crime that comes with junkies. Methadone pro grammes etc.

I'm 100% certain that pulling their benefits won't solve it, and would result in increased costs to society with the resultant crime increase from this measure.

[Green Mango]

Well the aim is to get people off drugs. There is no magic formula that works, what works for some won't work for others and to my knowledge no society has this one sussed completely.

The secondary aim, is at east to minimise the impact on society from the associated crime that comes with junkies. Methadone pro grammes etc.

I'm 100% certain that pulling their benefits won't solve it, and would result in increased costs to society with the resultant crime increase from this measure.

The Swiss seem to have the most effictive system for tackling drugs.

Clinics where addicts can get their drugs and use them on the premises combined with medical staff who will help them come off drugs if they want. Many addicts do want to come off drugs and have done so.

This combined with education about the danger of drugs has I believed been effective there.

[EternalOptimist]

The snag is if you legalize drugs then all the scumbags who make a living out of them will move on to something even more unpleasant, like mugging or kidnapping for ransom etc.

No, I think the idea is to remove a lucrative job opportunity from them

[shaunbhoy]

The snag is if you legalize drugs then all the scumbags who make a living out of them will move on to something even more unpleasant, like mugging or kidnapping for ransom etc.

IIRC, a lot of junkies already fund their habit by doing these activities. Well, perhaps not as far as the ransom stuff, as they would not be compos mentis enough to coordinate it. But some fairly unsavoury activities nonetheless.

[Gonzo]

The snag is if you legalize drugs then all the scumbags who make a living out of them will move on to something even more unpleasant, like mugging or kidnapping for ransom etc.

I think you have hit the nail on the head.

Everyone can see that the current approach to tackling drugs is a complete waste of time and no-one could credibly claim that doing more of the same thing is the effective thing to do.

However, the societal problems caused by the current approach do not effect the ruling classes so they are quite happy for things to continue as they are because it keeps the criminals out of their hair.