# Why are U.S. drug laws so Ass-backwards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 21, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002 "2003-09-21T17:23:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002/21 "2003-09-22T21:09:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MmmDonut \* > Of course, since a rational person couldn’t possibly see the flaw in the drug war ideology. “Flawed” does not necessarily translate to “conspiracy”. A rational person should be able to recognize the harm that exceessive drug use can cause. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MmmDonut \* > Yes, that seems to be the case. I’m glad you agree. There seems to be some confusion. My statement was intended to be sarcastic. There would, in fact, be plenty of work for police to do even if drugs were legal. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE > \*Yes, because a person that smokes a little weed now and then couldn’t POSSIBLY be productive in any way, shape or form. I never said that it is an either/or thing. Half my fraternity smoked pot, did 'shrooms and who knows what else and just about all drank excessively. Most of us all work good jobs and are productive members of society. Doing bong hits didn’t turn us violent, make us lust after white women (at least not any more than usual 😉 ) or fail us out of school. On the other hand, it didn’t help anyone much either. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lord Ashtar > \*Do they honestly think that there is a finite number of dealers? Think about that statement for a second. There is certainly not an _infinite_ number of drug dealers. What you really mean is “can law enforcement arrest or discourage drug dealers faster then new dealers enter the market”? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MmmDonut \* > Rich people do the same amount of drugs as poor people. They just suffer less. \*\* So you admit that drugs have the potential to cause suffering? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002/22 "2003-09-22T22:43:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by msmith537 \* > Because we as a society generally view junkies, crackbabies, gang wars and lazy dirty hippies who don’t work and follow Phish around the country as a bad thing. And we as a society generally view alcoholism, morbid obesity, and cigarette smoking to be a bad thing. Yet somehow they remain legal. How is that fair to drug users? > [@](#): > > Yeah, I guess so. Problem is that the rest of society has to bear the burden of taking care of all the people who are unable to work because they screwed themselves up so badly. This is different from alcoholism, tobacco use, and morbid obesity, how, exactly? Further, we already have problems with people screwing themselves up with drugs that are currently illegal. You yourself said that you didn’t think usage would rise with legalization. So where are all these extra health care expenditures going to come from? > [@](#): > > -Are the drug companies conspiring to keep drugs illegal? > I can’t imagine why. If they were legal, it would open up lucrative new industries for recreational drugs. You can’t patent a plant. Drug companies would rather push stuff that they can actually make money from. That’s why there has been a THC pill on the market for several years, but people still argue disingenuously that pot has no medical benefits. If it ever becomes legal, I doubt that Pfizer will be growing weed. Budweiser, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002/23 "2003-09-23T16:47:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Think about that statement for a second. There is certainly not an infinite number of drug dealers. What you really mean is “can law enforcement arrest or discourage drug dealers faster then new dealers enter the market”? Obviously there aren’t an infinite number of dealers. I guess what I meant was, do they not realize that new people are becoming dealers all the time? All we’re going to end up with are more and more young people (16-25) in jail for selling weed. Is that really going to correct the problem, or are we just increasing the burden on taxpayers who have to pay their room and board for the next 20 years? Like the OP said: ass-backwards. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002/24 "2003-09-24T04:11:28Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by msmith537 \* > \*\* But if drugs were legalized, it would put a lot of drug dealers out of business. Drugs would be sold by guys with marketing degrees and MBAs who work for Merck or Phizor, not by Tony the junk dealer. So how would al those Bloods and Crips finance their gangs?_\* With whores and gun-running, of course. At least that’s how I finance \*my \* gang. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002/25 "2003-09-24T05:10:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neutron star \* > \*\*If it ever becomes legal, I doubt that Pfizer will be growing weed. Budweiser, maybe. \*\* Or perhaps Marlboro? I agree that they should legalize drugs. Or at least pot. And I’ll bet if you ask a bunch of police officers, most will probably tell you that they’d rather not have to bust pot users. But it does seem backwards to me why pot is not legal when alcohol is? Somewhere I read something about, if you put a bunch of people in 2 rooms, give one group weed and the other booze, and tell them to splurge, when you come back there’ll be an obvious difference in their behavior. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002/26 "2003-09-24T06:37:52Z")
> [@](#): > > I never said that it is an either/or thing. You gave a very dumb reason for the illegality of drugs. I’m just correcting the misconception that Drugs = Cracked Out Addict. > [@](#): > > Doing bong hits didn’t turn us violent, make us lust after white women (at least not any more than usual ) or fail us out of school. On the other hand, it didn’t help anyone much either. So you agree that many drug laws are silly and based on Ignorance and fear, yes? ---
**Author:** ![Eolbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Eolbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eolbo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002/27 "2003-09-24T06:56:15Z")
I dont see any logic in such harsh penalties on pot dealers either. What’s all the fuss about? They’re just selling plants. Then again I’m a cynic who thinks the War on Drugs, the War on Terror and all the periodic Wars on Whatever (Poverty, Corruption etc) are just occasional pretences at meaningful activity that disguise the reality that we are incapable of addressing root causes. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002/28 "2003-09-24T18:53:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I dont see any logic in such harsh penalties on pot dealers either. What’s all the fuss about? They’re just selling plants. Worse yet, they’re selling plants that have less severe effects on a person’s body than two other legal substances, cigarettes and alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![stick\_monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@stick\_monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stick_monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002/29 "2003-09-24T20:08:00Z")
> [@](#): > > When I got caught had the penalty been 5 years at hard labor rather than a ticket & small fine, I can assure you I’d be scared shitless to do it again. ( I can’t believe I just made a suggestion on how to fight the war on Americans with drugs) I doubt that kind of reaction would give us anything other than prisons overflowing with drug users. Oh wait…we already have that…ignore me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-u-s-drug-laws-so-ass-backwards/203002.md?page=1)