Thread: WHO SUPPORTS THE DRUG WAR?

The analogy to smoking isn't valid, IMO.

Smoking cigarettes only adversely impacts the smoker-and perhaps the people living with him or her-but using psychoactive drugs impacts an entire community.

They've tried decriminalizing hard drugs in other countries and it hasn't worked.

The city of Zurich was turned into one gigantic "needle park," and the Swiss eventually realized they had made a mistake.

I agree that some of the drug laws need to be reformed or emended, but doing away with laws criminalizing traffic in illegal narcotics would be a huge mistake.

The government profiting from someone's addiction is wrong-this is why I oppose state lotteries-and profiting from the destruction of someone's life is immoral, IMO.

The laws we have on the books do deter some people from considering illegal drugs, and even if it's only two or three percent of the population that is a huge number in terms of individuals who are prevented from going down that path.

Shapka--
"The analogy to smoking isn't valid, IMO. "
I agree with that. Further I am one of those who hates to see people make decisions through fear. I do not smoke--I detest smoking--but I understand the addiction after having been a smoker for over 20 years. The fear issue--if anyone REALLY cares to investigate Second Hand Smoking--the WHO- (World Health Organization)-- performed a study that showed the stories about the dangers of SHS were not true. Did the MSM publish these results??? Not a chance. I am not in favor of smoking nor, with my asthma, do I care to be near it. That said, I respect the fact that others actually do enjoy smoking (God knows why) and all the stories about SHS are not true.
In closing, I believe all the stories about, I'll call it, First Hand Smoking are true and people are putting themselves in danger by doing so. I do not try to regulate their lives. it is their decision to make.
PS I am a recent convert to legalizing marijuana and regulating other drugs. This has been proven to significantly reduce crime in most countries that have done so. I see ruined lives for many of America's youth with our current WOD.

Hello misterbill.

Welcome to ALIPAC! Your UserID makes me remember the old and classic Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit - is the UserID choice any coincidence?

re: SNL's misterbill
Yes, I was hung with that nickname at the time of the show. In later years, I worked in a school district in the south and a lot of my younger co-workers, teachers and students called me mister Bill.

Cool! I remember all those well!

Welcome - stick around, not only are we harmless, we can even be fun here at times too!

Thank you for the welcome-- I hope I live up to it. I am an older cantankerous geezer. I have seen much history in my more than 70 years on this earth. I have a love affair with the USA. My grandparents came here (legally, I must add). I served in the military in the early 50s and got to see how many people in many countries lived at that time. It gave an 18 year old enlistee a great appreciation for the gifts we share here in America. I believe in protecting this country and its gifts. I also believe strongly, that no one has the right to give these gifts away without the consent of the majority.
What a great and wonderful country. Now a cantankerous question. How did so many traitorous fools get elected to public office??????

I, too, recall SNL well with poor Mr. Bill. So welcome to our own misterbill and here ya go:

Welcome misterbill from another cantankerous old fogey.

Your question is one I wish we could answer - then we could fix it.

I don't see how the WOD keeps anyone from getting drugs. I would say any 16 year old in this country could get drugs within one day if they wanted it - a good percentage of 13 year olds could.

Again, if people want to destroy themselves, they are going to do it.

I think some cold hard facts, education, etc., would do far more for keeping people from drugs than all this gestapo type stuff we have now.

In fact, I think a lot of young people think it is 'cool' to do drugs because they are illegal.

The fact remains - what we are doing isn't working - it just isn't. All we are doing is making drug lords, politicians, and other crooks weathly and Americans poorer. Also, through the WOD, our government has taken more and more rights away from us and led us more and more into a police state.

We are getting innocent people killed, neighborhoods are war zones, and it isn't keeping anyone from doing drugs if they want it .

The anology I was trying to make-- ban smoking by making it illegal but make illegal drugs legal...........doesn't make sense.

A person smoking in a car is not impaired, one driving under the influence of drugs is. Police wouldn't arrest you for heroin possession but lighting a cigarette would result in a ticket. City officials claim 'police don't have time to check immigration status, it takes up too much time when they could be out solving crimes'. Would I rather have police writing a ticket to a smoker or one who checks immigration status.......immigration status of course.

Would driving under the influence of alcohol remain a violation but driving under the influence of drugs would not?

Belmont to be first U.S. city to ban all smoking
By Dana Yates, Daily Journal Staff
Belmont is set to make history by becoming the first city in the nation to ban smoking on its streets and almost everywhere else.
The Belmont City Council voted unanimously last night to pursue a strict law that will prohibit smoking anywhere in the city except for single-family detached residences. Smoking on the street, in a park and even in one’s car will become illegal and police would have the option of handing out tickets if they catch someone.

The actual language of the law still needs to be drafted and will likely come back to the council either in December or early next year.

“We have a tremendous opportunity here. We need to pass as stringent a law as we can, [b]I would like to make it illegal,â€

Why would they make driving under the influence of drugs legal when driving under the influence of alcohol isn't. Making something legal to purchase doesn't mean you are absolved of being responsible for your actions.

The smoking thing bothers me, although I understand people's aversion to it. I am not sure just how far the government is going to take this.

But tobacco is not illegal - they are just making rules of where it can be used - the same as alcohol. Why would anyone think legalized drugs would be any different.

Drugs are not a good thing - but for those who don't want it legalized - come up with something that works - not what we are doing now. What we are doing now is simply making criminals wealthy so they can hire more thugs, buy more politicians, etc.

Legalizing drugs wouldn't protect the people who want to take drugs - it will protect those of us who don't. It will get the criminals out of the business - out of our country and our neighborhoods, and our political offices. It will get the drug wars out of our neighborhoods.

It will give the law abiding America back some of the rights the federal government has taken way under the guise of this war on drugs.

It will/could/should give back to the American people - millions of dollars that is now being wasted on this 'war'.