05-22-2007, 08:07 AM
quote:
Most of you know how conservative my behavior is with regard to drugs... don't smoke, don't drink, don't do any of the entertainment stuff.... having said that:
I AGREE THAT ALL DRUGS SHOULD BE LEGAL, because if they are legal then: A. you can regulate them and B you remove organized crime from the picture.
If we regulate instead of punish, then we have a chance to combat the situation. It is simple economics. Our prisons are filled with people busted for possession of drugs. Possessing but doing no other harm costs us about $40,000 a year to keep that person in prison (and that is an OLD figure; I bet it is higher now). I would rather spend that money on national health care, education, etc...
( / ) <--- here is my fanny for you to kick because most of you won't agree and will want to kick me. At least this is a place where we can have an opinion!!!
Pam
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I agree too.... Not only can we divert funds from prosecuting, gang wars, prison costs, deaths, etc...etc... But we can use those funds to "educate" the public.
It's a known fact in Amsterdam where drugs are l eagle. They have low crime and drug use rates... WHY?
They educate people about drugs. Lets just get this out of the way right now. Most drug users are going to do the drugs anyway. You can't stop people from doing something they want to continue doing. Next when young people are educated about drugs and see users on the street with no money no life...etc...etc... It's a pretty big turn off and they know what it leads too.
Not only that but the government could tax drugs ... use that tax money for more education. If thats a big *IF* I were a drug user, I'd feel much more safer buying it in 7/11 on the shelf knowing that it is the drug I am buying not some laced with PCP or Crack.... You never know what you are getting when buying from someone unknown on the streets...
Finally, one last point. If alcohol where discovered today it would be classified as a class 3 hallucinogenic drug witch is a lot worse then some of the harder drugs out there... Granted there are a lot of teens even some kids drinking it and getting hooked on it. A lot of crime and death come from alcohol but we can buy it 24/7 ... If we are going to say OK to a very bad drug and say no to the others... You can't sit on the fence and you can't tell people "NO... Can't do it..." Because it's been tried and it didn't work so it's pointless... We are going to either say No to All or Yes to all... You can't choose and pick your poisons...
Edit one last thing... Some people try drugs because they are taboo and for the cool factor... If you take this out of the pictures then that will just be another deterrent not to try. I guess the excitement factor would lose it's edge to stuff you can get at 7/11.
We've been fighting this so called drug "war" for what? Past 20-30 years? Haven't made much progress matter of fact I think it's worse! Why not try something different? Isn't it common sense to ask yourself if something has not worked for so long shouldn't we look at other alternatives to this problem? I would think so!!!
Sorry for the book...
Edited by - ericlp on 05/22/2007 12:30:37