[antiRepublicrat]

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.

Some drug makers have a better lobby.

[ketelone]

That, and the fact that attempts were made in the 1920s to ban alcohol, and failed. Prohibition.

[CheyennePress]

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. So pure to an ideology that they let the obvious get in the way. There are some good arguments made in here, and I think, particularly with the nutritional supplement industry and the advertising of pharmaceutical drugs, that our politicians are sticking their noses where they don't belong.

That said, cocaine and heroine have no reason to be available for consumption.

[jdm]

"There are many positive effects that would come about if we legalized the possession and use of narcotics and various other illegal drugs."

[LLoyd George]

"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."

Huh?
Maybe your brain has been damaged by some "harmless drug".

[Reagan Man]

>>>>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.

For starters, the American people don't want substances like heroin, cocaine and marijuana made legal. And if anyone thinks alcohol is more addictive then heroin and cocaine and marijuana, I've got a bridge to sell them in Brooklyn.

[mysterio]

The fWO(s)D needs to be ended immediately. Along with the DEA and BATF. I bet you we could balance the budget really quick if those things were done.

[Moonman62]

Same whine, different day, from an unknown publication.

[FlingWingFlyer]

More whining about the "war on drugs" from the "medicinal Marijuana" pothead crowd. They've been spewing this EXACT same rant for 40 years. Make drugs legal. Tax the drugs and then use the tax dollars to pay the increased medical costs caused by the increase in drug usage. Makes sense to me. Doctors instead of lawyers would be buying the BMWs, Ferraris and Swiss chalets.

[robertpaulsen]

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?"

[DouglasKC]

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?

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.

[Muleteam1]

>>In addition, this would allow police departments around the country to be able to focus on malicious crimes instead of drug-related offenses. <<

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

[jimmyk]

Over crowding in Prisons
Drug crimes
Criminal Gangs dealing in drugs
Get rid of all these problems, institute the DEATH penalty or Life in prison for any illegal drugs, don't think it works look at this article from The Herald Sun
Australian Government supported Indonesia's tough laws.

"I said that in relation to the two Australians who have been sentenced to death, that once the appeals process is completed, if those sentences stand at the end of the appeals process when applications then are made for clemency, the Australian Government would support this application," Mr Downer said.

"But I did emphasise that in making that point that the Australian Government is not of the view that the Indonesians should go soft on drug trafficking.

"Indonesia from our point of view is stopping heroin coming into Australia and drugs coming into Australia."
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18288248%255E662,00.html

[f150driver]

I have a problem with the invasiveness that has been created by the drug laws. It's become very easy for government to confiscate property and then sell it for a profit. The criteria for searches has been relaxed over the years. I find urine tests shocking as well. The prison population seems awfully high for a free country - isn't it up to two million now?

But I have no desire to see heroin or meth legalized. It would be reckless. Both of those drugs are inherently addictive. Legalize drugs that are not inherently addictive like marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, etc.

Interestingly alcohol does not meet the "inherently addictive test", but it's society's drug of choice so it cannot be touched.

[yldstrk]

You might as well legalize murder....

[verity]

The writer is a college student who has yet to face the real world.

[APFel]

Legalize, keep illegal... who cares.

What amazes me is:

1) How wound up Libertarians get over this topic (and usually ONLY this topic) and

2) they seem to publish the exact same article with the exact same arguments every four months or so.

Look, the arguments didn't work 20 years ago, didn't work four months ago, and they aren't going to work now. Cough up something new or put the cap back on the expectorant.

APf

[buccaneer81]

For example, Columbia's entire economy is based on the drug trade

Ummm...that would be COLOMBIA. Dumbasses.

[bassmaner]

bttt

[Hank Rearden]

Our Big Stupid Government is either too arrogant or too stupid to enable American freedom as it was originally constituted - and it's aided, of course, by totalitarians on the left and right, 'Rats and Republicans, both of which Big Stupid Government parties simply seek to grab as much control over us and as much of our money as possible. They are simply greedy, power-mad parasites sitting on top of a gigantic dependent bureaucracy pile of drones and supplicants.

Professional politicians hate liberty. Our government is about 100 years overdue for a serious enema.