I just bought a book by a guy called Paul O' Mahony in Easons, called the "Irish War on Drugs" - The Seductive Folly of Prohibition".

Just wondering if anyone has read it, and what they thought of it.

Calling for the complete removal of prohibition in this society seems abit mad to me.

Here it is http://www.amazon.com/Irish-War-Drugs-Seductive-Prohibition/dp/0719077907

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Have you ever properly considered what we need to do as a society in relation to drugs, Barry?
The removal of prohibition is not mad at all. It's the only sensible response to the situation in which we find ourselves.
In short, a large proportion of the populace ingest substances deemed illegal on a weekly basis. Because of their illegality, those substances are supplied by the black market, and offer no quality control whatsoever, putting lives at risk.
That market also funds illegal violent criminals. And for those addicted to the likes of heroin, the need to fund their addictions also results in a vast proportion of low level criminality.
Medical researchers have demonstrated that the majority of drugs deemed illegal are less harmful to either the individual or to society than drugs that are currently legally available or available via prescription from a doctor.
The hypocrisy is rank, the doublethink is objectionable and the arguments proffered by prohibitionists are risible.
The time to legalise, licence and tax most intoxicants is now. The war on drugs is the biggest waste of resources in human history. We might as well squander fortunes seeking to stop the tide of oceans.

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Either legalise it or bring in Sharia law. Both is fine with me.

Well I have thought about it a little, though never really looked into any alternative to the present set-up.

Is it not the case that Holland are looking to make cannibas illegal once more as its an introductory drug to harder ones, and so they are having many problems with heroine etc.?

I wonder what those who work on the front line, keyworkers, outreach workers etc with drug addicts think about prohibition?

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Well I didnt really want to get into a discussion on it. Im just wondering what people thought of the book?

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No, the Dutch aren't doing that, and no cannabis is not a gateway drug. The whole concept of gateway drugs has been rubbished in any case, but obviously the drugs of origin for almost everyone are alcohol or tobacco.

The Dutch deal with heroin much better than we do. But the best model for dealing with heroin is the Portuguese one, where heroin possession and use is decriminalised, to assist harm reduction programmes and to starve the violent gangs of customers.

In my experience, they have a wide variety of views, reflective of the nature of their involvement in that sector and their reasons for becoming involved.
Those, for example, of a religious or traditional background, who got involved to 'save' people from drugs tend to be in favour of prohibition.
Those of a less ideological bent, or those with an academic understanding of the sector, or those who deal in harm reduction specifically, tend towards varying degrees of decriminalisation or legalisation of most substances.

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O'Mahoney's correct. It's a good analysis.
So are Drugs Policy Ireland.
So are Transform Drugs Policy Foundation in Britain.
The only people likely to disagree are those who've never thought about the issue and instead simply accepted the prohibitionist propaganda, or else people with a vested interest in prohibition.
The reality of what we need to do is obvious and inevitable.

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Or people who know of the medical research suggesting a link to testicular (and other) cancers.

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Seriously, how many threads do we have to go over the medical research?
There ISN'T a proven link between cannabis and testicular cancer.
There IS a proven link between alcohol and a series of debilitating illnesses including cirrhosis, brain damage and many cancers.
There IS a proven link between tobacco and lung cancer, causing tens of millions of deaths annually.
The people who CONDUCT the medical research oppose prohibition for the simple reason that it inhibits their ability to conduct proper trials into all the medical ramifications of all substances.

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I completely agree.

At a time when the tax base needs to be broadened, what better way to boost revenue (through legalisation & taxation), create employment (through a state monopoly, for a number of obvious reasons) and reduce government expenditure (less Garda overtime, resources: Court time and legal aid: buliding and management of prisons).

There would also be an immediate improvement in the quality of life for those unfortunates who live in places dominated by the drug thugs.

In addition to the usual political inertia (what's new!) those who make a good living out of prosecuting the "war on drugs" have very strong influence and will do their best to keep the charade going.