Drug Legalization; your view?

[shafnutz05]

I may theoretically say, the "giggles" are one of the best things ever

[bh]

drugs... lets do it. I'm all for it. This worlds F*d up enough already. Might as well keep my options open.

[bh]

I may theoretically say, the "giggles" are one of the best things ever

should theoretically be in quotes?

[Idoit40fans]

D.R.E.A.M.

[shafnutz05]

I may theoretically say, the "giggles" are one of the best things ever

should theoretically be in quotes?

[FreeCandy44]

Drivin' that train...

To shakedown street?

[Staggy]

Matter of fact, society is better off with more drug use. Fact. :thumb:

And everyone knows there are ZERO problems with drugs. No violence, no crime, no probs. It's like that for EVERYONE who does any drugs. Yessahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Damn right. Thank god the illegality of these drugs has led to no violence, no crime, and no probs. That dude that got fired from his job for smoking once three weeks prior on a Saturday afternoon DESERVES everything he gets. But that dude that crushed 15 drinks at the bar and swerved his way home on the highway and didn't get caught, give that man a promotion. Reductio ad absurdum is fun.

Realistically I just don't see how weed can be made out to be more in need of regulation than alcohol. People that want to do either should be allowed to and there should be strict laws in place to punish those who abuse them.

[DelPen]

I think it can be argued that there are more negatives to society by outlawing certain drugs in costs from enforcement and incarceration and the black market and violence associated with illegal trade. I'm not sure legalizing would open the flood gates of new drug users. Has anyone ever heard someone say "if coke was legal I'd be using it every day"?

If you can control yourself like you can with alcohol do whatever you want. If you abuse it you deserve what happens to you. As long as a pot smoker doesn't get magical civil rights to be a pothead and businesses can still drug test if they choose and have anti-drug policies then people have choices and must adhere to personal responsibility.

Granted different drugs can do different things. My line would still be if you can grow it yourself and get a final product without a ton of chemicals than go for it. Anything you need a chemistry degree to make should be banned for safety reasons still.

[Factorial]

Wow, I'll have to mark this day down, two posts in a row where DelPen and I agree.

[Factorial]

Eismann, I totally respect your view and I even agree with most of it but what's with the incoherent rambling? Its not getting a point across.

tHEREIN lIES Yer aNSWER.

He must be drunk.

[Eismann]

Eismann, I totally respect your view and I even agree with most of it but what's with the incoherent rambling? Its not getting a point across.

tHEREIN lIES Yer aNSWER.

He must be drunk.

Nope. I mean, Dope. All good.

There are no problems with drugs.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/drugged-driving

[shmenguin]

So you're saying you want to make texting illegal

[Willie Kool]

I think it can be argued that there are more negatives to society by outlawing certain drugs in costs from enforcement and incarceration and the black market and violence associated with illegal trade.

And beyond that, the racist way the laws have been enforced, and the lure of the 'easy money' from dealing - made possible through prohibition, creates a self perpetuating cycle that has done nothing but keep the African American community down.

From the OP:

"The war on drugs has also been the most devastating single destructive social policy since slavery," Mr. Cole said.

That statement is hard to argue when you look at the statistics.

http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet

If current trends continue, one in three black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime

•About 14 million Whites and 2.6 million African Americans report using an illicit drug
•5 times as many Whites are using drugs as African Americans, yet African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of Whites
•African Americans represent 12% of the total population of drug users, but 38% of those arrested for drug offenses, and 59% of those in state prison for a drug offense.
•African Americans serve virtually as much time in prison for a drug offense (58.7 months) as whites do for a violent offense (61.7 months). (Sentencing Project)

[shmenguin]

Its disingenuous to use "drug offenses" as the basis for comparison, since that can include an array of serious crime that should always be punished. Simple "possession" would be a better measuring stick - and I bet the numbers would still support that point.

And even though it's more of a socio economic issue than a race issue, you can't ignore the ultimate effect on the black community.

[Willie Kool]

Its disingenuous to use "drug offenses" as the basis for comparison, since that can include an array of serious crime that should always be punished. Simple "possession" would be a better measuring stick - and I bet the numbers would still support that point.

The same 'serious crime' accompanied Prohibition of alcohol, and disappeared when Prohibition did. I'll argue that it is almost solely caused by the current prohibition and the fact that it creates a need to carry a gun to protect yourself, your product and your cash when dealing.

[shmenguin]

Yeah, I suppose that argument can be made. It just seems a little dubious to include violent offenders and people who push drugs on children in the "unfairly imprisoned" demographic.

[Gaucho]

There are no problems with drugs.

Said who?

[count2infinity]

There are no problems with drugs.

Said who?

in case you're not aware of eismann's position on drugs, he's being extremely facetious.

[Gaucho]

Oh. Ok.

[Willie Kool]

It just seems a little dubious to include violent offenders and people who push drugs on children in the "unfairly imprisoned" demographic.

Indeed, but I think the relevant question here is 'if that substance was legal, would the crime have occurred?' In most cases, I think the answer is no. And while I think that all drug convictions should be expunged if legalization does occur, I wouldn't support pardoning anyone with a violent record or who had dealt to children.

[Eismann]

So you're saying you want to make texting illegal

No, just the opposite. There are no problems.

[shmenguin]

Seems like you're frustrated that no one's taken the "there are no downsides to pot" stance. I think you're really looking for a fight that isn't coming.

[Eismann]

There are no problems with drugs.

Said who?

in case you're not aware of eismann's position on drugs, he's being extremely facetious.

Yeah, the quick recap is that i'm against full-on, no-limit legalization of pot use because I view it as another thing that's not good for people so removing a stigmatism against it is bad. I'm for using it for true medical purposes - not run of the mill stoners looking for a fix.

The crux of the friction with many other posters comes from the initial comparison between pot and alcohol. To reiterate, I think the bad things that happen due to or related to alcohol are bad and want there to be less of them, and that also goes for all bad things that people use/do. Several posters believe the effects of pot are much less bad than alcohol, and I would tend to agree. But in their effort to make that case, some would not acknowledge any negative aspects of pot at all. That's where my snarking comes in.

[Eismann]

Seems like you're frustrated that no one's taken the "there are no downsides to pot" stance. I think you're really looking for a fight that isn't coming.

No, see above. During several of the exchanges, that appeared to be the case, though certainly not by all.

[shmenguin]

Between the 2 recent drug threads, id be interested in seeing evidence of someone denying that there are no downsides. I just think you want that to be the case so you can prop up your weird point of view.