Australia's opinion . Well anyone really .

As an Australian my opinion is that a war against drugs is a futile effort which only creates more criminals and smugglers such as these people. I don't care if it was weed or heroin, I for one find it sickening that anyone could be executed for possessing or transporting drugs. I've always believed that what I decide to do with my body is my own business, I don't need to be protected from myself. If I want to go out and try a bit of heroin that's my own decision and I have to live with the consequences of my own actions. Drugs are always going to exist, even the threat of execution clearly doesn't stop people from committing these crimes. And by trying to stop it with such harsh laws, it only drives the price up and creates more criminal enterprises which sell low quality drugs with no oversight.

a reply to: hutch622

The Australian media tried so hard to get Schapelle Corby out of hot water, which is why she is now free. The only reason the world even knows of this case is because of the media. So many people in Bali get killed for these crimes and yet when its an Australian the media know it will mean good sales from their coverage. They did a lot to get her free, so did the Gov. But I see little help towards the Bali 9. Why should we care because their faces are in the media. No one cares when everyone else's faces aren't in the media. I hope they are granted clemency, but either way its just a drop in the ocean in the Balinese jail system.

I'm anti-death penalty, and pro-heroin, but they took the risk...

Look at it like this: If you try to move in to another cartel's market, ie: smuggling heroin into Australia without government (ours and theirs) approval, then those catels (governments) will do what ever is in their power to maintain a market monopoly--and killing rival dealers is par for the course in the "war on drugs".

Seriously, if heroin was legalised then these cartels will lose their power and peoples lives will be saved.

TL;DR:

Legalise heroin to save lives.

I am impartial on death sentences. If it is the law of the land, and one is found guilty of committing a crime which carries such a sentence, then it is what it is.

That said, i do find it hypocritical that the Australian government worked so hard to secure the freedom of an Australian woman facing the prospects of a firing squad in China, yet at the same time provides normal consular assistance to every other Australian facing the same or similar fate:

A CLANDESTINE diplomatic rescue operation led by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has spared the life of Sydney woman Kalynda Davis, who was potentially facing a Chinese firing squad after being arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle up to 75kg of the drug ice to Australia.

Ms Davis, 22, of Glenmore Park, was ­arrested with a Richmond man, Peter Gardner, on November 5 after Chinese customs officers allegedly found the illicit drugs — with a street value of about $80 million — in their checked-in baggage in Guangzhou. Ms Davis had met Mr Gardner, a New Zealand citizen, on dating app Tinder just weeks earlier.

She faced the prospect of being executed by a Chinese firing squad if charged and convicted of drug trafficking.

www.dailytelegraph.com.au...
If so much work is done to secure the release of a daughter of a former police officer, i feel that the same effort should be applied to all cases of Australian citizens facing death penalties overseas. If one person gets special treatment, all deserve it. At least in this case, some form of governmental plea to the Indonesian government has been undertaken by Australia.

a reply to: daaskapital
Because she was part of the government cartel, she was offered protection. 75Kg is not an amount you can tape to your person, its big bananas compared to the Bali 9.

Anyone who takes a life or causes someone a life of misery due to maiming or addiction, deserves the death penalty. Consequences have to be extreme to make people think twice before engaging in the act. Heroin and other hard drugs have caused many deaths and family heartaches around the world. It can drastically affect society. We can't continue to lock-up hardened criminals and build prisons on the backs of hard-working law abiding citizens. These people who engage in acts of murder or drug smuggling know in advance the grave consequence. If they do it anyway, it's their own fault if they were given the death penalty. There shouldn't be any sympathy for these people, period.

Granted, the death penalty should be applied when there is overwhelming evidence that proves beyond doubt, that the person or persons was responsible. With the ever increasing technology of forensic technology, the chances of putting an innocent person to death has been greatly reduced.

lets face it they knew the cost of getting caught it would not be an issue if they did not try and smuggle it they have nobody to blame but themselves

as others have said the damage caused by heroin was never an issue to them and they have always shown no remorse and even seemed cocky about the whole deal good riddance

a reply to: hutch622

When in Rome,do as the Romans do. And that goes double when it comes to their drug laws. Drug smugglers are well aware of the laws in a particular country they are smuggling from. They just have to see if they can beat the system and make a lot of money while they are at it. It is simple enough to stay out of that country so you don't get caught. Even better would be to go get a real job and join the mindless masses working instead of doing illegal things. You get caught,you pay for it.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
Anyone who takes a life or causes someone a life of misery due to maiming or addiction, deserves the death penalty.

So anyone selling drugs on the street gets the death penalty too, right? I cause a car accident and the innocent victim loses his legs and I get the death penalty, right?
Your thoughts on the application of the death penalty are beyond extremist and beyond sane.

Consequences have to be extreme to make people think twice before engaging in the act.

This has been proven false so often now it's amazing I even have to provide a link to a thinking person.
www.castanet.net...

Heroin and other hard drugs have caused many deaths and family heartaches around the world.

Alcohol more, is that drug on your death penalty list too?

There shouldn't be any sympathy for these people, period.

Clearly you don't have any sympathy whatsoever.

Granted, the death penalty should be applied when there is overwhelming evidence that proves beyond doubt, that the person or persons was responsible. With the ever increasing technology of forensic technology, the chances of putting an innocent person to death has been greatly reduced.

Another fallacy of 'common sense' which isn't very useful in making death penalty decisions.
www.nature.com...

They have been using DNA for 27 years now in the courts...still have significant wrongful convictions.

I guess killing 1 innocent person in 25 death penalty cases isn't too bad for people with no sympathy...

While I can't say that I believe in the death penalty for drug related crimes, I will say these folks knew what the outcome would be if caught. If you dance with the Devil, you might get burned.