Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Exactly! Most people seem to be unaware that nearly 70% of the DEA budget for the War on "Drugs" and over half of all drug arrests are for Marijuana-a plant that not only has a multitude of health benefits and has been used as such in nearly every civilization in human history, but is non-addictive.
Our Government will be saving Billions and Billions in tax-payer's money; not to mention allowing our law enforcement to focus on crimes that actually harm people. There will be plenty of money for the slim percent of the population that is abusing dangerous illegal substances.
Now the real question is how to handle the huge percent of the American population that has become addicted to legal drugs via corporate drug cartels.
That's a tricky issue. You couldn't sell heroin over the counter but require prescriptions for antibiotics. Ending the drug war isn't without its drawbacks, but its leagues better than the life ruining system we keep in place now.
Our drug problem is a combination of profits made from trafficking and from punishment based on a religious zealotry to eliminate pleasure in any way, shape or form. Eliminating the legal restrictions and replacing punditry with pleasure would go a long way to make the US a far more pleasant place to live.
I work in the criminal justice system - I wouldn't necessary describe meth addicts as pleasure seekers, so much as beholden to a chemical addiction that controls them entirely.
To that end, a lot of people with serious drug problems are usually out there committing other crimes, so the two aren't easy to separate - even though courts by and large do place a heavy emphasis on treatment these days.
I'm starting this thread to discuss a very serious issue in this country. The American Drug War, and culture towards its drug culture, has been extremely violent, counter-productive, and has sent billions towards private interest to incarcerate Americans. The money should be going towards treating the addicts and reducing the social ills associated with our illicit drug use.
With that said. We don't just have an ILLEGAL drug problem. We have a LEGAL drug problem. Both sides are motivated by profit and the American people are losing out. Millions of Americans have died due to legal drugs but the industry does not have the same stigma as the illicit industry and we allow some drugs on the market that are a danger to society. It's time to have an honest discussion about our drug problem. Some of our most talented have used drugs. Just as many of our talented live happy completely sober lives. There's any number of circumstances that have dictated each, so end the end, it's about CHOICE. As Americans, it is our duty to not ingringe upon others rights when no crime has been committed.
Upon infringing upon our Constitutional Rights, it also has created a culture of violence whenever it's occurred. It happened when we criminalized alcohol in the 30's. Italian and Irish gangs ran the streets of "gangster city" and we clocked some of our most violent years. Prohibition was repealed and our murder rates dropped nation wide. They never again increased drastically until other drugs started to become criminalized in this country. Americans have continued to use, and ENTIRE COUNTRIES are at war over our DRUG MARKET.
Where in the constitution is it illegal to criminalize drugs?
Beyond that, how much experience do you actually have with heavy drug users?
History is littered with attempts at legislating certain societal mores..... Prohibition,which failed, prostitution, drugs, you can see how well that has worked.
Let's save some money, redirect some of the money towards rehabilitation and education......
Billions of dollars a year is wasted.
End the drug war.
I don't have a dog in the fight... I just like a little wine here and there......
You need to separate what should be legalized, and what should not. To think they should be legalized across the board is just absolutely unfathomable. Yeah, I want to live in a society where people can walk into a duane reade and get some H. Right. But things like marij, roids, and some others should be legalized. Those that don't alter someone so dramatically.
And the penalties for using those which are classified as a danger to society should be made so harsh as to prevent such common use.
So where are you going to get the funding to treat addicts at 80% of failure rate. Let me guess you think we can just thru new borrowing or cuts to law enforcement. A proposal that is like saying why not just make everyone middle class. We can't even house the numbers needing mental help much less start housing and treating people who have drug problems and most of which will not even stay for treatment or only just go back at 80% arate to same live style of drugs.
Prescription drug addiction is an epidemic in the U.S. Big pharm and those who support it benefit from it.
There is no fundamental difference between someone addicted to opioids ( pain medication) and opiates ( morphine products like heroin) except that the former costs more on the street.
The U.S. prison system offers treatment and support for those that want it. Many who are arrested for crimes related to the daily grind of fund raising are given the opportunity to attend state sponsored rehab instead of prison. Most mark the time and make new connections and quickly relapse when their time is done.
Rehab is business, big business. Treatment does not cure addiction. There is no magic bullet that enables addicts to cope with life as it is, without substance. If an addict does not want recovery more than anything else, treatment will not work.
Those nations who impose the harshest consequences for hard drug possession and/or trafficking do not spend a lot of money on prison or treatment and do not have national drug epidemics. Something about a bullet in the head or public hanging seems to be adequate in discouraging people from trying or associating with people who are involved in the drug trade.
If only the impact of addiction were somehow magically limited to the addict.......Reality is, it usually impacts the entire family and the whole culture.
The issues for me would be: who pays for the rehab, and is rehab really effective. I'm just not convinced that rehab is much more than a scam. Take the example of smoking. Every smoker I've ever known over the age of 25 or so would love to quit. If there were an effective rehab, they would beat a path to its door and hand over their checkbook. But most smokers I know have been unable to quit; ergo there is no effective rehab.
Thus I would envision gov't-provided rehab as a probably bureaucratic train wreck.
I am 100% pro-legalization, but only if the users are the ones who foot the bill for the healthconsequences of use.
Most addicts to hard drugs are not able to sustain employment. They live off of and con others, spouses, partners, parents and even their children. Their time is spent on crime to get the money to buy the drugs and then scoring the drugs. Repeat.
Most rehabs charge about $1000 /day. Group insurance usually caps at 21 days. Rehabs that accept court -ordered rehab patients bill the state and stays range from 90-120 days. The high end rehabs charge 2-3 X as much per day. Salvation Army is free. All have similar outcomes because nothing works unless the addict is willing to do the work and relearn how to live life without substance. Even then...
Some rehabs claim X % success rate. Some of these claims are lies. And some are based on phone interviews with former patients ( or their families) over a limited period of time. Like Cancer, the magic mile marker is 5 years and most do not make it 5 months.
Drug manufacturers should be held accountable for every pill and patch.
What if the money saved from abolishing the DEA, downsizing police forces and the FBI , closing thousands of prisons and freeing up the court system nationwide offset the costs of treating drug addicts? Not to mention the tax revenue for a whole new industry...
What whole new industry?
Rehabilitation is a big business.
Court-ordered rehab means a lock down environment and being force-fed the 12 Steps and typically runs about $1000 a day.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
