No I didn't say it wouldn't go up, I don't know. And if drugs are to be banned based on that assumption then alcohol should be banned based on real stats. What you are doing is picking on one kind of drug, if you don't think people should take drugs, especially in public,then ban all drugs including alcohol. Alcohol is one of the only drugs that is allowed to be taken in a public place.

Here are 2 stats from UK gov

There were 3,674 drug poisoning deaths (involving both legal and illegal drugs) registered in 2015.

There were 78,000 deaths in 2014 which
were estimated to be attributed to smoking.

In the UK, in 2015 there were 8,758 alcohol-related deaths (around 14 per 100,000 people). The mortality rates are highest among people aged 55-64.

The problem is you aren't comparing like with like.

Drugs covers a whole host of substances.

Legalise Marijuana in the right circumstances? Maybe
Legalise Heroin? No under any circumstances.

Comparing smoking to class A drugs is also a mismatch.
But only in the perception. Both kill you. But people are more accepting of smoking as it is a long term thing and you can forget about the consequences as you don't see the harm when you are having a smoke like your dad did.
Class A drugs tend to have an immediate effect, whether perceived good or bad. You can draw a quick conclusion.

Personally, if you could turn back time, I'd educate a lot more on the harm alcohol does. You can't just outlaw it once people are used to having it. Millions of people enjoy alcohol without any problem. In fact half the babies in the world and in fact young relationships wouldn't have happened without it.
However having some dutch courage to talk to a girl in a pub is a far cry from yobs fighting in the street or people being beaten or raped. If you count the number of deaths from alcohol poisoning I'm thinking it isn't as big as drugs. If you count all the harm including deaths related to alcohol, it would be beyond massive.
Unfortunately I can't turn back time and the genie is out of the bottle.
So it has to be a hard line. If you are drunk and do something wrong it's your fault and you suffer the consequences. I'd increase sentences for drunk driving and would also come down hard on the Saturday night drinking culture in town centres too.


The lesson from a drugs point of view is to not let it get to be acceptable like alcohol is.
I know friends who admit to trying drugs in the past and know of people who take coke now (they are not friends).
The ones who do it think it's cool like smoking used to be. If you don't change that perception it will end up as wide spread as smoking was/is.
Making it legal will do exactly the opposite. So that is not a solution in my opinion.
Reclassifying certain drugs is possibly a way forward but it needs to be carefully thought out.

Helping those that are addicted to any of those substances is a good thing. I know it's tax payer money but if they want to change then I'd pay the money to help them. If they don't want to change and follow crime to feed the habit or push the habit then jail it is.

.............I do like it when a sensible debate breaks out on this forum.

Have to say I agree with the posts above - surely logic says there are more alcohol related deaths/injuries/consequences becuase it's available on literally every single street corner up and down the land and however 'rife' drugs and the drug scene are/is the truth is most people wouldn't know how to get hold of it directly.

Fair enough we've all got a mate who can sort it out so we're only every probably 1 person away from supply but it's still nowhere near as readily available as alcohol.

In all honesty, how many here could get say coke 'straight from a dealer' rather than via a mate who knows one? Adimitedly they both amount to the same result but you know what I mean I hope.

Stick on sale in the Co-op, Shell Garage, mobile van that comes to work of a dinner time and a stall selling it outside the Con Club on matchdays and you watch the negative consequences snowball.

The exact same thing can be said of recreational drugs; the issue of course is that those people are forced to become criminals to obtain them, and there are no safety or purity standards in place during manufacture, to protect them from harm. Not to mention the big lie that sits at the heart of drug education - "Drugs are bad, m'kay.." If you're 17 and dropping your first E, that is quite clearly not the case - but squeamish drug education hasn't equipped you with honest information about what you can expect, or how to take care of yourself during and after.

Most drug professionals say that most drug deaths don't come from the drugs but what's cut it in with the drugs, to make it into a greater amount. During Prohibition in the USA, alcohol related poisoning went up and it was controlled by a crime.

Walker will most likely be sacked, he'll miss the World Cup and more than likely be out of the game for 2-4 years depending on who you believe. He's let us down and himself down. There's no point sugar coating it - he clearly has a problem if he thinks he can take cocaine in the days leading up to a match. Whether that problem is addiction / mental health or a personality defect is for him to decide. I have some sympathy - I'm a recovering alcoholic. I hope Walker gets the help he needs but that'll start with himself.

As a club/as supporters this situation is incredibly frustrating. Three years in a row now at a critical time of the season substance / booze abuse or poor conduct have come to the fore - it's destabilising for the squad and causes resentment in the group. I hope we get passed that this year and get a couple of wins.

i dont mind folk disagreeing with me. That is the whole point of a forum but i wont have folk calling me a racist etc and assuming things about me. I don't read ANY newspaper, i dont watch all the brainwashing nonsense on tv, i am quite moralistic yes, but i don't think in any way that is a bad thing. Ill informed??? How??? Because i agree with the current law that all drugs are banned and should stay banned? I am NOT racist. I am just not afraid to be non pc. I hate the way muslims treat women and white people. You might not like that but it isn't racist. Black Harlem music as i reffered to is what it is. Its gang orientated music (almost) that influences younger people into thinking gangs, drugs and weapons are cool. Its the same with Compton, Detroit etc. The teenagers in Birmingham and London listening to and copying this garbage. Every week there is a gang related stabbing and i am sorry if this offends your self righteous attitude but they are all black. Everyone can see it but not everyone is afraid to say it. I am afraid that isnt racist. Is the Black Police Federation racist in your eyes? Or the constant barraging in the media that there aren't enough black managers in football. Is that not racist to whites and other ethnicities?

Afraid of youth culture. No they are doing a fine job. I am prejudice about what some people and cultures believe in not what colour their skin is. Take out a dictionary and look up the word racist before you go lavishly brandishing it about in future.

For what it's worth I thought the response to your post was disgusting. As you say we all have a right to disagree with each other, you aired your opinion but the name calling and assumptions were beyond the pale.

That thought passed my mind, I wondered if this coming out affected the players

Just curious where you get this info from if not the papers and TV?

It certainly affected team selection !

Back to the original thread.

Just sack him.

The evidence would suggest otherwise.

You leap from a discussion about drugs, to comments about 'black music' and immigration - that's racist and offensive, whether you like it or not; either circumstance, for the avoidance of doubt, being a matter of absolute indifference to me.

Big difference between disagreeing with someone and outrightly calling them a racist.

Don't forget offensive and ill-informed.

Think this is all getting a bit fired unnecessarily.
Drugs laws exist. People who sell them or possess them (There are exceptions!) are breaking the law.
If Walker is guilty, he should be sacked because he's broken the law and let the club and supporters down.
Unlawfully possessing Cocaine, a class A drug, is a serious offence.

I think our dalliance with troubled souls continues to result in bad publicity for the club especially in the recent history. I think we have made more club statements in the last three seasons than we did in the previous 10.
What would have happened If we had looked to sign chase like some of you suggested because you believe we can usually control their bad behaviour. It is obvious we cannot and it is time we take into consideration a player's history rather than ability or these bad news stories will continue.

or maybe the club at that time chose to ignore the problems and not go public, I remember a time when nothing was said and we as fans didn't know what to think

Ok guys let's leave it there.
I was hoping we'd move past this quickly but if not we'll have to stop that conversation and get back to Walker

How so - it was interesting debate about drug policy; what's the problem?

Probably the fact that once again you try to make every thread turn political, and branding anyone who disagrees with you as a racist or thick.
Its embaressing.

Back on topic, 2 year ban seems fair to me. Recreational drug and in no way performance enhancing.
On a side note, anyone who allows there kids to view rugby players as role models, need there heads checking!

....and on the other foot we have St Helens going out of their way to bring in Ben Barba!

Good point. I'm fairly sure Powell would have known about Rangi's demons when he signed him for his 2nd Cas stint but he must have been convinced that Rangi wanted to change his ways. He seemed to have done that and was given the 6 shirt ahead of Ben Roberts. However after a couple of off field issues he was shown the door.
I wouldn't have a clue what to look for myself but are there signs that team mates would notice if a fellow player were on cocaine? If reports that cocaine taking is rife surely it would be evident in dressing rooms across all leagues.