Let it snow?

[Dreamer128]

MADRID, Dec 24 (Reuters Life!) - Traces of cocaine can be found on 94 percent of banknotes in Spain, a country that has one of the world's highest rates of users, according to a study published on Sunday.

The 100 notes tested were collected in gyms, supermarkets and pharmacies across Spain, where increased affluence and falling street prices have made the drug more and more accessible.

Cocaine now sells for as little as 60 euros ($80) a gram, or 5 euros ($7) a line, and it is regularly used by 1.6 percent of Spaniards, up from 0.9 percent in 1999, a government report said this month.

Law enforcement agencies say cocaine is getting cheaper and more popular in Europe because of efforts to boost production by Colombian paramilitaries and rebels who need money for weapons. Spain is a major entry point to Europe for the smugglers.

It was not clear how many of the notes had been used to snort cocaine and how many had picked up traces from other bills, according to the study by the Sailab laboratory, published in the daily El Mundo.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved

[Timber Loftis]

This was news in the U.S. circa 1990. Truth is I've licked every bill I've ever had and never gotten more than a little tongue-freeze off them, so there's really not enough coke on them to enjoy. But thanks for the public service announcement anyway.

[wellard]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: This was news in the U.S. circa 1990. Truth is I've licked every bill I've ever had and never gotten more than a little tongue-freeze off them, so there's really not enough coke on them to enjoy. But thanks for the public service announcement anyway.

Eeeewwww [img]tongue.gif[/img] *remembers to wash hands after handling soggy greenbacks*

[wellard]

So the war on drugs is going as well as the war for WMD, freedom, democracy, oil Iraq

When are we going to make drugs legal and tax them like tobacco? Does anyone still believe that by keeping drugs illegal it prevents people using them?

[Dundee Slaytern]

It certainly restricts them. That's why we have laws in the first place. It's not 100% failproof, but at least it's better than carte blanche.

Cheers.

[Timber Loftis]

I don't know why anyone ever thought to regulate what another person puts in their body. Is there anything as offensive to freedom?

[wellard]

Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern: It certainly restricts them. That's why we have laws in the first place. It's not 100% failproof, but at least it's better than carte blanche. Cheers.

MMMmm Not sure Dundee, the only restriction it causes IMO is the price goes up, what with all the bribes and such. Fags (that’s cigs to those USA types) are harder to buy than coke and more chance of the shopkeeper getting arrested for selling fags to the young kids outside his shop than the young kids outside his shop getting arrested for selling weed.

Bottom line is I don’t give a stuff if someone wants to do drugs ... I do care that my house gets robbed to pay for them. That the police are not tracking down perverts because they are on a drug bust somewhere, that thieves are getting out of jail early because the jails are full of sad young men done for selling a few lines.

[wellard]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Truth is I've licked every bill I've ever had and never gotten more than a little tongue-freeze off them, so there's really not enough coke on them to enjoy. But thanks for the public service announcement anyway.

So Timber Loftis offers a public money laundering service!

Strewth! lawyers today [img]graemlins/1disgust.gif[/img]

[Dundee Slaytern]

Originally posted by wellard: MMMmm Not sure Dundee, the only restriction it causes IMO is the price goes up, what with all the bribes and such. Fags (that’s cigs to those USA types) are harder to buy than coke and more chance of the shopkeeper getting arrested for selling fags to the young kids outside his shop than the young kids outside his shop getting arrested for selling weed. Bottom line is I don’t give a stuff if someone wants to do drugs ... I do care that my house gets robbed to pay for them. That the police are not tracking down perverts because they are on a drug bust somewhere, that thieves are getting out of jail early because the jails are full of sad young men done for selling a few lines.

The thing is, some measure of order is better than no order at all. Freedom to do anything is freedom yes, but it is also chaos.

We're not talking about soft drugs here, like weed, but cocaine. It is not only a poison, but an addictive substance as well. Once you start, it is hard to stop. Legalising drugs is not going to be a miracle cure. If anything, it will spur more addictions and more cravings. More people will end up needing their fix, and who knows, may end up robbing you anyway.

Would you remove the age limit for gambling and smoking too? That's a restriction to your personal freedom too. In fact, every single law is a restriction of your personal freedom. Should we abandon the laws then?

You have the freedom to punch a man, and he has the freedom to punch you back. But is it right?

Absolute freedom is chaos. Regulated freedom is law. Which do you prefer?

The bottomline is, we do not live in an utopia. Ignoring the problem or whitewashing it is not going to make it go away.

Cheers.

[robertthebard]

Hehehe, he said whitewashing, while talking about Cocaine, hehehe... [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

There needs to be some balance in the enforcement though. A killer, or other violent offender, should not be kicked to the curb as it were to make room for a guy that's been busted 3 times for selling weed. I'm talking weed here, not cocaine, or heroine. I don't believe that drug possession, or sales is a worse offence than child molestor. Looking at the big time prosecuted cases though, you would see that it's more rigorously prosecuted.