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I'm pretty libertarian-oriented, and used to be all for legalization. But somewhere along the line I realized that if we're going to have a welfare state, which we do, you must have a nanny state to go with it. That means a continued war on drugs. Otherwise the taxpayer is on the hook for health and other problems of all those druggies.
I would support legalization if the drugs could be taxed, and the revenue earmarked for care for druggies. But I doubt that is politically possible.
To be honest, I’ve never understood the war on drugs. We don’t throw people in jail for selling or smoking cigarettes even though the associated health costs are staggering. We don’t throw people in jail for obesity even though heart disease is the number one killer. Why do we continue pumping much needed billions into a lost cause? Is it because it’s “the right thing to do?”. I just don’t get it.
Habitual drug users should be locked away so they can get clean and so they will not ruin their families and communities by stealing them blind to support their habit. Drug users do not belong in society because they are not contributors but takers.
Many drug addicts are highly functional. If you work in an office, take a look around, there's a good chance at least one or two of your co workers are addicts. All addicts are not out stealing and living on the streets. Many addicts are doctors, lawyers, business owners and other "contributors." They are struggling, this doesn't make them worthless people.
We legalized marijuana in WA about 6 years ago, but there is still plenty of 'war on weed' here. The reason is that the tax is so high that there is still a black market. And now there is even more incentive for politicos to sic the police on the black market, since now it represents a threat to tax revenue.
I'm pretty libertarian-oriented, and used to be all for legalization. But somewhere along the line I realized that if we're going to have a welfare state, which we do, you must have a nanny state to go with it. That means a continued war on drugs.
This is more or less dithering on what kind of nanny state you want.
Just about every government assault on individual rights in the last 40-50 years has been either part of the war on drugs, the war on terrorism or something inextricably linked to one or the other, if not both.
also, mike1003, with drug addiction comes a lot of crime. robberies, burglaries, etc. could affect all of us eventually, even you.
Then decriminalize drugs.Make them available. That will put the cartels out of business and keep users out of jail.
Then if they want to kill themselves it's on them (without imports of drugs laced with God knows what, ODs will decrease to a point where they were when I was in college)
If you think that lobbyists from a number of very large industries with virtually unlimited funds are not controlling our lawmakers then you either have your head buried in the sand or are an alien from another planet who does not understand human nature.
I called BS on the DEA giving money to the cartels
also, mike1003, with drug addiction comes a lot of crime. robberies, burglaries, etc. could affect all of us eventually, even you.
True....but it's a war that we're fighting and we're losing. There's more supply out there than they are man power...to try to control it.
I am NOT an advocate of drugs. As a former drug user, I can testify that they are the devil. But if someone wants to inject themselves with that poison, who are we to say that they should go to jail for doing so? I would rather wait until they commit the crime for us to take action.
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