A drug is here, what should we do??!

[Aimless]

Algerian scientists have engineered a highly addictive hallucinogenic drug that has the effect of severely impairing the user's good judgement and his impulse-control, making some users more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviour, do inappropriate things, or even commit crimes. The drug is very easy to produce and to distribute, and it's increasing in popularity in YOUR country, the very progressive and conveniently uncharacterised Ficland.

Your president/benevolent dictator has been spending a lot of his time on an online forum where posters have convinced him that this drug--indeed, all drugs--should be legal in your country. Freedom of choice. Personal responsibility. Like, seriously, why is this question even up for discussion??!

You are his most trusted advisors. Do you think this is a straightforward question with a simple answer?

How should you approach this drug and the matter of its legalisation? What problems may arise that may complicate or fuck up life for your citizens? What would be the most correct thing to do about this drug??

[Khendraja'aro]

Nuke from orbit. With extreme prejudice.

Only way to be sure.

[Aimless]

All evidence to the contrary, I'm not actually trying to mock o to satirise Lewk and Cain

[Khendraja'aro]

All evidence to the contrary, I'm not actually trying to mock o to satirise Lewk and Cain

Not?

Damnation!

[Ominous Gamer]

Oddly enough, this popped up in the "giving up oil" thread

[Ziggy Stardust]

Legalise it, get it out in the open. It's easy to produce, so it will be if it's popular. Inform the public of the danger of the drug. Legalising I think has the effect of a short term spike in usage after which it returns to previous, or even lower levels now you have taken away the criminal element. Criminal activity, although prosecuted, will always be more lucrative and tempting.

You can deal with visible problems much easier than hidden ones.

[Aimless]

How do we approach the problem of crimes committed under the influence of this drug?

[EyeKhan]

What do you mean by highly addictive? In my country, many drugs have been characterized as highly addictive but turned out not to be for many people. Like extacy for example. And even pot, if you can believe it. But coke and heroin were explained to me that do it once and you're hooked until you die from overdose. How addictive is this? I think that's key for any policy.

[Aimless]

Oddly enough, this popped up in the "giving up oil" thread

I have to say, I'm not sure how to use that info (besides the finding that drug-usage doesn't seem to have increased after legalisation!), because they don't distinguish much between different kinds of drugs!

It's interesting that dealing remains a crime!

Should we distinguish between possession and dealing?? In what ways, and why??

Legalise it, get it out in the open. It's easy to produce, so it will be if it's popular. Inform the public of the danger of the drug. Legalising I think has the effect of a short term spike in usage after which it returns to previous, or even lower levels now you have taken away the criminal element. Criminal activity, although prosecuted, will always be more lucrative and tempting.

You can deal with visible problems much easier than hidden ones.

To what extent and in which ways do you think the govt. should be involved in this drug, if at all?

What do you mean by highly addictive? In my country, many drugs have been characterized as highly addictive but turned out not to be for many people. Like extacy for example. And even pot, if you can believe it. But coke and heroin were explained to me that do it once and you're hooked until you die from overdose. How addictive is this? I think that's key for any policy.

Hmmm, how do you mean key?

For the sake of discussion, we can have one scenario where the drug is as addictive--and in similar ways--as coke or heroin, and another scenario where it's more tied to psychological and behavioral factors.

[Loki]

Legalise it, get it out in the open. It's easy to produce, so it will be if it's popular. Inform the public of the danger of the drug. Legalising I think has the effect of a short term spike in usage after which it returns to previous, or even lower levels now you have taken away the criminal element. Criminal activity, although prosecuted, will always be more lucrative and tempting.

You can deal with visible problems much easier than hidden ones.

I take it you believe the same should apply to handguns?

[Ziggy Stardust]

I take it you believe the same should apply to handguns?

Yes, I also think handguns should be legal and regulated to about the same extend as owning a car is regulated.

To what extent and in which ways do you think the govt. should be involved in this drug, if at all?

Information about the drug. And depending on health issues or addiction issues making the means available to treat users seeking help like counseling or fighting an addiction.

[Aimless]

Information about the drug. And depending on health issues or addiction issues making the means available to treat users seeking help like counseling or fighting an addiction.

What about quality-control, safety-measures, and the like?

What would make a person take such a drug, apart from its addictive properties?

Should selling the drug be illegal (as opposed to possessing it)?

[Ziggy Stardust]

I don't know. I stopped caring just a minute ago

Probably because of this massive splitting headache and a ton of work screaming in my ear and it being 150 million degrees.

[GGT]

Algerian scientists have engineered a highly addictive hallucinogenic drug that has the effect of severely impairing the user's good judgement and his impulse-control, making some users more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviour, do inappropriate things, or even commit crimes. The drug is very easy to produce and to distribute, and it's increasing in popularity in YOUR country, the very progressive and conveniently uncharacterised Ficland.

Your president/benevolent dictator has been spending a lot of his time on an online forum where posters have convinced him that this drug--indeed, all drugs--should be legal in your country. Freedom of choice. Personal responsibility. Like, seriously, why is this question even up for discussion??!


You are his most trusted advisors. Do you think this is a straightforward question with a simple answer?

How should you approach this drug and the matter of its legalisation? What problems may arise that may complicate or fuck up life for your citizens? What would be the most correct thing to do about this drug??

Sounds like meth. Not sure who "invented" that, but science was involved. Since you didn't say "a reputable pharmaceutical company in Algeria" engineered this, and followed channels like R & D, or studies to get FDA approval for marketing.....

I'd say it falls under the same kind of contraband creation as Methamphetamine: Illegal.

[Aimless]

I was indeed inspired by meth, so another question might be, why should meth be illegal in Ficland??