05 - Whataboutisms
What you are proposing is preposterous. It will turn the nation into a bunch of stoned druggies
Evidence from the Cato Institute study in Portugal shows that drug use rose in-line with other countries that had kept drugs illegal. Drugs are not for everyone and it should be up to the individual to discuss with trained medics what is right for them.
Licensing is condoning and more people will want to try it
The licensing system being proposed is more onerous to get through and safer for the user than simply seeking out a drug dealer and buying whatever is being sold at the moment. In the illegal trade, money is the only driver instead of the health and well-being of the customer.
If you make drugs legal then our roads will be full of drug-drivers
They are already. You just don't realise it. The other problem is that because drugs are illegal we don't know how many people are doing this.
Licensing will give the police a heads-up too. If they spot someone driving erratically then I believe that is probable cause enough to ask the licensing agency if the driver is registered, what they are licensed for and what quantities they can be expected to have on them right now. That will give enforcement a running start on what signs to look for in the driver, while at the moment they have no idea if the person is drunk, on drugs or 'simply' tired (tiredness also kills; see: Great Heck).
I know that the data in the database should be sensitive to police intrusion, but something like driving a vehicle has implications on society at large and I believe that this sort of access is reasonable and proportional.
I also think that there are some professions that should be denied licenses, or have severe restrictions. In the UK, railway workers - and I don't know for sure but I really hope pilots - are routinely drug tested in order to keep their jobs. People in professions where safety at work is critical should be denied a license or have severe restrictions on use patterns.
Druggies are useless, we should just bring back hanging for them
This is a deeply ingrained stigma in society. The truth is that you don't really know who is using substances in private, or in a club. We have evidence of drug use in the highest offices in the land in the UK and the US. Use of drugs certainly isn't an impediment to success.
My mate Bob's son took one toke of the wacky-baccy and he turned into a paranoid lunatic
No, he didn't. As in take one toke. He was doing it for years and lying to you all about it. Yes, paranoia is a symptom associated with long-term use of cannabis and a couple of other substances. If your mate's son had been in constant contact with medics and mental health professionals over the time he was smoking it there is a good chance that this could have been caught far earlier and he could have been directed away from use or into support schemes. It is the illegality of the substance and the stigma associated with that illegality that caused him to lie to you.
Alcohol is legal and it's good enough for me. It should be good enough for you too
In terms of damage to society in general, alcohol is the most dangerous substance around. If you think that the 'dangerous' illegal drugs should be illegal then alcohol should also be banned, immediately.
Also, not everyone is the same and some of us prefer substances other than alcohol.