Stop the War on Drugs

[Lynn Farris]

Ron Paul has proposed stopping the war on drugs. At least marijuana.

One of the first things that FDR did when he came in during the great depression was to overturn prohibiltion.

I think this is an interesting idea, and I have never used any type of illegal drug, just like Dr. Paul has not. But I'm looking at logic.

1) The war on drugs hasn't stopped drugs. We spend billions of dollars, lock up people - which costs us tons. Spend the money on worthwhile causes or reduce the deficit.

2) Mexico is becoming very dangerous on our border with the drug lords fighting. These drug lords are making tons of untaxed money - in both Mexico and the US. And the fighting is endangering lives. After FDR stopped prohibition many of the turf wars with smugglers stopped.

3) Control and tax the sale of marijuana. Just like we do alcohol and cigarettes. Study after study has shown pot to be less dangerous than these two legal drugs. The tax revenues alone could be substantial and we could sell it the same places we sell alcohol. Of course Rep. Paul isn't for taxing it - that is my idea.

When you criminalise a drug for which there is a large market, it doesn’t disappear. The trade is simply transferred from chemists and doctors to gangs. In order to protect their patch and their supply routes, these gangs tool up, and kill anyone who gets in their way. You can see this any day on the streets of London or Los Angeles, where teen gangs stab or shoot each other for control of the 3,000 per cent profit margins on offer. Now imagine this process on a countrywide scale, and you have Mexico and Afghanistan today.

Drugs syndicates control 8 per cent of global GDP, which means they have greater resources than many national armies. They own helicopters and submarines and they can afford to spread the woodworm of corruption through poor countries right to the top.

http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=30055

Goggle the topic Stop the War on Drugs. There are many compelling reasons to do this. Most everyone knows that using drugs are not a healthy way to live, just like using cigaretts, alcohol. One could add refined sugar and saturated fats to that list as well. But are we solving anything by spending the money that we are spending on this war on drugs or are we creating dangerous cconditions in the world?

[Jim DeVito]

For some interesting viewing google Pen and Teller's Bull - War on Drugs. There was also an interesting HBO (I think) documentary entitles American Drug War - The last white hope.

[ryan costa]

they say 80 to 90 percent of the guns used in Mexico by Mexican gangs are purchased in the United States. More efficient guns.

The reports say Marijuana is just too easy to grow. easier than tomatoes really. its legal street value would ultimately be too little for it to be commercially viable.

Heirloom varieties of tobacco can be grown in flower pots or the rose garden. they say it isn't palatable and takes too long to cure properly. I say palates follow the nicotine fix. just like caffeine and alcohol.

parents, teachers, cops, and retail managers are unable to shout down or physically subdue obnoxious adolescents. It is easier to bust them for weed and send them to jail at enormous expense. it creates fodder for tricking people into voting Neo-Con. It is easy to persuade people to vote Neo-Con, because people are stupid.

In the post-industrial era, DEA and related jobs are a legitimate form of make-work. What would Sheriff Andy Taylor do?

[Lynn Farris]

California has a proposal to allow the sale of pot and to tax it.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/California_lawmaker_introduces_pot_legalization_bill_0223.html

“With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense," Ammiano said. "This legislation would generate much needed revenue for the state, restrict access to only those over 21, end the environmental damage to our public lands from illicit crops, and improve public safety by redirecting law enforcement efforts to more serious crimes."

"Marijuana arrests actually increased 18 percent in California in 2007 while all other arrests for controlled substances fell," Steve Gutwillig, California's director of Drug Policy Alliance, said during the press conference. "This costs the state a billion dollars a year and taxpayers are footing the bill. Meanwhile, black marketers are laughing all the way to the bank."

[sharon kinsella]

The alcohol companies will throw out a bunch of money to block this. They know that many people will turn to pot if it's legal.

Legalizing it will be a smart move for California. They will stop spending millions of dollars and law enforcement, court expenses, legal aid expenses and housing non-violent offenders.

Also, the opportunity to collect taxes on all the pot will help with the budget shortfalls they have.

[Will Brown]

This isn't a problem with a simple answer. In an age where the government is assuming more and more responsibility for the welfare of its citizens, should it have the right to bar activity that will impair the welfare of an individual. Drugs are a particular problem because apparently some people can use drugs without harming themselves, while others can be fatally addicted by the same drugs.

Our experience with morphine (widely prescribed for soldiers during World War I), was not good, as many veterans developed an addiction, often leading to early death. Our experience with alcohol seems to have led us to the conclusion that we will allow it, subject to age restrictions, probably because we were ineffective in banning it, and many people can use it without seriouly adverse affect. However, we still have a problem with alcohlics, with drunk drivers, and with the cumulative effects of alcohol on our bodies.

I've known more than one person who was blinded by drinking bad moonshine, which is still produced even though prohibition is largely ended.

That experience led me to the conclusion that one of the worst problems with drugs is that there is no guarantee of their purity, so when you buy on the street, not only to you help to support a criminal endeavor, you are risking that what you bought may have been fatally adulterated, and you can't really sue your dealer for the harm he has caused you. I suggested that treating street drugs the same as we treat alcohol would be a solution, as the government could get its cut, and the manufacturer would be known, and thus unlikely to be casual about the purity of his product. Perhaps we could even require medical evaluation so we could step in when someone threatened to become an addict. I'm not sure the alcohol industry would oppose this, perhaps they would see it as an opportunity to expand into a related field.

I suggested this to a friend who moonlighted as a musician, a field where I think drug use is not uncommon. I was surprised at how vehemently he disagreed; all he would say was that I didn't know how ruinous cocaine was. I don't know if he was wrestling his own Devil, or had lost colleagues and friends to drugs, but it made me think that allowing an absolute license to use drugs might be more of a risk to society than I had appreciated,

I don't feel the need to use drugs, although I do enjoy a little alcohol. But if I did feel the need to experiment, I would rather buy an unadulterated product from a licensed store, than an unwarranted product from a street dealer. The times, if any, I have been offered mason jar moonshine, I have declined for just that reason.

[ryan costa]

Here is a video clip that summarizes all of the research and human history of Marijuana:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57DdviStOFo

No worse than alcohol. better than alcohol.

I was working in a spray paint factory once. we had our pre-shift meeting. sales were up. thanks were lauded to suburban teenagers huffing spray paint.

60 Minutes got it right this Sunday. It was about lowering the drinking age back to 18. American Freedom means doing a shitload of driving. A conspicuous portion of alcohol users feel a great motivation to drive after a six pack or three. Marijuana smokers would rather stay inside and listen to records.

[Grace O'Malley]

My opinion is that drugs should be legalized. By that, I mean that possession of quantities small enough for personal consumption should be legal.

The War on Drugs is an abject failure. More people than ever are using illegal drugs.

The majority of people in jail are there on drug offenses, often mere possession. Guess what happens when they get out? Since they can't get a job now that they are a felon, what do you think they do?

Can't get a job, can't get federal aid for education. what do we think these people will do?

We demonize poor people caught with drugs but Mr. White Collar who does coke at a party is just a Regular Guy having a little fun. The 16 year old black kid caught with pot is a thug but the Rocky River honor student caught with pot is just going through the normal teen experimentation.

The Drug War should really be called the Class War.

[Will Brown]

I don't agree with your posting concerning criminals. First, you appear to confuse jail and prison. To be a felon, you have to be convicted of a felony; those are the people who go to prison.

Years ago I had some dealings with a medium security federal prison. I think it would be correct to say that most of the prisoners (almost all Hispanic, it seemed) had been convicted of felonies for possession of drugs, a sufficient quantity of drugs that the court could conclude that they were dealing, not just using. The saddest part was these were low level dealers, employees of people who ran the drug trade, but were canny enough never to hold salable quantities of drugs themselves.

I think it is rare that someone is convicted and does time for having a personal stash. Prosecutors have bigger fish to fry, and don't want to waste their time on a trial for what almost everyone recognizes as a trivial offense. The exception would be when they have you on other charges too, and lump the possession charge in to convince you to take a plea.

I know people say that the severer sentences for crack cocaine are race based, but I don't myself have evidence that crack cocaine use is higher among Blacks than others. I have seen figures showing that Blacks have a better (talk about misuse of a word) chance of being convicted for almost any offense, including drug related offenses. I think this may be ascribed to economic and societal reasons, rather than to racism. Apparently in the Black community, having done time is some kind of badge of honor for many men. If this is so, they would be less inclined to mount a vigorous defense. Also, not all lawyers are equally adept. Poor people are more likely to be represented by a Public Defender (I don't mean to malign them; they just have too heavy a caseload to handle), while your honors student from River is likely to be represented by the best lawyer his family can afford and, in reality, get a better defense.

The constitution requires effective counsel, but not the best counsel. Medicine has the same problem. There are many capable providers, but there will always be a few outstanding providers, and I don't think there is a way to prevent the wealthy from hiring those outstanding providers, while the rest of us make do with capable providers.

I would like to see fewer low level drug providers in prison, but the fact is if they take a deal and testify to get a lesser sentence they will be murdered.

Some system of allowing licensed drug use would go a long way toward lowering our prison population and raising revenue, but we would still have the problem of some lives being ruined by drugs. Are we willing to allow an addict to get Medicaid?

[ryan costa]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reefer_Madness_(2003_book)

there are many people in prison for convictions of marijuana charges.

Americas favorite drugs are caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. They say Caffeine causes a lot of neurotic problems, which are usually treated by alcohol or prescription drugs like xanax or prozac.

Prosecuting attorneys prosecute to score points. it helps them become judges or launch political careers.

The law prevents justice by monopolizing justice. everyone knew Al Capone was a bloody gangster. but he was generous with his money and had many fans. Even Bonnie and Clyde had a lot of popular support.

If you live in a bad neigherhood there is a good chance you know who the top cocaine dealers and gangsters are: but if you execute them the DA will prosecute you in a trial by a jury of your peers.