Comprehensive Drug Reform Bill (Law'd)

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Sections 4 & 6 suck. The rest is wonderful.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Sections 4 & 6 suck. The rest is wonderful.

Heroin shouldn't have an age restriction?

     I don't like age restrictions on drugs, for the fundamental reason that they increase use among people who are underage. It might be fine if the penalties for selling to underage persons is less severe.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     So what would people being willing to legalize, anyway?

[Associate Justice PiT]

     So what would people being willing to legalize, anyway?

If heroin were legalised, we would have to provide a whole host of measures to 'support it' including extended needle exchange, help for children whose parents take it, children born technically addicted, mental health care etc. A huge extension of the state just to allow people to get smacked out their heads legally.

     That doesn't answer my question, but okay.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I was asking about what other drugs you would be willing to legalize. I am firmly of the opinion that all drugs should be legalized/decriminalized. Lacking the means to make that happen, I was curious as to what my colleagues would support legalizing so we could go ahead with that.

     Also, as far as I know only marijuana & LSD are the only ones that have been legalized/decriminalized.

[Associate Justice PiT]

I assume PiT did ask for what drugs we'd all be willing to legalize. Your response made it sound like you were alleging he wanted them legalized for his personal use or something. I was a bit confused, is all.

BTW, note that LSD is also decriminalized. Something else might be too but I don't remember.

When I said "you" I meant the pro-decriminalization groups. Was a broad reference.

I would support the legalization and taxation of other nondangerous drugs, but I don't know of many besides marijuana. Granted, I am not much of a drug expert.

     Hallucinogens tend to be pretty harmless (except for PCP). Maybe we should try to legalize mescaline.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     We could seek to legalize all of the yellow drugs, or maybe those & the orange ones seeing as how tobacco & alcohol are both orange.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Also, that chart is nowhere near complete. There are lots of drugs that are not on there, & I do not recognize the names of some that are on there.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I found the bill that Ebowed proposed:

Comprehensive Drug Reform Bill of 2007

Section 1: Findings
1. Current Atlasian policy has led to the incarceration of millions of nonviolent drug users, as well as the devastation of several South American economies and environments, and an overall increase in violent crime associated with drug dealing and untreated addiction.
2. Current Atlasian policy treats drug addiction first and foremost as a criminal problem rather than a medical one.
3. Current Atlasian policy is inherently contradictory in that one of the most intoxicating and addictive substances known to man, alcohol, is legal while possession of softer drugs remains a criminal activity.
4. Current Atlasian policy places harsh sentencing and punishment ahead of harm minimization, effective drug education, and addiction treatment.

Section 2: Decriminalized Substances
1. All federal laws, as well as District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting the private possession, consumption, or profitless distribution of the following substances are repealed: all Schedule III oral and intravenous anabolic steroids, all prohormones listed in U.S. 118 Stat. 1661 (including, but not limited to, 4-androstenedione, 4-androstenediol, 19-norandrostenedione, 19-norandrostenediol, and 1-androstenediol), human growth hormone (hGH), 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA), mescaline, Peyote, psilocin, psilocybin, d-lysergic acid amide (LSA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), salvia divinorum, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ephedrine, opium, cocaine (including freebase cocaine), gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), ibogaine, heroin, 5-methoxy-n,n-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT), 2C-T-7, 2C-B, cathinone (khat), alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT), 5-OH-DMT, amphetamines, dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, morphine, phencyclidine (PCP), benzylpiperazine, codeine, synthetic cannabinoids, marinol, and ketamine.
2. This section shall not be interpreted to legalize the sale or underage use of the listed substances.
3. All federal laws, including District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting certain forms of tobacco (including homegrown tobacco, smokeless tobacco, clove cigarettes, or N. rustica), alcohol (including absinthe, and all related ingredients), or associated paraphanelia (including rolling papers, rolling filter tips, matches, and water pipes) are repealed.

Section 3: Safe Injection Sites
1. The federal government will invest $10 million FY 2009 in the construction of a Safe Injection Site in the District of Columbia.
2. No person using illicit drugs inside of a Safe Injection Site may face prosecution of any kind in relation to the possession or consumption of the drug.
3. All persons entering the Safe Injection Site will be provided with clean needle syringes and any medical care necessary free of charge.
4. A donation of a dollar will be requested upon entrance to the Site. This donation is not required. Donations of any size will be accepted, assuming it is a legal donation.

Section 4: Good Samaritan Provision
1. In all areas under federal jurisdiction, persons calling for medical help for a person who is suffering immediate health problems due to drug use may not face arrest charges for possession or consumption of illicit substances.

     Now we need to decide if there are any changes we wish to make to this. If it proves satisfactory, we could amend the bill to replace the current text with something that can pass.

[Associate Justice PiT]

4-androstenedione
4-androstenediol
19-norandrostenedione
19-norandrostenediol
1-androstenediol human growth hormone (hGH)
3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA)
mescaline
Peyote
psilocin
psilocybin
d-lysergic acid amide (LSA)
lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
salvia divinorum
dimethyltryptamine (DMT)
ephedrine
opium
cocaine (including freebase cocaine)
gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
ibogaine
heroin
5-methoxy-n,n-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT)
2C-T-7
2C-B
cathinone (khat)
alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT)
5-OH-DMT
amphetamines
dextroamphetamine
methamphetamine
oxycodone
morphine
phencyclidine (PCP)
benzylpiperazine
codeine
synthetic cannabinoids
marinol
ketamine

     This is the preliminary list of drugs. I struck out heroin since it's already clear that not enough people are willing to legalize it. The rest are open to debate though.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Strike out PCP.

     Normally I would request the input of others, but PCP is probably the only thing on there more dangerous than heroin, so I will go ahead & strike it since other people wouldn't support legalizing it anyway.

     To avoid dealing with it on a completely drug-by-drug basis, should I just include any drug that was yellow on that chart?

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Apparently the first four are just prohormones of anabolic steroids. Basically they're the steroids, but much weaker. Unless there is substantial objection.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Okay. It will likely be slow going though, as a lot of the names on this list are unfamiliar & we don't have any biochemists or such in the Senate.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I've been trying to find information about these drugs, but it's hard. From what I've found, psilocin & mescaline are both pretty harmless. I think legalizing them would be fine.

     If anyone has an expert opinion to offer in regards to some other drugs on the list, it would be nice.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I figured that LSA & Salvia are also pretty harmless. What about DMT/AMT/5-OH-DMT?

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Ugh, I don't have the energy to handle all of the details of researching these drugs by myself. I offer as an amendment to replace the current text of the bill with:

Comprehensive Drug Reform Bill

Section 1: Findings
1. Current Atlasian policy has led to the incarceration of millions of nonviolent drug users, as well as the devastation of several South American economies and environments, and an overall increase in violent crime associated with drug dealing and untreated addiction.
2. Current Atlasian policy treats drug addiction first and foremost as a criminal problem rather than a medical one.
3. Current Atlasian policy is inherently contradictory in that one of the most intoxicating and addictive substances known to man, alcohol, is legal while possession of softer drugs remains a criminal activity.
4. Current Atlasian policy places harsh sentencing and punishment ahead of harm minimization, effective drug education, and addiction treatment.

Section 2: Decriminalized Substances
1. All federal laws, as well as District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting the private possession, consumption, or profitless distribution of the following substances are repealed: all Schedule III oral and intravenous anabolic steroids, all prohormones listed in U.S. 118 Stat. 1661 (including, but not limited to, 4-androstenedione, 4-androstenediol, 19-norandrostenedione, 19-norandrostenediol, and 1-androstenediol), human growth hormone (hGH), 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA), mescaline, Peyote, psilocin, psilocybin, d-lysergic acid amide (LSA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), salvia divinorum, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and cathinone (khat).
2. This section shall not be interpreted to legalize the sale or underage use of the listed substances.
3. All federal laws, including District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting certain forms of tobacco (including homegrown tobacco, smokeless tobacco, clove cigarettes, or N. rustica), alcohol (including absinthe, and all related ingredients), or associated paraphanelia (including rolling papers, rolling filter tips, matches, and water pipes) are repealed.

Section 3: Safe Injection Sites
1. The federal government will invest $10 million FY 2011 in the construction of a Safe Injection Site in the District of Columbia.
2. No person using illicit drugs inside of a Safe Injection Site may face prosecution of any kind in relation to the possession or consumption of the drug.
3. All persons entering the Safe Injection Site will be provided with clean needle syringes and any medical care necessary free of charge.
4. A donation of a dollar will be requested upon entrance to the Site. This donation is not required. Donations of any size will be accepted, assuming it is a legal donation.

Section 4: Good Samaritan Provision
1. In all areas under federal jurisdiction, persons calling for medical help for a person who is suffering immediate health problems due to drug use may not face arrest charges for possession or consumption of illicit substances.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     You mean an amendment to the amendment? I also offer my amendment as friendly. Hopefully they can both be accepted quickly to get things moving.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     This is the official bill:

Comprehensive Drug Reform Bill

Section 1: Findings
1. Current Atlasian policy has led to the incarceration of millions of nonviolent drug users, as well as the devastation of several South American economies and environments, and an overall increase in violent crime associated with drug dealing and untreated addiction.
2. Current Atlasian policy treats drug addiction first and foremost as a criminal problem rather than a medical one.
3. Current Atlasian policy is inherently contradictory in that one of the most intoxicating and addictive substances known to man, alcohol, is legal while possession of softer drugs remains a criminal activity.
4. Current Atlasian policy places harsh sentencing and punishment ahead of harm minimization, effective drug education, and addiction treatment.

Section 2: Decriminalized Substances
1. All federal laws, as well as District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting the private possession, consumption, or profitless distribution of the following substances are repealed: all Schedule III oral and intravenous anabolic steroids, all prohormones listed in U.S. 118 Stat. 1661 (including, but not limited to, 4-androstenedione, 4-androstenediol, 19-norandrostenedione, 19-norandrostenediol, and 1-androstenediol), human growth hormone (hGH), 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA), mescaline, Peyote, psilocin, psilocybin, d-lysergic acid amide (LSA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), salvia divinorum, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ephedrine, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), ibogaine, 5-methoxy-n,n-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT), 2C-T-7, 2C-B, cathinone (khat), alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT), 5-OH-DMT, amphetamines, dextroamphetamine, benzylpiperazine, codeine, synthetic cannabinoids, and marinol.
2. This section shall not be interpreted to legalize the sale or underage use of the listed substances.
3. All federal laws, including District of Columbia and federal territory laws, prohibiting certain forms of tobacco (including homegrown tobacco, smokeless tobacco, clove cigarettes, or N. rustica), alcohol (including absinthe, and all related ingredients), or associated paraphanelia (including rolling papers, rolling filter tips, matches, and water pipes) are repealed.

Section 3: Safe Injection Sites
1. The federal government will invest $10 million FY 2011 in the construction of a Safe Injection Site in the District of Columbia.
2. No person using illicit drugs inside of a Safe Injection Site may face prosecution of any kind in relation to the possession or consumption of the drug.
3. All persons entering the Safe Injection Site will be provided with clean needle syringes and any medical care necessary free of charge.
4. A donation of a dollar will be requested upon entrance to the Site. This donation is not required. Donations of any size will be accepted, assuming it is a legal donation.

Section 4: Good Samaritan Provision
1. In all areas under federal jurisdiction, persons calling for medical help for a person who is suffering immediate health problems due to drug use may not face arrest charges for possession or consumption of illicit substances.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Aye

[Associate Justice PiT]

After some reflection, I will change my vote to Abstain. I feel as though I have not done the adequate research to allow for such a wide scale of drugs to enter Atlasia. While there are a good number of drugs on that list I would consider as "safe," I do not wish to make a judgment on this extended list, only to find that our action has harmed unknowing citizens.

This is the reason for which I voted against the Bill. I have no problem with codeine. I do have a problem with LSD, however, and I'm not going to vote in favour of a bill that will legalise it, even if it does allow for codeine. There may well be other drugs on the list with which I disagree.

A better option may be to create an agency, such as the US FDA, or the Australian TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration), which can regulate drugs.

This is the TGA website: http://www.tga.gov.au/
http://www.tga.gov.au/about/tga.htm - the link "What the TGA does"

As you can see, to import or produce a therepeutic drug in Australia, the importer or producer must have permission from the TGA. Doctors can apply for permission to import a particular drug for a patient or patients. This leaves it in the hands of scientists at the TGA and means that decisions are made by experts, rather than in the hands of politicians in the Senate.

     LSD is already decriminalized. In regards to that drug, this bill is only symbolic, as repealing the law against the use of LSD has as much of an effect as repealing an anti-miscegenation law would today.