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The consumption of chemicals by the correspondents is irrelevant to the discussion of the OP's original thought. What is proposed is a tyrannical attempt to control what people do to themselves. I suggest the OP keep his prudery at home.
As far as the "drug problem" is concerned the majority of the damage is done by the prohibition not the use. The prohibition supports the high prices that allow profitable smuggling and finance criminal gangs. The prohibition prevents addicted users from getting proper medical attention. The prohibition cost everyone too darn much money.
I suggest that all the currently prohibited drugs be made available at government stores with the profits going to the general fund or to lower the deficit. This could become a major source, as are taxes on alcohol and tobacco, of government funding. I think this is a much better way to raise revenue than a national sales tax.
Like alcoholics some drug users become addicted. The set of the addicted that want to clean up their lives should be encouraged to go to government of charity (AA) for help.
I ask myself whether its the drugs that ruin our cities or the broken families who's parents are carted off to jail rather than treated for their addiction?
............I came to Chicago in '65.......pot was unseen in my circles until '70. Then I witnessed young people passing joints at stop lights, from car to car. Billions of cartel money is being stopped at the border returning to Mexican cartels. This is a festering problem and I don't like it. Is that okay to say?
The war on drugs has been a monumental failure. Vices such as drugs and prostitution are going to happen no matter how much control you employ. Prohibition of alcohol was an utter disaster too.
Since we cannot prevent these activities, we should legalize them and do our best to regulate them (except perhaps for the hardest and most addictive drugs). Drugs and prostitution are havens for other types of criminal activity and are riskier behaviors because they're an underground activity that isn't subject to regulation.
These activities should be regulated and taxed so those who choose to use them are safer. Taxes raised can be used to fund treatment programs for those who are addicted to drugs or provide work training programs for women who want to escape from prostitution.
I've never done drugs and have no interest in using a prostitute, but my aversion to those activities shouldn't mean that other people can't choose to use them if they desire. It's not my choice to make.
Government led actions fail. The list is to long to list. Drugs, including pot and alcohol, ruin lives, families every day, drugs like these alter our best judgement, ruin our cities, as the white house said this morning. Maybe we should raise the cash cost to the user caught.Drunks, pot users pay $5000 min first offense. would it work.
Where in the he'll is some junkie going to find $50 to pay a fine much less $5,000? You mitt as well make the fine $5 million for all the good it is going to do.
Prohibition and punishment are the only options available to would be tyrants that know what is good for everyone. This seems to apply to drugs, politics, money and sex. The tyrants are always wrong.
This is a highly contagous problem and its not getting better
Quote:
Originally Posted by GregW
The consumption of chemicals by the correspondents is irrelevant to the discussion of the OP's original thought. What is proposed is a tyrannical attempt to control what people do to themselves. I suggest the OP keep his prudery at home.
As far as the "drug problem" is concerned the majority of the damage is done by the prohibition not the use. The prohibition supports the high prices that allow profitable smuggling and finance criminal gangs. The prohibition prevents addicted users from getting proper medical attention. The prohibition cost everyone too darn much money.
I suggest that all the currently prohibited drugs be made available at government stores with the profits going to the general fund or to lower the deficit. This could become a major source, as are taxes on alcohol and tobacco, of government funding. I think this is a much better way to raise revenue than a national sales tax.
Like alcoholics some drug users become addicted. The set of the addicted that want to clean up their lives should be encouraged to go to government of charity (AA) for help.
.............AA can help after a person decides to apply the principles of the program. It can not restore the broken children and ruin cities and communities which are growing. Buying dope needs to be a $5000 fine. Using the same. Selling any amount min 5 yrs . a mexican prision.
Sales tax silly, just like on any other commodity. Is that too complicated for ya? Are you using right now?
Casper
....i do not feel insulted either. maybe thats the problem, i do not view smoking or drinking drugs as a recreation..........of course i think that most people have tried pot and alcohol...we all have opinions ...and how we form them is suspect.. do drug users give to politicians or do drug dealers?.......
............I came to Chicago in '65.......pot was unseen in my circles until '70. Then I witnessed young people passing joints at stop lights, from car to car. Billions of cartel money is being stopped at the border returning to Mexican cartels. This is a festering problem and I don't like it. Is that okay to say?
Using drugs wasn't an enforceable federal crime until the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. As with prohibition of alcohol, drug related crime has exploded since selling drugs was criminalized.
Really, it's not an issue of whether you think using drugs is right or wrong, but rather an issue of whether you're willing to live with the black market and the associated crime that's created by their prohibition. Or whether you're able to justify the huge police costs that go along with enforcing the ban. Or whether you're willing to pay the prison costs required to hold otherwise peaceful drug criminals in jail. Or, probably most importantly, whether you're willing to live with taking away the freedom for individuals to choose for themselves whether or not to use drugs.
In my opinion, bans like this are ineffective and have little place in a free society. I think that the best way to deal with drug addiction is through education and treatment.
Last edited by flash3780; 06-02-2011 at 12:36 PM..
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Drug use is a social disease and it spreads.
