Drug free in the Philippines

[Sithara007]

Unfortunately dude, many people here are only able to parrot the bullshit we have been fed by our grade 3 teachers.  "Say no to drugs", "Stay away, stay safe!" with a nice jingle to it lol

When I was in elementary school, they would basically have like one day a year where they'd "educate" us on drugs.  They would have a list of some of the more popular illegal drugs, plus tobacco and alcohol.  Then they'd basically fear monger you by saying if you dare try any of these drugs, you'll turn into, and they'd show a picture of video of a heroin/meth addict that had deep psychological issues (which they obviously wouldn't mention).  Basically if you smoke a joint, you're going to end up on the streets, shaking in the fetal position.

What % of the population takes the time to do research and properly educate themselves on the different classes and effects of drugs?  I'd be impressed if even 5% did.  Most people on this forum only understand legal vs. illegal.  They don't understand the difference between a stimulant and an opioid, a depressent, sedative, psychedelic, etc.  They don't understand that legal morphine is the same thing as illegal heroin.  Gladly go to the hospital and get morphine straight into the bloodstream, yet want a heroin user dead.  Victims of propaganda and ignorance.

I am glad that you are having an educated opinion about the drugs. I see no benefits in banning a section of the drugs, while legalizing some others such as Oxycodone so that the pharma cartels can profit out of them.

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[freeyourmind]

Unfortunately dude, many people here are only able to parrot the bullshit we have been fed by our grade 3 teachers.  "Say no to drugs", "Stay away, stay safe!" with a nice jingle to it lol

When I was in elementary school, they would basically have like one day a year where they'd "educate" us on drugs.  They would have a list of some of the more popular illegal drugs, plus tobacco and alcohol.  Then they'd basically fear monger you by saying if you dare try any of these drugs, you'll turn into, and they'd show a picture of video of a heroin/meth addict that had deep psychological issues (which they obviously wouldn't mention).  Basically if you smoke a joint, you're going to end up on the streets, shaking in the fetal position.

What % of the population takes the time to do research and properly educate themselves on the different classes and effects of drugs?  I'd be impressed if even 5% did.  Most people on this forum only understand legal vs. illegal.  They don't understand the difference between a stimulant and an opioid, a depressent, sedative, psychedelic, etc.  They don't understand that legal morphine is the same thing as illegal heroin.  Gladly go to the hospital and get morphine straight into the bloodstream, yet want a heroin user dead.  Victims of propaganda and ignorance.

I am glad that you are having an educated opinion about the drugs. I see no benefits in banning a section of the drugs, while legalizing some others such as Oxycodone so that the pharma cartels can profit out of them.

I am particular interested in consciousness and altered consciousness, so the world of drugs is something that fascinates me.  I spent about 3 years researching and educating myself on the world of drugs, and the history of policy and prohibition, and not that I don't have more to learn, but I have addressed a lot of the ignorance I had, and can relate to these folks with.  But I didn't have a strong opinion, either way.  We have some very strong opinions here, from misinformed people.

It's important to understand the history of prohibition.  It has nothing to do with the safety or health of the citizens.  It is only hooking up special interests (church, cotton, paper, petroleum, alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical industries all had an interest in keeping certain drugs illegal - mostly cannabis/hemp).  Doesn't anyone wonder why you have a healthy man that smokes weed and can be put in jail without harming anyone.  Then you can have a sick man, that will be given THE SAME weed by a doctor and now it is "medicine".  But if you're healthy you're abusing drugs?  How people are stupid enough to fall for this, is beyond me.

[Karmakid]

Still an issue but crime was less right now or this day in my area, if this will continue more investigation would be great, the promise President Duterte made was not fulfill by the 6 months given time, but President Duterte let the economy of philippines be the top growing country in world. This is a good sign of presidency. Not a pro duterte and not also against duterte, he got stressed in all issue so he must also rest but people finding him such a day without seing in media, what a pathetic.

[Felipe Postingher]

i think that we should be really strict against drugs policies. Its really bad for our society as a whole and I dont blame the president of Phillipines being strict at it.

[chixka000]

Still an issue but crime was less right now or this day in my area, if this will continue more investigation would be great, the promise President Duterte made was not fulfill by the 6 months given time, but President Duterte let the economy of philippines be the top growing country in world. This is a good sign of presidency. Not a pro duterte and not also against duterte, he got stressed in all issue so he must also rest but people finding him such a day without seing in media, what a pathetic.

Same goes here even if our president now focuses too much on the war in Mindanao patrol police are becoming more active specially during at night which results to lesser crime and i am loving it

[kyori]

It might be, cause our beloved President is doing great and because he loves our country.

[Netnox]

Same goes here even if our president now focuses too much on the war in Mindanao patrol police are becoming more active specially during at night which results to lesser crime and i am loving it

I am not a resident of the Philippines. But if the crime rate is going down, then it is very good news. I don't care what methods are Duterte using. But despite the harsh nature of his measures, the crime is down and it is a reason for celebration.

[Xester]

Same goes here even if our president now focuses too much on the war in Mindanao patrol police are becoming more active specially during at night which results to lesser crime and i am loving it

I am not a resident of the Philippines. But if the crime rate is going down, then it is very good news. I don't care what methods are Duterte using. But despite the harsh nature of his measures, the crime is down and it is a reason for celebration.

Yes and thank you for saying that.  Indeed a great improvement since the Duterte administration took over.  Before people were afraid on getting help from police officers now the trust to the police were back and I am one of that.  I have high respects with them now.  And it is true that crime rate diminishes though the intensive fight of the government with the crimilaty.  Thanks indeed that God gives President Duterte in the Philippines because he is a sign of new hope.  Change is coming.

[Kemarit]

Same goes here even if our president now focuses too much on the war in Mindanao patrol police are becoming more active specially during at night which results to lesser crime and i am loving it

I am not a resident of the Philippines. But if the crime rate is going down, then it is very good news. I don't care what methods are Duterte using. But despite the harsh nature of his measures, the crime is down and it is a reason for celebration.

Yes and thank you for noticing that, the crime rate is down specially in Metro Manila. And this is a relief for most of us who lives in the Manila. I agree, its really harsh but the population is really feeling 'good" because of this. The satisfaction rating of President Duterte is stil high based on the last survey done, which only means that the general population is satisfied of what they are seeing. Although I have said that the war on drugs is really hard and difficult to stop, at least we are heading on the right direction. And for those members, saying that this will not be a effective method, then to each its own. Someone has to step in and not let our country become Mexico or used as trans shipment of drugs across Pacific Rim. And that is our beloved President Duterte.

[freeyourmind]

Same goes here even if our president now focuses too much on the war in Mindanao patrol police are becoming more active specially during at night which results to lesser crime and i am loving it

I am not a resident of the Philippines. But if the crime rate is going down, then it is very good news. I don't care what methods are Duterte using. But despite the harsh nature of his measures, the crime is down and it is a reason for celebration.

Yes and thank you for noticing that, the crime rate is down specially in Metro Manila. And this is a relief for most of us who lives in the Manila. I agree, its really harsh but the population is really feeling 'good" because of this. The satisfaction rating of President Duterte is stil high based on the last survey done, which only means that the general population is satisfied of what they are seeing. Although I have said that the war on drugs is really hard and difficult to stop, at least we are heading on the right direction. And for those members, saying that this will not be a effective method, then to each its own. Someone has to step in and not let our country become Mexico or used as trans shipment of drugs across Pacific Rim. And that is our beloved President Duterte.

I'm not sure what the drug production industry is like in the Philippines, but it is the harsh prohibition in Mexico that has caused it to have a big problem.  If Mexico legalized drugs, they wouldn't have the drug problem they do today.  And actually if you look back in the history of South America, the problem started to get big once the government tried to eliminate the drug industry.  The more strict they got gave even more power to the drug cartel, to the point where the drug cartel owned their own military, which the government will have difficulty competing with and will always result in a bloodbath.

Look at Portugal.  They have decriminalized all drugs, and so far it has been a success.  There is something that can be learned from the many different approaches used throughout the world in the past few decades.  The approach the Philippines is currently taking has been done many times and has only resulted in failure.  This is nothing new.

[laurenB7742]

The president is trying to purge the country of drugs. He can continue to try and it may even lower drug usage rates but I think we've seen from the war on drugs in the U.S. that no matter how much money is spent, no matter how much energy is spent, or any resource a drug addict will find a way to get high. =\

[joebrook]

i think that we should be really strict against drugs policies. Its really bad for our society as a whole and I dont blame the president of Phillipines being strict at it.

Thailand has a strict law on the import of drugs which is the death penalty, they didnt even show mercy for the mentally ill who was clearly manipulated in transporting the drugs. Being strict on drug wars brings success because drugs destroys the soul of a nation.

[rjbtc2017]

So anyone who is addicted to a drug deserves to die in the Philippines ? .... wow just wow......

Tobacco is a drug

Paracetamol is a drug

Ibuprofen is a drug

Alcohol is a drug

Ointments are drugs

Many normal everyday legal products that contain chemicals, some of which are derivatives of drugs could be used and you wouldn't be killed.....

Where's all the petrol heads and paint sniffers ? Why not off them too ? After all they just go to the bowser and fill up to sniff off and they get a free pass ?

As many people have mentioned in this thread previously drugs will never be rid of in the world, most of them come from naturally occurring plants which are then combined with other plants or ingredients or extracted to be purified..... gonna rid the world of psychoactive and medicinal plants then ?

I seriously doubt the Philippines could become EDEN.

If this person is a Filipino, I do apologize on what this person did/posted. I am really sorry.

My GOD ! I've pointed out the apparent but obvious to you bunch defending the way this is being approached yet you can't seem to fathom what I and others are trying to explain...

Take for instance Paracetamol Forte, it is exactly that... Paracetamol mixed with Codeine, now that is a legal drug that you do not even require a prescription for, Codeine is derived from the Opioid family (From the Opium Plant) which is also used to make anesthetic in hospitals for surgery and for pain relief, so in saying that one can buy boxes of the stuff and then become addicted to it because it is an Opioid and it is still perfectly legal.

Now how is it justify-able to kill the above legal codeine user if he is addicted to the same family of stuff that hard addicts are addicted to ? He just wanted to rid his pain (Could be post-surgery) and he gets killed for it because his body has grown accustomed to it.

As the previous user freeyourmind pointed out, in many countries this is rife, Legal highs are all the rage since you can't get incarcerated for it even though it is just as dangerous.

Let us go onto the topic of Cough Syrup, it contains Dextromethorphan, you know what that is right ? A legal sedative, dissociative and stimulant.... now you can go buy a bottle from your local chemist drink a bottle of that stuff and be off your rocks like somebody who is on PCB or Bath Salts and again this is a perfectly legal Drug but people can and do abuse it.

The point I am trying to make here is that hard drugs are not always the real killers, it is the mind behind the affected individual who is !

Actually i get your point, but i think you should research what is the "drug" specifically Government want to eradicate is shabu.
 

[rjbtc2017]

This will be successful IF the Government can really imprison and kill the Rich People who are behind in this Drug activities.
Can this administration do it? For the whole year of this campaign the answer is a NO, I hope for the following year
President Duterte can do this.

Exactly, I am not being negative here but i am just being a realistic.
I hope government will also find ways to create more jobs for the poor Filipinos.
There are many big people behind in the Drug Activity Industry, and President Duterte thinks that it can be easily solved?NO.
There is money in Drugs, don't expect that it will die down that easy.
The summary of people who died on this activity is either POOR or innocent (the rich can't be killed lol)

It will never be successful.  In order for a country to be drug free, every citizen needs to be against its use.  As long as there is ANY demand for drugs, and there will be, there will be an opportunity for profit.  As always, there will be some people that will seize this opportunity and become a supplier for the financial rewards that come with it.  If you think you can kill the supplier, then another supplier will take the last one's place.  And that will go on forever.  Don't you find it odd that the countries that fight the "drug war" the most, have the largest drug cartels?  A drug cartel cannot exist, unless strict prohibition exists.  As soon as you legalize drugs, the drug cartels lose their opportunity.  Unfortunately most people don't understand this very basic concept.

I think it's still possible though, but it may take a long time before it can happen, i hope Mr.President will not only focus on Drugs but Focus on the Philippines as a whole

[zedkiel08]

Can the president of the Philippines can do it. Well I like what his doing in his campaign. It is very amazing program and very work program in the country. Many were discipline now because of him.

I think he can as long as his government officials do their job right , he must capture the druglords so that they can not supply drugs to the users and pushers .. maybe in the end of his term as president , philippines will be a drug free country.

[Sithara007]

Look at Portugal.  They have decriminalized all drugs, and so far it has been a success.  There is something that can be learned from the many different approaches used throughout the world in the past few decades.  The approach the Philippines is currently taking has been done many times and has only resulted in failure.  This is nothing new.

Well, let's wait and watch. So far the people have been happy about it, and the crime has been down. Most of the drug kingpins have been either eliminated or detained. Only a few have managed to escape to abroad.

[galestorm]

He said at the start of his campaign that all drug users are to be wiped out within the 3 month period. I was really amazed by such a promise though its been months and there are still drug users hiding and roaming around the philippines. I cant blame him for that because they really are sneaky when it comes to drugs, they successfully hide themselves so that they wouldnt be killed. I dont think it will be gone any time soon, there are still those that are willing to use it even if they know the consequences of their actions. Drug users will continue their act for years to come and it will be passed down to the new generation and the generation after that.

[Sithara007]

He said at the start of his campaign that all drug users are to be wiped out within the 3 month period. I was really amazed by such a promise though its been months and there are still drug users hiding and roaming around the philippines. I cant blame him for that because they really are sneaky when it comes to drugs, they successfully hide themselves so that they wouldnt be killed. I dont think it will be gone any time soon, there are still those that are willing to use it even if they know the consequences of their actions. Drug users will continue their act for years to come and it will be passed down to the new generation and the generation after that.

From what I have heard, the number of drug addicts have gone down drastically. It is not practical to eradicate the drug usage and there for Duterte must be given the credit for what he has done.

[freeyourmind]

Look at Portugal.  They have decriminalized all drugs, and so far it has been a success.  There is something that can be learned from the many different approaches used throughout the world in the past few decades.  The approach the Philippines is currently taking has been done many times and has only resulted in failure.  This is nothing new.

Well, let's wait and watch. So far the people have been happy about it, and the crime has been down. Most of the drug kingpins have been either eliminated or detained. Only a few have managed to escape to abroad.

I don't think we need to really wait much longer to see the impact of this policy.  It was decriminalized in 2001, so 16 years has passed, and there has not been an increase in drug use during this time, obviously less people thrown in prison, and diseases like HIV have also decreased significantly.

I'm not saying Portugal has done the perfect job, because it's only decriminalization.  Full legalization would yield even more benefits, because it will involve regulation and quality control of the actual product.  As long as you force people to get their drugs illegally, the real risk to their health is that the substance is not pure, and is either something different than what they're saying, or has been cut with other substances.  But all in all, decriminalization is a step forward in civil liberty, which is the opposite direction of the Philippines.  They are taking a step backwards.

[freeyourmind]

This will be successful IF the Government can really imprison and kill the Rich People who are behind in this Drug activities.
Can this administration do it? For the whole year of this campaign the answer is a NO, I hope for the following year
President Duterte can do this.

Exactly, I am not being negative here but i am just being a realistic.
I hope government will also find ways to create more jobs for the poor Filipinos.
There are many big people behind in the Drug Activity Industry, and President Duterte thinks that it can be easily solved?NO.
There is money in Drugs, don't expect that it will die down that easy.
The summary of people who died on this activity is either POOR or innocent (the rich can't be killed lol)

It will never be successful.  In order for a country to be drug free, every citizen needs to be against its use.  As long as there is ANY demand for drugs, and there will be, there will be an opportunity for profit.  As always, there will be some people that will seize this opportunity and become a supplier for the financial rewards that come with it.  If you think you can kill the supplier, then another supplier will take the last one's place.  And that will go on forever.  Don't you find it odd that the countries that fight the "drug war" the most, have the largest drug cartels?  A drug cartel cannot exist, unless strict prohibition exists.  As soon as you legalize drugs, the drug cartels lose their opportunity.  Unfortunately most people don't understand this very basic concept.

I think it's still possible though, but it may take a long time before it can happen, i hope Mr.President will not only focus on Drugs but Focus on the Philippines as a whole

Before thinking that it is possible, you should look into past attempts of drug prohibition in other countries over the last century.  The only success I have seen is an approach where you become liberal with recreational use of drugs.  Take Holland for example, you can walk into a shop in Amsterdam and buy cannabis or psilocybin mushrooms from a menu.  You know that the product is regulated with quality control, and that you don't have to worry about "getting caught".  Amsterdam doesn't have a drug problem.  In fact it is maybe the friendliest city I've been to, and I've done a decent amount of traveling.  And this isn't surprising, but their population has a very good understanding of drugs, because they haven't been fed a bunch of bullshit and fear mongering propaganda to manipulate the population.  From this thread alone, it's very easy to see that the Filipino posts are incredibly misinformed about the classes and effects of different substances.  They haven't been taught obviously, and evidently they haven't done their own research, nor do they care to.

On the other hand, you can look at America, who got really "tough" with drugs.  Remember Nixon coming up with "public enemy #1" as drugs in 1970?  Now that approach of not understanding much about drugs, and getting really tough, was an absolute failure.  Their prisons are overflowing and yet, they haven't solved their drug problem yet.  In fact the problem has gotten worse.

So ask yourself what is the Philippines doing differently that is going to allow it to succeed in this endeavor.  And the answer is they're not doing anything differently.  Dealing with drugs is not something the government or the police have the capability to deal with.  It is a medical issue and must be dealt with by people in the medical field.  You will never solve psychological or medical issues with force.