that's his point.

@@qqyoung2899 whose point?

He makes his point, they'll be the same people as Big Tobacco... It will be profit driven, society will be more unstable etc. Did you even listen to what he said?

@@VinnyCarwash-js8op why would society be more unstable?

But it's so true too many polished presentable coke heads that wish to police marijuana .

😂😂😂😊😷👍🇬🇧

Canada is a dump and is only still a first world country because it's hanging onto the work of its predecessors . Once the current generation are gone, it will descend into poverty.

explain

True, but it has been in use since thousands of years in the UK. Legalisation is almost in all cases irreversible, meaning that if you legalise cannabis, alcohol or any other drug, it is almost impossible to make it illegal afterward because it becomes normalised.

​@qqyoung2899 so people should go to prison for something because its 'hard to make it illegal' if I had a kid rotting in a cell for that reason don't think I'd be the happiest

I merely stated that it was a legalized drug, jakeh491, nowhere did I state that I think it should be made "illegal", or that people should go to prison for the partaking of it? @@jakeh491

​@@jakeh491 It does not matter what your opinion is, the law prohibits it and in theory could get your kid sent to prison right now. The problem is that this law exists but is not enforced. And therefore, this law is very dangerous indeed. If they really want to send your kid to prison for whatever reason, they have a nice trick up their sleeves if your kid is found in possession of cannabis. That is why thousands of people are being sent to prison for possession of cannabis in combination with OTHER offenses. If however, the cannabis law would be enforced (an example could be: 3 warnings, afterward a prison sentence), people wouldn't treat possessing cannabis as lightly as they do, and many wouldn't start in the first place. Why wouldn't they start? Because they don't enjoy the consequences, same reason why people don't normally press fire alarm buttons for fun.

Yeah... I can. Though advertising prescription drugs is banned in the UK and there are already cocaine derivatives in over the counter medications... Such as thrush treatments. Look it up.

I bet the BBC are thinking about it.....

KZfaq "Vintage UK Tobacco Adverts", it isn't hard to imagine.

he knows them, he was written an entire book about it. He believes alcohol would be banned if it were invented today.

@@trivial50 he's probably high.

Ok, stoner.

It should remain illegal forever.

Amsterdam aka zombie city no thank you

​@odini6235 take it you haven't been to amsterdam? One of the most lively cities in the world, constantly humming.

I agree - But I believe the real value will come in the open discussion around it. Way too many parents just tell their kids "Do not do drugs - they are bad and may kill you" The child then sees or knows of friends that have done it _and had a good time_ . This then leads to the child not believing/valuing/trusting what their parents tell them. which I believe is a contributing factor to the damage in society. Peer pressure as a child is intense.

The glamour will remain. As long as most people are glad to be 'transported' by some chemical or other, it won't matter if it's legal or not.

Marketing will definitely find a way.

@@CountZero78 That won't be allowed like with cigs.

@@matchbox555 they will find a way, cigarettes are still pretty popular despite an expensive campaign. Vapes more so because of clever marketing with colours.

How many parents tell their children "don't do drugs" and then drink alcohol and feed the children junk food full of sugar and fat, the big killers are obesity and alcohol. The answer is educating children to make the right choices and take responsibilty for themselves and not rely on the state.

Parents tell their children not to do drugs The police/law tell children not to do drugs Teachers and various authority-figures tell children not to do drugs What do children do? They listen to friends and do drugs. You see, peer pressure can come from either side.

So sad that no one seems to be able to have a good time now without using a prop. Glad to say I had plenty of fun without.

@@DaboooogA A peer is someone at your own level

Well, that’s the problem. We lie to our kids and tell them drugs are bad, but they’re no worse than alcohol. Drugs are only bad if you abuse them, and if you do, that’s the user’s fault, not the drug.

@@dc56789 😂

With a name like that what do you expect?

Sadly Bleksley is totally wrong. Legalisation would vastly increase drugs use, with or without advertising. The consequences for the NHS would be shocking. Mental helatyj ios particularly expensive and difficult to treat, apart from the physical effects. Legalisation does not avoid or close down the criminal market either, as Peter Hitchens rightly says.

How well is the UK NHS in coping with mental health issues at the moment?

@@CountZero78 Exactly, very badly, overwhelmed. Some drugs related especially Cannabis, some other causes. The NHS cannot afford more mental health cases.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nseEZ6mjtL-0pJ8.html

@@cdraynes5129 thats false an been debunked by experts so many times that its getting old

South Korea and Japan limit the damage very very well.

You make a good point. I live in Norway and recently the government tried to pass legislation, that would have effectively decriminalised all drugs. The legislation failed. I think if you asked people about legalising cannabis as a start, and watched carefully to see if there were more mental illness and so on, then the public might be more inclined to support a sort of pilot legalisation. However, the suggestion from this ex policeman is unnecessarily radical. The evidence from Canada is not that good in support of the legalisation of cannabis: there is still a thriving black market, probably because the legalisation was a clear tax gathering attempt, so the prices of legal cannabis were too high to dent the illegal industry. If we are talking about harm reduction, then it seems obvious to me that replacing alcohol with cannabis is worth a serious attempt. I would like to expand the discussion to medical drugs: There are far more people in the UK and Norway who are addicted to benzodiazipenes, obtained from their doctors, than opiates. Does the policeman here think that we should dish out medical drugs to those seeking them? Does he really think that fentanyl should be available freely? Perhaps the current status quo is working better than we understand...

They'd have to stop if the supply stopped.

@@sharonreichter2537 What do you think drives supply?

Today, it's the demand for it. Like everything growing up, kids think it's cool, but it's not. It leads to apathy at the least and addiction and mental illness at the worst.

Did you not notice the part where PH stated the fact that the Police have basically given up prosecuting people for drug possession?

Relisten to the reality of what Hitchin's says in his first statement. You think expanding use an addition amongst of already delusional population is the way to go.. then something is wrong with your radar.

Is drunk driving legal? No that would basically be the basis for any drug that is legal. This is a weak argument against the legalisation of drugs. People shouldn't take drugs of any kind and drive period doesn't mean people shouldn't take a substance of their choice if its legal

Cause they are running out of dinosaurs

It really wont, because there are just as many if not more access to drugs in prison

@@melinmove I would imagine that part of the reformation in actually enforcing the law when it comes to drug taking wouldn't exclude inside prisons.

Poor comparsion bro

_choose drugs that ruins their lives_ ? Is that any drug ruins lives or is it that they chose a drug that would ruin their life?

Much like alcohol... lets ban that aswell right...?

alcohol ruins lives lets ban it too !

98 percent of people can use 98 percent of substances with no ill effect . It's basically the cost that ruins peopled lives .

Sorry to hear you chose to be addicted to your phone/the internet that ruins so many lives

rights for druggies!

😂

So you are saying it was a disaster in the countries/states that have already done it?

@@mrburn6119 I'm saying the statistic data will be weaponised by opposing forces of legalisation, mainly politicians.

@@ModernPict yeah, rates of addiction go down because people are more likely to get help. also, deaths go down because the drugs people are buying isn't polluted and the strength of it is consistent (severely reducing accidental overdosing). did you know that sugar is more addictive than cocaine?

@@ModernPict Believe it or not, in the 1950s the UK had a system where addicts were given a prescribed form of heroin/cocaine on the NHS. At this point the total number of addicts in the whole UK was only a few hundred. Then we decided to criminalise drug use in the 60s/70s and by the 80s drug addiction had soared to literally hundreds of thousands of people. This was one of the greatest policy disasters in recent history, the effect was literally the opposite of what was intended. Before this point, no black market for drugs existed and we had it completely under control- drugs were regulated and prescribed to those with issues in a safe form.

Let's not ever make any kind of progress then... As change can negatively affect some people.

its time people started acting like grown-ups and stop taking drugs

@@odini6235 There’s no difference between drugs and alcohol, you whopper.

​@@bungle3912assuming that is true, what's your point?

@@TeaNoSugar87 He said people who take drugs need to grow up. Does that apply to alcohol? Are people immature for drinking? It's the same thing. It's this kind of dumb thinking that keeps our drug laws in the Stone Age.

Alcohol kills more than all the other recreational drugs combined. Alcohol is a recreational drug, don't forget that.

I think you need to read and listen to him more on this topic. He addresses Portugal and "libertarianism", a view to which he does not directly subscribe. He rather effectively demolishes the libertarian argument on the issue.

@SworBeyE16 I have heard that. It kind of reinforced my thoughts about Peter, highly intelligent but essentially a contrarian. One time Marxist turned free market capitalist, one time devout libertarian now big proponent of limited liberty. He is provably wrong on the issue with drugs which are based in ideology not practical evidence. Portugal is a clear indication of how the switch from viewing it as a crime problem to a public health one has worked. The numbers simply don't lie.

@@leecourtney1225 I think you need to read more of his works and hear his opinions. From what I can tell from your assessment you've gathered the wrong impression of him. I've been fortunate to meet him in person and the anachronistic "contrarian" accusations directed at him are nonsense.

@@leecourtney1225 He has addressed Portugal on multiple occasions and quite convincingly dismantled the arguments that support such as approach. I used to be pro "legalisation" but changed my mind after extensive research

Never will huh? Why not?

Children are crucial to every society.

Damaging yourself with drugs almost always causes suffering to loved ones.

@@HoratioKJV feelings don’t Matter

@@leefox3834 It's not just about feelings, you be the full time carer of someone made mentally ill by drugs.

@@HoratioKJV no one is made to care for someone else freedom is priceless don’t believe in hate speech or anything of that oppresses freedom

You don't get to do what you want with your own body, you don't live in isolation and never is it that you don't affect anyone else.

its the news theyre not gonna spend hours on it 😭

If they could buy their drugs legally then some of what they'd pay would be tax, which could be spent on treating addicts. Right now 0% of what someone pays for their drugs is tax. 100% goes to criminals.

True Blekskey has much more expertise on the subject by far . He dealt with the gangs and drugs at ground level . Although I love Peter Hitchens and more so his late brother Christopher , he's wrong on this issue . It's much different from actually doing the work than reading about it .

@@audraperkins3451 Who the hell is Bletchley and what exactly is Peter Hitchens wrong about here?

@@andrewwilliams9508 blumin spellchecker 🤔 in a way they are both right , l'm just saying it's different on the ground .

The dealers won't go under because their product will always be cheaper (no tax, regulation, "stepped" on) and the buyer stays anonymous. The city of San Francisco encourages drug use by handing out free needles and not prosecuting dealers and users. Certain parts of the city look like a complete 3rd world garbage strewn slum. Businesses are leaving because of theft that is directly related to said drug epidemic. People can't walk outside without being accosted or assulted. Legalizing this poison would make it far worse.

​@@juzi68Look at the OD deaths when pill mills existed say 08 compared to 2022?

@@Silverado1234 Not sure what argument you're making? Both are evil. The Sackler family is being prosecuted. Asking for more is twice as bad.

The part of this argument that won you over… was the fact that the government will provide legal, high quality drugs, to the public?

People forget about Alcohol… I work in community and Alcohol is by far more dangerous these days

No it would make what they do legal overnight...which isnt good

no, he already talks about that in Canada, do you even listen what you watch videos?

Your points you're making show the dangers of recreational drug use and that its users are not an Island and their irresponsibility causes harm to the society as a whole.

Yes got on that one. Three shills there and for once the plod weren't one of them .....rats aren't they 💯%.

She is a terrible actress.

No Peter!😂

It hasn't been a failure in Japan, South Korea or Singapore. The reason why those countries have such low levels of illegal drug use is they criminally charge people for drug possession, they enforce the law. This is a move that has acted as a strong deterrent for citizens to avoid pumping poison into their bodies under the threat of losing their careers and serving jail time.

@@patmustard1511 The countries of which you name I'd assume have a very different culture to the Wests, plus we'd have to go off their statistics of which not many countries are willing to boast about their illegal drug use. I also disagree with the deterrent theory, we also enforce the law and in the US the ultimate deterrent of the death sentence is proven not be be effective.

Alcohol is in the hands of big business. Big business can be regulated - criminal gangs can't be.

​@@davefa1432He has voiced his concerns many times on excessive alcohol distribution as well.

@@davefa1432 food is in the hands of big business, food that is loaded with sugar, chemicals and more, causing diabetes, obesity and who knows what, but profit margins are soaring. Regulation is meaningless when it comes to revenues.

Yes far better to leave it up to murderous criminal gangs to control the supply and distribution of recreational drugs.

​@davefa1432 Yeah, because alcohol is regulated well, isn't it🤔🤦

See alcohol and tobacco.

That’s how Big Business operates

people that advocate this are usually the same ones that prevent research into these subjects, which is why these positive health results have still not been proven after a century of repression.

Yeah, that’s just the excuse that the lobby cites to legalize them for recreation . . .

@@fletcherhamilton3177 or perhaps that is the excuse big pharma makes when it gets them criminalized?

@@fletcherhamilton3177 They should be. There's no regulations now and deadly drugs are easy for anyone to get.

@@fletcherhamilton3177 Recreational use is more important. It's better to prevent serious mental disorders than to treat them.

why? 50 years of this ideology and has it succeeded? No, drug use is at an all time high and drug related deaths are too. The best move from now on is to decriminalize drugs and regulate them. the stigma around drugs is not fair and using drugs does not make you a bad person. in-fact it makes you a more understanding person because you can relate to people easier. its impossible to stop drug use so the best bet is to regulate it to make sure the drugs are safe to use, not laced with dangerous substances such as Fentanyl etc. and not only that but research can finally be conducted and education would improve. fear mongering does not work. education is more important than making people afraid of stuff when its highly likely they will try these substances anyway, what is the point in throwing everyone who uses drugs out of society. it just makes anti-social behavior worst. alcohol is worst than LSD, Magic shrooms etc but people dont seem to bat an eye at alcohol which causes liver necrosis and other problems. so if u want drugs to be cracked down on then put alcohol and nicotine in with them because theyre just as bad !

@@munnaV2 🤡

Lots of reasons - to share, bond, celebrate, mind exploration, social anxiety/confidence, peer pressure, ritual, sex, taste, habit, business, strength, endurance, fun, culture, study, forget, love, learn, ease pain, brain plasticity, anti-inflammatory - are a few of the reasons. Lots of people have been asking 'your question' for thousands of years.😀 and MUSIC!

Why are people going to do drugs regardless? There are several societies one can point to where drug laws are enforced effectively, including the Britain of the past.

@@ejwest I don't care. To add to my point human beings always seek cheap highs, and addictive substances. And if alcohol and cigarettes are allowed then so should drugs too. as the main problem with them is that they are unregulated therefore they kill people. I also respect people's bodily autonomy to do with their body what they want. the only to implement laws to stop drug use, by force, would be through excessive authoritarian means. and because I am not a cuck I don't want that in my society.

Sorry, but that is just such a dumb argument. Imagine a thought experiment. Any one caught smoking marihuana publicly is flayed alive in a public execution. Do you really think that demand would just “stay the same” after that?

@@_swagmeister ok sure lets all be worse than North Korea then. Then no one will break any laws. unless you are a brain dead authoritarian you have no worthy point.

@_swagmeister Personally I think we should have that punishment for people who want to see others locked up for smoking a plant.

Portland is a town of such social deprivation that addiction was off the scale. The problem is not drugs but the society so fucked up that the escape of drugs is so much better than the alternative. Try looking at Portugal, a society which had not given up on life. Drug use actually reduced, and drug related deaths almost stopped.

@@daveabsolution5246 See, "Portugal is now having doubts" by The Washington Post. "António Leitão da Silva, chief of Municipal Police of Porto, adding the situation now is comparable to the years before decriminalization was implemented. Crime - including robbery in public spaces - spiked 14 percent from 2021 to 2022, a rise police blame partly on increased drug use."

Its very easy to pick helpful stats to prove your argument, Canadas drug law relaxation has increased deaths and frequency of youth drug taking

@@maximus8574 cannabis increase is a good thing especially if it decreases alcohol consumption. No one died from cannabis. I said "Portugal" as they do it very differently from North America . decriminalisation is only one aspect of the harm reduction

@@maximus8574 Everything is still illegal in Canada.

Why?

Evidence from Portugal with decriminalisation suggests the opposite.

@@dellwright1407 Actually, it doesn't. See, "Portugal is now having doubts" by The Washington Post. "António Leitão da Silva, chief of Municipal Police of Porto, adding the situation now is comparable to the years before decriminalization was implemented. Crime - including robbery in public spaces - spiked 14 percent from 2021 to 2022, a rise police blame partly on increased drug use."

@@HoratioKJV I certainly welcome your post, the facts are always friendly. My understanding is the Portuguese decriminalisation does not include diamorphine dispensing (as per UK in the 1970s, Switzerland now, parts of Canada Denmark and Netherlands). This is what works well to bring drug related crime down, lowers overall number of addicts and saves the state& tax payer money dealing with the consequences of drug related crime. Furthermore, worth baring in mind that HIV rates in Portugal have gone from 50% of the drug users in the EU to 1.4% (giving out clean needles as part of harm reduction). Whilst overall drug use in Portugal and drug related deaths have been consistently now below the EU average. Whilst there may have been a 14% crime spike since 2021 (as you mention)... the long term evidence since decriminalisation and harm reduction (from 2001) has been positive. As mentioned, if we want to bring drug related crime down, there are means to do this.

tax it and use the money to fund the nhs

Drugs being legalised would be cleaner drugs and less fatalities, therefore would actually reduce the stress on the NHS. Plus the tax that would be generated from legalisation would then be used to fund the NHS even more. The NHS is filled with people who have overdosed or have mental illness due to drugs and they’re currently illegal. It would reduce harm and deaths not the other way around. Look at countries like Canada, Uruguay and Portugal!

The only thing the dutch police regret is allowing yobs from other countries to access it.

@@babyj5184 from the education point it would be invaluable. Most parents say "kids do not do drugs" and that is the end of the conversation, obviously that child is under intense peer pressure and drugs will be available at their school.

They didn't legalise it in Amsterdam for one. They decriminalised its sale and consumption in coffee shops. The production of cannabis is still illegal and a black market industry. Also it's only the right wing that has an issue with it. Portugal is a better model. Violet crime reduced by 50% within a year and drug usage reduce because they money they saved on the enforcement of drug laws went towards treatment.

Where does he say so?

The overwhelming majority of people in the UK are well aware of the dangers of drugs. If you can name me a school that doesn't inform students of the dire consequences then that school should be shut down. Peter's argument is that those people who choose to ignore the dangers and the law should be charged and face jail time so that other sensible people who may be interested in pumping poison into their bodies will be deterred. This method has worked in Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

@@patmustard1511 No. There are millions of things, I would have done as a kid if the law would have allowed me doing so. Knowing however that I might get into trouble and face legal consequences, I didn't do most of them. It is not about people interested in pumping poison into their bodies. Who does not at some point in their teens try out smoking cigarettes for example? It is simple curiosity my god... However, if it were illegal and you could face jail time if you tried, trust me, almost no kid would attempt it. Not that I am advocating for this... Just saying...

Carfentanil?

The Portugal example is great and excellent one. Canada has legalised cannabis….but hey never let the facts get in the way of xenophobic narrow minded Tory Britain

"I had thought decriminalising but not legalising might be a good option. This is what was done in Portugal. However, in the 15 years following decriminalisation, rates of hospitalisation for psychotic disorders increased by an astonishing 29 fold; the percentage of patients with psychotic disorder recorded as abusing cannabis use, rose from less than 1% to 10%." - Professor Sir Robin Murray, Professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, expert in cannabis-induced psychosis.

Doing drugs is a choice

@@odini6235 Not necessarily. In America many opioid addicts were originally prescribed opioids for pain conditions and as a result were rendered opioid addicts. They didn’t choose to have a medical condition that made them suffer pain and their doctor gave them treatment for it which resulted in an addiction. I don’t think many choose to be addicted to substances. As far as society is concerned I don’t think it matters whether someone chose to be an addict or not - society suffers when we have so many addicts therefore it will benefit society to reduce that number.