"Here is my take on the war on drugs. We have never ever had a real war on drugs in the United States of America. And the reason that we've never had a real one is because we've always left out two of the most critical components of a legitimate war, treatment and education. And as long as treatment and education are the step children of this effort and all you do is incarcerate and interdict we're going to continue to have a major problem. We've changed attitudes in America about smoking. That's an addiction. We've changed attitudes about drinking. That's another addiction. Another narcotic. If we did a better job of intervening and at working at the issue of giving young people a stake in the world around them, You'd reduce a lot of the imperative for drug use. The despair and the other reasons that people turn to drugs in this country. It's a you've got to have an holistic approach, we don't. And I promise that I will restore that kind of full measure approach to the problem of drugs." - John Kerry 4/14/2004: NEW YORK, NY: C-Span http://mysite.verizon.net/aahpat/2kerrtake.htm
The quote by outlaw is deceptively comforting. While he laments the lack of education and treatment, he has not come out against overzealous enforcement. Had he said drug abuse should be treated as a medical rather than a criminal matter, his position could be seen as different than Bush's. But that's not what he said. Andy's quite right that the War on Drugs issue is a wash with the candidates.
The reason I don't ever reply is because I agree with what andy has to say and he provides all the information usually so I have nothing new to add. Just my feedback.
in the case of enforcement it's not even about Bush or Kerry themselves. it's about one man: John Ashcroft i don't think there's anyone Kerry can appoint who is more overzealous than Ashcroft.
No matter how had i try...or how many ways i try to look at an issue...i'll never be able to side with john ashcroft. Although there are many reasons i want Bush out in November, Ashcroft and Cheney would be more than enough.
wouldn't shock me to see Bush try to appoint him to the SC if Rehnquist or another justice steps down.
Here was an idea by my Economics teacher... legalize it and tax the hell out of it. From my POV, I can get weed a lot more easily than I can get alcohol right now (minor, which who is the WOD targets right?) For those of you that want it legalize, how do you suggest they do it? Set an age limit on it via alcohol? Is there a limit one can buy? The idea is if its off the streets, you'll cut down on a lot of street violence. While there will still be drug dealers of other drugs, I'd guess the ones that deal weed are the majority.
Here is how I would do it. It is along the lines of wheat you mentioned and answers the questions you asked and then some. http://bbs2.clutchfans.net/showthre...&threadid=63243
If they're legal, bigger groups or companies would form that grow and sell them or import them. I don't think there would be any on the streets anymore -- why do business with one guy for a few g's when you can sell all of it to a company? Andy: link doesn't work
In places where drugs are regulated, they are rarely sold on the street at all. Look at what happened to the alcohol market after Prohibition I was lifted. Nobody made bathtub gin anymore because the stuff sold by the liquor companies was safe, regulated, and most of all legal. Look at Holland, where illegal sales of mar1juana are virtually nil since they have decriminalized. They are able to tax it, too. There might be some people who would grow for their own personal consumption, but this is no different from moonshiners making their own booze to avoid paying for it. If we make the penalties for allowing drugs to get into the hands of minors harsh enough and educate everyone who wants to legally purchase, we will be able to virtually wipe out the access that our kids have to drugs. That alone will drop drug usage rates over the long term, as will education. The criminal justice approach simply does not work when it comes to this issue. This is a healthcare and education issue and once we start treating it as such, we will be able to positively impact rates of usage, particularly by children.
Obviously nothings perfect, but a few things I noticed: When you "tag" items, you'd have to tag whole cases of beer, bags of weed, etc. If I'm a minor, i'm not gonna be stupid enough to carry weed around in the same bag it was bought in. Beer may be a different story. Then you'll always have the, "It was stolen" arguments. Overall, I think the idea will cost billions to just try and implement. IF you think about it, every retail store will have to have special machines that essentially tag these items. Then you'd have to have a way to swipe one's license so you can tag it to the right person, and not all states have bar codes. But I do agree that something needs to be done, what and how exactly is the hard part
