Drug Legalization: Why It Wouldn't Work in the United States

Police Chief Magazine ^ | May 2014 | By Edmund Hartnett, Deputy Chief and Executive Officer, Narcotics Division, New York City Police Dep

[mgist]

Very good article from a police chief. Bottom line, Soros and the cartels he launder money for are sponsoring it.

They are pouring $BILLION into this campaign. It is repleat with the anti war Sheehan's (in pain this time), the endless reports from "subject matter experts" of how great marihuana is, and the armies go bloggers singing it's praises.

As soon as it's done, and the cartels run free under the smoke of legalization, all these people will dissappear.

[Mechanicos]

Yeah, that prohibition has worked out so well for the rest of us...

[arista]

The job of the police is to enforce the law not to tell us what the law should be.

[EEGator]

We must have perpetual warfare to achieve peace!

[x1stcav]

Uh, maybe we could do with fewer than half of the LEO’s currently employed?

I not a druggie sympathizer but something has to change. The war on drugs has caused a major erosion of our civil rights.

How about this?

You can put anything you want into your body but if you end up a heap of shit in a gutter as a result don’t expect the rest of us to bail you out with our tax dollars.

Never mind. It’ll never work because we’ve become a silly culture, society, and country.

[RginTN]

Too bad drug abusers don’t live in isolation where they can’t inflict their addictions on innocent bystanders.

[blueplum]

The police chief repeatedly relies on stats from 1999. There’s no ‘punch’ to using stats from 16 years ago. Does he mean from 1979 to 1999 there was a drop in number of addicts or is he speaking of another time period? And how does 1987 stats relate to a different world in 2014? Nicely written but no meat. (and no, I’m not for the legalization of heroin or cocaine or PCP etc)

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Druggies should be given as much of whatever substance of abuse they choose, for free.

Darwin will take care of the rest.

Once all the druggies have gone to their just reward, the rest of us can live in peace.

[andyk]

The statists will always find a reason to tell others how to live their lives. They can’t help themselves.

[InterceptPoint]

This is a difficult issue for sure. I doubt if you could get an overwhelming majority for either side of the argument even here at FR.

But we are running an interesting experiment in Colorado. Will we get big increases in health problems, absenteeism and the like? Fair chance.

Will we see increases in the use of hard drugs? Fair chance.

Will we see real reductions in convictions for drug use? Fair chance.

Will we see real reductions in crime. Now that is the question.

I say let the experiment run and let us view the data honestly and make rational decisions based on what we learn. (Yes, I realize that politicians don’t normally make rational decisions but one can at least hope that it can happen in this case).

[Always A Marine]

The author wasted a lot of words. The simple reason that legalization won't work in the United States is that the "war on drugs" is the most profitable industry in America. While the drugs themselves corrupt users and their families, the mere fact that they are illegal has corrupted our entire society with artificial profits created solely by the illegality of the drug trade. Our law enforcement and courts have been incentivized to corruption, a culture of violence has replaced the open competition of legal markets, and our prisons are now filled with nonviolent inmates. The war on drugs has shredded our Constitution with a police state in which criminal intent is no longer required for conviction of possessing a banned substance, so now innocent citizens can be set up with planted contraband to justify conviction of a crime or seizure of their property.

That's why the chief insists that legalization will never work here. Freedom is too dangerous in the Land of the Free.

[Star Traveler]

If one wants “Zombie America” ... then, sure, legalize these illegal drugs and let them all go all out and crazy. These kinds of drugs (most of which are illegal now in most locations) are the SCOURGE of our society. These people who want to legalize them are stupid and crazy.

[RIghtwardHo]

As a former Prosecutor (and know almost all the Prosecutors in my office felt the same) I completely disagree.

On the front lines you see that the War on Drugs is mostly just a business. Billions are made by keeping the “war” going. Also, in NOVA we had some great education and clinics which worked wonders.

While I’m not going to write and article, the side benefit would be the end of Cartels and it would defund Terrorists.

We did our jobs and prosecuted. Bt legalization would work. Could not disagree more.

[RedMDer]

Home sweet home. Your voice for Freedom.
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[eclecticEel]

This is an old article, he refers to William F. Buckley as if he were still alive and Charley Rangel as if he were still a congressman.

[jmacusa]

Legalize it and tax it. Taxes are the quickest way to put anything out of business.

[jmacusa]

Why is something that has never been tried automatically deemed a failure?

[William Tell]

RIghtwardHo said: "... the side benefit would be the end of Cartels"

Absolutely. Imagine trying to make a profit on a weed that almost anybody could grow and would grow if not for the legal consequences.

Even in Colorado the legal stuff is in short supply and that, coupled with the attractiveness of it being legal and the taxes on it, are supporting prices that are higher than the illegal stuff. This won't last long I hope.

The entire distribution channel of illegal drugs has to be implemented by people who expect a financial reward that justifies the risk of prison or death at the hands of competitors.

Legal drugs could be manufactured using legal mass production, transported in trucks driven by drivers who face no legal consequences for doing their job, and by retailers forced to price their product competitively.

I see no indications that the War on Some Drugs has done anything but increase the financial rewards of criminality and fill the prisons with people who would otherwise have to get a 9 to 5 job.

The War on Some Drugs has almost destroyed the Bill of Rights. Only criminals need guns. Anybody carrying cash is obviously breaking the law and the money should be confiscated. Drug dealers are so wary of being ripped off that the cops have to conduct dark-of-night no knock raids, shooting any dogs in the vicinity.

I personally don't care if people destroy their lives by using drugs, failing to get an education, or not providing value to an employer sufficient to survive. I should not be forced to pay for the results of these human weaknesses.

[corkoman]

Good point. Actually what is being dicussed is the re-legalization of substances that were at one time not criminalized.

So its not IF it these can be legal - they already have been; and with much less mayhem and corruption.

[familyop]

The push from influential political constituents for legalizing harmful drugs is another indication of increasing corruption in business, academia and politics.