War on drugs

[narsus]

Giving this a good deal of thought, I am one of those who think marajuana (sp?) should be legalized, havent had a joint in about 7 years or so, but I digress. We spend millions and millions on trying to catch the ones running the drugs. Where the real problem is the ones using the drugs. What if we put more money into rehab programs and fine the users of drugs.

Now when I say fine I dont mean a $500 slap on the wrist I mean like a $3000 punch in the stomach for the first offense can even throw community service somewhere in there. No jail time needed just make it really stinking expensive on the user. Granted this wouldnt stop the hard core addicts that is what improving rehab is for, but I believe it would stop a good deal of the casual users.

Well I know this isn't a perfect solution, it's better than what we are doing now.

[pimpjoe]

i believe they need to work more on stoping drugs like cocaine and meth, heroin, and the drugs that kill people. even alcohol IMO is more dangerous than marijuana.

[Eagler]

hmmm, talk about reverse discrimination

so if you can afford it you get a fine, if not you get sent to rehab on the tax payers/"causal" drug user back??

Han, Same crime should = same sentence

[AKSWulfe]

Either way you dice it Eagler, it's no different than what is currently going on.

If you can afford to pay court costs, ASAP (Alchohol Safety Action Program- but it is a class that both DUI,DWI and possession charges go to), and do the community service... you'll get off fairly easily... compared to if you can't, that just opens up a whole can of worms. Chances are they are gonna throw ya in the jail for 6 months.
-SW

[hardcase]

tobacco and alcohol kill more than 400k a year(give or take a k) Doesnt that tell you something about people and government.

hardcase

[Udie]

Originally posted by hardcase
tobacco and alcohol kill more than 400k a year(give or take a k) Doesnt that tell you something about people and government.

hardcase

 I'm trying to count how many people have died from marijuana, but I can't count that low  But there are too many people that would rather control somebody elses life to set right the hypocracy in the alcohol/drug laws.

 I wonder how many harden criminals were/are created in prison because  a guy that liked to get high is sent there with TRUE criminals and has to learn their ways just to survive in prison.  Then he gets out to find that because he's been to prison he can't get a good job.   For pot?  Heroin or Cocaine or Meth I can understand because they kill people and they ruin lives and people do commit crimes to get their "fix" but pot?

[AKSWulfe]

I saw on the side of a DC metro bus yesterday, something quite disturbing.

There was something like 700K marijuana convictions (ie: in jail) in the year 2000...

Underneath that it had another statistic.. I don't remember if it was simply crime related arrests or what.. but below that, it said, "Where do you put us all?"
-SW

[Fatty]

Comparing problems due to legal drugs vs problems due to illicit drugs is impossible.  Of course there are more problems occuring from the legal drugs, because most of us limit to the ones allowed by law.

If you're going to sit there and say that filtered cigarettes are more harmfull than rolled joints then, well, your quote would be a pretty good example of marijuana damage.

[AKSWulfe]

Depends on what your definition of "filtered" is Fatty...

I guess by filtered you mean the butt, well if it's a menthol that argument gets thrown right out the window. Care for some fiberglass in your lungs sir?

And does it really matter what filter they throw on the end of those things? Not when they are throwing more garbage into the cigarette themselves. Smokin' a tobacky cigarette using no filter with tobacky you grew yourself does far less damage than a filtered Camel, Marlboro Red, etc, cigarette.

When there was a prohibition against alcohol in this country, guess what went up? Alcohol consumption AND crime rates.
-SW

[Fatty]

Already have a bit of fiberglass in my lungs, thanks.  Everyone does.

I'm indifferent to the legalization of marijuana (I would actually prefer it to the silly backdoor medical route tried over the last 10 years), I just get tired of the arguments that this stuff you're holding deeper in your lungs as long as possible is somehow a healthy alternative to cigarettes.

[Masherbrum]

There's a war on drugs?

Masher

[Intrepid]

We spend millions and millions on trying to catch the ones running the drugs

This version of the war is more profitable

[AKSWulfe]

Fatty, I dunno.. legalization, decriminilization. One means they sell it like tobacky/alcohol... one means you aren't a criminal if you get caught with it/doing it.

One guarantees it can be taxed, sold, and possibly monitored better. The other guarantees the government still doesn't lose, and the tax payers win. The people caught pay the fines, the tax payers don't gotta pay for their bellybutton taken up space in jail.

Do you believe it's a jailable offense?

Is marijuana a safe alternative to cigarettes? No, is anyone arguing that? I dunno, if they are, they are dumb as rocks. However, is it just as damaging as cigarrettes? Yup. Is it moreso? No, unless you smoke marijuana like you smoke cigarrettes. Would you smoke 20 joints in a day? No, but I know several people who smoke several packs of smokes in a day.

Does it damage your body like alcohol? No... they are both a drug that over a long period of use will naturally have negative repurcussions on your health. Alcohol is just an all around kick in the ass-> liver, kidneys, skin, brain, blood, heart, and several other organs get damaged. Of course, I'm not trying to do the compare list to say "oh well this isn't as bad".. they are both just as bad... but one you can do when you hit 21.

If it were to become a government regulated substance, it would become like alcohol is... drunk drivers are just as much a threat as stoned drivers who are just as much a threat as someone all doped up on pain killers or cold/flu medicine.
-SW

[Udie]

Originally posted by Fatty
I just get tired of the arguments that this stuff you're holding deeper in your lungs as long as possible is somehow a healthy alternative to cigarettes.

 Yes you are right that is a silly argument.  I was told in health propoganda class that smoking one joint is the equivilent to a whole pack of cigarettes.  Is it true? I have no idea.  It makes sense, but it doesn't have all the additives that cigarettes have so maybe it's not true,  I don't know.

 I do know one thing.  I get more benefit from pot than I do my pack of winstons.   When I smoke a cigarette I feal nothing, other than filling that empty hole in my chest that MUST be filled or it leads to anxiety attacks (nic fits).  I don't get that with pot.  I mean I get in a bad mood for a coule of days if I run out, but nothing like if I run out of cigs.  After a couple of days w/ no reef Im ok and have forgotten about it.  HAHAHAH I just think about quiting cigarettes and I end up with a nic fit.

 It all comes down to hipocracy, too many laws and idiots in charge in washington/state capitols.  Liberty?  Freedom?  heh what are those?

[narsus]

AK and others

As I said jail time just wastes the tax payers money fines could pay for that, and community service is well a community service. As I said not a perfect plan, as far as things being bad for you the list doesn't just include alcohol, cigarrettes and drugs. Hell supposedly a glass of wine a day is good for you.

I don't know where to draw the line, I smoked pot for a semester in college that was about it, worse thing i had was the munchies.

The difficulty truely is where do we draw the line, hell sweet & low causes cancer in lab animals. It would be great if people would just be more responsible, but that isn't going to happen.

As some of you have commented the current "war" on drugs isn't what i would call effective. Something else should be done, or does it.