Bad day for progressives Tuesday...

lustylad's Avatar
Pot... should be legalized, taxed, and the money used to treat addicts of more dangerous drugs. Treatment of crack heads and heroin addicts is cheaper than imprisoning them.

The War On Drugs is an expensive, dismal failure and the only people interested in keeping it going are prison guard unions, for-profit prison operators, and politicians trying to look butch. Originally Posted by ExNYer
A number of respected conservative economists such as Milton Friedman and George Schultz have made the case for legalizing all drugs, not just marijuana. In theory, legalization would eliminate the huge profits reaped by dope peddlers large and small if addicts could suddenly obtain their daily fix cheaply and safely from legal sources. While I would love to see the bad guys put out of business, legalization in practice would create a host of new problems. And I don't see how making drugs cheaper and letting either Big Pharma or mom and pop stores jump into the market is supposed to put any dent in demand, which is the key to winning the war.

Treatment of addicts would rduce demand for drugs - in theory. I know there are studies purporting to show how treatment of addicts is cheaper than imprisoning them, but I think many of those studies are skewed by counting the entire DEA budget and half of all US law enforcement and court system costs in the comparison. Many addicts view admission to a treatment program as a free vacation before returning to the streets or a way to "serve time" comfortably without going to prison. If treatment had an 80-90% success rate I have no doubt most Americans would view it as a good investment - but that's more likely to be the relapse/recidivism rate than the success rate. The Addiction Treatment Industry can trot out hundreds of tear-jerking individual success stories to lobby for more government funding, but I'm still skeptical of its overall efficacy.
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Marijauna legalization goes down Ohio.
The stoners forgot it was election day and didn't vote.
The stoners forgot it was election day and didn't vote. Originally Posted by Stanfeld
+1 !!!!
I am all for drug legalization. What adults want to do to their own bodies is not my concern.

However, they will not work fo me.

At my business, the insurance carrier rules everything. Since we are classed as Heavy Industry in our work inviroment through Workman's Comp, our insurance carrier has the right to come in, and at random, pick employees for drug testing. Now, we can refuse, but then, they can cancel us.

So, we are at their mercy. Anybody flunks the drug test, they can't be insured. No insurance, no employment. It's that simple.

From what the insurers tell us, the most abused drugs out there are prescription pain killers.
I am all for drug legalization. What adults want to do to their own bodies is not my concern.

However, they will not work fo me.

At my business, the insurance carrier rules everything. Since we are classed as Heavy Industry in our work inviroment through Workman's Comp, our insurance carrier has the right to come in, and at random, pick employees for drug testing. Now, we can refuse, but then, they can cancel us.

So, we are at their mercy. Anybody flunks the drug test, they can't be insured. No insurance, no employment. It's that simple.

From what the insurers tell us, the most abused drugs out there are prescription pain killers. Originally Posted by Jackie S
Wonder what the rules are in Colorado?
A number of respected conservative economists such as Milton Friedman and George Schultz have made the case for legalizing all drugs, not just marijuana. In theory, legalization would eliminate the huge profits reaped by dope peddlers large and small if addicts could suddenly obtain their daily fix cheaply and safely from legal sources. While I would love to see the bad guys put out of business, legalization in practice would create a host of new problems. And I don't see how making drugs cheaper and letting either Big Pharma or mom and pop stores jump into the market is supposed to put any dent in demand, which is the key to winning the war.

Treatment of addicts would rduce demand for drugs - in theory. I know there are studies purporting to show how treatment of addicts is cheaper than imprisoning them, but I think many of those studies are skewed by counting the entire DEA budget and half of all US law enforcement and court system costs in the comparison. Many addicts view admission to a treatment program as a free vacation before returning to the streets or a way to "serve time" comfortably without going to prison. If treatment had an 80-90% success rate I have no doubt most Americans would view it as a good investment - but that's more likely to be the relapse/recidivism rate than the success rate. The Addiction Treatment Industry can trot out hundreds of tear-jerking individual success stories to lobby for more government funding, but I'm still skeptical of its overall efficacy.
. Originally Posted by lustylad
Putting a dent in the demand is the key to winning the war? Good luck with that strategy. People are going to want what they want, regardless of whether it's legal or not. As for the success rate, there's no way to truly put a number on it. What is defined as success? One year clean and sober? 10 years clean and sober? There's no way to define success. It's even harder because when you follow up with former patients, you're at the mercy of them telling the truth. And that's the ones that you get a reply from.

As for your 'many addicts' vacation scenario, where are the numbers?

Any way you measure it, the US war on drugs has been a colossal waste of money.
+1 !!!! Originally Posted by Rey Lengua
It's either +1 or gloryhole talk, that's all you've got. Well, that and your dingleberry picking business outside San Antonio. How's that going by the way? Your momma/seester must be so proud. A normal person would get tired of their hands being covered in shit at the end of each day though, but you like licking them clean
It's either +1 or gloryhole talk, that's all you've got. Well, that and your dingleberry picking business outside San Antonio. How's that going by the way? Your momma/seester must be so proud. A normal person would get tired of their hands being covered in shit at the end of each day though, but you like licking them clean Originally Posted by WombRaider
So now YOU'RE stealing my line for YOU about YOUR Momma / SEEster pobrecita puta ? EEJO stealing another line that someone's used ,accurately . on YOU ! And you stole my line about you and your WK wanting some dingle berry pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lazy mojado !
  • DSK
  • 11-05-2015, 07:15 PM
I am all in favor of legalizing prohibited topics but they need to be heavily regulated like other dangerous pharmaceuticals for the safety of the public. I would add legalizing prohibited topics could help pave the way for the legalization of aspects of the private commercial sex industry.
JCM800's Avatar
Regardless of what some states consider to be legal or not ...discussions of this type would still be considered a prohibited topic on here.

#15 - There is no place in our forums for the general discussion or speculation of illicit drug use. This is to be considered a forbidden topic and mention of it will be removed.