It's time to rethink drug war strategy

Detroit News ^ | 10/3/02 | Police Chief Jerry A. Oliver

[vin-one]

Among those who try marijuana at age 14 or younger, 8.9 percent become dependent on illicit drugs as adults. In contrast, of young people who try it at 18 or older, only 1.7 percent become addicted to other drugs later in life.

Roscoe, from your article, this survey shows much more,
if young people could not get MJ they would not use it, but use is up 28% in adults.
Something does not smell right with these results.
But it goes a long way to prove that if MJ were regulate like booze less people would use it.
Save the children regulate MJ like booze so kids, have a harder time getting it.

[Roscoe]

They (the gubermint) can produce stats

And potheads can produce smoke.

[Pahuanui]

And potheads can produce smoke.

And Leon's getting larger.

[BlackbirdSST]

And potheads can produce smoke. Well, at least you brought fact's to the discussion! Blackbird.

[philman_36]

Oh my...another shibboleth. We wouldn't get lied to would we? You know...Druggies can't hold down jobs, they steal to support their habits...
Employment
Although the rate of drug use was higher among unemployed persons than other employment groups, most drug users were employed. Of the 13.4 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2001, 10.2 million (76.4 percent) were employed either full or part time.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Damn good alliteration:

snoop, spy, sniff, sneak and covertly surveil to snag drugs, drug traffickers or drug users

[Wolfie]

"Looks like I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue."

[vin-one]

and Drug Warriors are blowing smoke,
Pot is as harmless as booze,
you are just to scared, brainwashed, to recognize that fact.

[Pahuanui]

Looks like I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue

You're quick.

[steve-b]

Pah-leeze. Government numbers are typically as phony as Clinton's golf score.

[Wolfie]

The classics have a way of sticking with you.

[Wolfie]

Gov't numbers indeed. Back in the day, Anslinger, our first "Drug Czar", would trudge on up to the Hill regularly to report to Congress. If he needed more funding, the numbers showed the problem was getting worse. If he needed to prove he was being effective, the numbers showed improvement. I suspect its the same way now.

[robertpaulsen]

Bingo.

[taxed2death]

Would you be against the Government handing out Crack, Coke, Heroin, Crystal meth to any idiot who wants to pollute their body with that $hit?

If so, why?

You can't help someone until they want to help themselves, it's that simple.

By giving the $hit away for free, the petty crime rate would probably drop about 80%. The idiots who want to kill themselves slowly will be able to do so wihout effecting the rest of society. You can't legislate stupidity or lack of self love. Just my thoughts.

[Mo1]

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[The FRugitive]

Why, what point of his did you disagree with?

[The FRugitive]

They say it's not working, so they need more money, then they say it's working, so they need more money!

[Durus]

Let’s get our priorities in order. The WOD has caused and is causing grievous damage to our republic but so is slow slide into socialism. I’m all for the legalizing of drugs but it should be a back burner issue. Without the dismantling of the welfare state, major tax reform, and reining in an out of control government then legalization will only speed up our decline into further socialism. The money being spent on prosecuting the WOD would only spur rapid increases to the welfare state.

Liberals that are for drug legalization know that more federal funds will have to be spent for “treatment” (including free drug hand outs to addicts) etcetera. I don’t doubt their motivations are to build a bigger and better welfare state. That is what they are always trying to do. So far they are succeeding quite well.

Libertarians have allowed themselves to be cast (or in some cases willingly cast themselves) as the pro-drug party to their detriment. The rest of the Libertarian party platform is for the most part ignored. Drug legalization would have to come close to last in implementation of their platform so it shouldn’t be their focus. They shouldn’t allow others to MAKE it their focus either.

Anti-drug “Conservatives”, if there is a consistent political philosophy behind the term, appear to be against drugs because they are illegal and/or immoral. They ignore the damage done to our republic in the WOD.

I believe that without an amendment to the constitution all drugs should be legal. I also believe that if we don’t stop our slide into socialism (or fascism, totalitarianism, pick an “ism”) we will no longer live in a constitutional republic. Let’s fix the foundations of our republic before taking on this issue.

[The FRugitive]

It will take 20 years for cocaine to kill as many people in America as islam killed in 2001.

[mg39]

The WOD is the most self-destructive, wasteful, dangerous assault on our Constitution and liberties that I can think of. What a horror show it's been!

For a country that loudly proclaims its adherence to FREEDOM, we sure know how to smash freedom when it suits our leaders.

Nobody should be able to tell an adult what he or she cannot do to their own bodies. This is especially the case when the people wagging their fingers more than likely go home and have a drink, followed by a cigar.