I think the legalisation of marijuana would provide many benefits that far outweigh the disadvantages. (I have no real experience or interest in any other drugs).

First of all, the Government could actually control and monitor the use of the drug similar to cigarettes. Subsequently, this would increase tax revenue which is always a plus!

The quality of the drugs would would also be standardised, eg. no additives to add weight such as glass or sand.

Thats my two-cents worth!!!!

the legalisation of cannabis or marijuana is an intresting one and one of great debate . the first look at marijuana has too be a look at its medical attrubutes . it has been shown that marijuana is a effective pain killer and has less side effects then the commonly used valuim

even though there has been no registed deaths cause by marjiunia it is far from harmless . it can be known too cause short term memory loss , drug induced psycholise and even skitsofernia . but saying that alchol and tabacco have been responsible for thousands of deaths each year

so is marjuina any worst than drugs that are viewed safe and legal

and also when u illegalise something u have nothing to do with its quality and quantity . take speed for example which is made out of codaine . could be made out of anything horse traqulaiser , ground up adhd medicine , or even just a random assortment of chemicals mixed in a bowl which would make anyone sick for having it

Most drugs should be legalised. I would support the coffee shop approach to marijuana. Ecstasy should be sold in big, chewy muesli bars - that would give users a decent feed and stop them taking too much (ecstasy is an appetite suppressant - I'd like to see someone try to eat their fifth muesli bar in one night). Other drugs like heroin should be available on prescription because it is much better to have a doctor distributing drugs than a dealer. Acid should just be legal.

Coco and Paul - I agree. There's definite benefits in legalisation and regulated supply in terms of ensuring quality (and therefore user safety), taking drug dealing away from criminals, and developing a source of Government revenue that could then be directed back into treatment for those who need it. 

Switch - I think your comment gets to the heart of what's really tricky about this. Lots of legal, medical drugs (valium, morphine, ketamine immediately come to mind) can have a lot of medical benefit, but can also cause a *lot* of harm if used incorrectly.

Similarly, a lot of drugs that are currently illegal can also have social and medical benefits, whilst causing a lot of harm if used incorrectly.

So who/how can we easily decide what should/shouldn't be legal?

Paul - I like the muesli bar comment, very funny.

I'm really interested that you draw a distinction in that 'other drugs that can lead to violence, such as speed and ice should stay illegal.' What do you think about alcohol in all of this then, given it's relationship to a lot of violent behaviour in our society? Why should it be legal, but amphetamines not legal?

drugs wont be going away anytime soon. we either work together to put in place certain steps to minimize harm or we continue to bury our heads in the sand and pretend if you take one ecstacy pill you will die! all drugs from caffeine to panadol to diet pills to antibiotics will harm you or cause death if abused. knowledge is power i say.