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I agree that the libertarians have lost it, or that as a party their true agenda is demonstrated by this article.

My argument with the WOD is that it has become an industry of its own and in many places, revolves around the bottom line for many social agencies, lawyers, public defenders, prosecutors and jailers. As an example, the county in which I live recently built a huge jail/huber dorm complex to go along with it's "get tough" policy and guess what? It is now filled up with a whole bunch of first time offending potheads as well as parents late on child support. Before the jail most first time pot users received fines and probation and mandatory assessment and counseling of some sort. Now it's 60, 90 or 120 days, depending on the amount in possession. Many of those incarcerated are just young party animals who were probably looking for girls.

Our small county does not have any ghettoes or serious gang activity but our legal system is geared up for it. I do not see it as an effective way of dealing with the situation. If statistics are accurate and all drug abusers were arrested, somewhere between 30 and 40% would need to be incarcerated. That would require one huge jail complex for every county across the country. Then who would be left to be good little consumers?

I assume there's a large city nearby. Would you rather get caught with drugs there, or back in your county? In other words, who's doling out the harsher penalty?

Now, do you think there might be a relationship between drug use and punishment? Nothing deters "serious gang activity" better than a big new jail with a neon sign out front that says, "VACANCY".

"If statistics are accurate and all drug abusers were arrested, somewhere between 30 and 40% would need to be incarcerated."

Only if you're going to arrest everyone who has ever used drugs. There might be a legal problem with that.

The most popular illegal recreational drug is marijuana, by far. If we were to just look at what you called "drug abusers", were talking about around 5% of the 12 and older population. These are people who have smoked any amount of marijuana in the last 30 days.

My argument with the WOD is that it has become an industry of its own and in many places, revolves around the bottom line for many social agencies, lawyers, public defenders, prosecutors and jailers

Welcome to the Libertarian Party, this is EVERY big government program....