Drug Laws and the 'War on Drugs' discussion thread

[Foolish]

I still think that other drugs that carry a potential risk of an OD should illegal and never used.

So, do you think alcohol should be illegal and never used? It's certainly possible to OD and die from too much alcohol.

For those that think legalizing and controlling drugs will minimize the problem, do you know how many lives are destroyed by alcohol, which is legal and controlled?

Crack addiction and alcoholism are the same thing on a psychological and physical level. But somehow alcoholism is considered a "disease" by our society.

I'm not saying I think alcohol should be illegal, I'm not even sure pot should be, (it seems less dangerous than alcohol) I'm just saying that legalizing drugs won't make the downsides of them go away.

That's my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it.

 

[Rism]

The CIA is the biggest drug trafficer in the US.
http://gnn.tv/videos/viewer.php?id=1&spd=hi

There is a reason why there are 10x more drugs on the street than there were before they started the "War on drugs." There is also a reason why Afghanistans poppy production has doubled since we have been there.

It goes a lot deeper than those dealers on your street.

 

[Mr. Win]

^^^ i know people who deal through cops... cocaine esp.

 

[SciFiMan]

but the truth on marijuana is that if they legalized it for 2 years all over the u.s then the profits and taxes on it would cure the world defacit and we would be better off as a country. but they won't so we are still in debt

Wouldn't work. It's to easy to grow and sell your own for free. Thus, no taxes paid and no corp's can make money on it as a product. Would you go to Walgreens and buy anything (drugs, shampoo, et al.) if it was easier and cheaper to do it yourself at home?

Which reminds me, went to Target late Saturday night to get my 7 yr old some chewable cold tablets she could take with her on a trip downtown Sunday. Nope, most of that section is locked up now due to the Meth problem, also a limit on how much you can buy. And we live in a fairly expensive area, with homes from $360K up to the millions. Which is okay I suppose but can't I just fix my daughters stuffy nose? I just bought liquid instead of hunting down a 17 yr old kid that had a key to the drugs that an middle aged adult isn't allowed to buy without supervision.

 

[freekwonder]

Wouldn't work. It's to easy to grow and sell your own for free. Thus, no taxes paid and no corp's can make money on it as a product. Would you go to Walgreens and buy anything (drugs, shampoo, et al.) if it was easier and cheaper to do it yourself at home?

Which reminds me, went to Target late Saturday night to get my 7 yr old some chewable cold tablets she could take with her on a trip downtown Sunday. Nope, most of that section is locked up now due to the Meth problem, also a limit on how much you can buy. And we live in a fairly expensive area, with homes from $360K up to the millions. Which is okay I suppose but can't I just fix my daughters stuffy nose? I just bought liquid instead of hunting down a 17 yr old kid that had a key to the drugs that an middle aged adult isn't allowed to buy without supervision.

something like that happened to me. We got Dayquil, NyQuil for my son and some tylonel sinus for me. well it all couldnt be rung up at once. they had to do the nyquil separet because we were buying to much medicine, dumb asses. the funny thing is, we did the transactions one after another.

 

[SpicyMchaggis]

Marijuana will never be made legal because the U.S government makes too much money on it.

 

[SciFiMan]

So, do you think alcohol should be illegal and never used? It's certainly possible to OD and die from too much alcohol......

It certainly should be tightly controlled (i.e. not for use outside the home) to cut way down on drunk driving, drunk fights (except for spouses!), drunk riots, etc. But, there is WAY to much money in that business for that to ever happen. Whole sectors of the economy would collapse without booze. Pot and such isn't even a blip on the radar in comparison. You'll notice that tabacco companies aren't hurting for profits, despite the court loses.

There has been drug use since the first caveman ate the wrong plant, and went, "Wow! Cool!" There just isn't any will in any human society to fix the drug use problem. I just except it and move on. Personally I'd spend the $500B we'll spend on Iraq and shift the spending to drug addiction problems and things that would help the poor and near poor. But I'm not owned by any industries so it's unlikely I'll be elected to higher office.

 

[freekwonder]

Marijuana will never be made legal because the U.S government makes too much money on it.

(thumb) yup agree with you.

 

[Foolish]

Someone explain to me how the government makes money on weed. Explain. I call B.S.

 

[SciFiMan]

Someone explain to me how the government makes money on weed. Explain. I call B.S.

Keeping the drug problem around (and terrorists, and "enemy" countries, etc.) sure helps the economy. We have to buy a lot more boats, planes, triple the hiring of the Border Patrol, get more high tech gear, etc. all creating even more employment, and all those folks get to pay more taxes and buy more grocerys and stuff at Circuit City. It is NOT in the gov't's best interest to see these society problems go away.

 

[Mr. Win]

ok... make accountable money by taxing something that is grown easily grrown on its own? Or make money by bringing it in and not tell anyone about it and it still keep its high market value that it goes for now? Believe it or not it really doesnt matter...

 

[Foolish]

Keeping the drug problem around (and terrorists, and "enemy" countries, etc.) sure helps the economy. We have to buy a lot more boats, planes, triple the hiring of the Border Patrol, get more high tech gear, etc.

That's spending government money. I'm not yet convinced.

all creating even more employment, and all those folks get to pay more taxes and buy more grocerys and stuff at Circuit City. It is NOT in the gov't's best interest to see these society problems go away.

I understand jobs=taxes, but I don't think we're getting even close to 100% return on our "investment " in the war on drugs. We're buying all this equipment, paying all these people to hunt and arrest drug users/dealers and then paying public defenders to represent them in court where we're paying the judge, the baliff, and ultimately the prison guards to cage these people. We're paying for their food, medicine and in theory drug counseling and rehabilitation. It's not like we're killing drug criminals and selling off their organs on the black market! The government is not making money on this deal!

I'll need more proof. Your argument does not hold water.

I'm not calling you stupid, I'm not trying to start a flame war, I'm just not convinced by your argument. Convince me.

 

[peepsalot]

Wouldn't work. It's to easy to grow and sell your own for free. Thus, no taxes paid and no corp's can make money on it as a product. Would you go to Walgreens and buy anything (drugs, shampoo, et al.) if it was easier and cheaper to do it yourself at home?

I think that argument might hold some validity, but then again, how many people brew their own beer? Yeah, a select few, but compared to the majority I would say they have a negligable effect on the beer economy. I've actually done it a couple times, but I've opted to buy beer instead hundreds if not thousands of times. In the long run, it is cheaper, but it takes time, and it isn't all that easy to do.

I've honeslty never heard of anyone growing their own tobacco either. Growing plants takes a commitment and an initial capital for all the supplies, it is in no way as easy as going to the store and buying a pack.

I think if it were regulated, there would be a few people doing it themselves, but the convienience of going to the store for some joints would probably sell most people. Anyways, if people anyone had seriously big weed operations that they were selling from, they could get busted for tax evasion.

 

[SciFiMan]

That's spending government money. I'm not yet convinced.

No offense taken, I probably haven't explained my pov well. I also think much of our money is mispent. I'm only saying that the taxpayer (that is, reasonable working class people) doesn't get to choose how the money is used and that will remain America's problem. That happens in D.C. and once in office, our elected leaders discover/learn that if they did indeed solve the problem (and I think it can be solved if the will is there) that it might hurt the country more if the problem was solved. A good portion of the American economy is based on fear (to paraphrase a M. Moore film) and it keeps us employed. Compare the American national news for one month to other countries. We don't have 90 percent of the real fear other humans have in their daily lives. We all die of overeating and under exercise in one form or another. Not bombs, guns, border wars, gov't sponsored killing of whole segments of the population, disease, famine, and on and on.

If the Bush won the drug war, then what? What's the next thing to fix? Homelessness probably. Because a gov't always needs an enemy, or they don't need to exist beyond simple expenditures to distribute money for the collective good. America is based on a structure of wealthy, middle, working poor, and poverty. Look which class always runs any country. It isn't the poor, and sure as hell the wealth aren't going to upset that applecart! I don't think I'll be able to explain better without more college credits in a different field.