Sex work and drugs are closely linked though, no? Decriminalization/education on both sides may help and at least offer some sort of control.
I know of someone who spiralled into prostitution through cocaine addiction and became a ‘high class escort.’ It wasn’t a career ‘choice’. I wonder if she had easier access to drugs/help whether it would have happened, instead of her dealer becoming her pimp. She had a nervous breakdown eventually and her family paid for her re-hab. Not something that a lot of people who get into that sort of trouble can afford…
The problem is you only have to go out into a city centre on Saturday night and look at the acute (never mind chronic) effects of alcohol and compare that to cannabis.
So, do we back prohibition or accpet that a small number of people will have adverse reactions to cannaboids? Because ‘a lot’ of people are having adverse reactions to alcohol. Every single week.
The nub of it for me is that for all the negatives, the problems won’t just go away, the “war” can’t be won (and it can even be argued there’s no real desire or intent to do so), but as others say, legalisation at least offers the hope of better education, more empowerment of individuals and better treatment for anyone who suffers.
The problem is lots of people who think of themselves as socially liberal are fiscal conservatives and keep voting Tory. The Tories have to be seen to be tough on law and order so will never liberalise laws on drugs and prostitution.
I thought I’d see if I could buy some drugs today, on a Sunday.
It was easy to find websites selling LSD, mescaline, freebase cocaine and varieties of strong cannabis. All that stopped me from purchasing was I don’t have any bitcoin. This and not wanting a habit and it’s thoroughly illegal of course.
Worrying about making drugs more available through decriminalisation is a little pointless. It’s definitely not like it was in the 90s.
Addiction to prescription drugs is rife, it is pre justified (My doctor told me I need these) often physical (See Opioids) psychological (Hello Benzos) and Lethal. The differences between prescription and illicit drugs from the addicts perspective is: One has to use chemicals containing adulterants, in many cases commit crime to fund their habit, risk imprisonment daily, suffer stigmatic judgement, risk exposure to criminal lifestyles, the list goes on. Supposedly the prescribed addict is under supervision, but this is so often poor, non existent or simply slap dash (The addict will always manufacture symptoms to manipulate a doctor) see below for an overview of the issue.
An old mate of mine was a copper in South London, I asked him what aspect of his job he most disliked…
He said that domestic violence was the worst, almost always fueled by alcohol, he said that he had never been called to an incident of domestic violence where the people were stoned.
So it does beg the question that rather than alcohol being the norm and taxed (and a large industry behind it) should it be the other way round? Drugs could be socially acceptable and drinking alcohol makes you the pariah?
I think there should be parity with the same level of acceptance. It is not now acceptable to drink at work at lunchtime (in most industries) nor would it be acceptable to use drugs, we now have similar rules for drug driving and drink driving, but perhaps there should be parity there too - zero tolerance of alcohol and driving. I understand why limits were introduced at first as there was a massive re-education programme required but now there is no reason for anything other than a zero limit for alcohol in the system.
I’m a bit doubtful about the high-class bit though 
