It's time to legalize drugs

[kaz]

William F. Buckley and Milton Friedman, two of the most respected conservative intellectuals of the late 20th century, were among the drug war's high-profile critics. These great thinkers did not argue that recreational drug use should be celebrated -- far from it! Instead, they argued that the prohibition of drugs was causing far greater harm to society than drug abuse itself. And they were right.

They absolutely were right. The government spends vast sums of money and uses the War on Drugs as a power for incredible invasion into our privacy and financial life beyond even what the IRS can do. The War on Drugs funds gangs and terrorism and destabilizes governments across the world. And yet it doesn't work, we have the drugs. The war is unwinnable because the more successful it is the more it drives up prices and the more ruthless drug cartels become to get the higher profits. You'd think Republicans who claim to get economics would get that fact. But it stands in the way of their precious ownership of our bodies campaign they wage while telling us they want smaller government.

What a travesty, and we do it to ourselves on purpose.

 

[Harry Dresden]

You can't write. You can't spell. You can't reason.
Are you stoned most of the time or only when you post?

just as i thought...another uninformed asshole making comments about stuff he knows nothing about......

Translation: You beat me on that one. Think I'll toke another.

you ever been around Pot Rabbi?.......do you think it is as bad as the shit your spouting off here about drugs and violence?.......

 

[dblack]

... no one can deny the obvious: drugs cause violent anti social behavior.

I can. It depends entirely on the person. If you insist on generalizing, recreational drug use is more likely to product peaceful, social behavior. Indeed, that's the most common reason people resort to drugs in the first place.

 

[The Rabbi]

... no one can deny the obvious: drugs cause violent anti social behavior.

I can. It depends entirely on the person. If you insist on generalizing, recreational drug use is more likely to product peaceful, social behavior. Indeed, that's the most common reason people resort to drugs in the first place.

The Daily NEws disagrees with you.
Drugs and guns are killing New York - two thirds of murder victims are black, drugs involved - New York Daily News

 

[The Rabbi]

just as i thought...another uninformed asshole making comments about stuff he knows nothing about......

Translation: You beat me on that one. Think I'll toke another.

you ever been around Pot Rabbi?.......do you think it is as bad as the shit your spouting off here about drugs and violence?.......

Go toke another one,Harry. Make you mellow out.

 

[dblack]

The Daily NEws disagrees with you.
Drugs and guns are killing New York - two thirds of murder victims are black, drugs involved - New York Daily News

Try reading it again. The article doesn't disagree with me - in fact it makes my point. The violence and crime are the product of prohibition, not drug use.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Translation: You beat me on that one. Think I'll toke another.

you ever been around Pot Rabbi?.......do you think it is as bad as the shit your spouting off here about drugs and violence?.......

Go toke another one,Harry. Make you mellow out.

geezus christ are you the right wing version of Dean?......he wont answer questions either......so in other words Rabbi you have never been around "drugs" .....especially Pot......so you cant answer my question......so you have to resort to what some paper somewhere says or what someone tells you....go see "Reefer Madness" Rabbi....this movie was made for clueless imbeciles like you....

 

[kaz]

... no one can deny the obvious: drugs cause violent anti social behavior.

I can. It depends entirely on the person. If you insist on generalizing, recreational drug use is more likely to product peaceful, social behavior. Indeed, that's the most common reason people resort to drugs in the first place.

The Daily NEws disagrees with you.
Drugs and guns are killing New York - two thirds of murder victims are black, drugs involved - New York Daily News

Ignoring this supports our point that the war on drugs causes great harm to our country including cost and violence, you demonstrated my conclusion as well. It doesn't work, we still have the drugs...

 

[Triton]

prohibition = fail

 

[Moonglow]

God doesn't make mistakes, end hemp prohibition now.

 

[Triton]

Theres a reason why the addictive stimulant caffeine

the most addictive and deadly drug, nicotine

and one of the most addictive, deadly,judgment impairing drugs, alcohol



are all perfectly legal

 

[Seawytch]

Most violent crimes involve drugs. Get rid of drugs, get rid of lots of crime.
Pretty simple, really.

Seriously?

I'm willing to bet you are one of the folks that would applaud a bumper sticker that read:

Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns

Am I right?

Tell me...when the US outlawed alcohol (google Prohibition if you don't know what I'm talking about), did crime go up or down?

 

[Seawytch]

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

At the recommendation of a national commission charged with addressing Portugal's drug problem, jail time was replaced with the offer of therapy. The argument was that the fear of prison drives addicts underground and that incarceration is more expensive than treatment — so why not give drug addicts health services instead? Under Portugal's new regime, people found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for appropriate treatment (which may be refused without criminal punishment), instead of jail.[...]

The paper, published by Cato in April, found that in the five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens in Portugal declined and rates of new HIV infections caused by sharing of dirty needles dropped, while the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction more than doubled.

"Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success," says Glenn Greenwald, an attorney, author and fluent Portuguese speaker, who conducted the research. "It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does."

Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal's drug use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.

 

[The Rabbi]

I can. It depends entirely on the person. If you insist on generalizing, recreational drug use is more likely to product peaceful, social behavior. Indeed, that's the most common reason people resort to drugs in the first place.

The Daily NEws disagrees with you.
Drugs and guns are killing New York - two thirds of murder victims are black, drugs involved - New York Daily News

Ignoring this supports our point that the war on drugs causes great harm to our country including cost and violence, you demonstrated my conclusion as well. It doesn't work, we still have the drugs...

We have not been serious about inflicting penalties on abusers. At most they get a year or so in prison, which is a paid vacation for most of these jokers. And that's IF they caught to begin with.

 

[The Rabbi]

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

At the recommendation of a national commission charged with addressing Portugal's drug problem, jail time was replaced with the offer of therapy. The argument was that the fear of prison drives addicts underground and that incarceration is more expensive than treatment — so why not give drug addicts health services instead? Under Portugal's new regime, people found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for appropriate treatment (which may be refused without criminal punishment), instead of jail.[...]

The paper, published by Cato in April, found that in the five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens in Portugal declined and rates of new HIV infections caused by sharing of dirty needles dropped, while the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction more than doubled.

"Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success," says Glenn Greenwald, an attorney, author and fluent Portuguese speaker, who conducted the research. "It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does."

Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal's drug use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.

Portugal is bankrupt. I doubt I'd take many lessons from them.

 

[Seawytch]

Most violent crimes involve drugs. Get rid of drugs, get rid of lots of crime.
Pretty simple, really.

Seriously?

I'm willing to bet you are one of the folks that would applaud a bumper sticker that read:

Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns

Am I right?

Tell me...when the US outlawed alcohol (google Prohibition if you don't know what I'm talking about), did crime go up or down?

Whassa matter, coward...can't argue the point so you have to neg rep? Meow...

 

[Seawytch]

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

At the recommendation of a national commission charged with addressing Portugal's drug problem, jail time was replaced with the offer of therapy. The argument was that the fear of prison drives addicts underground and that incarceration is more expensive than treatment — so why not give drug addicts health services instead? Under Portugal's new regime, people found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for appropriate treatment (which may be refused without criminal punishment), instead of jail.[...]

The paper, published by Cato in April, found that in the five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens in Portugal declined and rates of new HIV infections caused by sharing of dirty needles dropped, while the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction more than doubled.

"Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success," says Glenn Greenwald, an attorney, author and fluent Portuguese speaker, who conducted the research. "It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does."

Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal's drug use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.

Portugal is bankrupt. I doubt I'd take many lessons from them.

And, naturally, you can show where their economic situation is the responsibility of their decriminalization of drugs?

 

[The Rabbi]

Most violent crimes involve drugs. Get rid of drugs, get rid of lots of crime.
Pretty simple, really.

Seriously?

I'm willing to bet you are one of the folks that would applaud a bumper sticker that read:

Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns

Am I right?

Tell me...when the US outlawed alcohol (google Prohibition if you don't know what I'm talking about), did crime go up or down?

Whassa matter, coward...can't argue the point so you have to neg rep? Meow...

There is no point to argue there, Mary. The comparison is so stupid and hackneyed and has been refuted so many times only a moron would dredge it up. Like you.

 

[The Rabbi]

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

At the recommendation of a national commission charged with addressing Portugal's drug problem, jail time was replaced with the offer of therapy. The argument was that the fear of prison drives addicts underground and that incarceration is more expensive than treatment — so why not give drug addicts health services instead? Under Portugal's new regime, people found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for appropriate treatment (which may be refused without criminal punishment), instead of jail.[...]

The paper, published by Cato in April, found that in the five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens in Portugal declined and rates of new HIV infections caused by sharing of dirty needles dropped, while the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction more than doubled.

"Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success," says Glenn Greenwald, an attorney, author and fluent Portuguese speaker, who conducted the research. "It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does."

Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal's drug use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.

Portugal is bankrupt. I doubt I'd take many lessons from them.

And, naturally, you can show where their economic situation is the responsibility of their decriminalization of drugs?

Do you have another reason?
They did not decriminalize dealing in them btw. Only possession of small amounts. And people caught get excellent rehab treatment. Which is what I proposed initially.
Maybe their high health care costs are dragging them down?

 

[Seawytch]

Portugal is bankrupt. I doubt I'd take many lessons from them.

And, naturally, you can show where their economic situation is the responsibility of their decriminalization of drugs?

Do you have another reason?

A report published in January 2011 by the Diário de Notícias, a leading Portuguese newspaper, demonstrated that in the period between the Carnation Revolution in 1974 and 2010, the democratic Portuguese Republic governments have encouraged over expenditure and investment bubbles through unclear public-private partnerships. This has funded numerous ineffective and unnecessary external consultancy and advising committees and firms, allowed considerable slippage in state-managed public works, inflated top management and head officers' bonuses and wages, causing a persistent and lasting recruitment policy that has boosted the number of redundant public servants. The economy has also been damaged by risky credit, public debt creation and mismanaged European structural and cohesion funds for almost four decades. Apparently, the Prime Minister Sócrates's cabinet was not able to forecast or prevent any of this when symptoms first appeared in 2005, and later was incapable of doing anything to ameliorate the situation when the country was on the verge of bankruptcy in 2011.

Economy of Portugal