War on Drugs

[Kenneth R.]

Might as well make driving a car illegal. Hell, why drive when you're in risk of getting hit head-on and getting killed instantly?

why go outside? you could have an accident at any time. :Smug:

certain risks are necessary to function. life is not a safe affair, but to knowingly increase risk without reasonable justification is foolhardy. i oppose damaging humanity with drugs, just as i oppose it for the money, time, and life wasted. just as it is your choice to use it, it is my choice to oppose its use when i feel it is unwarranted.

 

[NeverIsForever]

Well said, SS.

 

[Iridium]

but to knowingly increase risk without reasonable justification is foolhardy.

This is the essence of personal choice - having a high for an hour is an experience worthy of minor lung damage. The "reasonable justification" is pleasure, but since you're a puritan, I understand why you'd dislike that sort of thing.

 

[ZoMb!M@N]

It's true that it doesn't kill brain cells. There was a credible scientific article posted elsewhere stating as much, but I'm too lazy to find it.

Have you been smoking marijuana? I heard it makes you lazy as well. :Smug:

 

[Xorv]

whoa! My thread is still alive. This whole time I've been addicted to this online game, and don't have the time to argue. As a matter of fact I'm going to go play it....again! Check out the website... www.uogamers.com

LEGALIZE IT!

 

[Demiurge]

I'm reviving this because I've been exposed to a position I hadn't considered. That is, the war on drugs tends to take its hardest toll on certain people(the black and latino underclass). In doing so, it keeps criminals off the streets. Granted, it is a circuitous route, but we do not have the ability to attack the true problem at this time. Were civilization not a wreck, the war on drugs would draw my utter contempt, but with the way things are now, it is good.

 

[speed]

I'm reviving this because I've been exposed to a position I hadn't considered. That is, the war on drugs tends to take its hardest toll on certain people(the black and latino underclass). In doing so, it keeps criminals off the streets. Granted, it is a circuitous route, but we do not have the ability to attack the true problem at this time. Were civilization not a wreck, the war on drugs would draw my utter contempt, but with the way things are now, it is good.

There are of course logical flaws in such an argument.

First, one must consider the fact that so many black males and other poor persons ( hillbilly meth labs and pot farms) rely on the high profits of illicit drugs to such a degree that they are willing to die and go to jail rather than find a real job or become educated. If such persons go to school or are forced to find practical legal employment, surely society would be better served.

Second, such killings and prison sentences that fall so heavily upon minority drug dealers, cost the greater community as well. We pay for the extra police, the ER visits, the longer jail stays; we pay for all of this nonsense without batting a eye.

Third of course, are those unfortunate externalities caused by such minority drug behavior. What of the poor suburbanites or yuppies that are gunned down accidently? What of the very same people being robbed or assualted or even raped by drug addicted minorities? What of the whole neighborhood that are rendered useless by this scourge?

There are many new young blacks and latinos waiting in line 9mm ready, to pick up where their gunned down brother left off. Only fundamental and sweeping structural changes will change this trend. And who knows what they are? But i feel it is fairly apparent that allowing the animals to kill each other will serve no greater cause.

 

[MasterOLightning]

^These are good points made. What many people who would like to see pot legalized think is that all of those problems go away with legalization. Of course crack and harder drugs are much more destructive to the lower class. Things don't change, if anything you force pot dealers to deal in harder drugs, inevitably leading to more competition and violence. I don't know what the solution is.

 

[Demiurge]

First, one must consider the fact that so many black males and other poor persons ( hillbilly meth labs and pot farms) rely on the high profits of illicit drugs to such a degree that they are willing to die and go to jail rather than find a real job or become educated. If such persons go to school or are forced to find practical legal employment, surely society would be better served.

The legal employment they're likely to find won't yield the same profits as the drug business. Realistically, our society will never be so economically prosperous that no one will be compelled to use illegal practices to gain wealth. Also note that I'm not really endorsing the war on drugs because I think it will eradicate drug use. No, I'm supporting it because it allows us to prosecute criminals whose activities may or may not be caused by drug abuse(probably not).

Second, such killings and prison sentences that fall so heavily upon minority drug dealers, cost the greater community as well. We pay for the extra police, the ER visits, the longer jail stays; we pay for all of this nonsense without batting a eye.

Absolutely, it's costly, but less so than repealing drug laws and allowing the criminals to run amok.

Third of course, are those unfortunate externalities caused by such minority drug behavior. What of the poor suburbanites or yuppies that are gunned down accidently? What of the very same people being robbed or assualted or even raped by drug addicted minorities? What of the whole neighborhood that are rendered useless by this scourge?

These are the sorts of problems I'm trying to prevent. While using the drug laws to keep lower-class criminals off the streets is not the most efficient strategy, it is better than nothing at all.

 

[speed]

The legal employment they're likely to find won't yield the same profits as the drug business. Realistically, our society will never be so economically prosperous that no one will be compelled to use illegal practices to gain wealth. Also note that I'm not really endorsing the war on drugs because I think it will eradicate drug use. No, I'm supporting it because it allows us to prosecute criminals whose activities may or may not be caused by drug abuse(probably not).



Absolutely, it's costly, but less so than repealing drug laws and allowing the criminals to run amok.



These are the sorts of problems I'm trying to prevent. While using the drug laws to keep lower-class criminals off the streets is not the most efficient strategy, it is better than nothing at all.

I was worried for a few days that you and infoterror might have left the forum. It gets rather dull disussing topics without anyone that disagrees with you.

 

[En Vind Av Sorg]

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8155&feedId=online-

This might stir things up a bit.

 

[Babetee1]

I am totally against drugs. I think they are stupid and they ruin a lot of people's lives. I don't see how there can be anything done about them though because people will always be able to get them. I think the drug problem will just get worse. I asked this girl in elementary school if there were kids that smoked weed there and she said yeah and I was like what the fuck, when I was in elementary school no one had even smoked a cigarette.

 

[derek]

I wouldn't believe everything they say. Essentially, My thoughts are generally inline with the late Bill Hick's. Drugs never done me no harm, and the war on drugs is a complete farce.

I am against the criminal nature of drug culture, but not ultimately my autonomous ability to use them. I don't think it's right to criminalise me for enjoying so-called recreational drugs.

 

[Intoxicator]

Drugs should be legalized. It's a person's own choice whether or not to use them. If one destroys themselves with it, so be it, they weren't of any value to society anyway. We could also tax drugs and boost the economy. There would be less violence because drugs dealers no longer have to be paranoid and blow people away when they feel they are in danger of being caught.

 

[AsModEe]

Drugs should be legalized. It's a person's own choice whether or not to use them. If one destroys themselves with it, so be it, they weren't of any value to society anyway. We could also tax drugs and boost the economy. There would be less violence because drugs dealers no longer have to be paranoid and blow people away when they feel they are in danger of being caught.

yeah, I like it. All the weaklings will abuse these drugs and destroy their entire life, while we rise and take control of world.

They'll destroy themselves to give us some space

 

[Vital Remains]

theyll never win the war on drugs so i think they should legalize the whole mess and stop wasting money on keeping people in jail for stupid shit like that

 

[Intoxicator]

yeah, I like it. All the weaklings will abuse these drugs and destroy their entire life, while we rise and take control of world.

They'll destroy themselves to give us some space

Pretty much.

 

[AsModEe]

theyll never win the war on drugs so i think they should legalize the whole mess and stop wasting money on keeping people in jail for stupid shit like that

some drugs should remain banned though... have you heard of that ICE shit? Have you seen that guy in a stealed car screaming "ONCOMING" everywhere like a fucking moron? Man, this drug makes you go crazy. Hint: It's made with Drano.

 

[Pessimism]

Drugs should be legalized. It's a person's own choice whether or not to use them. If one destroys themselves with it, so be it, they weren't of any value to society anyway. We could also tax drugs and boost the economy. There would be less violence because drugs dealers no longer have to be paranoid and blow people away when they feel they are in danger of being caught.

I'll argue this later, but it's a good point to start something with.

 

[derek]

^It's interesting. I find it a difficult question to answer. I am nothing but relaxed and affable when using drugs, but i cant say everyone is so it becomes a pretty contentious to outright make them legal.

I think the many countries have the wrong mental attitude and background to handle legal drug use, and thats why its dangerous.