Federal Drug War Rethought

[Immanuel]

Mtnbiker, my friend, does the fact that alcohol use by minors is illegal stop them from using it? Neither will making drugs legal for adults, but neither will continuing to keep it illegal for adults.

If we were to make it legal for adults and cut down on the black market suppliers by reducing their profit, and make it easier for adults to seek help without risking jail time then things can only improve.

As long as it is illegal adults are forced to hide their habits and prevented from seeking treatment unless they want to do jail time first. They also commit serious crimes in order to get the fix they need.

Will making drugs legal solve all the drug problems? No, but just like drilling for oil off our own coasts won't solve all of our energy problems, doing nothing won't solve them either.

Immie

[MtnBiker]

I'm not convinced that making drug use legal is good for our society, or that the current drug use will only increase.

Abortion was made legal and greatly increased.

[avatar4321]

Is there anyone we shouldn't bomb? Have the Canadians pissed us off lately?

When dont they piss us off?

[Immanuel]

I'm not convinced that making drug use legal is good for our society, or that the current drug use will only increase.

Abortion was made legal and greatly increased.

Well, hopefully, drug usage would DEcrease, but there is no guarantee to that.

I think crime associated with drug usage would certainly decrease and not just because it would no longer be a crime.

Immie

[MtnBiker]

Would every drug dealer become a legitimate businessman? Likely not. But some businesses would begin to sell these drugs, legally - and better quality drugs, at that, in better places than the corner of a rough neighborhood... the thug drug dealers would be run out of business in short order. And those who weren't would, like Al Capone, be brought up on tax evasion charges. Now, I'm no fan of the IRS, but I understand the need for the government to raise revenue, and cheating on taxes like that ought to be punished. The "underground" drug scene would shrink significantly, although I'm sure it wouldn't be eliminated.

Drug dealers would not go away easily. Their product would not be regulated, would not have a mountain of bureaucracy chained to them. Drug dealers would be able to bring the product to market cheaper, and directly to the customer. Honestly, the idea of that illegal drug sales would be reduce to much of a suggnificant amount is fantasy.

[MtnBiker]

Well, hopefully, drug usage would DEcrease, but there is no guarantee to that.

I think crime associated would drug usage would certainly decrease and not just because it would no longer be a crime.

Immie

For some, buying drugs from Joe in the back alley and illegally is enough deterent to using drugs. But if you could walk into any Walgreens and by meth along with some cold medicine it would chang the dynamic of possible drug users.

[5stringJeff]

Well I am certainly not for prohibition, I do like a beer now and then and also a glass of wine with dinner from time to time. And it is important to recognize that alcohol is legal for sale in the US. I suppose the sale of alcohol is the closest thing of comparision to drugs, therefore there is an argument that because we allow the sale of alcohol we should also allow the sale of drugs.

Ok. I must admitt I'n not a drug user. I have little knowledge of the effects of drugs on the human physiology. But let me ask some question. First of what drugs would be legal? Marijuana, cocaine, meth, crack, LSD, herione? Let's assume all of these drug would be regulated and legal for use. Do drug users use these drugs because of the taste? Do they use these drugs because it compliments a meal? Or is the purpose of using these drug is to soley get high?

Now, is the sole use of alcohol to get high?

I understand your questions, but the retort is: does it matter why people use drugs? Should we be protecting people from themselves? Again, as a moral stance, I don't think people ought ot use drugs like meth, coke, acid, E, etc. They're bad for you, and can kill you. At the same time, if people choose to use them, why is that the government's business? I don't know if you shoot heroin with red meat or white meat, but I do know that if people wish to use drugs, that's none of the government's business.

[5stringJeff]

Drug dealers would not go away easily. Their product would not be regulated, would not have a mountain of bureaucracy chained to them. Drug dealers would be able to bring the product to market cheaper, and directly to the customer. Honestly, the idea of that illegal drug sales would be reduce to much of a suggnificant amount is fantasy.

First of all, this is America, where no industry goes unregulated any more. Even so, I think drug dealers would go away, because drug companies (not Big Pharma, necessarily, but companies that marketed drugs) would be able to prove that their drugs were better, purer, led to a better high, etc. After a while, companies that could "certify" that their drugs met some type of standard would be bought over the street dealer's coke with an unknown aount of "cut" in it.

[IrishCop]

I am very conflicted with this issue. I do think that marijuana should be legalized, taxed and sold like alcohol. My professional experience is that a whole lot of folks smoke dope, most of them basically honest, hard-working citizens. There are a few people who develop a severe addiction to weed, but it doesn't usually result in the types of crime that addiction to cocaine, meth or heroin do (Oh! and don't forget presription pills. A MUCH larger problem than most people realize). I know that I have never had to fight a pothead...NEVER. Drunks, cokeheads, crackheads, crankheads...lots of times. The drug murders I have worked were almost exclusively coke and meth related. If pot was there, it was just to take the edge off the stimulants. I can't see legalizing something as destructive as cocaine or methamphetamines. The average methhead will not be able to hold a job and make money to supply his habit. They will still rob and steal (same with coke and heroin, probably just takes a little longer to get there). What's the answer? Beats me. 15 years in law enforcement and I still don't know.

[emmett]

How about this angle! There are currently over 300,000 people in jails across America for non-violent drug offenses. For each one of those cells that was available to a child molestor currently on parole, burgler or other unsedireable we win!

It makes no sense to me that a pot smoker would be in jail while a child molester romes the streets! Somebody spin that one for me.....I'm just dying to hear another opinion!

[CatalystOfChaos]

459,823 people are imprisoned on drug charges.

The minimum amount of years in New York for possessing 4 ounces of the more dangerous narcotics, Coke or Heroin, is 15 years.

Rape charges? Minimum of five years.

So possessing a recreational drug is considered more serious than raping someone and traumatizing them for life.

We, as taxpayers, are paying for the prison system to hold almost a half million people caught in possession or sales of drugs.

When these people get out, our rehabilitation programs are craptastic or non existent. No one will hire someone who has committed a felony. They can't get work. They get right back in trouble again.

With how much we put into prison systems, we could reallocate that money to the true problem, which is education.

But why would we? Prisons/Jails are huge economical bankrolls.

[CatalystOfChaos]

So toss the pot smoker in prison, but if I go look on Megan's Law's website, i can see all kinds of sexual offenders within a city block of where I live.

I'd much rather my neighbor be a pot smoker than a child molester or a rapist.

[MtnBiker]

First of all, this is America, where no industry goes unregulated any more. Even so, I think drug dealers would go away, because drug companies (not Big Pharma, necessarily, but companies that marketed drugs) would be able to prove that their drugs were better, purer, led to a better high, etc. After a while, companies that could "certify" that their drugs met some type of standard would be bought over the street dealer's coke with an unknown aount of "cut" in it.

"a better high", Wow! Do any distilled alcohol, wine or beer manufactures and distributors market their product as a better drunk? No they don't, quite the opposite, "Drink responsibily".

So basically making drugs legal would encourage marketers to sell their product based on the high users would obtain.

Is alcoholism the government's concern? I suppose it is not, but it certainly is societies concern. Anybody here like to volunteer to be a child of an alcoholic?

Is drug abuse the government's concern? Anybody here like to volunteer to be a child of a drug abuser?

[MtnBiker]

Well, hopefully, drug usage would DEcrease, but there is no guarantee to that.

It will likely increase. Let's look at the beer companies as an example. There are alot of beer manufacturers and distributors in the country. That means alot of competition. In order to survive in the market place sells must ever increase. If sells are flat or decreasing that is an indication that the competitor is outperforming in the marketplace.

The same would apply to drug sales, there would be pressure to survive by outperforming the competition. Manufacturers and distributiors would be forever trying to increase their market share. They would seek out and try to expand potential customers in an effort increase marketshare. Thus drug use would very likely increase.

Anbody see a Cialis commercial recently?

[emmett]

So toss the pot smoker in prison, but if I go look on Megan's Law's website, i can see all kinds of sexual offenders within a city block of where I live.

I'd much rather my neighbor be a pot smoker than a child molester or a rapist.

Thanks for the fine tuning of my numbers COC! I think you got the point though. Excellent post!

BUT.........................................


90% of us will go right back and vote for the same two tired ass parties that created and have sustained this failing ass process.