My Case on Drugs

[Mordan]

I personally believe drugs are bad for health, even more so than alcohol and cigarettes. I see the case of legalizing drugs as a choice. I present it this way:

you have a choice between a world where drugs are illegal. This means

a world where millions of tax dollars are spent every year to ineffectively fight drug related crimes, dealers roam the streets trying to find new customers, those dealers are the building blocks of a mafia fueling crime and violence. Drug users buy drugs without customer care and information, it is be buying strong medicine without a notice. Prices are regulated by the dealer and the mafia who can rip off the drug addict and fuel a spiraling circle of violence and theft.
Because it is illegal, the sales are totally uncontrollable. On a psychological note, there is the strong incentive to try drugs when you are young because it is forbidden, the act of trying drugs being an unconscious middle finger to authority, giving a sense of power: « look dady I dare you »

on the other hand, you have the choice to legalize drugs and sell them in a pharmacy with customer care, in a free market, yet with tight control on quality and mandatory information about consequences of drug uses. Sellers will have an interest in helping their customer and sell them vacations in medical centers. As a direct bonus of controllable sales, the government can levy taxes. Therefore instead of losing money on drugs, society earns money.
The benefits don't stop here. As a result of legalizing drugs, society will get rid of drug dealers. We won't have a drug mafia anymore, and no more wasted tax money will be spent. The drug crime will be only related to uncontrollable drug addicts. A proven violent drug addict will be judged with utmost severity. Freedom comes with a price. The price is responsibility.
Some will argue that legalizing drugs will raise the number of drug addicts and decrease productivity in society. First and foremost, citizens are not slaves supposed to work their lives out.
Second, in today's world, people already have access to drugs. People who want drugs, buy drugs. Will drugs being legal be an incitent? I don't think so and is open to question. But you ask people in the street why they are not drug users. They will answer because it destroy your brain and your health, not because drugs are illegal.

So it is a choice. I cannot force it upon you.

[Red Dingo]

That's really good. I think I agree with a lot of it. I think people will want to balk at freedom and rather keep bondage, but I hope people's eyes can be opened. I think it sounds like you want to make society decadent, but really, you want to end drug crime, and stop non-violent drug offenders from going to violent jail. There will always be people who will take drugs, and I reckon whoever wanted them now could find a way of getting them.

[A rope leash]

If we gave addicts a good price for their drugs in a legal transaction, I think that we would be well on our way to getting rid of addiciton in general. A few things would undoubtedly happen...some would die of overdoses, hundreds of thousands, perhaps...but if the sellers of hard drugs know what they are doing, they can gradually reduce the dosage, and perhaps ween some off.

The most profound effect of legalizing hard drugs would be to bring it out into the open while also hiding it behind closed doors, all nice and legal like. Harsh penalties for sales to minors would be appropriate, as would confining public use to taverns and dens, but in the long run, legalized drugs will bring the addict out into the open, where he can be openly judged by his peers, and observed by the young.

I suspect a lot of tweakers will die or quit, as will the heroin junkies. But, children will see this, and it will be a great lesson to them. As it is now, the dangers of drugs are an abstract thing for children, hidden away and not spoken of except in tantalizing tones of cool and hot. If they can see what speed does to Uncle Bob and know it at the time it is happening, it will go a long way as a discretionary example. Right now, Uncle Bob is afraid to show himself, and to kids, the dangers of drugs are but a whispered afternoon commercial, or an establishment lecture at school. Also communicated is the rock-and roll "coolness" of drugs, so kids are very confused about it at an early age, leading some to try it. If it was legal, and sold only through licensed outlets, they wouldn't even be able to try it. They would see what it does to Uncle Bob, though, and they won't see it as "cool"...hopefully they will grow up to know better.

A lot of addicts of the hard stuff will get by on legal pot, and we may even start seeing LSD vacation packages...hey, I heard that a couple of trips will cure alcoholism! But, we simply cannot allow addictions to continue. We might consider rationing out drug experiences so that some folks don't get out of control. That would allow the curious to try it, without getting desperately hooked. Bartenders cut people off all the time...maybe we'll let you take x amount of speed in one week. You have to do it at a club, and you can't take it home. Pot you can get at the liquor store.

One thing that I would not like to see is freemarket capitalism in the recreational drug trade. This should not be advertised, or made to look attractive to youth. The power of advertising is incredible...kids can't wait until they are old enough to smoke some putrid tobbacco cigarettes and drink some fermented cat piss posing as "beer". They will actually go to a store and buy a shirt that has the store logo on it, and pay three times what the shirt is worth, instead of demanding that the store pay them for wearing their advertising attire! So, kids are stupid...that's how they get involved with drugs in the first place...that, and the fact that the current drug dealer doesn't care if you are two or twenty-two. The last thing we need is a culture of addiction, so any legalization of hard drugs needs to be planned, developed, and regulated in a very serious manner, with a bias towards helping the addict, and not making a new one.

They should totally liberate the weed, though. Good smoke can make you forget all about those other drugs...

[yongrel]

I always boil it down to this: Who do you want selling drugs? McDonald's or the guy in the McDonald's parking lot?

[Expatriate]

I personally believe drugs are bad for health, even more so than alcohol and cigarettes. I see the case of legalizing drugs as a choice. I present it this way:

you have a choice between a world where drugs are illegal. This means

a world where millions of tax dollars are spent every year to ineffectively fight drug related crimes, dealers roam the streets trying to find new customers, those dealers are the building blocks of a mafia fueling crime and violence. Drug users buy drugs without customer care and information, it is be buying strong medicine without a notice. Prices are regulated by the dealer and the mafia who can rip off the drug addict and fuel a spiraling circle of violence and theft.
Because it is illegal, the sales are totally uncontrollable. On a psychological note, there is the strong incentive to try drugs when you are young because it is forbidden, the act of trying drugs being an unconscious middle finger to authority, giving a sense of power: « look dady I dare you »

on the other hand, you have the choice to legalize drugs and sell them in a pharmacy with customer care, in a free market, yet with tight control on quality and mandatory information about consequences of drug uses. Sellers will have an interest in helping their customer and sell them vacations in medical centers. As a direct bonus of controllable sales, the government can levy taxes. Therefore instead of losing money on drugs, society earns money.
The benefits don't stop here. As a result of legalizing drugs, society will get rid of drug dealers. We won't have a drug mafia anymore, and no more wasted tax money will be spent. The drug crime will be only related to uncontrollable drug addicts. A proven violent drug addict will be judged with utmost severity. Freedom comes with a price. The price is responsibility.
Some will argue that legalizing drugs will raise the number of drug addicts and decrease productivity in society. First and foremost, citizens are not slaves supposed to work their lives out.
Second, in today's world, people already have access to drugs. People who want drugs, buy drugs. Will drugs being legal be an incitent? I don't think so and is open to question. But you ask people in the street why they are not drug users. They will answer because it destroy your brain and your health, not because drugs are illegal.

So it is a choice. I cannot force it upon you.

Excellent arguments, Mordan, in favor of ending the preposterously murderous and unbelievably expensive "War on Drugs".

Unfortunately, I have heard all of these perfectly logical contentions voiced in public forums as far back as 20 years ago.

I do not understand why the mainstream refuses to address and remedy this problem which is causing so many gang wars, police shootings, broken homes, broken hearts, and disease.

The only reason any government could possibly want to pursue this course of action would be to advance the agenda of the police state, as sophisticated surveillance methods and invasion of privacy are the only way to effectively combat clever smugglers and dealers. Not to mention the instant crime wave created by prohibition gives our leaders an excuse to field MANY more law enforcement officers than would otherwise be required.

I find it hard to believe that our ruling class, our "elected" leaders would prefer to secure power over us through an iron fist than work towards peace and unity. This issue deeply saddens me.

[Tdcci]

I always boil it down to this: Who do you want selling drugs? McDonald's or the guy in the McDonald's parking lot?

This argument does not appeal to the pro drug prohibition crowd. They want drugs to stay illegal for the same reason they want the death penalty to stay legal- they want the victims to suffer.

[Expatriate]

I personally believe drugs are bad for health, even more so than alcohol and cigarettes. I see the case of legalizing drugs as a choice. I present it this way:

you have a choice between a world where drugs are illegal. This means

a world where millions of tax dollars are spent every year to ineffectively fight drug related crimes, dealers roam the streets trying to find new customers, those dealers are the building blocks of a mafia fueling crime and violence. Drug users buy drugs without customer care and information, it is be buying strong medicine without a notice. Prices are regulated by the dealer and the mafia who can rip off the drug addict and fuel a spiraling circle of violence and theft.
Because it is illegal, the sales are totally uncontrollable. On a psychological note, there is the strong incentive to try drugs when you are young because it is forbidden, the act of trying drugs being an unconscious middle finger to authority, giving a sense of power: « look dady I dare you »

on the other hand, you have the choice to legalize drugs and sell them in a pharmacy with customer care, in a free market, yet with tight control on quality and mandatory information about consequences of drug uses. Sellers will have an interest in helping their customer and sell them vacations in medical centers. As a direct bonus of controllable sales, the government can levy taxes. Therefore instead of losing money on drugs, society earns money.
The benefits don't stop here. As a result of legalizing drugs, society will get rid of drug dealers. We won't have a drug mafia anymore, and no more wasted tax money will be spent. The drug crime will be only related to uncontrollable drug addicts. A proven violent drug addict will be judged with utmost severity. Freedom comes with a price. The price is responsibility.
Some will argue that legalizing drugs will raise the number of drug addicts and decrease productivity in society. First and foremost, citizens are not slaves supposed to work their lives out.
Second, in today's world, people already have access to drugs. People who want drugs, buy drugs. Will drugs being legal be an incitent? I don't think so and is open to question. But you ask people in the street why they are not drug users. They will answer because it destroy your brain and your health, not because drugs are illegal.

So it is a choice. I cannot force it upon you.

Excellent arguments, Mordan, in favor of ending the preposterously murderous and unbelievably expensive "War on Drugs".

Unfortunately, I have heard all of these perfectly logical contentions voiced in public forums as far back as 20 years ago.

I do not understand why the mainstream refuses to address and remedy this problem which is causing so many gang wars, police shootings, broken homes, broken hearts, and disease.

The only reason any government could possibly want to pursue this course of action would be to advance the agenda of the police state, as sophisticated surveillance methods and invasion of privacy are the only way to combat clever smugglers and dealers. Not to mention the instant crime wave created by prohibition gives our leaders an excuse to field MANY more law enforcement officers than would otherwise be required.

I find it hard to believe that our ruling class, our "elected" leaders would prefer to secure power over us through an iron fist than work towards peace and unity. This issue deeply saddens me.

[WilliamC]

This argument does not appeal to the pro drug prohibition crowd. They want drugs to stay illegal for the same reason they want the death penalty to stay legal- they want the victims to suffer.

Not only that but how would the government make it's money for black ops and the corrupt politicians skim their money off the top?

The drug war has little to do with drugs and much to do with population control.

[Expatriate]

Drugs should be legal because they are good. They have been very helpful in finding lost items, diagnosing medical ailments, and inducing religious experiences in many civilizations and societies all over the world since the dawn of time. To outlaw them all outright is extremely ethnocentric.

I disagree. Drugs should not be legal because they are "good". Even if all drugs had absolutely no good attributes, the philosophy of individual responsibility and freedom (individualism) that this great country was founded on would allow individuals free choice as to whether they wish to harm themselves.

If I want to huff gasoline or glue, it is obviously not good for me. But it is my own choice, and the philosophy of individualism stresses that it would be a greater evil for society to prevent me from doing so, than for me to do it.

Once you let the proverbial camel's nose into the tent, you can't stop it's advance. Who is to say how far the nanny state will go? Today it's drugs, tomorrow cigarettes. Next thing you know the government is deciding what types of foods you can eat. Maybe you're a little overweight? The kind nanny government, always looking out for your best interests, will put you on a strict diet.

Hey, it's for your own good!

[Dr.3D]

Didn't our country learn anything from the prohibition of alcohol?

[Expatriate]

Didn't our country learn anything from the prohibition of alcohol?

That's something I ask myself every time I see lives destroyed by drug prohibition.

[constituent]

This argument does not appeal to the pro drug prohibition crowd. They want drugs to stay illegal for the same reason they want the death penalty to stay legal- they want the victims to suffer.

so, at what point do we begin killing each other in the streets?

you know, cut out the middle-men?