Legalize them!!
The market is there.
Let the governments of the world make the money rather than the drug pins.
<h6>Yes I smoked marijauna. But I never inhaled.
Bubba</h6>
“Tell me and I’ll forget; Show me and
I may remember; Involve me and I’ll
understand.” - Old Chinese Proverb
Amen! When will the rest of America wake up and realize that the War on (Some) Drugs is a complete and utter failure? And as for the last line of the OP-- the only redeeming thing about Gore is that he admits to smoking pot habitually in the 70’s. Although he apparently lied about exactly when he stopped.
Bigdaddyd…
Not some drugs, all of them. Treat them just like alcohol. You are caught using them in the wrong circumstances you are busted.
Make the price affordable. Do away with the crime associated with drug use.
Why should we pour money into a bottemless pit?
“Tell me and I’ll forget; Show me and
I may remember; Involve me and I’ll
understand.” - Old Chinese Proverb
Screw the governments. Why should they be “in business”? If you make it legal, then it need to be a privately owned and run industry. Let the government make it’s money through taxes and tariffs.
Normally I don’t get very opinionated on this board, and I know from my years in law enforcement that I’m supposed to echo the “party line”-- (South Park’s Mr. Mackey, “Drugs are Bad”). I don’t have any grandiose, long term solutions and I don’t know if the “War On Drugs” is a winning or losing effort. I am not well-versed, or educated enough to debate the ramafications of legalization vs. criminalization.
I’m no super crime fighter, but I do the best I can to keep this stuff off the street. I won’t win it by myself, I have no delusions of inevitable victory, but if I can make a positive change for one life every day I’m out there, it’s a good day for me. If what I do can make my children say “Drugs are not good for me and the people around me”, then it’s well worth laying down my life for.
Are you as fervent about your views as I am of mine? I’m not dealing in coffee-shop philosophy here. I carry mine into the street with me, ready to risk all on one toss of the dice. Ancient samurai greeted each new day as “a good day to die”, convinced in their devotion to the Way.
I know this is probably not a popular viewpoint on this board, and I don’t spout these opinions under the aegis of a badge. I am saying this as a human being, a father, and husband. I have seen, more than I care to count, what drugs have done to people’s lives, the things they have become, and the lives and careers that are destroyed. To me, it’s as simple as that.
…send lawyers, guns, and money…
Warren ZevonUnfortunately, BluePony, the same can be said for alcohol. I volunteer at a retreat house that holds a lot of 12-step retreats. By the time you are FULLY involved with a 12-step program, you’ve hit rock bottom. The way most of these people have pulled themselves back up is remarkable. The stories I hear about what they did with / for alcohol are incredable.
I can see no harm in legalizing Marijuana. The only way this is a “gateway” drug is through the fact that you have to deal with “bad eliments” to get it. People stoned on pot are nowhere near as violent as those blitzed on beer. Legalizing other drugs could have serious effects. Yes, alcohol is adictive. Yes, marijuana is adictive (but less than cigaretts, I believe). Yes, cafine is adictive (I’m guilty here). None of them have the physical effects of cocaine or heroin addictions. Legalization of those drugs would be a huge mistake.
“The large print givith, and the small print taketh away.”
Tom Waites, “Step Right Up”
Is it not legal to buy and use most illegal narcotics in Amsterdam? Do they not also over there now have a massive drug hooked population that they are now having to shovel billions into in the form of detox clinics, medical assistance, general care and increased police efforts? Do they not have a major epidemic of needle transmitted diseases?
While the legal drugs are a boon for their economy, because people from all other nations hop over there to get buzzed and buy, it seems that they have a major social problem to contend with.
My suggestion? Legalize the ‘soft’ drugs like pot. Drop a few nukes on the South American and Mexican drug cartels who have corrupted their local governments anyhow or start executing any captured major drug suppliers instead of poking them in jail. Locate and jail the various government officials who are taking drug money to look the other way or to delay new drug laws. Make coke legal and controlled by the government to regulate the dosage and purity and undercut the dealers.
As for the rest, keep them illegal.
What? Me worry?’
Bluepony
I know that you see all the ways that drugs hurt society, but do you see all the ways the war on drugs hurts society also?
There are over 500,000 non-violent offenders incarcerated right now. Almost all of them on drug charges.
Think of how getting arrested and put in prison messes up your life.
Think of all the (illegal) car searches that takeplace on our streets. I am not the most sensitive person when it comes to race, but I do understand and agree that this is furthering racial tensions and rascism.
Look at L.A. The “ELITE” anti-gang unit iws manufacturing evidence and killing people. If you legalized drugs, you would take away a major source of money and friction for the gangs. I do not believe that his is a phenomenon exclusive to LA.
The differences in jail time between crack cocaine and powder cocaine is another issue in racial tensions. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that blacks are getting put away at a greater rate than whites for equal crimes.
No-Knock warrants are another tradgedy of the drug war. How often do we read about a No-Knock warrant justified by an anoynmous tipster? How often is an innocent killed or harrassed at 4 in the morning?
(illegal) Confiscation of your property without being convicted of a crime. Justifying the confiscation of thousands of dollars without bothering to even press charges is pure theft by our government. Allowing the police dept. to keep part of the confiscated cash is blood money to keep them quiet and cooperative.
I was in FL. after hurricane Andrew back in the early 90’s. It was a major news story down there when a lady pooled all her neighbors money so that she could drive up to Georgia to buy construction supplies and then bring them back in a truck. (there was nothing left in FL.) She was pulled over for speeding in Georgia and had her 20 something thousand dollars confiscated by the police. No charges, no crime but speeding. I am sure you are aware that you can either choose to get back a percentage quickly, or go through a long drawn out process to retrieve your money.
You do not have to be a drug supporter to want to legalize drugs, you only have to realize the price the rest of us are paying to stop people from doing them.
The problem stems from the fact that drug crimes are different than other crimes. In a normal crime you have a victim. The victim reports the crime to police and then they investigate. There is no victim in a drug transaction. Therfore the police need to find ways to interject themselves into ordinary people’s lives to “check them out.”
I do not think it is worth sacrificing the Bill of Rights to stop these “victimless” crimes.
Of course, the war on drugs has caused nu-
merous problems. Proponents of legalization
feel that, although legalization would cause
new problems, they would be lesser than the
existing ones. Would they?
Firstly, all drugs are not the same. Does
anyone believe that PCP should be legalized?
Any legalization approach must take each
drug under consideration seperately. A “one-
size-fits-all” approach would be foolish.
Secondly, If there were a legal source for
any drug, will the illegal dealers simply
give up and go get jobs? I feel that some of
them would try to continue selling drugs.
For one thing, many dealers sell on credit.
They know when their customers get paid, and
where they live. Few people want to cross a
dealer, so most of them pay up. If any drug
were legalized, some addicts would spend up
all their money and credit, and would go to
the illegal dealer for a fix “until payday”.
Also, since many adults would go to legal
sources, illegal dealers might increasingly
target children.
Thirdly, it is believed by many that legal-
ization would end drug related violence. It
probably would, to some extent. But, as il-
legal markets shrank, and illegal dealers
faced increased competition, it might cause
new violence.
Fourthly, legalization may cause more young
people to try drugs. Oh yes, I know that a
significant percentage of high-schoolers
have used marijuana, but more of them have
tried alcohol. Later in life, a LOT more
adults use alcohol than marijuana. This may
change if government sanctions drug use.
Lastly, I have yet to here any ideas about
how any drug legalization would work. Who,
what, where, when, and how? Legislators and
their staff are good at making law from
ideas, but what are the ideas? What about
liability? When users’ hearts start to burst
from cocaine, and the inevitable lawsuits
begin, what then? Will anyone insure drug
distribution for recreational purposes?
Legislating morality is always a futile exercise but legalising drugs would be like dispensing cheap alcohol on an Indian reservation (I believe that is prohibited). I don’t think society as we know it could survive.
I though I was insensitive when it came to race, but YOU take the cake.
That makes me wince.
Ouch…
Abner Normal and BigDaddyD, right on, brothers!
Bluepony: I respect your honesty, but the War on Drugs as currently formulated is clearly not working. I have had police officers tell me privately that marijuana usage is not a big deal to them, and I also know of some people in law enforcement who are selling the stuff on the side. Furthermore, I personally smoked reefer with at least two former prosecutors – one, a good friend, while he was still in office – in my state, Indiana.
To all the rest of you Victorians, I offer this little personal anecdote. Sometime in the late '80’s – I think it was 1986 or 1987 – Ronnie Reagan proclaimed on television that America was winning the war on drugs. When I heard this announcement, I had an ounce of homegrown in one coat pocket and a quarter-ounce of Columbian in the other. I was in an apartment watching several friends conclude a drug deal.
Some victory, folks.
What has race got to do with it? There are indian reservations that have close to 100% alcoholism rates among the adults living there. This has gotten better in recent years, but it is still far, far worse than in the rest of the population. It is not inconceivable that allowing loads of new drugs that are basically unknown to the majority of our population could have the same delitirious effect that the introduction of alcohol to the native americans has had.
Also, when you legalize drugs, does this mean I can buy any drug over the counter? Or just the really dangerous ones that you can’t buy at all now? If the latter, how do you justify this distinction?(Obviously if you are only in favor of marijuana, this does not apply to you). Penicillion, for example. It is bad enough that many doctors will call in scripts for anyone over the phone - if you could buy the stuff over the counter the bacteria resistance problem would grow worse much faster. If you could take any drug without a prescription, won’t the manufacturers of medications have increased liability, leading to greater insurance premiums and higher costs? A big part of the job of doctors and pharmacists now is to help people manage allergies and interaction contraidictions - who will do this when you legalize? To me, it seems this has really not been thought through very carefully by the people posting in favor of decriminalization.
Well, I think Austin’s proved he’s never been involved in an illegal drug sale.
As for BluePony’s comments, I have a high regard for the men and women who risk their lives to enforce our laws. Which is why I don’t think they should be risking their lives for something as meaningless as drug crimes. Let’s declare the War on Drugs over, and send those troops to fight the War on Murder, the War on Rape, the War on Theft, the War on Overdue Library Books, etc.
Freedom, I am one the most pro, sympathetic, apologetic, informed and interested in Indians persons that you can ever meet. There is nothing racist about my comment. It is an unfortunate fact that any Native American will admit to. I believe there is a reservation in Minnesota (?) that just sued to get a near-by convenience store barred from selling alcohol. This is a situation where the tribal authorities know there will be problems and are attempting to head them off. Under unrestricted legalisation, would they lose this right? Twenty years after legalisation, will some lily white suburbs try to put similar restrictions on the local crack bar to protect their children? (Hmmm, that would be very similar to what some people in the ghettos are forced to do now.)
Anyway, don’t accuse of anything malicious against Indians. You don’t know me but take my word for it that I am deeply sympathetic and fascinated by them and their history. Besides, we should all learn from their mistake of what happens when you don’t enforce immigration laws.
Oh yeah, and I forgot Rainbowcsr. As long as we’re using nuclear weapons to fight drugs, why stop with Columbia and Mexico? After all, there wouldn’t be illegal drug sales if there weren’t illegal drug buyers. I say we should detonate nuclear weapons over every American city and town where drugs are being bought. Sure it may seem a little harsh to some, and those “liberals” will be sure to complain, but hey we’re fighting illegal drug use here and a few hundred million casualties is a small price to pay.
I don’t know about you guys but I’d like to see heroin, PCP and Cocaine available at the local gas station. I’d like my kids to be able to get it easily at their high school. I’d like the new multibillion dollar compaines to target the youth of America with adds of cool teens shooting up. I’d be a proud father to have a little smackhead as a son.
Austin, ol’ buddy, where the hell do you live? I want to move to a place where the drug dealers give you credit.
Baby, I hate to enlighten you about the real world, but drug dealers never give credit. In their line of work, they cannot afford to.
They’d probably try, and they’d all most likely fail miserably. Would you rather deal with a shady back-alley dealer, or a store?
Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.
Over the past 30 years, I have had person-
al, first-hand knowledge of credit drug
sales (small quantities until payday). I
known many others who have done just the
same. I have known and known of dealers who
have “fronted” quantities to small-time
dealers until they could sell enough to pay
for it. I will say, however, that in every
case I know of, the buyer and seller knew
each other well enough to take the chance.
All were blue-collar or middle class with
jobs. Most lived in the suburbs. I have no
doubt that a dealer will not extend credit
to a stranger, but credit sales do happen,
and have happened 30 years to my certain
knowledge.