TV Schedule

All About E

  2. abbym0308
  3. related topics
After chief constable Richard Brunstrom said that Ecstasy is "far safer than aspirin," the debate about the legalisation of drugs has been reignited. Anti-drugs groups criticized him for being unsympathetic and misinformed, some calling on him to resign. Others criticized him for making a simple soundbite on a complex issue, causing a publicity storm rather than opening up a reasoned, informed debate. And so we begin one here. This article from the independent gives a breakdown of Mr Brunstrom's comments as well as provides answers, though not definitive, on some of the most pressing questions: How dangerous is Ecstacy, and is there a case to review its legal status?

What are your thoughts?
abbym0308

3 responses // All About E

  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7160000/newsid_...
    Click the link for the BBC Radio 4 interview with Mr Brunstrom where he made his controversial comments.
    abbym0308
  • Ecstasy was originally a prescription drug for depressed wives who had to see their husbands off to the war during WWII. Soon the general population, mostly teenagers and to-be hippies, could easily get a hold of the drug. Since it has been made illegal, it has been reported that there are 7 ecstasy related deaths per million, making choking on peanuts more hazardous. Most deaths have been due to over drinking: the drug makes your body retain water, including in the brain, so essentially the person drowns to death if they don't die from alcohol poisoning first.

    so do i think that it should remain illegal? only if alcohol, cigarettes, and peanuts are taken off the market.
    Jewels0088
  • http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/mar...
    Here's a fantastic commentary on this issue by Times columnist Martin Samuel. Not only does he give some helpful statistics on just how 'dangerous' (or not) E is in comparison to other drugs, he says:
    "We hear a lot about how harmful drugs are, never how harmless. Not a word about how, for most people, they are something you grow out of, as surely as you grow out of small cars with souped-up engines. The Ecstasy users of 1991 are now talking house prices and schools over dinner, just like their parents."
    Spot on. Spot on.
    abbym0308

Add your response

Login/Registration is required to add a response.