Poll: The American War on Drugs; good or bad?

[BubbleGumSnareDrum]

As it goes on longer and longer I find it more and more difficult to take it seriously. People are being arrested and fucked over for victimless crimes every day. I am, myself, a fairly regular drug user. There is a huge difference between a user and an addict. I smoke pot pretty often and I am fond of psilocybin mushrooms, but those are not feasible or smart to use all the time.

I just find it absolutely absurd that a personal decision I make for myself is enough for me to be called a criminal. I've never robbed anyone, beaten anyone, raped anyone, murdered anyone, never so much as threatened another person while in the process of using the drugs I use and in addition, marijuana and mushrooms are non-lethal substances that occur in nature. They are plants and fungi, respectively.

Here's a great example:

A SWAT team breaks into an innocent 30-something couple's home, viciously shoots their pets in cold blood, searches the house and finds nothing. All over the "deadly drug" called marijuana, a little green plant that hasn't done much else besides help people relax and laugh. Every year we spend billions of tax dollars on this Drug Enforcement Agency nonense and it has never stopped people from using drugs. People will always be using no matter how many of them they arrest, and honestly, even drugs like heroin and ecstasy and methamphetamines, in my opinion, could be legalized tomorrow for all I care. If someone really wants to destroy their life with something like cocaine, nothing I can say is going to convince them otherwise. That's the person's personal freedom; if they want to ruin themselves it's none of my damn business.

Edit: Forgot the link the article in question:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012302935.html?hpid=topnews

Quite a few of my pothead friends smoke to aid their physical pain, or to calm themselves when times are troubling. It's not just a substances people get fucked up retarded with. It's cathartic and I feel that I am a calmer and happier person through my use of the substance. I can say with confidence that I do not consider myself a criminal. A criminal is someone who has somehow violated the rights of someone else, and I know I have harmed no one during my exploits as a stoner.

 

[Grand_Poohbah]

Wow another thread about legalizing pot.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

My objection to the "war" on drugs is simply one of practicality; it's expensive and it doesn't work. Drugs are still common, almost cheap... addiction is still a horrible problem. All this "war" does is make the criminals wealthier and more brutal, just as Prohibition of alcohol did in the '20s.

I think drugs are horrible, myself, but I'd much rather see them legalised (and then taxed to the skies) as we did with booze. You'd see less crime, fewer prisons, more tax revenues, more cops free to actually patrol the streets, fewer gangs, fewer shootouts, and frankly fewer addicts.

-- Steve

 

[Gooble]

While there are plenty of people who take drugs, there a plenty of people who are addicts. These addicts then go on to commit further crimes (i.e. robbery) which costs the police force money. If the police catch drug dealers/drug users/people stealing to get money to buy drugs, this costs the judicial system money, and could go to prison, which costs the prison system money. And these addicts may go into rehab, which costs the state money.

So reason 1. It's a drain on public funds which could be spent on things which benefit people constructively

And reason 2. The people who grow the drugs in places like Colombia live in horrific conditions, low pay, and fear for their lives! And if you buy drugs, you're effectively supporting these practices!

And reason 3. In Mexico last year, over 5,000 people were killed in drug related violence. 5000!!! Now, you could say that it's their own fault, they chose to get mixed up in drugs, but if the drugs weren't there they wouldnt have got mixed up in them! Plus, all these drugs wars/drug-related violence go back to my first point. As well as the fact that police die too in this violence.

 

[Madshaw]

I don't realy see why anyone would risk taking drugs, I have tried weed and to be frank i thought it was boring, (i'd much rather be drunk with my freinds). When i told my parents that they flipped out, and if I were to get caught by the police with it in my pocket on th way to a freinds house I could go to prison for possesion with intent to supply,

so i ask why risk such high tstakes for something that realy doesn't do that much?

 

[BubbleGumSnareDrum]

Much of the drug-related violence in the United States stems simply from the fact that the police are making a conscious effort to combat it. To me, the police are simply a state-run gang and nothing.

 

[Malkavian]

In Denmark, drug trade is associated with certain large criminal groups. While the individual potsmoker is no trouble to anyone, him buying his goods supplies the criminal group with money, and demand. Both lead to other crimes, that hurt society.
So, that's the reason I see for war on drugs. Other than that, I have no bef with pot. Hell, I don't say no when I'm offered.

 

[YouGetWhatsGiven]

Much of the drug-related violence in the United States stems simply from the fact that the police are making a conscious effort to combat it. To me, the police are simply a state-run gang and nothing.

Well that is just dumb. They go out every day and risk there lives to protect you and your life. Without the police, criminals would run free, and I gaurentee that people will want law and order back. That is what is happening in these war torn African nations. No government.

 

[Malkavian]

I don't realy see why anyone would risk taking drugs, I have tried weed and to be frank i thought it was boring, (i'd much rather be drunk with my freinds). When i told my parents that they flipped out, and if I were to get caught by the police with it in my pocket on th way to a freinds house I could go to prison for possesion with intent to supply,

so i ask why risk such high tstakes for something that realy doesn't do that much?

While I won't sit here and encourage you to do drugs, have you considered that it might be you who haven't got "the real picture"? It is different from alcohol, yes, but by no means boring I would wager you have been smoking some bad stuff.
I prefer alcohol by far, becuase I like the energizing craze I get from that. Pot is all fun and good, but if I'm at a concert or going to town, I prefer the "wildness" of alcohol.
But I do have friends who prefer pot, simply because it is cheaper, and doesn't give them the same hangovers.

 

[Jagers1994]

Deja vu

 

[Bob Saget]

Much of the drug-related violence in the United States stems simply from the fact that the police are making a conscious effort to combat it. To me, the police are simply a state-run gang and nothing.

Well that is just dumb. They go out every day and risk there lives to protect you and your life. Without the police, criminals would run free, and I gaurentee that people will want law and order back. That is what is happening in these war torn African nations. No government.

Thank you, you took the words right out of my mouth. People just don't like police because they keep them from doing what they want, if it's illegal of course. Remember, they don't make the rules, they just have to enforce them.

 

[mattttherman3]

You cannot possibly be serious, not only is it a worldwide war on drugs, but this thread has been done before!

 

[Zykon TheLich]

Look at my post on this war on drugs thread. It links to lots of other drugs threads.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.85339.1242786

 

[Glerken]

Hm, every 12 hours there's another thread about the war on drugs again apparently..

 

[CIA]

Prevention is more important than locking people up.

Treatment is very important too, obviously.

 

[BubbleGumSnareDrum]

Well that is just dumb. They go out every day and risk there lives to protect you and your life. Without the police, criminals would run free, and I gaurentee that people will want law and order back. That is what is happening in these war torn African nations. No government.

Every time I've ever needed a police officer they did nothing more than take a statement and then vanish.

 

[MercenaryCanary]

This is basically just like the prohibition...
These people really need to read through their history better.