Do drug laws work?
Fort Walton Beach police brought in quite a drug haul on Tuesday. About 460 pounds of marjiuana and more than 100 pounds of cocaine.
That's a lot of dope. But the reality is that the bust will probably do little to dent the illegal drug trade here or anywhere else. There's too much demand, and too much money to be made supplying it.
Which leads to a question that's been debated for a long time: Would it make more sense to legalize or de-criminalize drug use?
Doing so would eliminate the need to lock up all the drug users who currently fill up our county jails and state and federal prisons. That would free up billions of tax dollars a year, some of which could be used to provide treatment for the many drug users who want to come clean. Or, they could just give us those tax dollars back. Legalization also might take the drug trade out of the hands of gangs and other organized crime elements.
On the other hand, there's the legitimate worry that legalizing drugs might make them more available. But if pretty much any teen-ager can tell you where to buy pot right now, then aren't drugs already REAL available?
What's your opinion?
posted by Patrick Rice @ 7:07 AM
16 Comments
16 Comments:
I agree Pat, the "war on drugs" is a bust - no pun intended. The supply of all drugs is available and easy to come by. If you choose the prescribed type, those also can be had with the right "medical perscriptions." My only problem and input is appreciated from others - will legalizing drugs increase other crimes that are often associated with drug sales and use i.e. larcney, prostitution (another subject in itself) etc. Billions of dollars are wasted each year so some sleeze bag politician can get up and say we are making a difference when if fact they aren't.
You make a good point. I have read many studies which state alcohol is the most addictive drug in existence. Unfortunately, I am afraid the alcohol and tobacco lobbyists will never permit the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana. (And the grug dealers and terrorists making huge profits like the status quo just fine).
Dude, I can't believe you're actually asking that!
Do you even know what addictive drug use can do to you, not to mention the effects it will have on others around you, i.e. your family, friends, and co-workers? Legalizing this crap will only lead to more addictions and more destroyed lives and families.
I've experienced the consequences first hand; they're not to be taken lightly. This stuff, as well alcohol, can very easily destroy lives. Go to a local high school in your area, like Choctawhatchee High, and sit in the back of any classroom during class. You'll be amazed at the bunch of talk about drugs and the students' plans on the next time their going to get stoned and where to get it. It's all they talk about, and their screwed-up because of it. Underage drinking and drug-use is one of the main reasons our kids and young people today are so messed up and do so badly in school. Making drug-use legal would only provide them with more accessibility and lee-way to get the drugs in their hands, leading to over-use and addictions that will destroy their minds and their lives.
You guys who seem to think "Oh, what's the big deal, it's just a little dope..." seem to be providing excuses to minors to use this stuff and just give more reasons to get stoned and become addicted to this stuff. The legalization of these substances will have devastating consequences for the youth of this great country; it's already screwed-up enough. I just don't know how you can't sit back and say this preposterous crap!
Am I missing something?! I just don't get it.
Drew, you answered your own question. It's easy to get legal or not. Why spend billions to make believe. Those that want it will get it, those that don't - won't legal or not.
EXACTLY! You don't think all that money doesn't get a lot of this stuff off the street and helps put people away to (hopefully) learn their lesson? We would need much more money to completely police this problem. The money we spend goes a long way, but it's just not realistically possible to fight such a massive problem with even as much money as we're spending. The last straw lies with the parent's, but many parents in this country are too ignorant and lazy to even parent’ their children...who later grow-up to become drug-traffickers. When kids aren’t correctly parented they look to people like Snoop-Dog or John Stewart who don’t want to influence kids the way they do, they only want to make music or be comedic, for instance, but it happens because most kids don’t know better...and that’s the parents’ fault. Now, I know I’m focusing on mainly the kids, but those are one’s who will be severely affected if these drugs are ever legalized.
So, why don't we just take all the funding out of fighting this war on drugs? I'm sure you'll be happy when the crime rate goes up more than 300% in every major metropolitan area. I'm sure you'll be happy when the death rate among young people sky rockets. I'm sure you'll be happy when the percent of failing students in America escalates beyond toady's already high drop-out rate. I'm sure you'll be happy...
And don't even get me started on the drug trafficking coming in via the Mexican border by illegal’s...
Sorry to be so blunt, but you just don't think.
Prohibition showed the folly of trying to outlaw the most commonly abused drug...alcohol. It also led to the solidification of organized crime in this nation.
Controlled and regulated distribution of drugs might help to lower the crime associated with drug running and the expense of illicit substances. There should be zero tolerance for crimes committed while under the influence. Drunk driving should also see its penalty level ratcheted up.
The only reason I can think of for not decriminalizing (and controlling) cocaine, is that Congress currently allows US military surveillance in the coke producing countries only as associated with drug interdiction. Our military gathers intelligence on political guerrilla activity as a side effect of our drug interdiction work.
Drew, unlike others, I respect your opinion and think this is good discussion. Paramount to a viable solution, but I do wonder if you think making drugs legal will increase their use. Alcohol is legal, I'm over 21, quite older, I don't drink, not a religious preference but I don't care to drink. Make drugs legal, I won't use them - again a choice that I make not the law. So you see does the law matter. It don't stop those who use and won't make those such as I use.
The only problem I have with legalizing pot (that is the only drug you are talking about isn't it) is I feel it would make other more harmful drugs more enticing to people. I am not saying it will cause people to want to do other drugs just that the mind set against other drugs may lessen. Like now we say "oh it's only pot" but in the future would it be Oh it's only coke or only crack etc. The war on drugs is a giant joke but lowering our stance against other much more harmful drugs could be much worse.
Hey Drew Chomp Chomp
Yeah!!!Team
I wish I had gotten my hands on some of that dope.
This is a subject that I have debated with myself for many years. As time goes on I tend to think that some selective softening of drug laws is the only logical answer.
Most of the posts here on this subject have merit in what they have said. "Parenting" is certainly one of the major problems with today's children. However, it cannot be totally blamed for the problem. There are children out there that are going to have their problems regardless of how good or bad are their parents.
I do not think that crime would be increased because of legalization. Most crime now associated with drug use is to get the money to pay for the drugs. If some drugs are made legal/semi-legal cost will no longer be relatively astronomic. Therefore, the reason to commit a crime to get the money to buy drugs will be reduced/eliminated.
I also think that many adolescents try drugs just because they are illegal.
I guess I could really go on and on with this post but I would be debating myself as well as anything else.
As much as I hate "studies" it probably is time to have another. What I would not do is put a bunch of so called experts on the panel nor would I include many psychologists. I would probably want mid level businessmen and engineers.
G
Obviously something has to be done. It does not look like the current activities are getting the job accomplished. I have mixed emotions regarding how or how much to change drug laws.
Parenting is certainly a big factor in the current situation.
I guess what I am really trying to say is that I am a long way on this one from knowing how to proceed.
I would have to say that drew may be right about legalizing ALL drugs a bad idea but pot is not as big of a problem as alcohol and cigarettes. People despise pot because it is "illegal" but yet dont worry about the alcohol and cigarettes that are readily available every mile down the street whether it be at a gas station, grocery store, liquor store, etc. The point is no one as ever died from an overdose of pot. Alcohol kills people every day. Someone dies from cigarettes every second. One thing people who are against pot try to say is that one joint is like 6 cigarettes but you dont see someone going through 4 joints in a day, but do you see people go through a pack of cigarettes in a day. Pot should be legalized or atleast decriminalized beause we are wasting valuable space in jail for misdemanor pot charges instead of the child molesters, rapists, murderers, etc. Lets not legalize pot lets just build more jails.......
If we legalize drug use, then not only will we not waste money, but those who use drugs won't actually be "bad guys" anymore! How awesome is that!
And then, when the vandalism rate due to drug use goes up, we can legalize that too! We can make special vandalism bats, vandalism bricks, and (for those who don't have enough money left from buying drugs) vandalism rocks for sale at the local market. That way we can put a special tax upon vandalism to support the government. However, since vandalism would be legal, the government wouldn't have to waste money on the prison system for vandals.
Oh! And when the murder rate goes up, let's legalize it too! Or better yet, let's form a special "Assassin's Club" in every town. People who want to commit murder can hire an assassin (like a hit man, but more professional, and legal (i.e. taxable) to boot!) to do the job! More tax money! Less criminals! Yay!
Isn't this the best way to fight crime? All we have to do is make it legal, and boom (literally) it's not our problem anymore! Imagine if our forefathers had been this smart when they were thinking of rebelling against Great Britain! All they would have had to do is decree to the American public that the Redcoats were not a bunch of mangy money-grubbing swine, and we could have avoided an entire war!
...And if you can't see my sarcasm, I truly pity you. Get real America! Even if the war against drugs is a hard one to win, it's one worth fighting!
Anonymous said "The point is no one as ever died from an overdose of pot. "
Sorry, but you really have your facts wrong. Misstatements like that really hurt your case.
Go visit the hell hole that used to be a beautiful city - Amsterdam - and see how legalizing drugs doesn't make society better off.
In Europe, people smuggle cigarettes, which are perfectly legal but highly taxed, so making drugs legal doesn't get rid of the bad guys.
The reality is that pot has huge effects on the mind - especially ambition. People care about nothing else and lose their drive. I know from watching family members. Also, a lot of people who smoke pot as teenagers never seem to mature.
Alcohol has been around for thousands of years and it's different, for that reason.
Does legalizing it make a difference? Yes, usage will go up. A lot of people equate morality with the law.
When the DEA says things such as: "When drugs are used in a manner or amount inconsistent with the medical or social patterns of a culture, it is called drug abuse." I wonder who defines "social patterns" for us. Drugs have been used for thousands of years by the human race to alter conscience - what's wrong with that? Also when you see marijuana classified as a schedule I drug which is the most "dangerous" catagory one has to wonder why and how that classification was arrived at. Why isn't nicotine a class one drug? It is the most adictive substance execpt possibly for meth. Legalize and tax. It will get rid of the drug violence.
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