We can't legalize drugs "there is just too much money in it"

[Ragnar]

Oy veh...
Reason.tv: The Dumbest Thing Ever Said!...by Hillary Clinton, about the Drug War - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

Recently, during an interview with Mexico's Televisa, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that the United States can't legalize drugs "because there is just too much money in it."

Apparently, Clinton doesn't understand that there's so much money to be made selling illegal drugs precisely because drugs are illegal.

 

[Madeline]

What she said is 100% true, but I doubt she realizes it, Ragnar. The prison system, especially the privatized ones. All the judges and staff at "drug courts". All the DEA agents. Etc.

Think on it.

There's a very powerful group of opponents in the government and sucking on its tit who have a vested interest in perpetuating the cannablisation of our country by prohibiting recreational drug use.

 

[Ragnar]

What she said is 100% true, but I doubt she realizes it, Ragnar. The prison system, especially the privatized ones. All the judges and staff at "drug courts". All the DEA agents. Etc.

Think on it.

There's a very powerful group of opponents in the government and sucking on its tit who have a vested interest in perpetuating the cannablisation of our country by prohibiting recreational drug use.

HRC was having a "senior moment" or "jet lag" I assume, however you are quite correct Madeline. (though admittedly I don't know what "especially the privatized ones" means) There is an entire swath of government as addicted to "the war on drugs" as any individual ever has been to any kind of drug known to man.

I don't have the knowledge to say what drugs ought to be legal and what drugs ought not be, but at the very least, we need to decriminalise "pot" and like drugs in the worst way.

 

[Madeline]

Some states, like Florida, have private for-profit companies running some or all of their facilities for a fee, Ragnar. Guess how they feel about decriminalizing any behavior? It's the baby bird syndrome.

Yanno...."feed me, feed me, feed me!"

 

[Ragnar]

Some states, like Florida, have private for-profit companies running some or all of their facilities for a fee, Ragnar. Guess how they feel about decriminalizing any behavior? It's the baby bired syndrome.

Yanno...."feed me, feed me, feed me!"

Yeah, I've heard of them and I'm positive the opinion they have on decriminalizing is just what one might expect. (against it) However I just didn't get why "especially" them. If anything a private prison is just a better run, more efficient house of human misery than a State or Fed prison. They don't make law, enforce the law, find people guilty, etc etc. (and there will sadly always be a need for some prisons, they may as well be well run)

 

[uscitizen]

There is too much money being made on the enforcement side too.

What is the DEA's budget?
And other law enforcemnt grants and such for illegal drug enforcement?
Plus privatized prisons make billions off of incarcerated drug felons.
Lawyers make how much off of them?
What is Zig Zag's annual sales figures?

 

[Madeline]

There is too much money being made on the enforcement side too.

What is the DEA's budget?
And other law enforcemnt grants and such for illegal drug enforcement?
Plus privatized prisons make billions off of incarcerated drug felons.
Lawyers make how much off of them?

Dun forget all those juicy civil forfeiture laws. How would any police department get by if they couldn't steal from law abiding people?

 

[uscitizen]

There is too much money being made on the enforcement side too.

What is the DEA's budget?
And other law enforcemnt grants and such for illegal drug enforcement?
Plus privatized prisons make billions off of incarcerated drug felons.
Lawyers make how much off of them?

Dun forget all those juicy civil forfeiture laws. How would any police department get buy if they couldn't steal from law abiding people?

Yeah how could I forget the constitutional violation of due process on property seizures.

 

[uscitizen]

2010 DEA budget 2.45 billion.

 

[Ragnar]

Since we've left the fun topic of Clinton's economic stupidity for a more reasonable and thoughtful thread (hey I go with the flow), I saw this article just now...

Marijuana arrests in New York City skyrocket

More than 50,000 people were arrested last year in New York City for possessing small amounts of marijuana , according to the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Those 50,383 arrests represented 15 percent of all arrests by the New York Police Department (NYPD)

Yeah! NYC must be so much safer now right?

Since 2005, the number of pot-related arrests have jumped by 69 percent in the city. Moreover, since Michael Bloomberg came into office in 2002, there have been a total of 350,000 arrests for low-level marijuana offenses in the city.

"New York has made more marijuana arrests under Bloomberg than any mayor in New York City history," said Dr. Levine. "Bloomberg's police have arrested more people for marijuana than Mayors Koch, Dinkins, and Giuliani combined. These arrests cost tens of millions of dollars every year, and introduce tens of thousands of young people into our broken criminal justice system."

And there is talk of Bloomberg one day seeking even higher office? (yeah, OK... pun intended) What a freaking disaster that would be. Just imagine what the police and court resources could accomplish if they went after violent criminals, rapist and thieves.

 

[Barb]

I think she was just being oblique. There IS too much $$ in the prohibition and every industry that stems form it (some have touched on those industries here), but there's also big $$ behind the prohibition, as weed alone would provide competition in a truly free market for pharmaceutical companies (as a pain med, morphine represses the respiratory system, weed wouldn't and would be much cheaper, if not taken off the grid entirely by home growth) and the male plant would compete too successfully with many textiles.
Criminalization and prosecution enforces ideologies as well, see Hersh, and Reagan.
We could, shit, we should, but corporate money talks, and we the people are too busy working two and three jobs to give anything the attention is would take to change the way things are.

 

[Bill O'Olberman]

I think what she said is at best ambiguous... Its been mentioned that the war on drugs is a multi-billion dollar a year industry in and of itself but we cannot ignore the influence in government of industries that the legalization of cannabis threatens... say beer or liquor manufacturers, etc. Im not sure what she meant but there is alot of money behind keeping marijuana illegal.

 

[uscitizen]

I think what she said is at best ambiguous... Its been mentioned that the war on drugs is a multi-billion dollar a year industry in and of itself but we cannot ignore the influence in government of industries that the legalization of cannabis threatens... say beer or liquor manufacturers, etc. Im not sure what she meant but there is alot of money behind keeping marijuana illegal.

People have a limited amount of discretionary funds to spend on things if they buy pot it might reduce booze sales.

cut down on tithes and people even spending their money on pot so they can't afford to get their pets neutered and we will have cats and dogs all over the place? OMFG!

 

[Ragnar]

I think what she said is at best ambiguous... Its been mentioned that the war on drugs is a multi-billion dollar a year industry in and of itself but we cannot ignore the influence in government of industries that the legalization of cannabis threatens... say beer or liquor manufacturers, etc. Im not sure what she meant but there is alot of money behind keeping marijuana illegal.

People have a limited amount of discretionary funds to spend on things if they buy pot it might reduce booze sales.

cut down on tithes and people even spending their money on pot so they can't afford to get their pets neutered and we will have cats and dogs all over the place? OMFG!

 

[Barb]

I think what she said is at best ambiguous... Its been mentioned that the war on drugs is a multi-billion dollar a year industry in and of itself but we cannot ignore the influence in government of industries that the legalization of cannabis threatens... say beer or liquor manufacturers, etc. Im not sure what she meant but there is alot of money behind keeping marijuana illegal.

People have a limited amount of discretionary funds to spend on things if they buy pot it might reduce booze sales.

cut down on tithes and people even spending their money on pot so they can't afford to get their pets neutered and we will have cats and dogs all over the place? OMFG!

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Ragnar again.

 

[SFC Ollie]

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[Bill O'Olberman]

And that's all I have to say about that.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ_yQ02xwsM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ_yQ02xwsM[/ame]

 

[Modbert]

Yeah, I've heard of them and I'm positive the opinion they have on decriminalizing is just what one might expect. (against it) However I just didn't get why "especially" them. If anything a private prison is just a better run, more efficient house of human misery than a State or Fed prison. They don't make law, enforce the law, find people guilty, etc etc. (and there will sadly always be a need for some prisons, they may as well be well run)

Seriously? Private prisons have an incentive to have repeat criminals and new criminals. This involves not decriminalizing things and making sure the system in place does not actually rehabilitate people. Private prisons are one of the worst things we can have.

 

[Tom Clancy]

Yeah, I've heard of them and I'm positive the opinion they have on decriminalizing is just what one might expect. (against it) However I just didn't get why "especially" them. If anything a private prison is just a better run, more efficient house of human misery than a State or Fed prison. They don't make law, enforce the law, find people guilty, etc etc. (and there will sadly always be a need for some prisons, they may as well be well run)

Seriously? Private prisons have an incentive to have repeat criminals and new criminals. This involves not decriminalizing things and making sure the system in place does not actually rehabilitate people. Private prisons are one of the worst things we can have.

Yup.

And the #1 Investment in this country? Private Prisons. Especially in California.

 

[whitehall]

Does the "ragnar" left have enough brain cells left to consider that there is a reason to regulate the sale of drugs?