Debate: Should cocaine be regulated? - Nordic Reform Conference 2023

Steve Rolles møter Dagfinn Hessen Paust i debatt. Burde kokain reguleres?
Steve Rolles is a writer and policy analyst at Transform Drug Policy Foundation. In addition to writing a range of journal articles, periodicals and book chapters, Steve was lead author on many of Transform's publications. He is a regular contributor to the public debate on drug policy and law in print and broadcast media. Before joining Transform, Steve worked for the Medical Research Council and Oxfam.
Dagfinn Hessen Paust is a lawyer and criminal defense attorney specializing in drug laws. He is one of the founding members of ASDP and has been employed as Chief Scientific Officer at ASDP since 2017. Paust is tasked with developing new policy solutions and works closely with the ASDP’s scientific advisory committee to ensure that ASDP’s work is grounded in science and best practice.

[@sluglife9785]

Lowering the potency of the available form strikes me as a sensible option. Anyone who wanted to get incredibly high still could, but the average dose would be lower, and the dangers of accidental exposure would be lower. Children gaining access are likely to be a sticking point even for people who think adults should be allowed to make the choice to use. Legalisation might mean they are more likely to stumble upon it, as there's less need to hide it. Perhaps we should have a rule on securing drugs at home in the same way that some places make you secure your gun.
I agree with these guys that there are no ideal options, and that whatever we choose is likely to have downsides, but that something has to be done, because the amount of pain and death involved in the black market is astonishing, and that's still not enough to dissuade ostensibly good people from using. Glad that we are finally talking about it and considering experiments.

[@kevino4372]

Legalise power cocaine only.