It once was...Cocaine fortified wine endorsed by the Pope!
Posted on 03/05/2006 2:49:43 PM PST by freedom44
Cocaine, marijuana, heroin and LSD - all of these drugs are illegal to possess, produce or traffic in the United States of America. Yet, tobacco, alcohol and various other over the counter drugs are legal in the United States. Why, I ask?
I do not understand why certain drugs are illegal in America, and why other drugs that are just as dangerous and addictive are legally and socially accepted. This country currently spends tens of billions of dollars each year trying to prevent drugs from entering the country. At the same time, billions of dollars are spent on advertisements promoting the use of other controlled substances.
Does anybody else see a flaw in the current system? Who are the people who decide what is a "good" drug and what is a "bad" drug? I believe the war on drugs has failed and that we should decriminalize all drugs. I do not understand why adults, in the privacy of their own homes, cannot put whatever substance they want into their bodies.
There are many positive effects that would come about if we legalized the possession and use of narcotics and various other illegal drugs.
First off, the prison populations would decrease greatly. Prisons are currently overcrowded because of the high percentage of inmates that are incarcerated on drug-related offenses. Many of these drug law offenders are in prison because of nonviolent possession offenses. Are these offenders that dangerous to society?
Besides having less people currently in prison, there are many other economic rewards for the legalization of drugs. The federal government would be able to tax and regulate the sale of legalized drugs, increasing tax revenues.
In addition, this would allow police departments around the country to be able to focus on malicious crimes instead of drug-related offenses. This would produce more efficient policing departments, and could perhaps prevent more non-drug related crime. Although the economic advantages of legalizing drugs are important, the social advantages are even greater.
The legalization of drugs would make drug use a health problem instead of a criminal problem. Drug users would be able to freely seek help and rehabilitation, without fearing legal implications.Rehabilitation, instead of imprisonment, would not only help current drug users with their actual drug habit, but also wash some of the stigmate away from drug use. No longer would a drug user be forced to hide his habit from his friends and family. Drug users could use their social networks to help them quit their habits, instead of hiding the problem for fear of rejection.
The poor neighborhoods of the city would also be radically changed if all drugs were legalized. A serious problem with most poor inner-city neighborhoods is drug-related crime and street gangs. Most street gangs are based on the trafficking of illegal drugs. With the legalization of drugs, many street gangs would cease to exist. Without the street gangs and drug dealers littering the neighborhood, the inner-city areas would be a radically different place.
Not only has the illegal-drug trade destroyed inner city areas around the United States, entire countries have been ruined because of it. The United States is by far the biggest market in the illegal-drug trade, and for our market to be supplied, there are various producer countries around the globe.
For example, Columbia's entire economy is based on the drug trade with the United States. Because of this, Columbia has one of the lowest Gross Domestic Products in the world. Columbia is also controlled by drug cartels that we have indirectly created because of the drug laws in the United States.
All of the reasons above are examples of the damage that the criminalization of drugs creates. The problems of our drug laws far outweigh the advantages the criminalization of drugs creates.
If one were to look at the question philosophically, as the author pretends to do, one should be asking, "If every single recreational drug is illegal, why not alcohol also?"
Huh?
Enough said.
Maybe your brain has been damaged by some "harmless drug".
Comparing your one word comment to the author's article I'd say that you are projecting -- you're likely brain damaged. The author put for the thought and effort into an article. Your one-word response? ...Void of reason -- not even worthy of being a strawman.
Keep them illegal and tax them. Tennessee is doing just that.
Cocaine and heroine on the same level as alcohol and tobacco?
Tell you what, I'll drink three beers a night for the next month. We'll let the author do three lines of coke per night, and let's see who's in better shape.
Libertarians do themselves in with the pure ridiculousness of their arguments.
Authoritarians do themselves in with the pure ridiculousness of their arguments.
Three beers are on the same level as three lines of Cocaine? Get real.
-- And in any case, using beer & coke are not the issue. -- Fighting an unconstitutional 'war' on the people that use them is the issue.
For many people marijuana is the drug of choice. For pot heads, marijuana is just as addictive to them, as alcohol is addictive to alcoholics.
I too feel that the WOD is a failure and has many negative consequences to society, but I'm not yet ready to agree the anrwer is to legalize drugs.
I bet you think the WOD costs the federal government $400B/year, not $11B/year.
Note that it is not illegal to be an alcoholic.
Interesting double standard.
And if anyone thinks alcohol is more addictive then heroin and cocaine and marijuana, I've got a bridge to sell them in Brooklyn.
Tobacco is more addictive than heroin. Heroin is more addictive than alcohol. Alcohol is more addictive than cocaine. Marijuana is not adictive.
On a scale, from most to least addictive is tobacco, heroin, alcohol, cocaine and finally, marijuana, which isn't addictive anyways.
Apparently that bridge you're selling you bought from someone and now you're trying to pass off your misfortune.
Legalization will eliminate tons of money in wasted prison space, officer resources, and useless agencies. Regulation and commercial production will create billions in new tax revenue. So yes, it should close any budget deficit that the big, stupid government parties are currently generating.
Sure. I workout every day, anyway. Get that, everyone? You don't workout, I'm taxing you. /sarc
Again, the libertarian arguments fall apart based on their sheer ridiculousness. I can go out and have a few beers every night and live a normal, productive life from now until the grave some decades down the road, God willing. You can't do the same thing with cocaine. Cocaine will destroy in short order.
There are loads of drugs that are illegal that might be used safely if they aren't abused. Take DNP. Perfect weightloss drug. It uncouples your mitochondria, and you're guranteed to lose loads of fat with it. Problem is, it's very difficult to dose (i.e. very small range of error in dosing), and an overdose will send your body temperature sky high and literally cook your brain to death. No way to reverse it, either. Just have to wait and hope your body excretes enough of it before you die. Do I think a drug like that should be legal? Well, only if a doctor/nurse is going to be administering each dose. How many teenage girls would pop a bit of that to lose some weight before they start going to the pool and cook themselves to death?
And really, mate, it's not that I believe someone will be in worse shape than I am. Rather, it's that I can state that much with scientific certainty. The studies are out there.
Yes, these offenders are dangerous to society. Even with drugs like crack and meth illegal we have uncounted instances of people doing anything they can to get them. When they do get them, they neglect everything including jobs, spouses and children. Crack babies, meth babies. All of these things are very dangerous to society.
If one were to look at the question philosophically, as the author pretends to do, one should be asking, "If every single recreational drug is illegal, why not alcohol also?" [repeal the 21st!]
Why don't we just legalize the malicious crimes as well and totally free up police departments? Also, I doubt that many people believe that crowded cemeteries are preferable to crowded prisons.
Muleteam1
People make choices and society makes laws all the time. If you want to make marijuana legal, take it to the people. Make your case to America. Right now, Americans say yes to alcohol and no to marijuana, heroin, cocaine, LSD and all manner of designer drugs.
Very true. The other side to the coin is that people are more apt to experiment with legal drugs than they are illegal drugs. The sheer factor of risk-avoidance will prevent numerous kids from using cocaine. But if we legalize it, there's not that stigma there. It's out there and available. And more people will try it.
So what's better? Bobby going out and getting sloshed one night and puking everywhere, or Bobby getting coked up out of his mind?
I might be able to see the legalization of marijuana. I'd vigorously oppose cocaine and LSD.
I lean very hard to being a libertarian, until this comes along. While it is obvious the WOD is not working, legalization is not the answer.
Understood. Education takes time, and society is always evolving.
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