• chunes@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      In terms of mortality it’s not even close. Alcohol alone kills nearly twice as many people as all other drugs combined.

      Tobacco, 5x as many.

      • nyctre@piefed.social
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        1 month ago

        Sure, but isn’t that just because anyone can buy them in the supermarket? Start selling opioids in the same way and I’m pretty sure those stats would change.

        Is the AK-47 the worst weapon we’ve created just because it’s killed the most people? I don’t think that’s how those stats are supposed to be used, imo.

        • ctrl_alt_esc@lemmy.ml
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          1 month ago

          There are several countries that basically did this and no, the stats don’t change. In fact, de-criminalizing those drugs has lead to a decrease in usage and associated deaths in all cases I’m aware of.

          • CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works
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            1 month ago

            Decriminalization isn’t anywhere near the same as legalization. One means you wont go to jail when you get caught with it despite it being illegal to sell, while the other means it’s legal to possess, buy, and sell.

            I’m also curious about the rates of users to deaths and not just total number of deaths as most adults use alcohol at some point while only a tiny percent use stuff like meth or heroin.