What if we just stopped the war on drugs? (employment, generations, Reagan)
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Say tomorrow we stopped putting people with drugs in jail/prison and stopped actively trying to stop dealing with people that do/deal drugs wholesale, what do you think would happen?
Hard drug use down, crime down since Cops can focus on actual (violent) crime and stop trying to protect people from themselves, more money available for drug treatment/education, more men and women in the workforce and contributing to the economy, less people on welfare.
The positives are endless and it's a wonder the Government has been able to brainwash people into continuing this destructive war for so long.
The most often used example is "What happened when Prohibition was ended?"
The "war on alcohol" was an abject failure; I have never understood how anybody expected the "war on drugs" to be a success.
By the way, employers and the government would still be able to say "You WILL be drug tested. If you pop positive, you are OUT of here!" So, no, there would not be drivers or pilots or aircraft mechanics or doctors or nurses at work high on drugs.
At least, no more than there are now!
IMO, the "war on drugs" should have ended long ago. The dope should all be legal. If somebody overdoses and dies, too bad. Yes, if that somebody was one of my children, I would feel the same way. In fact, if it were one of my kids I would likely say "Good riddance, my kid went away when the drugs took over and he/she became a junkie!"
Say tomorrow we stopped putting people with drugs in jail/prison and stopped actively trying to stop dealing with people that do/deal drugs wholesale, what do you think would happen?
It would be better! Take the criminal thrill out of drugs and it becomes medication. It would lose it excitement. Marijuana might replace alcohol to some degree and that seems better.
One reason it is not so likely to happen is the illegal trade employees too many people.
The war on drugs has been a losing proposition since Nancy Reagan told us all to "just say NO" but that might be the best thing. Using drugs is such an individual choice. Yes there is a lot of peer pressure that gets many people to try them but simply saying no could literally save a person from a life of addiction.
People are always going to want to feel better, to dull the pain or get wasted out of boredom.
The bigger question would be why can't the drugs be stopped at the source or at least slowed. If the illegal drugs coming a cross the border was cut in half people would still have the urge to get high but it would be more expensive and harder to do. Recently I saw to TV shows, one had a couple spraying paint into a bag and huffing it. Ok I guess that works. Another had 2 teens cut a line on a AC unit, capture the freon in a bag and huff that. They both passed out, one died.
Out of desperation people will find a way to get that buzz of a high.
If the drugs cannot be stopped or slowed how about not reviving the over dose victims.
Drugs are a scourge on society and the addicts will do anything to get them and that hurts the rest of us.
Drug dealers are the worse scum and should be in prison. Users should be treated or in a over dose situation not revived.
I don't want my stuff stolen by an addict looking to get his next fix. I don't want to be in an accident when a idiot high on drugs crashes into me.
I want to see the cops crack down on the source of these drugs.
... it's a wonder the Government has been able to brainwash people into continuing this destructive war for so long.
It isn't the Government doing this. The Government is simply responding to pressure. The reason the "war on drugs" is still ongoing is because of the massive political pressure/contributions from a few groups:
Tee-totalling religious types, the same ones who still enforce the surprising number of "dry counties" left in the United States. Ironically, both extreme Christians and Muslims are on the same side here, although neither would be willing to admit it.
Police departments who get massive amounts of free money from DEA grants (plus kickbacks from civil asset forfeiture... see Policing for Profit) along with donations of hugely expensive cop toys to help them fight the "war". Very few local police forces could justify purchasing an armored personnel carrier, but put in a request to the DEA along with a description of the local drug problem and they get one free!
For-profit private prisons who only make profits when the cells are full, and a drug user sting is a quick and easy method to fill up a prison. There is another thread discussing this on this forum.
"Law and Order" Politicians who pander to the groups above.
Ironically, drug cartels prefer to keep drugs illegal because that means higher prices and higher profits. Yes, this means that Drug Cartels and extreme Christian groups make campaign contributions to the exact same law-and-order politicians.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd
The bigger question would be why can't the drugs be stopped at the source or at least slowed. If the illegal drugs coming a cross the border was cut in half people would still have the urge to get high but it would be more expensive and harder to do. Recently I saw to TV shows, one had a couple spraying paint into a bag and huffing it. Ok I guess that works. Another had 2 teens cut a line on a AC unit, capture the freon in a bag and huff that. They both passed out, one died. Out of desperation people will find a way to get that buzz of a high.
... I want to see the cops crack down on the source of these drugs.
The problem with this scenario is the reward/risk ratio. Let's say something changes such that the supply of drugs entering the country is halved. Prices would skyrocket, meaning the drug suppliers will use more and more creative and high-tech means to get the drugs here because the profits would just be too much to pass up. Sure, a few casual users will stop because of the prices, but the addicts will be desperate. The ones who had to steal to support their habit before would have to steal twice as much.
Personally, I'm not in favor of a complete reversal of our historic anti-drug policies (i.e., everything suddenly legal and unregulated), but at a minimal we should regularly re-evaluate the old drug "schedules". For example, countless tests and studies have proven that both Cannabis and LSD have physiological and psychological benefits, and clearly do not belong on the list of "Schedule 1" drugs (no medicinal use, extremely addictive).
The best scenario would be to treat currently illegal recreational drugs in the same way as currently legal recreational drugs (tobacco and alcohol). Legal, but heavily regulated and discouraged. And yes, with our "at will" employment laws, it would still be legal for an employer to utilize drug tests and punish/fire employees for failing such tests. Just as it's legal for an employer to fire an employee for being drunk on the job.
Last edited by An Einnseanair; 02-18-2016 at 10:54 AM..
The war on drugs has been a losing proposition since Nancy Reagan told us all to "just say NO" but that might be the best thing. Using drugs is such an individual choice. Yes there is a lot of peer pressure that gets many people to try them but simply saying no could literally save a person from a life of addiction.
People are always going to want to feel better, to dull the pain or get wasted out of boredom.
The bigger question would be why can't the drugs be stopped at the source or at least slowed. If the illegal drugs coming a cross the border was cut in half people would still have the urge to get high but it would be more expensive and harder to do. Recently I saw to TV shows, one had a couple spraying paint into a bag and huffing it. Ok I guess that works. Another had 2 teens cut a line on a AC unit, capture the freon in a bag and huff that. They both passed out, one died. Out of desperation people will find a way to get that buzz of a high.
.
We use the wrong approach, you see, it is not a supply problem and never was, it is a demand problem. The way to change it is reduce the demand, not worry about supply.
Some of your last statements seem like answers:
"If the drugs cannot be stopped or slowed how about not reviving the over dose victims." " Users should be treated or in a over dose situation not revived." Well this would conflict with the concept of 'victim'.
"Drugs are a scourge on society and the addicts will do anything to get them and that hurts the rest of us. Drug dealers are the worse scum and should be in prison." This is what we do know and it does not work. See in bold above.
If they were legal but controlled, then those in authority would know who is using what. Lower coast would eliminate most users from buying illegally. Knowing who uses makes controlling those who use easier.
The war on drugs has been a losing proposition since Nancy Reagan told us all to "just say NO" but that might be the best thing. Using drugs is such an individual choice. Yes there is a lot of peer pressure that gets many people to try them but simply saying no could literally save a person from a life of addiction.
People are always going to want to feel better, to dull the pain or get wasted out of boredom.
The bigger question would be why can't the drugs be stopped at the source or at least slowed. If the illegal drugs coming a cross the border was cut in half people would still have the urge to get high but it would be more expensive and harder to do. Recently I saw to TV shows, one had a couple spraying paint into a bag and huffing it. Ok I guess that works. Another had 2 teens cut a line on a AC unit, capture the freon in a bag and huff that. They both passed out, one died.
Out of desperation people will find a way to get that buzz of a high.
If the drugs cannot be stopped or slowed how about not reviving the over dose victims.
Drugs are a scourge on society and the addicts will do anything to get them and that hurts the rest of us.
Drug dealers are the worse scum and should be in prison. Users should be treated or in a over dose situation not revived.
I don't want my stuff stolen by an addict looking to get his next fix. I don't want to be in an accident when a idiot high on drugs crashes into me.
I want to see the cops crack down on the source of these drugs.
Okay, let's also stop any lifesaving measures for obese people who have heart attacks or strokes, too. No different. Somehow I suspect that will get a bit more push-back.
There is such a thing as responsible drug use, most of us have drugs in our homes whether prescribed or not. Are you including them in your "drugs are bad" broad brush?
Hard drug use down, crime down since Cops can focus on actual (violent) crime and stop trying to protect people from themselves, more money available for drug treatment/education, more men and women in the workforce and contributing to the economy, less people on welfare.
The positives are endless and it's a wonder the Government has been able to brainwash people into continuing this destructive war for so long.
Certainly crime would go down because there'd be a bunch of laws no longer on the books. Why would hard drug USE go down? I can see it going up for at least awhile with people enjoying new found freedom and then hopefully getting smart about it.
If you stop the war on drugs would you have to make producing the drugs legal. If the production of drugs was legal then we could have a huge benefit in taxing the production and sale.
As far as the human aspect of this, it has been proven that some people have a addiction gene. These people would be addicted to what ever is available, food, gambling, stock market, alcohol or drugs, take your pick. Society would have to wright these people off as complete waste's. Like in Amsterdam, people are just getting smashed all the time and sleeping in the streets and parks. A life time of drug use will mean early deaths and hopefully these people will not have the opportunity to pass their genes on to future generations. So there could be an up side!
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