Addiction Solution Source

For the first time in history, a country – New Zealand – has created a regulatory agency to oversee recreational drugs. Passed by their government this past summer on a vote of 119 to 1, the legislation has already granted interim approval to over 50 products.

We should watch this development closely to see what happens. If implemented carefully, New Zealand’s new laws offer the first genuinely scientific and public health-oriented approach to dealing with the negative aspects of drugs.

All new drugs will still be illegal for people under 18. They can only be sold at specific, licensed outlets and must carry packaging identifying the ingredients and including health warnings about the known and potential risks. No advertising is permitted, except inside the store itself.

Regulation won’t make recreational drug use completely safe — this is clear from our experience with alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs. But, it also won’t add to the harm done by drug dealers and throwing people in prison. There will always be some people that seek chemical euphoria and escape from reality — so instead of locking them up and ceding the market to organized crime, we need to give them the safest possible choices and spend the money on treatment and education instead.

With strict regulation of the recreational and street drugs along the entire production supply line should ensure that the quality and purity is guaranteed. This alone should help because it is widely known that drug dealers currently mix in other dangerous substances to make even more drugs to sell.

What do you think? Will this work?