[Dudoight]

This is certainly an option. Prohibition of alcohol didn't work, it created a powerful mafia. How successful was this legalization in the netherlands, or Holland. I don't know.

[SoftballMominVA]

Another example of normalizing deviancy

[Conservative Goddess]

Common Sense Ping.

[verity]

Bill Fried

Bill is probably fried most of the time.

[fatnotlazy]

This is where my quasi-libertarian side kicks in. Here in the Pittsburgh area, the media for the past few days has been innudated with stories of a supposed epidemic of heroin overdose deaths (three I believe). All the politicians and do-gooders are wringing their hands. My view? Good and good riddance. This is not some disease where you become ill and die through no fault of your own. This is a behavior choice. These individuals make the choice to take these drugs. They take the risk. Why should I weep and gnash my teeth over them? In my view, these are three fewer lowlifes my tax dollars have to support.

On the other hand, there is money that could be made from legalization. If we have to spend so much money treating the addicts, not to mention feeding, clothing and housing them, then why not legalize the drugs? In doing so, we could regulate and tax the stuff. In taxing the drugs, we could recoup at least some of the money we lose on these lowlifes. And the supply would be a heckuva a lot safer.

[Pistolshot]

But where would the Democrats get their captive voting block? Legalization would mean cohernecy among those who get a free ride everytime they choose Dem in the ballot box. It would mean they would have to look at the captive 'handout' they get due to the compassionate Democrats and wonder why they don't get a hand up in society instead.
/sarcasm

[NotSoFreeStater]

I don't know if the country would be safer. I do support the decriminalization of marijuana. That's a start. I don't know how effective treatment is. Probably not too effective because many people enjoy getting high and do not want to be treated.

[satchmodog9]

I have had this debate many times and certain questions never get answered to my satisfaction. Do we legalize all drugs? Do they get regulated by the feds? Are there going to be strength and purity standards? If there are going to be strength and purity standards, won't another black market open making stronger drugs? You can't make the same argument with booze. There are differing degrees of booze and too much grain alcohol will kill you if you really want the strong stuff. Is it the governments place to stop us from freely doing drugs they have made illegal because of the work of some advocacy groups? Should the government be in the business of medicating society with mood altering drugs(let's leave the pharmaceutical industry out of this for now)? I think these are all heavy questions that do not deserve some knee jerk response. All I ever get is knee jerk responses and slogans from both sides.

[ClearCase_guy]

There's a thread a little higher called "And Now for Some Good News" from the Washington Post. It contains this:

Violent crime rates remain at the lowest levels in the history of the Bureau of Justice Statistics' survey (which started in 1973). We are experiencing the sharpest decline in teen crime in modern history.

Why the urgent push for a "safer society"? Why the push to legalize drugs? Seems to me that we're pretty safe, and it seems to me that giving the Green Light to rampant drug use might end up hurting a lot of folks.

[54-46 Was My Number]

I read this opinion piece this morning and disagreed with it entirely. While I fully support the legalization of marijuana, I think legalizing drugs of this nature---heroin or even cocaine---is not the same, and does not offer a solution, because the nature of the drug is different, as is the nature of the user. I have a hard time believing someone who'd resort to violent crime in order to maintain his or her drug-centric lifestyle would suddenly reform himself or herself if their drug of choice were legalized. In fact, I'd wager that the criminal element involved with this lifestyle is as attractive and addictive as the drug itself. Legalize heroin and "Eddie" becomes a legitimate contributor to society? Those are long odds, at best.

[Snoopers-868th]

Did anyone else see Nightline night before last about the counterfeit drugs coming from China? Drugs like Crestor, Lipitor, Procrit and others. Some are made from drywall, cement, and the yellow lead-based paint used for highways. I fell asleep and missed the ending telling how drugs get to the drugstore. Dummy me, I thought they came from the manufacturer. I will be looking for a replay. Pfiser is aware. These drugs have reached drugstores such as Rite-Aid and are dispensed unnoticed as they are such good counterfeits. Pretty scarey stuff going on all over.

[robertpaulsen]

"and some of the $69 billion that Law Enforcement Against Prohibition documents we spend on ``enforcement" and ``interdiction" could go to treatment"

Methinks Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) exaggerates just a little. The 2007 Federal ONDCP budget (which includes the DEA) is $12.7 billion, and the states spend about the same. That's excluding incarceration.

Half of the federal money is spent on drug education, anti-drug advertising and treatment. The other half is spent on overseas inderdiction and local border control. Which of these areas the author would eliminate is unknown.

[ßuddaßudd]

Forget Legalization, lets start with decriminalization of some of the minor offenses first.

[Dead Corpse]

Decriminalize? Yes. But first, you need to get rid of the socialist safety net that currently buffers people from their own stupidity. Also, the general public needs to have their full Second Amendment Rights restored to protect themselves from idiots with no self control.

Darwin will be a bit busy for a while. But once all those bent on destroying themselves have done so, the rest of us will be MUCH better off...

[DungeonMaster]

More drugs = more AIDS.

[investigateworld]

The very last sentence gave away the arguement "Full legalization and control"

So what control?

Having observed the WOD, I realize it's plowing the sea so to speak. Just remove all tax payer supplied goodies (welfare, free medical etc), then let the herd thin it's self. May sound cold, but addiction is a self made choice.
Government, if even well intended cannot undo bad choices.

[Bryan24]

This is insane.

Why is alcohol regulated? Because the use of it will cause you to lose motor function proficiency and slows down cognative skills.

Why is cocaine regulated? Use of it will cause:

anxiety
panic
bloody nose
increased energy
talking rapidly
rapid pulse and respirations
paranoia
confusion
dilated pupils
hallucinations
altered motor activities (tremors, hyperactivity)
stuffiness and runny nose

How about marijuana?

Sleepiness

Difficulty keeping track of time, impaired or reduced short-term memory

Reduced ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination, such as driving a car

Increased heart rate

Potential cardiac dangers for those with preexisting heart disease

Bloodshot eyes

Dry mouth and throat

Decreased social inhibitions

Paranoia, hallucinations

Impaired or reduced short-term memory

Impaired or reduced comprehension

Altered motivation and cognition, making the acquisition of new information difficult

Paranoia

Psychological dependence

Impairments in learning, memory, perception, and judgment - difficulty speaking, listening effectively, thinking, retaining knowledge, problem solving, and forming concepts

Intense anxiety or panic attacks


So why would we want to legalize these drugs? There is NO NEED for cocaine. None. There is no "good" to outweighs it's bad.

I wish some of these people would grow a brain.

[xpertskir]

This is a very difficult question based on both the social and economics effects. I would say that the economic effects would be incredibly beneficial. One cost that the former posts did not consider is the ENORMOUS amount of money the government spends on the "war" on drugs. I want to say that on marijuana alone they spend almost 4 trillion dollars every 5 years(ballpark statistic don't quote me) regardless of how much it is a ton of "wasted" money. So if the government stopped spending this money and instead started receiving tax revenue from the sale of these drugs it would create an incredible surplus of funds.

Now to the social cost. As far as social programs--I do not believe that their cost would increase post legalization. Because I do not think that irresponsible drug use would increase after legalization. In fact I believe that responsible drug use would increase. These "responsible" drug users would not add costs to the state but would subsidize the irresponsible drug users through the tax on the drugs they purchase.


Now for the question, do you legalize all drugs?

Even in The Netherlands they only legalize "soft" drugs. I do not think that it makes sense to say do whatever drugs you want(even though my libertarian leanings want me to say it). I would say keep heroine, cocaine, and their derivatives illegal.

As a person with much experience with this topic I feel confident in my evaluation although I am open to suggestions.

[MEGoody]

A safer society? Legalize drugs

Oh, puhleeze.

[Dustbunny]

A safer society? Legalize drugs

Good idea, then all the druggies can overdose. Then we would need fewer police and the hospital emergency rooms would not be so crowded. Of course the money that the dealers spend on large ticket items would put a hurt to many companies. /sarc