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SS Psychedelic

A recreational drugs "Ice Cream truck" for cruise ships in international waters
  (+14, -1)(+14, -1)
(+14, -1)
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Most countries forbid recreational drugs (except for the ones that are really harmful, ie. alcohol and tobacco). This means that people who wish to experiment with mind-altering substances must risk the wrath of the law in order to do so.

In international waters, however, no such restrictions apply. On regular cruise ship routes, the good ship SS Psychedelic, replete with containerised, cleanly operated drug labs and recreational drug bars could shadow passing cruise ships for a day or so. Smaller ferry boats would pass between cruise liner and the Psychedelic.

Passengers would consume all product on the drug ship, and would be be forbidden from transporting drugs back onto the cruise liners to prevent legal worries for their owners.

All drugs would be manufactured in situ, obviating the need for smuggling product in and out of countries. The drug ship would have its own fuel tanker, which would also (by crane) transfer the drug lab containers when necessary to allow the former to be laid up for maintenance.

Adze, Jun 01 2005

You can't hide from Bush's men. http://slate.msn.com/id/1007689/
[ldischler, Jun 01 2005]

[link]






       Would need armed guards or be a target for pirates. Arrrrrr!
Soterios, Jun 01 2005
  

       Perhaps an island along popular cruise routes could be bought and annexed. I like this idea. Though I'm not really sure why... I think it somehow pleases my inner rules lawyer.
justaguy, Jun 01 2005
  

       ...and the captain's fallen overboard again. Daft fool does keep thinking he can fly.
david_scothern, Jun 01 2005
  

       The trouble I see here is that, once you are out of the jurisdiction of a state, you are also largely out of its protection. How do you know that this ship isn't going to take your money and sell you into slavery?
st3f, Jun 01 2005
  

       The cruise ships would likely stop doing business with them if they resorted to shanghai.
justaguy, Jun 01 2005
  

       Yes, good idea, but why don't you guys just dock in holland? Come share the fun! Everything that won't instantly get you hooked or kill you is legal here.
zeno, Jun 01 2005
  

       //Bush's men link// Interesting, but the whole idea of this is to render smuggling operations unnecessary. So that justification couldn't be used in this instance.
Adze, Jun 02 2005
  

       //Everything that won't instantly get you hooked or kill you is legal here.//   

       That's what the rest of the world's drug policy is based on, too. The difference is that some people believe certain drugs will or won't kill you or get you hooked. Addiction is a subjective thing. There *are* drugs that are illegal in Holland, and in fact certain drug actions most people think of as legal in Holland aren't legal, just tolerated--which is worse than legalization because it means that you can do it and it's unregulated! Imagine if, as a response to the failures of Prohibition, we had "decriminalized" alcohol: you could still go blind by taking a shot of bad hooch, but your dealer is absolved from all responsibility for it. The government turns a blind eye as you fall into addiction, disease and death.
disbomber, Jun 02 2005
  

       Well, let me clarify that a bit for you [disbomber]. Hasjies and mariuana are legal to buy and sell, own and smoke, in quantaties not exceding 10 grams. The coffee shops are not allowed to buy large quantities but they do need them to be able to sell small quantaties to many customers, so this is tolerated. This is strange and leads to weird situations.   

       For example: a small town on the border with germany experienced trouble with many germans roaming the town, stoned out of their heads( they didn't do much wrong in fact, just hanging around leaving rubbish). Many coffee shops all over town. So the mayor and his team of town politicians (don't know the english name for that) closed all the coffee shops and started one of their own. The mayor was the director, the politicians the board. This meant that the politicians had to commit a crime when they were buying the stuff, backdoor activity as it is called. Anyway the plan worked fine. There is now just one place to buy and trouble is much diminished.   

       Mushrooms are also legal provided they are fresh. It is allowed to grow them at home. Dried mushrooms are much lighter which means that the working substance devided by the weight exeeds the legal standard. Dried mushrooms are often tolerated.   

       Growing weed is legal with up to five plants.   

       All of this concernes what we call soft drugs. Soft drugs are not physically addictive. Some studies do show that they are mentally addictive, or can be for some.   

       LSD and other chemical halucinogetic compounds are illegal but are not addictive, the problem here is that they can cause instant trauma for some.   

       Cocaine and heroine and smack are illegal.   

       It is important to note that alcohol is a hard drug and legal allmost all over the world. Weird huh? And stoned people just sit and talk or dream where drunk people are often annoying the hell out of everybody. In the netherlands it is illegal to be drunk in a public place! That means you are not allowed to be drunk in a bar or on the street.   

       Also sigarettes are very addictive and bad for you. But legal everywhere.   

       coffee shops pay tax. The harmfullness of what they sell lies between sigarettes and alcohol.
zeno, Jun 03 2005
  

       [zeno], I'm aware that small quantities are legal and large quantities are tolerated. That's why I said:   

       //and in fact certain drug actions most people think of as legal in Holland aren't legal, just tolerated//   

       // So the mayor and his team of town politicians (don't know the english name for that)//   

       "Town politicians" conveys your message. I think "city council" is a rough American equivalent, but I think that's a localism (jargon) rather than an actual translation (language).   

       //Growing weed is legal with up to five plants.//   

       I was aware that it was illegal but tolerated. I was wrong, apparently.   

       //LSD and other chemical hallucinogenic compounds are illegal but are not addictive, the problem here is that they can cause instant trauma for some.//   

       Yes, based on negative set/setting, which I'm sure isn't helped when it's dirty street product and you're looking over your shoulder for cops.   

       //It is important to note that alcohol is a hard drug and legal allmost all over the world.//   

       It is interesting, isn't it?   

       //In the netherlands it is illegal to be drunk in a public place! That means you are not allowed to be drunk in a bar or on the street.//   

       We have a law against being drunk in a public place, too. Bars are OK to an extent; obviously, they're going to kick you out if you get rowdy. It's pretty much completely illegal to be drunk (or drinking) while out walking around. You probably won't really get arrested for it unless you seem to be a danger to yourself or other people or a real public nuisance, although some police forces (like the one in Milwaukee) have been known to arrest people for just about anything.   

       //Really, I wouldn't want someone who had only concocted drugs in his / her basement under illegal circumstances.//   

       I would think those'd be the experts! Supervision would make sure they didn't pull anything nasty.
disbomber, Jun 03 2005
  

       I suspect that the major drug cartels employ some highly competent chemists.
justaguy, Jun 03 2005
  

       [ElDorado] I attempted to convey the idea that the drug labs would be operated responsibly with the qualifier "cleanly operated drug labs". Beyond that, chemistry is chemistry - you don't need to be a crook to be good at making psychedelics.
Adze, Jun 04 2005
  

       Make it a warship. People hopped up on meth make good fighters.
10clock, Jun 04 2005
  

       Nonononono [10oclock]. Drugs + war = baaad.
wagster, Jun 04 2005
  

       Actually, thinking more clearly about it, War + Anything = Bad.
wagster, Jun 04 2005
  

       Thank you for your reaction [disbomber] I enjoyed reading it.   

       Nice one [wagster]
zeno, Jun 06 2005
  
      
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