i-thorts' i-Politics: MPs vote for gay marriage bill

Bill now faces bruising passage through the House of Lords before almost certainly becoming law this year.

Members of Parliament have overwhelming endorsed historic legislation that will give gay couples the equal right to marry.

Almost half a century after homosexuality was legalised in Britain the House of Commons voted by a majority of 400 to 175 to redefine marriage and make it available to all.

« Read the Rest @ Independent »

i-thorts' i-Politics: Call for new drug policy research body

A new body is needed to assess existing and alternative drugs policies, and could be partly funded by assets seized from dealers, campaigners have said.

The UK Drug Policy Commission said billions of pounds a year were spent tackling drug problems, "without always knowing what difference it makes".

The commission argues that much of the £3bn spent each year on tackling illicit drugs is wasted...

Read the Rest @ BBC News »

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also see: « Is it in society's interest to keep drugs and prostitution illegal? »

i-thorts' i-Views: Should Drugs and Prostitution Be Illegal?

Reblogged from i-thorts' i-Views.

That's the question that any politician should ask; but not many ever do.

The law of this land is drugs are bad keep away from them (but alcohol and tobacco is okay so long as tax is being paid on them) and prostitution is immoral therefore bad; so both are equally illegal.

The thing is 'immoral' isn't the same as dangerous and 'bad' isn't the same as harmful.

Anything taken to excess is 'bad for you' - from sugar and fat to alcohol and cigarettes - but that doesn't necessarily stop their sale to the public.

Is it immoral to sell ones body for money? It's worst to sell it to feed a drug habit (for something that could be anything masquerading as the 'real deal').