Do you believe the war on drugs is a failure?

[Wry Catcher]

If so, what is your solution to drug abuse in America?

 

[Douger]

This:
Decriminalizing Drugs in Portugal a Success, Says Report - TIME

 

[BluePhantom]

Yes it is a dismal failure. The solution to drug abuse....well that's a bit more complicated. People are going to do what they want regardless of what the government says so to reduce the use of narcotics you have to change the hearts and minds of the people. I don't see that happening any time soon as we are an abusive and pleasure driven race.

Legalization would sure cut down on the crime that centers around the drug trade though. It would get a lot of people out of jail for victimless offenses, create a nice new tax stream...everyone has heard all the arguments I am sure. But I notice you don't see Mexican cartels popping people left and right trying to smuggle a keg of Corona into the United States.

 

[strollingbones]

legalize it all...the hardest drug to get is smoke....i really dont understand why i can get all the hard core drugs and all the script drugs i can want within a 5 mile radius...methadone clinics are doing well around here....but damn want good smoke and you are screwed...

us growers are so far behind due to the repressive laws in the us....but it wont take long with cloning to catch up...its just sillie to expend all this man power on drugs ....here in the us and in other countries....they say the heroin markets are doing well....

 

[Baruch Menachem]

We are pouring tons of manpower and money into a problem that is pretty much insoluble.

All you can really do is have folks sign scrip that they give up their rights to operate heavy machinery when medicated.

And of course, DWUI is still a felony.

But beyond that, the goal of the government should be when they buy grass, they don't get catnip.

 

[BluePhantom]

legalize it all...the hardest drug to get is smoke....i really dont understand why i can get all the hard core drugs and all the script drugs i can want within a 5 mile radius...methadone clinics are doing well around here....but damn want good smoke and you are screwed...

us growers are so far behind due to the repressive laws in the us....but it wont take long with cloning to catch up...its just sillie to expend all this man power on drugs ....here in the us and in other countries....they say the heroin markets are doing well....

Well A) you have powerful lobbies that would lose money if hemp production became legal, B) you have powerful lobbies that would lose money on medicinal uses, and C) we didn't learn a fucking thing from Prohibition.

 

[California Girl]

The solution: Education.

 

[Wry Catcher]

If doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insane, our nations leadership needs to formulate a new policy, one which would at least palliate the myriad problems which continue and grow as we continue to pursue a failed policy.

As noted above, a solution to the drug problem is likely beyond our reach, but continuing to spend dollars with very little benefit isn't wise and only benefits those who receive tax dollars to do the same thing year after year.

How could the dollars spent on the war on drugs be better invested?

 

[Wry Catcher]

The solution: Education.

DARE and Just Say NO! Or do you have something new in mind?

 

[Katzndogz]

There has never been a war on drugs. There has been an accommodation of drugs. There have been alternative sentencing, community service, rehab, counseling, living centers for those whose drug habits have caused their families to throw them out. With all these care and feeding of drug addicts no wonder the laughable "war on drugs" has been a dismal failure.

Try as we might, we have created a culture where a huge number of people simply choose not to get through the day without getting high. Until that changes, no control over drugs is possible.

All drugs should be legalized. Mexican drug cartels have taken almost 50,000 users and dealers out permanently. In all of our efforts to stop drug use we have not taken out ten percent of our own users and dealers. Time to turn it over to someone that knows what they are doing and directly pit the cartels against legal outlets. Likely legal outlets will be controlled by one or another cartel anyway, That's how it has worked with the marijuana clinics in California.

Another benefit of full legalization is that users tend to die and die quite young. Whitney Houston was 48 when she died, which is old for a drug death. Usually they are gone before 30. One of the benefits of drug use, to be enhanced by full legalization is that drug users don't substitute drugs for alcohol, but use both simultaneously. Alcohol is already available in unlimited quantities, drugs needs to match that for full effect.

The downside is that the United States has a multinational business basis. The foreign businesses I deal with already are hesitant to have Americans working for their company or even on their business matters. Americans are perceived to be lazy drug addicts who have a tendency to throw a drug induced tantrum when they don't get their way. As drug users die off, that might improve. It will take time.

Right now, we are just nursing along a terminal disease hoping it will change. It won't. It needs drastic action. Fully legalize drugs as a form of social surgery.

 

[BluePhantom]

If doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insane, our nations leadership needs to formulate a new policy, one which would at least palliate the myriad problems which continue and grow as we continue to pursue a failed policy.

As noted above, a solution to the drug problem is likely beyond our reach, but continuing to spend dollars with very little benefit isn't wise and only benefits those who receive tax dollars to do the same thing year after year.

How could the dollars spent on the war on drugs be better invested?

From what I have seen the US government spends roughly $15 billion a year on the war on drugs. That's a lot of wasted money that could be spent paying for programs that we do need: education, transportation, etc. Frankly I probably would not redirect those funds anywhere as much as I would favor simply eliminating them (along with a whole lot of other useless shit) to reduce our yearly budget deficits

 

[Triton]

I'm afraid that any legitimate threat to drug prohibition will be met with stiff resistance. There is too much money being made while prohibition is in place.

Any legislators that actually tried to do something about it would be in grave danger

 

[BluePhantom]

Try as we might, we have created a culture where a huge number of people simply choose not to get through the day without getting high. Until that changes, no control over drugs is possible.

All drugs should be legalized.

At the risk of derailing this subject (which I really don't want to do), your position on this subject is a cause of great confusion for me. Why is it that you can understand that people will use drugs whether the government says they can or not but when we argued contraception on another thread you failed to understand that people are going to fuck whether religions think it's moral or not?

Another benefit of full legalization is that users tend to die and die quite young...It needs drastic action. Fully legalize drugs as a form of social surgery.

Ahhhhh...I missed that part in my first reading of your post. Nevermind....your position now makes perfect sense. You're crazy.

 

[Triton]

Legalizing will remove the taboo/forbidden fruit of drugs and curb some abuse.

Education and treatment will help but there will always be some portion of society who are substance abusers.

 

[Katzndogz]

I forget which country it is, Sweden or Switzerland that treated drug use as a medical problem and actually pays users to take drugs as a way to cut down on crime. The drugs are free and given in comfort rooms where the addicts can stay keeping them away from the public. A far cry from the failed experiment of the open drug use at Needle Park.

Drug use is dropping as the users die off quite young and more people choose not to use drugs. Until people see a benefit for themselves in not getting high, there's not much to be done about drug use.

 

[Katzndogz]

If doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is insane, our nations leadership needs to formulate a new policy, one which would at least palliate the myriad problems which continue and grow as we continue to pursue a failed policy.

As noted above, a solution to the drug problem is likely beyond our reach, but continuing to spend dollars with very little benefit isn't wise and only benefits those who receive tax dollars to do the same thing year after year.

How could the dollars spent on the war on drugs be better invested?

From what I have seen the US government spends roughly $15 billion a year on the war on drugs. That's a lot of wasted money that could be spent paying for programs that we do need: education, transportation, etc. Frankly I probably would not redirect those funds anywhere as much as I would favor simply eliminating them (along with a whole lot of other useless shit) to reduce our yearly budget deficits

15 billion a year! That can buy an awful lot of hot shots.

 

[dblack]

If so, what is your solution to drug abuse in America?

Yes, it's a failure. My solution to the drug abuse problem is to not abuse drugs.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Drugs cannot be legalized. Drugs of abuse can be decriminalized and dispensed under controlled conditions.

To legalize all drugs would put all of us at risk. Already some diseases have become resistant to antibiotics.

Marijuana (MJ) is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, yet remains in limbo as a Schedule I substance. Millions of dollars are spent by local, state and federal agencies enforcing MJ laws; simply removing it from Schedule I would allow each state to control and tax its production, sale and possession. this simple change would create a new source of revenue and reduce spending.

 

[Unknown_Soldier]

Sure, let's decriminalize murder to, I can tell you right now that murderers are going to murder whether it's illegal or not.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Sure, let's decriminalize murder to, I can tell you right now that murderers are going to murder whether it's illegal or not.

I think anyone who wants to own, possess or have in their custody or control a computer ought to be trained to think, tested and then licensed.