County lines drug dealing

[Nicks90]

Legalise all of it and it can only be bought in state run shops.
Imagine the thousands of dealers suddenly 'out of work', the savings in police resources, reduction in gangland violence, reduction in customs and port authority expenditure....
Then add in revenue from the sale of the drugs, all ring fenced to be spent on social projects in deprived areas where drugs are endemic and drug rehabilitation programmes and mental health projects for young people.
You would see a massive turnaround in hardcore drug use IMHO
However the middle Britain Karen's and Tarquins will never, ever never ever, understand the rationale, as they are so removed from the realities of these issues. Therefore the right wing politicians won't ever do it for fear of losing their heartland voters.
Left wing politicians won't ever do it either, as those middle aged and above heartland voters in deprived areas will fear their kids will fall in to a legally acceptable pit of hardcore drugs, unless the gubbermint takes them all out of poverty first. Chicken and egg syndrome.

 

[MrRook]

48yrs old "only on a good day".

It was a really rough 48 years.
" Rode hard and put away wet".

 

[Chippy_Tea]

It’s available in various formats, ready rolled joints, gummy sweets and even cannabis pop!

I would be all for ready rolled joints but gummy sweets and pop no way.

 

[MrRook]

I hit the big 60 this year i am reasonably fit and my job isn't too physical so with luck i will be able to carry on for the next 7 years until i retire, i didn't know until fairly recently the age had risen from 65 to 67 (i thought i had dodged that bullet)

If you're lucky enough to be allowed to work until then. Thanks to bush junior's recession I got laid off two months before turning 60 and after a futile two year job search I gave up and started collecting my social security at 62. Because I couldn't work until full retirement I'm nearly $400 a month short on what I should be getting.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

A lot of people will not know that cannabis can stay in their blood up to 7 days if they are not aware they could easily lose their licence.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Sorry to hear that MrR it must be frustrating being able to work but in a position where you cannot find a job.

If you're lucky enough to be allowed to work until then.

Well there are no guarantees and if what you read about automation is true there will not be many jobs left for those that do want to work.



1. What impact will automation have on work?

We previously found that about half the activities people are paid to do globally could theoretically be automated using currently demonstrated technologies. Very few occupations—less than 5 percent—consist of activities that can be fully automated.

However, in about 60 percent of occupations, at least one-third of the constituent activities could be automated, implying substantial workplace transformations and changes for all workers.

What the future of work will mean for jobs, skills, and wages: Jobs lost, jobs gained | McKinsey

 

[Shirley Bassett]

Chippy,

Pre Covid and when in our office I had a sideline acting as an out station for our main office forensics lab. We used to take DAU (Drugs and Alcohol in Urine) samples. I often tell people I’m a trained and certified p*** taker.

Our guidance was:

Casual users (weekend users) of cannabis would test positive up to 1 to 3 days after usage.
Frequent users (2 to 3 times a week) would test positive for 7 to 21 days after cessation.
Chronic / Daily users would test positive for up to 30 days after cessation.

If a hair sample was also required, which we sometime took from “clients“ that were on parole. Cannabis could be found up to 6 weeks after cessation.

I think the 2 months in urine is stretching a point, but I take your point about it staying in the system for a while.

If you ever get invited for a Drugs test for work, then also be aware that some cough mixtures contain alcohol. Seeded brown breads often contain poppy seeds that show up as heroin on a urine drug screen.

 

[Leon103]

A couple of points, the main one first.

This is the UK, we like to binge, food, alcohol etc. Most people in this country are idiots and can't behave, take the World Cup for example, how do we expect the same people to use drugs sensibly?

I don't think the prison population is made up of soley Cannabis users/offenders. They have committed more serious offences, surely they would go on to commit those offences anyway?

I would expect a 30/50 year wait and see period, with proper research into mental health.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If you ever get invited for a Drugs test for work, then also be aware that some cough mixtures contain alcohol. Seeded brown breads often contain poppy seeds that show up as heroin on a urine drug screen.

Thanks for the tip SB i drive for a living so that is good to know.

Having read your info its not such a surprise we see so many people getting convicted for drug driving on the cop shows on T.V and in our local papers, i bet few of those smoking it realise how long it stays in your system, its not something the dealers are likely to let on.

 

[Random Badger]

Although this is a little mercenary, fortunately for us, lots of places are doing this so we can stand back and learn from them. Portugal, various US States, etc

My gut instinct is that legalisation of all drugs would overall be a benefit ( i.e. the benefits would outweigh the costs) but I fully understand why people are instinctively alarmed by the suggestion. Note that legalisation doesn't necessarily mean complete liberalisation - for instance booze is legal but tightly regulated and controlled; the trick being to find the sweet spot so that you don't create a black market by over regulation / over taxing.

However, the fact that various other societies are trying this out means we can watch and learn.

Unfortunately the permanently offended UK right wing press will rile up the grey vote at any prospect of softening our drug laws, regardless of the professional legal, medical and economic reasons for doing so. Until the Daily Mail, Sun, Express etc. get on board most MPs (and Tory governments in particular) would rather continue trying to look tough on crime by spaffing our tax money up the wall in a never ending and unwinnable war on drugs, rather than actually listen to the experts.

 

[TonyT]

Unfortunately the permanently offended UK right wing press will rile up the grey vote at any prospect of softening our drug laws, regardless of the professional legal, medical and economic reasons for doing so. Until the Daily Mail, Sun, Express etc. get on board most MPs (and Tory governments in particular) would rather continue trying to look tough on crime by spaffing our tax money up the wall in a never ending and unwinnable war on drugs, rather than actually listen to the experts.

It’s somewhat ironic that Tory governments want to look tough on crime when they’re directly responsible for the loss of 21000 police officers and the closure of almost 300 magistrates courts.

 

[johncrobinson]

Good point TonyT

Given the traditional "Law and order agenda" and how useful the Police were to them during the Miners strike.
You could of knocked me sideways with a feather duster when Cameron and Osborne announced the cuts.

 

[scomet]

Did you see how much cocaine was hoovered up the other day by a 30 countries operation? 160 tonnes!! I dont know what scares me more; the fact that much coke has a ready market or the level of government / police / customs corruption that could (does) buy!! Tried to work out how much it was worth but ran out of zeros on my calculator…..

 

[MrRook]

Thanks for the tip SB i drive for a living so that is good to know.

Having read your info its not such a surprise we see so many people getting convicted for drug driving on the cop shows on T.V and in our local papers.

We see so many because they make sure to show the successfully procecuted cases. It wouldn't suit their agenda to show people getting away with stuff.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

It wouldn't suit their agenda to show people getting away with stuff.

How would they show those getting away with it

The point of my post is ther will be millions of people on the roads who haven't a clue they are still under the influenceany many hours after they have had their last joint, and they still have it in their systems days after and will be banned if caught.