[RubberMallet]

the world would be a better place if people just got high every once in a while.

[El Scorcho]

If you want to see what decriminalizing drugs will do to a society, go to a methadone clinic in the morning. It is one of the saddest things you will see. People lined up at 7 a.m. or earlier, just so they can get their bodies under control. I worked with mentally ill, drug addicts for 3 years in Detroit. A chunk of our population that are zombies every day until they get there drug of choice, would be disastrous on our society IMO. When these people burn their bodies out, who will take care of them? We will through out taxes. We already are taking care of the current drug users that have burned themselves out mentally and physically to the point that they cannot work. I can't imagine that number would grow if the drugs were made legal. I don't want to see clinics/government centers that have people lined up to get their heroine/crack/etc. fix. I especially don't want to pay for them to live once they can't function normally on their own. Not to mention the children that will have to be taken care of when mom and/or dad can't even take care of themselves any longer.

All of this is a fine argument against decriminalization of all of the Schedule C drugs as they're all massively addictive. It doesn't touch on the legalization of marijuana, however.

[El Scorcho]

The treatment approach may be cheaper but it clearly hasn't worked with alcohol. Why then would it work with drugs?

Society as a whole encourages drinking.

And what is to make us believe that the same won't happen with drugs once they are legal? That's one of the biggest arguments against decriminalization.

Who said anything to the contrary? If statistics on teen drug use are to believed, society already encourages use of currently illegal drugs even in the early stages of adulthood. It may not be done openly and it may not be something people are ready to acknowledge, but it seems to be how it is.

Would you support the prohibition of alcohol if it came up again?

[adam42381]

the world would be a better place if people just got high every once in a while.

You may be on to something there. I don't partake but I think it would definitely take the edge off for a lot of people.

[RubberMallet]

the world would be a better place if people just got high every once in a while.

You may be on to something there. I don't partake but I think it would definitely take the edge off for a lot of people.

i used to...and sometimes i think it would be fun to again....every once in a while my wife will be like "what do you want to do tonight" and i'll be like, "let me call one of my buddies, throw the Napolean Dynamite dvd in, get high and see what happens next".....one of these days she'll say yes....

[RubberMallet]

btw, i buy into todd barry's thoughts on legalization of the bud...

legalize pot
criminalize being a pothead
death penalty for white guys with dredlocks

[olldflame]

btw, i buy into todd barry's thoughts on legalization of the bud...

legalize pot
criminalize being a pothead
death penalty for white guys with dredlocks

If only it were that easy. Alcohol is legal, but the closest we can come to criminalizing being a drunk has to do with the behaviors it leads to (including, but not limited to drunk driving). By the time that happens, more than likely someone else has paid a price.

The world might indeed be a better place if everyone got high now and then. The problems come with the people who get high every day, all day. While decriminalization would solve some problems, I have no doubt it would also create others with a new breed of legal potheads who can't be punished until they hurt someone else, or at the very least put others at risk.

[matshark]

In the face of a growing number of deaths and cases of HIV linked to drug abuse, the Portuguese government in 2001 tried a new tack to get a handle on the problem—it decriminalized the use and possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD and other illicit street drugs. The theory: focusing on treatment and prevention instead of jailing users would decrease the number of deaths and infections.

Right. let's decriminalize possession. After all, it doesn't hurt anyone. It's a private matter between consenting adults, right?

Man facing charges in death of officer

By: GEORGE MATTAR AND MATT COUGHLIN
The Intelligencer
Frank Wallace Budka, 45, was driving under the combined influence of methadone and marijuana at the time of the accident, the county DA said.

Middletown Detective Chris Jones' cuffs were used for the last time Wednesday when one of the fallen officer's squad mates slapped them on the man authorities say caused Jones' death.

Nearly three months after the fatal crash that killed the 11-year veteran, Frank Wallace Budka, 45, of Middletown, was arrested in his Foxwood Manor Apartment about 2:30 p.m. He put up no resistance as Officer Robert Weber, one of Jones' many friends on the force, put the cuffs on Budka before Weber, Detective Jeffry Sproehnle and Sgt. John Michniewicz took him to a waiting police car.

Moments later, as 20 cops and a grieving widow watched, a trembling Budka was charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person, DUI, several drug charges and traffic offenses.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/t ... ficer.html

I'm sure Chris' wife would be thrilled to hear this J/A is getting "treatment" to help him out

The point with de-criminalization is for the usage of it. NOT committing crimes while under the influence. obviously, if you comit a crime while under the influence of it, you should be punished. however, the point of decriminalization is to not arrest someone merely for possession or usage and in this way stop burdening the justice system, taxpayers, etc... AND taking a person out of the economy.

i am all for decriminalization personally. the government has no right to protect people from themselves. if someone wants to use drugs, that is their right. as long as they do no harm to others, i have no issues with it. if someone comits a crime while under the influence of drugs, they should be prosecuted for the crime, not for merely being under the influence.

[matshark]

RJ Reynolds has had the machines in place to start producing marijuana cigarettes the day they go legal since the 80's.

That's an urban legend and you know it.

in addition to being one of the main exports of the US (and a sizable part of the GDP), it was used as currency during the colonial era.

thomas jefferson risked an international incident to smuggle seeds from china through france to himself via a US ambassador

if you owned 2000 acres in VA you were mandated BY LAW to grow marijuana

-----

marijuana was only criminalized in the 1930's. why?

hemp is very labor intensive to grow. however, it is much more useful than cotton.

the end of the civil war heralded the end of free labor = hemp is not a viable cash crop

the invention of the cotton gin made cotton a very plausible cash crop

Cotton was King

a german inventor created a hemp harvester in the 30's. big cotton immediately lobbied Congress to make marijuana illegal. WHY? The use of said hemp harvestor would immediately make hemp a viable cash crop and kill cotton. (hemp clothes are softer, hemp fibers are stronger)

upon making marijuana illegal across the nation, the use of a hemp harvestor was a non-issue. the threat to cotton was thwarted.

[LUconn]

but hemp is legal. You can find hemp junk all over the place. I also like the use of "Big Cotton". Extra points for playing on evil "Big Oil".

[Ed Dantes]

LUConn is right. You can grow hemp, you know. You just need to get the DEA's permission.

[matshark]

LUConn is right. You can grow hemp, you know. You just need to get the DEA's permission.

yes, exactly.

and LU Conn, I'm not sure what you'd like it to be called when they buy off congressmen to pass a law to protect their business interests. most of us would call that illegal, unethical and flat out immoral. and typically when several companies band together to do that its called a conspiracy, and when it happens to be one of the larger industries in the country it's called Big. so... Big Cotton.