As soon as I saw this thread I thought to myself "oh this is going to get messy" and I was right. The topic of legalization/decriminalization is no different than a regious debate; the war on drugs is just another crusade.
As individuals we hold the right to decide our own faith, just as we hold the right to do what we decide with our minds and bodies. I'm not saying doing crack cocaine is a healthy decision, nor is worshiping satan, but who has the right to say that I can't?
The war on drugs is a complete, absolute failure.
First they lied to us, made up bogus stories about what marijuana and mushrooms (two of the 'softer' drugs) would fry our braincells and turn us into raving lunatics. The baby boomers disproved this theory. So they adopted a new strategy, shifting towards telling the truths (as well as still telling many mistruths). That still didn't work.
So educating (and miseducating) the public didn't work. What about drug control? Nope, that doesn't work either. Next time you see someone smoking a joint, make sure to point out to them that it's illegal and they can be imprisioned or fined (depending on your location). Watch as they laugh in your face.
By "controling" drugs the government has lost control of drugs. Take alcohol and cigarettes into consideration. What happened during the prohibition of alcohol? What would happen if they decided tomorrow that possession of tobacco was no different than marijuana? Think about it.
Did you know that cocaine is worth more per gram than gold? It's not that it's hard to produce, it's the fact that the government(s) try to control it, thus creating it's value.
So strip away the laws, make it a substance that is actually being controled (like alcohol and tobacco). Now who's making this money, not the cartels, but the government. Now they can have a greater degree of control over when its sold, how its sold, who its sold to, and how much it's sold for. Sure you'll still have people brewing up meth in their kitchen, people growing pot in their basements, but how is that different than those of us who make wine or beer? Those are the people who are buying guns to protect their crop. How many hidden breweries are there around here? How many secret tobacco farms are there? I sure dont hear about any of them. Why? Because they don't control the market, the government does.
So what is the perfect solution to this timeless debate? Well that's quite simple, there isn't.
Stoners will be stoners.
Catholics will be catholics.
Geeks will be geeks.
Why are the stoners being punished when the geeks are taking over the world?
As individuals we hold the right to decide our own faith, just as we hold the right to do what we decide with our minds and bodies. I'm not saying doing crack cocaine is a healthy decision, nor is worshiping satan, but who has the right to say that I can't?
The war on drugs is a complete, absolute failure.
First they lied to us, made up bogus stories about what marijuana and mushrooms (two of the 'softer' drugs) would fry our braincells and turn us into raving lunatics. The baby boomers disproved this theory. So they adopted a new strategy, shifting towards telling the truths (as well as still telling many mistruths). That still didn't work.
So educating (and miseducating) the public didn't work. What about drug control? Nope, that doesn't work either. Next time you see someone smoking a joint, make sure to point out to them that it's illegal and they can be imprisioned or fined (depending on your location). Watch as they laugh in your face.
By "controling" drugs the government has lost control of drugs. Take alcohol and cigarettes into consideration. What happened during the prohibition of alcohol? What would happen if they decided tomorrow that possession of tobacco was no different than marijuana? Think about it.
Did you know that cocaine is worth more per gram than gold? It's not that it's hard to produce, it's the fact that the government(s) try to control it, thus creating it's value.
So strip away the laws, make it a substance that is actually being controled (like alcohol and tobacco). Now who's making this money, not the cartels, but the government. Now they can have a greater degree of control over when its sold, how its sold, who its sold to, and how much it's sold for. Sure you'll still have people brewing up meth in their kitchen, people growing pot in their basements, but how is that different than those of us who make wine or beer? Those are the people who are buying guns to protect their crop. How many hidden breweries are there around here? How many secret tobacco farms are there? I sure dont hear about any of them. Why? Because they don't control the market, the government does.
So what is the perfect solution to this timeless debate? Well that's quite simple, there isn't.
Stoners will be stoners.
Catholics will be catholics.
Geeks will be geeks.
Why are the stoners being punished when the geeks are taking over the world?
