Still, I think other people have a right to walk the streets undisturbed, so I don't see an easy, clean solution solving everything at once. But banning public drug use, is very fine with me.
I could build myself a really cool James Bond-style tent house in Central Park and live there in the summers for basically free. I'd like that.
I'm not entitled to it.
Voters can easily decide that the sidewalk is no longer a place for people to rot on.
"I think other people have a right to walk the streets undisturbed"
And when you ban public drug use and enforce it, you automatically remove all junkies from public spaces.
Depends on your definition of "use".
I can do a bunch of meth somewhere discreet, and then party on the streets without actively "using" drugs for hours - days even!
And people bothering other people on the streets is not alright and should be stopped any way, drugs in their blood or not.
I did not say that, you probably confused my comment with someone else.
Fine them and take their drugs would be a simple one.
Take their drugs? Oh no. They'll just get more, eventually. It's not like they have a lifetime supply stashed away. They generally do the drugs shortly after getting them. They're unlikely to have any to take.
You act as if the police are complete morons and totally incompetent and haven't thought of any or tried any alternatives - anywhere in the world.
"You act as if the police are complete morons and totally incompetent and haven't thought of any or tried any alternatives - anywhere in the world"
That's the thing. Addicts on the streets in europe for example, are a rare thing. And I know many other places on the world, with no junkies on the streets either. And also with a way lower prisoner to population ratio. So maybe there are other ways, besides just jailing everyone. (Which is pretty expensive btw.)
This is because most of Europe has better social safety nets and didn't have an opioid crisis (also partly because of its safety nets), not because they "banned" anything. Drugs and active drug users are in the end still pretty easy to find in central areas in major cities if you look; and if the police do get involved you definitely go to jail.
Have you been to europe? I was born and live here and have been to allmost every other EU state and people going to jail for drugs is allmost not existent to my knowledge - unless people are dealing big quantities. (Or doing other crimes while drugged, but then they go for the other crimes and not the drugs)
"Drugs and active drug users are in the end still pretty easy to find in central areas in major cities if you look"
You can also find many drunk people, if you go to the pubs - but I don't remember the last time, I saw junkies in the streets. Of course, seeing people who likely do drugs regular, sure, but minding their own buisness and going somewhere, not occuping the streets and scaring normal people, which I thought is what we are talking about here.
Total idiocy.