Class A Stupidity
With a great fanfare and lots of self-righteous backslapping the government just announced it had decided to upgrade methamphetamine - AKA Crystal Meth to a class A drug under the 1971 Misuse of drugs act. What does this mean we ask ourselves except heavier penalties for possession i.e. up to seven years in the jug? Not to mention dealing, supply and so on which gets you fourteen years.
What this means.
Greater profits for the people who make and distribute the stuff. This is because they increase their margins to take in to account the increased risks or penalties for getting caught.
Uprates the attractiveness of and interest in the drug by potential users. They don't get deterred by the penalties (if they did we wouldn't have anyone using smack). And making it VERY illegal and doing so with burst of publicity is like advertising that this is A DRUG WHICH WORKS in letters of fire 10 feet high. In short it creates a market/demand.
Increases the number of illicit factories making the drug in order to meet the demand. What this in turn does is increase the risks to the emergency services and communities. Not from the users of the drug but from the fact that the drug is made in domestic kitchens from some very iffy precursor chemicals which tend to blow up unexpectedly or leave a dangerous toxic sludge behind once the process is finished.
What it does not do is reduce the risks of illicit drug use or stop supply and possession. Shame really.
posted by Drugsblogger @ 3:05 AM
3 Comments:
I think it is important that drugs are put in some form of category, not that I have a great deal of knowledge of this particular drug.
I have never assumed that the class of a drug will make people more of less likely to want to use it.
But surely if the price of this drug was to rise it would be less easy for people to gain access to it. In my experience the cheapness of drugs causes it to be more widely available and attractive.
This is interesting. But what happens is the law of supply and demand. If a drug becomes more scarce the price rises and people nick more stuff to pay for it. Eventually other dealers move in and because the availability increases prices drop,however to ensure profits the dealer hopes that the increased availability will ensure more people use the stuff. Capitalism in the raw I'm afraid.
I think pc south west comment is probably the most accurate.
I was a seriuous drug user of cocaine and rocks which almost destroid my life.
In my experience expensive drugs limits the amount you use.
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