Thread: GRAPHIC: Mexico’s Acapulco Rocked by Cartel Beheadings and Shootings

Originally Posted by Judy

Everyone who knows anything about this knows that the price of drugs will go down under a legalized/regulated recreational drug program. But if you want to cling to the falsehoods that created this disaster to begin with, that's up to you, just don't expect it to go unchallenged. The negative results of what you think are in plain sight in every stretch of this country. The federal government's War on Drugs has failed and needs to be canceled and replaced with a legalized/regulated domestic only recreational drug trade.

Even if the price were to go down, that doesn't mean the drug cartels are going to go away or that the cartels still won't be able to undercut a legal market. Besides that, marijuana is not the only thing the cartels deal in. They are a diversified group. They also deal in heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and opium among other things. Should we just go ahead and legalize all of those drugs too? Your argument is completely ignorant of the social cost our country, children, and future generations of Americans would suffer. Please don't even attempt to argue that these drugs are harmless and don't destroy lives.

With Sen. Sessions assuming the role of AG, supporters of legalizing the drug trade should be concerned. Heck, I think the greedy governments profiting from the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, California, and Washington State should get concerned too.

Just because something isn't working doesn't mean you just throw up your hands and give in, especially when there is so much at stake.

The rules of economics apply to all recreational drugs. Based on historical fact, when something is legal, the black market goes away, due to lack of customers.

When something isn't working you stop doing it and do something else that will work The first anti-drug laws were passed in 1913. This is 103 years later of the War on Drugs. Sales have not decreased, they've risen with the population. Addiction was 2% of the population in 1913, it's still just 2%. So there has been no positive progress at all of any kind. What has progressed are the negatives, crime, gangs, violence, illegal immigration, incarcerations, and losing our money supply, $300 billion a year. The cost of enforcement at all levels arresting 1.5 million Americans are year for non-violent drug offenses, resulting in enormous incarceration costs and ruined lives, broken families, with no offsetting benefit, is a drain of resources without a purpose.

I've never used drugs, they never appealed to me, and years ago I thought some aspects of the laws were okay, but then I researched and observed and know for a fact it was wrong all along and the War on Drugs needs to be repealed and replaced with a legal but regulated system.

Most people who are opposed to ending the War on Drugs believe it somehow protects their kids. It doesn't. It actually puts them more at risk. It's time to end the War on Drugs and legalize, regulate, tax it and use some of the taxes only drug users pay to better educate on the risks and consequences of using drugs and provide free rehab on demand without stigma for anyone who wants or needs it. It also needs to be a domestic only enterprise, no exports or imports, and run A to Z by licensed US Citizens Only and US based companies owned and operated by US Citizens Only.

The rules of economics apply to all recreational drugs. Based on historical fact, when something is legal, the black market goes away, due to lack of customers.

The cartels have operations outside of drug manufacturing and distribution. Their other operations include kidnapping, extortion, prostitution, human smuggling, etc.. As I explained earlier, they are a diversified group. So simply legalizing drugs is not going to make them go away. Besides that, are you actually suggesting we should legalize all drugs that are currently illegal? Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard of anything so ridiculous. That's just silly and their is no argument that would defend such an action.

When something isn't working you stop doing it and do something else that will work

Not necessarily. You can make some tweaks, but that doesn't mean you have to abandon the plan all together. Furthermore, just legalizing all mind altering drugs for general population use may help to alleviate some problems, but he brings on a whole lot of other problems. So please don't fool yourself into believing your suggestion is a win-win proposition.

Most people who are opposed to ending the War on Drugs believe it somehow protects their kids. It doesn't. It actually puts them more at risk.

That is only conjecture and it doesn't work for me. Legalizing drugs that are currently illegal will, without doubt, make them more accessible to our children. Moreover, it will also create more users.

I already know it's a win-win proposition because the existing War on Drugs is a LOSER-LOSER-LOSER deal all the way around for the United States and the American People. Most Americans realize that now and as more information is out about it, more and more will see that as well. The War on Drugs is like Prohibition of alcohol and adultery and sodomy laws and speed limits. Fail, Fail, Fail, Fail. Whenever you try to criminalize human behavior to change it, you're going to fail.

Originally Posted by Judy

I already know it's a win-win proposition because the existing War on Drugs is a LOSER-LOSER-LOSER deal all the way around for the United States and the American People. Most Americans realize that now and as more information is out about it, more and more will see that as well. The War on Drugs is like Prohibition of alcohol and adultery and sodomy laws and speed limits. Fail, Fail, Fail, Fail. Whenever you try to criminalize human behavior to change it, you're going to fail.

Perhaps the polls (if you can trust them) do show that a majority of folks support legalizing marijuana, but there is little to no support from non-users for legalizing the so-called harder drugs. So, even if you do get your wish on the legalization of marijuana, the war on drugs will continue because marijuana is only part of it.

Hmm, so you support eliminating speed limits too? Such a move would be a disaster and the loss of innocent human life would be huge. The longer our conversation goes on, the more I see a pattern that shows a lack of respect for human life. I realize individual rights are important, however, laws are necessary to protect the innocent. Speeding and the consumption of mind altering drugs not only affect the user, they also pose a substantial risk to the innocent. I may be wrong, but based on what you said about speed limits, I'm also going to assume you don't support the legal requirements for seat belts and child seats for toddlers. If I'm wrong, I'll go ahead and apologize in advance.

We'll see what happens. When the issue gets to the forefront, I think people will realize that the War on Drugs has ruined far more lives than it saved and the movement to legalize and regulate is by people who actually cherish human life complete with its freedom and dignity enough to say no to these laws that are arresting and incarcerating 1.5 million Americans a year for non-violent drug offenses.

I don't oppose speed limits, my point was that speed limits don't keep people from speeding.

The whole problem legal or illegal is addiction. Some people are more prone to being addicted then others. Having an addictive nature can make marijuana a gateway to harder drugs.

I remember in the 80's a lot of engineers in the hi-tech industry were getting stoned in the parking lots at work, then that led to everyone doing cocaine. They claimed it helped them create, while actually they became less motivated. I saw elected officials, lawyers, etc. pass drugs around like candy and I saw a lot of these high power people lose everything. It got so bad that companies started requiring drug test. I like everyone resented the drug test. But, I have to say it worked.

I am so afraid that state governments are just looking at all the taxes they can collect.

Originally Posted by MontereySherry

The whole problem legal or illegal is addiction. Some people are more prone to being addicted then others. Having an addictive nature can make marijuana a gateway to harder drugs.

I remember in the 80's a lot of engineers in the hi-tech industry were getting stoned in the parking lots at work, then that led to everyone doing cocaine. They claimed it helped them create, while actually they became less motivated. I saw elected officials, lawyers, etc. pass drugs around like candy and I saw a lot of these high power people lose everything. It got so bad that companies started requiring drug test. I like everyone resented the drug test. But, I have to say it worked.

I am so afraid that state governments are just looking at all the taxes they can collect.

Of course it's the money. I never for a minute thought it was anything else. Expanding state revenue is always a high priority for the majority of politicians. unfortunately too many of them allow the dollars signs they conjure up in their mind to take priority and tend to ignore the negative consequences associated with their choices.

Hard-pressed state governors are increasingly turning to the venerable quick fix, the sin tax, to solve their budge problems. Smokers, drinkers and gamblers, the usual cast of politically dispossessed, are always finding themselves in the bull's eye for new taxes.

The United States leads the world in high-tech advancements and always has.

The War on Drugs was in full force in the 1980's.

So far no scientific correlation between drug testing, safety or productivity has been found.

California courts have significantly reduced the ability of employers to require drug tests. Once hired, they can only test if there is reasonable suspicion that you are impaired on the job. Otherwise they are violating the privacy rights of employees in violation of the Constitution of the State of California.

Smokers, drinkers and gamblers, the usual cast of politically dispossessed, are always finding themselves in the bull's eye for new taxes.

It's the blame game to pass the cost of something on to someone else. Hillary Clinton wanted SCHIP but not bad enough for the public to pay for it, so she proposed and got the grand idiot GW Bush to go along with it to tax smokers to pay for it so non-smokers wouldn't have to.

Same with drinkers and the DUI crap. Most accidents including fatalities are caused by sober people, yet if you cause an accident or are even involved in one that isn't your fault, you're sent packing to prison for years and the sober ass holes walk away free as a bird.