A call for legalized heroin

I'm not so hip on pop culture these days, but I'm sure many of you know who the group Motorhead is. Frontman for the band, Lemmy, recently called for legalization as a means to reduce the harms of drugs when he was invited to speak at the Welsh Assembly.

He said: "I have never had heroin but since I moved to London in 1967, I have mixed with junkies on a casual and almost daily basis. I hate the idea even as I say it, but the only way to treat heroin is to legalise it."

...He added: "If it were on prescription, then at least two thirds of the dealers would disappear and you would have records of who was using it.
If a junkie has a regular supply, most are able to do a job. They will never rehabilitate until somebody - you - gives them a chance to."

There you have it. No one will ever convince me that heroin is a "good" drug, but I am convinced that some people who prefer it are able to use it responsibly and those who abuse and become addicted would be better helped by a legalized delivery method.

[hat tip to Tim Meehan]