Decriminalizing Drugs

i don't want to get into a general discussion about drugs (we've done that over and over), but if we did legalize drugs, at least marijuana,

1. would there be more or less violence. 

2. would we spend more money in this area or less

of course, the liberal republicans and liberal democrats who run our country each term want to make government as big as possible.  but here's what's happening in other countries where it's safe to say they are having a similar problem with the war on drugs.

the new mexican president talking about discussing legalization: "I'm in favor of opening a new debate in the strategy in the way we fight drug trafficking. It is quite clear that after several years of this fight against drug trafficking, we have more drug consumption, drug use and drug trafficking. That means we are not moving in the right direction. Things are not working,"

colombia: Colombia's Constitutional Court has approved the government's proposal to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use.  Under the law, people caught with less than 22 grams of marijuana or one gram of cocaine for personal use may not be arrested or prosecuted, but could be referred to treatment. The law also decriminalizes the possession of other drugs, but it is unclear in what amounts.

1. less crime and less violence
2. spend less money

so long overdue
many countries have decriminalized drugs and are fine

If it aint broken....they won't fix it.

We're "winning" the war on drugs, it creates employment all around and makes money for the establishment, that's what the elite want anyway.

How is it most drugs are manufactured in other countries yet it finds itself miraculously in our borders?
Why do We have our tax money protecting Afghan poppy fields and S.American coca leaves?
Why do we allow large amounts of weapons cross into Mexico drug cartels?
Why do we train and sell arms to t3rrorist all over the world?
Why do we allow our govt rape us of our constitutional rights?




There's a reason why things are the way they are. Time to wake up and smell what the is cooking!

PokinSmot, you made me think of something funny….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOVaPb2nVys

y0 Money.....that was right on the....Money y0   

Sugar and caffeine are already legal

People continue to make a big deal about weed and other low class drugs being decriminalized. They already are.....

If you get arrested with weed in almost any state in the northeast, northwest, parts of the west and northwest regions on the US you almost always get off on an ACD if you have never been arrested, and even if you have been arrested for a misdemeanor you'll most likely get off simply having to pay a 100 -250 dollar fine....

PokinSmot, speaking of money, you made me think of something else funny…

Where's My Money...

it's not quite the same in the bible belt, but then again, not much is. 

     They need to LEGALIZE all drugs.  There is a big difference.

     Portugal legalized all drugs and their crime rate went down of course.  The U.S. and other countries thought they were nuts.  Now they're doing fine and drug usage has stayed the same.  Some say it has even decreased by a small margin.

     Prohibition does not give you the control of drugs.  It does just the opposite.  It's a proven fact that a kid can get his hands on drugs easier than he can on alcohol.  A drug dealer won't card him.

     Aside from all that it should be our constitutional right to grow marijuana.  It doesn't hurt anybody, and the medical uses it has is unknown to many due to none other than ignorance.  People just aren't aware of what it can do.  The list of illnesses and diseases that it helps with is longer than you'd think and this plant has been used as a medicine by man for thousands of years. 

     Alcohol consumption alone kills about 100,000 a year.  The addiction of it destroys lives every day.  Cigarettes kill about 430,000 every year in the U.S.  Yet it's "OK" do consume these goods.  It is generally accepted by the general public.  The beer commercials you see on TV tell you to drink this and drink that.  It's the cool trendy thing to do.  But it's really not.  Roll a joint and smoke it instead.  It does far less damage to the body, and you'll wake up feeling fantastic.  Not only that, the high you get from it and just better.  I'm happy because the public is realizing this more and more.  Weed is simply the smarter, better, safer, and healthier choice.

     Nobody has ever been able to prove that weed kills brain cells.  Nobody has ever been able to link it to lung cancer.  Nobody has ever died from weed.  There is not one recorded death in the history of man.

     I think the hypocracy is downright hilarious and at the same time it pisses me off.  That's OK though.  I'm gonna keep on smoking and I'll be better off for it. 

     I've listened to so many arguments for the prohibition of marijuana and the fact is, I haven't heard one good one yet.  Yet it remains illegal.  People for legalization bring up hard facts to support their argument and people for prohibition spew out rhetoric that is not based on fact or scientifically proven studies.  It's actually amazing to me that it's not legal.  The level of the stupidity is astonishing.

     I challenge anyone to make an argument for prohibition.  I'll counter with facts and I'll win the argument.  Usually though, they still won't admit defeat.  They never do.

 

https://420spotter.com/1154/conditions-illness-and-disease-helped-by-medical-marijuana.html

     I found this list in about a minute.  It's not complete by any means, but it contains somes of the uses of medicinal marijuana.  I saw a different list once that was literally about 20X longer.

     Of course if the law was the way it should be, and you could grow it yourself, the pharmacuticals would lose too much money.  This is probably the main reason it's not legal.  And there are people that depend on campaign contributions from these companies.  Money talks, bullshit walks.  It's the same reason that we're still using fossil fuels.  There's just too many powerful people making too much money from the current system.  These people are the ones that make the laws.  Anyone that thinks otherwise is just kidding themselves.

I am in favor of weed over alcohol and cigarettes and I think drugs should be decriminalized. I think the tax money generated from alcohol and smokes is too much money for the government to pass up. The government doesn't know how to regulate something like weed when it can be easily grown by the public in their own backyard. Another thing is that since alcohol and smokes kill hundreds of thousands of people per year, it helps to keep the country from being overpopulated. 

Silk road 

Marijuana needs to be outlawed because it is wrong. Our government has told us so. But pharmaceuticals have our best interests in mind by creating a drug for every problem that we encounter. 

I have plenty of facts that support the utter and complete decriminalization of weed. Not so much other drugs possibly cocaine. However I think marijuana specifically needs to be decriminalized NOT legalized.

Rehab centers and drug treatment institutions were first subsidized under the Nixon administration back in the early 1970s while he was president. In fact aside from the Watergate scandal he was the last great republican president.

Nixon and plenty of other criminologists understood that it was fiscally responsible and better for society to have more drug treatment centers than placing people in prison. It was simply more cost effective to do so and the nixon and lyndon johnson administration realized this.

To put a person in prison for smoking crack or weed, nixon realized would do them no good. They would be surrounded by other violent and non-violent criminals who would reinforce their bad habits. Because drugs are so rampant in prison due to corrupt guards, conniving visitors sending people to prison for mandatory sentences would ultimately be detrimental to these individuals recovery.

So as far as decriminalization goes, its really a no brain er but complete legalization is not the answer. I've smoked weed before just like a high majority of people on this forum most likely but legalizing these drugs is not something that is good for a society let a lone a community. For medical purposes sure, growing manufacturing with licenses sure.

Legalizing it would only further the laziness in this country and could possibly promote further black market selling depending on the prices.

Thank the right wingers idol Ronnie 'the worst president ever" Reagan for creating the war on drugs.

who knows how many trillions of tax dollars have been wasted on this huge scam

[Quote]Leagalizing it would only further the laziness in this country and could possibly promote further black market selling depending on the prices.
[/Quote]

Please tell me you aren't serious.  How do you come to the conclusion that marijuana would increase the "laziness in this country"?  Because alcohol and narcotic painkillers do so much good for people (sarcasm).

Drugs and religion go hand-in-hand with the amount of bullshit and lies we have been force-fed.  Take a minute and use that incredible instrument that is inside your skull.  Look at issues with an unbiased and unassuming mind, forget what everyone has told you.  Think for yourself.

Bottom line...a government that allows alcohol and tobacco but makes marijuana illegal has proven how utterly stupid it is.  When you realize that it all boils down to money...you have found enlightenment.

one reason that federal highway department came up or invented CDL...commerical driving licenses and the DOT was that in the late 80;s and early 90;s anybody could drive a 18 wheeler tractor trailer with a simple chaffurers license and what was happening all over the US was drivers were driving high on weed crack and all type of other drugs driving 14, 15 and in some cases never going to sleep and they were running these trailers in to the back of  inconncont cars and people killing them...just think if you lost a loved one like that because someone driving high....please  think ........

     I must disagree with you Stiln.  There are about 50 million marijuana users in the U.S. and our country is doing fine.  Laziness is not getting in the way of our country's growth.  This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about.  Facts.  People say things like this and it is NOT BASED ON FACT.

     Ted Turner tokes on a regular basis and look how many people he employs.  He's worth about 2.2 billion the last I checked.  There are many highly successful people that make millions and smoke on a regular basis.

     People say cannabis makes you lazy, which is hilarious.  Yeah sometimes it can.  Who cares?  It's your downtime.  How much do you get done after drinking a six pack of Budweiser?  Nothing.  This is simply not a valid argument against legalization.  I've gotten high and gone to the gym.  Sometimes I'll put on some music and do dishes.  Sometimes I'll do nothing.  It depends on the mood I'm in.  Weed doesn't make me lazy.  Sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not. 

     ...promote further black market selling?  Seriously?  Legalization would completely wipe out the black market.  COMPLETELY.  You don't see any street thugs selling Budweiser do you? 

     As for Nixon, he hired a group of people to find out how dangerous marijuana was.  It was called the Shafer Report.  Following their research they came back with a report that stated that marijuana was basically harmless.  So what does Nixon do?  He throws the report in the trash.

     SirJohnDrake... You are silly. 

     If marijuana was legalized we wouldn't have a bunch of high people walking around in the streets like zombies.  Please dude.  Use your brain for a minute.  Maybe you should start smokin.

     Marijuana use would not increase if it were legalized.  Portugal has proven this.  They legalized it, and some claim that drug use has DECREASED if anything. 

     And oh by the way... judging from your post you seem to think that alcohol drinkers and pot smokers are one in the same.  You have proven your ignorance with your post several times over. 

     Marijuana smokers are not nearly as stupid, out of control, loud, obnoxious, and aggressive as alcohol drinkers are.  This is a fact.  If everyone stopped drinking and started smoking, the world would be a much safer and more peaceful place. 

     No offense but I hope you're not nearly as stupid as your post indicates. 

Just sayin' man

Again... please... somebody come up with some FACT BASED arguments.  I'm begging you. 

 I have plenty of facts that support the utter and complete decriminalization of weed

followed by...

  Legalizing it would only further the laziness in this country and could possibly promote further black market selling depending on the prices. 

 

I realized I made a mistake when I threw in those bullshit comments like laziness etc… They have nothing to do with my argument at all.  I apologize for that.

I'm not here to necessarily argue against why it shouldn't be legalized. You seem to cut corners and most of this argument as to why it should be legalized is all based on CIRCUMSTANTIAL evidence.

No one can predict what would happen to this society if it were in fact legalized.
So in other words, your entire argument, more so anyone's argument for the legalization of pot is all based on inference.

However you're completely off base with regards to what Nixon did.

My argument for the decriminalization of weed is in fact based on facts not those bullshit statements I made earlier.  As I said those were mistakes.  But during the Nixon campaign their main goal was to be effective in treating people with addiction problems.

Nixon was one of the first presidents to seriously re think America's drug laws. He was responsible for the expanding treatment for hard core addicts as well as marijuana users. The center of Nixon’s drug reform laws revolved around methadone maintenance programs. There were a lot of problems with wait listing and the limited treatment of users and Nixon wanted to initiate a nationwide treatment list that would provide anyone with the necessary care to help them.

With regards to a comprehensive national treatment system:

According to the ONDCP estimates filling this gap would require spending an additional 3.4 billion a year at the federal level. Where to find such money in an era of small government? The 1999 fed budget came to just over 17billion of which 11.2 billion (66%) was for the supply side and 5.9 billion  34 % for the demand side if the overall budget  was held constant but the allocations for these 2 areas equalized the demand side would receive an additional 2.65 billion.

What’s the point of this all you ask? Well 1.8 billion dollars is spent on interdiction and more than 500 million being spent on source county programs two areas that could be pared back without having an effect on the supply of drugs in this country as well as the 2 billion a year to house inmates in this country which is probably higher now.