Drug war has failed

[wanamingo]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/01/drug-war-has-failed-report_n_870096.html

For those of you that don't know you have been living in a war zone, for decades. The enemy walks freely in the street and could very well be your neighbor, or brother, or doctor. Most likely they are also very very high.

Global Commission on Drug Policy (Not just they American DEA) released a report citing that the war on drugs has done nothing to stop drug use in the last 20 years it been operating.

In almost every corner of the world drug use has been increasing.

I think we can all agree there is nothing funny about crack cocaine, meth, heroin (Which you can legally get from your doctor AKA painkillers), but what is the harm in smoking pot? The only legitimate reason (Other than inhaling burning organic material) is most drug money makes its way into the hands of organized crime. And i don't mean your dealer up the street living in his moms basement, eventually that money will be traced back to huge farms in the woods of California, or sophisticated hydroponics labs in Canada, which have less than reputable operating practices.

Imagine if Americans could legitimately grow their own. Instead of relying on big Pharma to shove pills down your throat that are far more power than any strand of Marijuana.
780,000 people in the US die from legal medicine use every year. Thats more than auto accidents, and every other accidental death combined(Death by Medicine, by Drs. Gary Null, Carolyn Dean, Martin Feldman, Debora Rasio and Dorothy Smith).

Do you know what Americas #1 cash crop is? Its not corn its pot. And its illegal.

 

[Reynod]

Do you need to invade Canada and declare marshall law in California ... no ... wait ... the Canadans have mounties ... you can't win.

Plus ... isn't Arnie still in California ??

Surrender !!

 

[wanamingo]

Dutch 'drug tourism' set to go up in smoke

http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2011/05/hollands-pot-tourism-set-to-go-up-in-smoke/172331/1


I just died a little bit inside.

First comment sums up

While I don't participate in this activity, I Say if they aren't bothering anyone why not let them live their lives the way they see fit.

 

[fazers_on_stun]

Plus ... isn't Arnie still in California ??

Actually Arnie is in the doghouse since he admitted having a kid with the housekeeper..

After viewing pix of said housekeeper and comparing with his wife Maria, methinks Arnie's Skynet CPU implant is seriously malfunctioning .

 

[fazers_on_stun]

I would admit to experimenting with the evil weed back in college days, but I think the THC level back then was around 1/10th of what it is today. However, I also think the research shows that marijuana has much less deleterious effects than either alcohol or tobacco. So if those two are legal, why not dope?

 

[megamanx00]

Hah, war on drugs. No we need to legalize weed, control it, tax it, and tax it again. Having a legal source of a relatively safe drug would greatly discourage illegal alternatives and take a bite out of the drug cartels bottom line. It would also generate much needed tax revenues. Hey you don't like the high price of weed don't smoke. We do the same thing with cigarets and you don't see a big illegal tobacco trade now do you?

 

[jsc]

... but what is the harm in smoking pot?

Reduced depth perception if you are driving.

... and you don't see a big illegal tobacco trade now do you?

Yes, you do. There's a huge market in bootleg cigarettes based on tax rates in different states. You just do not hear much about it.

 

[udg]

After speaking to a freind who is a Doctor he pointed out the Pot is harmless thing is not true, he moved from working in the A and E to therapy and has treated a few people who have schizophrenia due to smoking Pot.

 

[buwish]

No doubt that almost every drug out there IS NOT harmless in some way or another. However, we have spent billions and billions on this "drug war" and it really hasn't done much. I say make everything legal. Why? Survival of the fittest theory. Those who aren't idiots will be fine and those that are won't last long. Plus, it'll help clear out the prison system.

 

[dogman_1234]

I do not want Pot legalized because the Reps will deregulate its control!

I have also read that THC increases the risk of atherosclerosis in rats. The variables were not released but the case study looks interesting.

 

[buwish]

For the most part I think that the majority of anti-pot websites have it right when it comes to the negative health effects of pot. Think about it- basically anything that you have to inhale into your lungs and creates smoke is bad for you (save for meds for asthma and such, I suppose). Yet, with cigarettes legal, I wouldn't have a problem with pot being legalized. Simply treat it like alcohol, i.e. no smoking pot at works, behind the wheel, etc... For one, it would be a cash cow for the government.

 

[wanamingo]

No doubt that almost every drug out there IS NOT harmless in some way or another. However, we have spent billions and billions on this "drug war" and it really hasn't done much. I say make everything legal. Why? Survival of the fittest theory. Those who aren't idiots will be fine and those that are won't last long. Plus, it'll help clear out the prison system.

Exactly! Imagine how much money would be saved if our prisons were overpopulated by kids getting 5-10 for a few bags of pot.

Legalization of any illicit substance is going to increase its consumption, you would have to be an idiot if you thought legalizing pot would make people less likely to use. But we would make billions in taxes, and probably have a happier population .

Also a nice side effect is that gang violence related to drug use would decline rapidly. Gangs don't kill people for shites and giggles (Sometimes....) its usually over money or drugs, when we take the "Power" away from gangs they usually have nothing left besides misplaced anger.

Are Drug Overdoses > Gang violence?



"That is not a drug. It’s a leaf,"
- Arnold Schwarzenegger



"When I was a kid I inhaled frequently. That was the point."
- Barack Obama quote on Marijuana


"The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world."
- Carl Sagan quote on Marijuana

 

[dogman_1234]

I do have another problem: We would have t take care of those sick boys who chose wrong. If they got sick on the bloody stuff, then that is their responsibility. It is just like smoking. You got yourself sick, find a way to make it better. I will not help you in your adventures of wrongdoing.

Now, I am not saying i will help them become winged form the stuff, I just won't promote healthcare to them for their wrong choice if they continue.

 

[wanamingo]

But what about my initial (And recorded) claim about modern medicine (See Big Pharma) ending up killing 780,000 people every year.

Its hypocritical to say here's some Oxycontin for your twisted ankle, try not to get addicted.

 

[dogman_1234]

^ Because Americans do not want to feel anything and feel inclined to misuse the drug...witch leads to addiction. Also, they have possibly never heard of stuff like Tylenol, Advil,and Aspirin.

 

[buwish]

I'm sure they have heard of over the counters, they just aren't any fun. I took Vicodin when I had kidney stones a few years back and I can see how people can get addicted to that sort of stuff- you just don't care, as everything is just great for 3-4 hours.

Another thing to keep in mind is alcohol. Alcohol is legal, yet it leads to major health care costs when it comes to treating alcoholics, yet it remains legal. There wouldn't be much of a difference with pot.