# Time to stop the drug war - it has been won! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 4, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341 "2009-05-04T21:07:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/1 "2009-05-04T21:07:52Z")
Anyone hear about the recent [stunning drug bust at the University of Illinois](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-university-arrests-02-may02,0,5928476.story)? _“Police seized 180 grams of marijuana, traces of cocaine, anti-anxiety pills.”_ It is some time since my triple-beam days, but isn’t 180 grams somewhere shy of 7 oz? It takes them a year of investigating, and they arrest 21 folk for an average of 1/3 of an ounce of pot a piece? All I can say is if it took them a year to seize this little pot, the war on drugs must have been won! Did I miss the parade? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/2 "2009-05-04T21:09:53Z")
“Town Celebrates Victory With 3-Day Nazi Crank Binge” ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/3 "2009-05-04T21:56:22Z")
Have I mentioned how much I hate it when someone only quotes half of the relevent information? > [@](#): > > Police seized 180 grams of marijuana, traces of cocaine, anti-anxiety pills, $3,100, two vehicles, three flat-screen televisions and two laptop computers, Acree said. Get it right. Sheez. 😛 Traces of cocaine? I’ve probably got traces of cocaine on the dollar bills in my pocket. Can someone help me with bail here? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/4 "2009-05-04T22:40:11Z")
Yes, the drug war has been won, by the organized drug gangs and the firms running privately owned prisons. The rest of us are getting ripped off. We are paying to keep half a million non-violent “criminals” in concrete boxes, and we’re paying for the enforcement machine that makes the drug gang bosses ridiculously wealthy. We could use that money more usefully somewhere else. That’s not all. Underneath the surface, small time dealers think they’re living large, but most of them are not clearing much profit, even without taxes. The individual drug users are getting ripped off big time. They’re paying enormous markups for products of inconsistent potency, that sometimes are spiked with ingredients the users would rather not use. For example, cocaine and heroin are routinely cut with lactose and mannitol, a laxative. How many junkies and snowflakes know why they have diarrhea and lactose intolerance symtoms? No dealer knows for sure how many times his stock has been cut before he cuts it. Cocaine users often judge the product by wiping a little on the gums to feel the numbing. Sharp dealers add xylocaine to make their dilute product seem more potent. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/5 "2009-05-04T22:45:10Z")
I totally lived in front of a drug house the first year I was there (converted Victorian on W. Oregon Street four houses over from a fraternity). And to give you a taste of my innocent upbringing, it took me until Crim Pro to figure it out. My dining room table used to be in front of the porch windows and I’d spend many a Saturday morning reading caselaw/making outlines…until one day I managed to look across the street and connect all the dots. But seriously, that haul is pretty weak. They could score a better cache storming any party on campus. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/6 "2009-05-05T11:12:31Z")
The squirrel in the tree outside has a bigger stash. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/7 "2009-05-05T11:30:07Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The squirrel in the tree outside has a bigger stash. That’s just, like, your opinion, man. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/8 "2009-05-05T15:33:59Z")
In the meantime, [decriminalization of most drugs in Portugal](http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/14/portugal/) seems to be having very good results: > [@](#): > > Evaluating the policy strictly from an empirical perspective, decriminalization has been an unquestionable success, leading to improvements in virtually every relevant category and enabling Portugal to manage drug-related problems (and drug usage rates) far better than most Western nations that continue to treat adult drug consumption as a criminal offense. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/9 "2009-05-05T16:14:48Z")
Reminds me of comedian Ron White talking about getting busted for 7/8ths of a gram of marijuana. From possibly faulty memory: “I don’t know about you, but when I get down to 7/8ths of a gram…I consider myself to be OUT of weed.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/10 "2009-05-05T17:55:48Z")
IIRC, somewhat less than an ounce could cost you 99 years in Texas----but I’m going on memory and that isn’t too good these days. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/11 "2009-05-05T18:26:12Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Have I mentioned how much I hate it when someone only quotes half of the relevent information? This is, to me, the most telling portion of the story. My headline would read “Cops seize trivial amount of grass, steal cool things from campus students.” The forfiture laws in this country are a big of a joke as the drug laws. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/12 "2009-05-05T19:17:38Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > That’s not all. Underneath the surface, small time dealers think they’re living large, but most of them are not clearing much profit, even without taxes. The individual drug users are getting ripped off big time. They’re paying enormous markups for products of inconsistent potency, that sometimes are spiked with ingredients the users would rather not use. For example, cocaine and heroin are routinely cut with lactose and mannitol, a laxative. How many junkies and snowflakes know why they have diarrhea and lactose intolerance symtoms? No dealer knows for sure how many times his stock has been cut before he cuts it. > > Cocaine users often judge the product by wiping a little on the gums to feel the numbing. Sharp dealers add xylocaine to make their dilute product seem more potent. No, really? Is it 1986 already? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![sich\_hinaufwinden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@sich\_hinaufwinden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sich_hinaufwinden)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/13 "2009-05-05T21:28:41Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Reminds me of comedian Ron White talking about getting busted for 7/8ths of a gram of marijuana. > From possibly faulty memory: “I don’t know about you, but when I get down to 7/8ths of a gram…I consider myself to be OUT of weed.” 🙂 Also from possibly faulty memory: Doctor: Do you have any symptoms that marijuana helps? Ron White: Well, when I run out of weed, I get depressed…marijuana cures that! ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/14 "2009-05-05T23:59:08Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > IIRC, somewhat less than an ounce could cost you 99 years in Texas----but I’m going on memory and that isn’t too good these days. You mean in the past, or currently? An ounce is only a class B misdemeanor, probation or 1 to 180 days in county jail (or a ticket if you’re in Austin). To be looking at 99 years, you’d have to be in possession of more than 2000 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/15 "2009-05-06T00:46:25Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Have I mentioned how much I hate it when someone only quotes half of the relevent information? > > Get it right. Sheez. 😛 As a non-American, I have to ask : WTF ?! Are your cops entitled to seize miscellaneous stuff for shits and giggles ? I mean, the laptops I can sort of grok - if they were small time dealers talking about it on MSN, the cops may want to have the logs as evidence… but why the cars and TVs ? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/16 "2009-05-06T00:50:08Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > You mean in the past, or currently? An ounce is only a class B misdemeanor, probation or 1 to 180 days in county jail (or a ticket if you’re in Austin). To be looking at 99 years, you’d have to be in possession of more than 2000 pounds. Way in the past, like back in the early 1960s when all us dirty hippies were running around. I did qualify this with the IIRC; if I’m wrong, please tell me because I would hate to perpetuate lies. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/17 "2009-05-06T00:55:10Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > As a non-American, I have to ask : WTF ?! Are your cops entitled to seize miscellaneous stuff for shits and giggles ? I mean, the laptops I can sort of grok - if they were small time dealers talking about it on MSN, the cops may want to have the logs as evidence… but why the cars and TVs ? They’re probably alleging that they were bought with the proceeds of drug sales. They may actually be legitimate purchases, but since the onus is on the person whose property is seized to come to court and challenge the seizure and a significant proportion of people don’t, many law enforcement agencies “err on the side of caution” in seizing property for forfeiture. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/18 "2009-05-06T00:58:13Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > Way in the past, like back in the early 1960s when all us dirty hippies were running around. I did qualify this with the IIRC; if I’m wrong, please tell me because I would hate to perpetuate lies. Couldn’t tell you, wasn’t alive yet. 🙂 I wouldn’t be at all surprised if an ounce was once a felony, but a 99 year sentence seems pretty high even for 1960’s Texas. I’ll see if I can find out. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/19 "2009-05-06T02:11:02Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > They’re probably alleging that they were bought with the proceeds of drug sales. They may actually be legitimate purchases, but since the onus is on the person whose property is seized to come to court and challenge the seizure and a significant proportion of people don’t, many law enforcement agencies “err on the side of caution” in seizing property for forfeiture. I see… so, what happens to the stuff after the seizure ? Is it destroyed, kept in evidence storage ad vitam aeternam, or does it become “perks” ? What’s the cops’ agenda : punishing the dealers, or keeping the shinies ? ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341/20 "2009-05-06T02:11:45Z")
I work on a University campus, and I am stunned…STUNNED I tell you that a small amount of drugs can be found on campus. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-stop-the-drug-war-it-has-been-won/495341.md?page=2)