Will the 2016 election be about ending the war on drugs?

I knew it would only be a matter of time till the War on Drugs would become a campaign issue in our national elections.

The war on drugs and prohibition is almost 100 years old. This has been the most epic failure of government in the history of governments.
It has contributed to our current police state and our ridiculously high incarceration rate and the people have finally had enough, despite a massive propaganda campaign undertaken by our government for almost a century.

These following states have political actions on the ground and they also have the money to force this issue nationwide in the upcoming 2016 election cycle. (marijuana)

Arizona
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
Rhode Island
Vermont

Drug addiction is a medical issue and should be handled by the medical industry and not the police, judges and prisons. The nation is awake and knows this. Will 2016 be the beginning of the end to our war on drugs?

a reply to: LDragonFire

Heroin and coc aine should never be legal and they are drugs.
So there always will be a war on certain drugs.

Marijuana is a completely different story though.

originally posted by: LDragonFire
I knew it would only be a matter of time till the War on Drugs would become a campaign issue in our national elections.

The war on drugs and prohibition is almost 100 years old. This has been the most epic failure of government in the history of governments.
It has contributed to our current police state and our ridiculously high incarceration rate and the people have finally had enough, despite a massive propaganda campaign undertaken by our government for almost a century.

These following states have political actions on the ground and they also have the money to force this issue nationwide in the upcoming 2016 election cycle. (marijuana)

Arizona
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
Rhode Island
Vermont

Drug addiction is a medical issue and should be handled by the medical industry and not the police, judges and prisons. The nation is awake and knows this. Will 2016 be the beginning of the end to our war on drugs?

I just find it silly they say it is a medical issue....if that is true then how do you separate drug addiction from any other addiction out there? Addiction is addiction.....it can be to drugs or tv or shopping or whatever. It is not a medical condition, it is part of every person's makeup. If you do something enough times, you form habits....if it feels good, you do it more. What separates a drug addict from someone who just uses drugs? Frequency of use? So, how often does an addict have to "use" in order to be considered and addict with a medical problem?

a reply to: LDragonFire

They will merely be throwing us a small bone if legalization of a plant happens.

Sadly, it won't affect the machine called the "police state". With the lobbyists and corporations openly allowed to purchase politicians and the war on drugs being overtaken with the hype on the war on terrorism, the police state is here to stay until laws such as "The Patriot Act" and "NDAA" are overturned. Also, campaign finance reform AND term limits will be needed as an extreme form of chemo therapy to get rid of the cancer that has consumed the halls of DC.

I must say though, that I am actually thinking of voting for a Democrat for Governor to replace the Republican one, just with some hope that "knowing I will be screwed either way, at least one of them might allow me to feel good?"!

originally posted by: AnteBellum
a reply to: LDragonFire

Heroin and coc aine should never be legal and they are drugs.
So there always will be a war on certain drugs.

Marijuana is a completely different story though.

No. Heroin and coc aine should be legal. Along with all other drugs. It is the individuals right to choose, and keeping the illegal creates and funds the black market.

Do you realize how much money is made through the illegal sale of coc aine, and the damage we would do to mexican drug cartels by legalizing it?

a reply to: seeker1963

Besides a few local people, the ONLY reason I'm voting in November is to vote for the Democratic candidate for Governor...(self-edit:medical passed through senate committee...it has not been voted on by either body) We must live in the same state.

I'm not advocating any kind of drug use. My question is will this be a main campaign issue in the next presidential election?

Several state legislature are expected to legalize pot possibly before the 2016 elections.

What political party will be on what side in the next national election?

originally posted by: the owlbear
a reply to: seeker1963

Besides a few local people, the ONLY reason I'm voting in November is to vote for the Democratic candidate for Governor...since medical quietly passed the house and senate and I didn't even know! We must live in the same state.

I am in PA. To my knowledge we haven't even addressed the medical yet. As a matter of fact, our Republican governor pretty much came out and said, (I paraphrase) "That even if my 3 year old grandson had a medical condition that might require *the alternative treatment* I would have a moral dilemma to consider the legalization......."

So you must be in a different state, unless this one slipped past me.

As a matter of fact, after my last post, I went to see the stance of the Democratic candidate for governor, and he is not even taking a legalization stance at the moment. They all seem to be wanting monitor what happens in Colorado for "5" years!

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Addiction is most definitely a medical issue. Like some one who eats themselves to obesity, it is a clear sign there neurochemistary is off and not alerting the body to when enough is enough. It is irreverent of the vice used, addiction is a mental illness and punishing people for having a mental illness makes no sense and is inhuman.

a reply to: AnteBellum

Why shouldn't an individual be able to choose what they can ingest?
Live and let die.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

By that logic prescription painkillers should be outlawed as well.

a reply to: LewsTherinThelamon

Yeah, actually I do, it is the real reason marijuana isn't legal right now. Due to supply and demand if the USA were to unilaterally legalize marijuana it would make those countries rich and the cartels own the crops.
Marijuana will become legal in the USA but only after it can self sustain the industry IN-HOUSE. This means it has to be done slowly, as the industry rises to meet the demand.
As for heroin and coc aine it is the same story, legalize it and those countries/cartels become rich beyond belief. But heroin and coc aine are horrible, dangerous drugs they have destroyed lives, families and communities. So when you see 2 starving homeless kids because their parents became addicted to crack and heroin, just say quietly to yourself, "Thank god at least they still have their right to choose!", just like their kids did. Do I need to make more examples I can list about 10 off the top of my head.

Marijuana is totally different though, it's not even as bad as alcohol.

And addiction is a SYMPTOM of drug abuse not the cause, that is merely incidental. Treat addiction in a hospital, treat drug abuse in clinics by psychologists.

The issue will be pushed for marijuana, the recent years have made that plain as day.

However, you will not see a change of mind for certain "hard drugs", like coc aine, heroine, etc.

a reply to: seeker1963

Yep. PA.


Philly decriminalized it and made small amounts the equivalent of a traffic stop. Small fine and a ticket. It wasnt until then I found out. That was about two weeks ago.

Eta:

Sorry seeker...I was a bit ahead of myself. It has bipartisan support in the senate and some support in the house. Nobody has voted yet...
Seeing as how even Dullaware has a medical law and everyone around is contemplating or has medical, it's a matter of time.

originally posted by: AnteBellum
a reply to: LewsTherinThelamon

Yeah, actually I do, it is the real reason marijuana isn't legal right now. Due to supply and demand if the USA were to unilaterally legalize marijuana it would make those countries rich and the cartels own the crops.
Marijuana will become legal in the USA but only after it can self sustain the industry IN-HOUSE. This means it has to be done slowly, as the industry rises to meet the demand.
As for heroin and coc aine it is the same story, legalize it and those countries/cartels become rich beyond belief. But heroin and coc aine are horrible, dangerous drugs they have destroyed lives, families and communities. So when you see 2 starving homeless kids because their parents became addicted to crack and heroin, just say quietly to yourself, "Thank god at least they still have their right to choose!", just like their kids did. Do I need to make more examples I can list about 10 off the top of my head.

Marijuana is totally different though, it's not even as bad as alcohol.

You pretty much nailed it!

It is already in the works! When guys like Warren Buffet start investing, it is only a matter of time!

Doubling Down on Pot: Buffett Sells Upper Deck, Room to Grow

originally posted by: the owlbear
a reply to: seeker1963

Yep. PA.

I had no idea it is virtually sitting on the governor's desk for medical.
Philly decriminalized it and made small amounts the equivalent of a traffic stop. Small fine and a ticket. It wasnt until then I found out. That was about two weeks ago.

WOW!

So just in Philly then?

I can't see Corbett signing it.......no way!

The Billions of dollars California has spent on eradicating a Flower is insane.

We could by everyone in the State a new car.

Instead, we got a bunch of Cops that got every new toy imaginable.

Some are outfitted better than our Troops.

Think of the wasted manpower, the violation of our trust.

Legalize it, Tax it, Regulate it and keep it away from the kids.

a reply to: AnteBellum

I don't agree legalization would cripple the cartels. Cartels only profit because its illegal, take that away and there profit goes out the window.

Cartels only exist because of the black market, take this away and they have nothing worth exporting.

a reply to: seeker1963

Yeah, just Philly.
And see my eta above.
I did a little more digging. No one has voted yet.

a reply to: seeker1963

While everyone was sitting around smoking it, I was sitting around buying up investments.
Now in a couple of years I can sit around all day too, smoking it if I choose!

I didn't put my faith in the market though, too risky right now for long term and being paranoid.
But Colorado was a big success and soon there will be more local farms that need startup funds.
I'd hate to say though, it's already too late to do it now for everyone else.