The other "War"

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

The so-called "War on Drugs."

The US has approximately 2,000,000 people incarcerated in state and federal prisons. By some estimates, approximately half of those are charcterized as non-violent drug offenders.

The hysteria over drugs has brought us to a situation where many violent offenders get put out on the street early because of mandatory minimums for drug offenders.

The "War on Drugs" drains billions of tax dollars from the treasury, money that could be (depending on your political bent) be used moreproductively or be returned to the taxpayers themselves.

The republicrats, however, stand in lockstep on this failed program.

Is it the government's job to not just protect us from ourselves, but to criminalize us when we don't heed their warning?

[Gamblor]

I like drugs.

[MMMMMM]

Drugs are bad for you. You would do well develop other things to like instead.

[Utah]

I am very much for legalized drugs such as pot. I think it is pretty hypocritical to allow drinking, which kills thousands a year, destroys untold numbers of families, and hurts U.S. productivity, but then worry about a bunch of teenagers getting high.

However, it is not so obvious that the war on drugs in a failure. Crimes in this country have decreased significantly during the war on drugs. Also, you have no baseline to compare it too - i.e., we cannot look into a crystal ball and determine what society would be like if drugs were legalized.

I always thought a better approach to the drug war would be for the government to develop some better designer drugs.

[jokerswild]

The world's largest illegal controlled narcotics trafficker is none other than the US Central Intelligence Agency.

Your "Great Leader's" daddy was heavily involved. They called that little debacle Iran-Contra. Oliver North still has an outstanding warrant in Costa Rica for trafficking in cocaine.

[MMMMMM]

"The world's largest illegal controlled narcotics trafficker is none other than the US Central Intelligence Agency."

Where did you get this beauty? Sounds like nonsense to me.

"Your "Great Leader's" daddy was heavily involved. They called that little debacle Iran-Contra. Oliver North still has an outstanding warrant in Costa Rica for trafficking in cocaine."

I don't know about that.

[MMMMMM]

The war on drugs does not seem to be working. My guess is that supply and demand will always make drugs available. Decriminalization if not legalization strikes me as probably being a good idea.

[andyfox]

20,000 people are killed each year by drunk drivers. Won't we face similar problems with under-the-influence-of-drugs drivers if we legalized/decriminalized?

[adios]

Seems like almost every company does drug screening of one sort or another but I understand that drug tests can be "beaten." I still think that this has had an effect in decreasing drug use or at least the growth in drug usage among many. IMO growth in the private sector is much more effective in combating drug usage than money spent on government programs so in that sense I think a lot of the money spent on government interdiction is wasted. You'll have to prove me wrong by showing me how drug usage has increased among the "enfranchised" members of our society if you will.

[MMMMMM]

"20,000 people are killed each year by drunk drivers. Won't we face similar problems with under-the-influence-of-drugs drivers if we legalized/decriminalized?"


Don't we face those problems now too? (Also, of course I'm not advocating that either drunks or druggeds be permitted to operate motor vehicles under the influence. If anything I think penalties for drunk driving should be stiffened.) And didn't a lot of drunk driving go on during prohibition anyway? Do you think that because pot is illegal in most states that there are substantially fewer stoned drivers? Or to take your apparent position to its logical flipside: do you advocate making alcohol illegal again in order to reduce the number of drunk driving deaths?