Is the war on drugs worth it ?

Let's consider some options, which face young adults in our town today. Let's say they save allowances and birthday presents, and now have a High School diploma and $1000.
1 - They can put the money into savings, and after one year, will have made about $50.
2 - They can put $800 into a used car, spend $200 on wardrobe, and get a minimum-wage job. After deductions and costs, they can take home about $100 a week.
3 - They can buy a pound of marijuana, sell ounces at $100 handing out with friends, and double the money in a couple of months. (All they have to do is conceal their lives from parents, educators, pastors, and any officer of any agency of the government of the US.)
Question : If we are trying to create a drug-free family-oriented patriotic commynity, what could be stupider than making drug-dealing the easiest way for young people to get money, while thereby turning them into criminals who distrust anyone in public office?
Our governement made marijuana illegal declaring it too dangerous to let the citizen make up his own mind. Tobacco , cause of heart and lung disease, is the leading cause of death, killing more people than all other drugs, war and murder thrown in too. If we outlawed cigarrets today, would the result be fewer smokers, or more criminals ? Would it prevent folks from growing it , or would good citizens in North Carolina protect their families secrets for a piece of the action. If a pack of cigarrets cost fifty bucks about what the same amount of marijuana costs today a suitcase full would be worth about twenty five grand. People become black marketers, robbers, even murderers for that much loot.
Question : Would it be fair to say tobacco caused those crimes? Are the tragedies, the crimes, and the punishments of the dope business the result of the smoke or the heat?

no its not.. not even hard core drugs.. legalizing it would most likely reduce users eventually.

any i wanna smoke my weed without worrying about getting arrested

No. there is nothing to discuss. if your government is declaring illegal a plant that evolved here. It has a right to exist as well any living thing. Obviously some people are not completely in reality.

Originally posted by CTBAPRBR
Are the tragedies, the crimes, and the punishments of the dope business the result of the smoke or the heat?

I would say the War on Drugs is worth it if you run prisons, promote a hard-right agenda, need to finance Black Ops, and/or wish to prop up corrupt but compliant foreign governments.

Otherwise, it's a farce. There are far better ways to manage the societal costs of drug addiction...but they don't pay off in the right places.

The war on drugs is continued for a few reasons.

1.) CIA-backed drug-running operations bring in millions every year for unpublicized campaigns (black ops, cia ops, etc.)

2.) Income from jailing and fining offenders.

3.) Employs thousands of government agents (police officers, cia agents, dea, etc)

For the simple fact the war on drugs is fought under the guise of "protecting humanity" and "protecting the people, protecting the children" is why it will never end. I can maybe see marijuana legalization coming, but to legalize coke, heroin...that won't ever happen in my lifetime...they make too much money on it.

Just why pot is still illegal...look up and find out why it was made illegal in the first place - Henry J. Anslinger and DuPont are the reason it was made illegal, and the fact that it's a plant and anyone can grow it is intimidation to the PTB because they cannot control it like PM does the cig industry...you cant grow tobacco as easily and make cigs as you can with weed.

The war on drugs failed decades ago. All it does is fund more programs that infringe on our rights and employs soldiers of hate and evil (DEA agents, CIA agents, police officers, etc)



Mod Edit - Mod Note: You Have An Urgent U2U- Click Here.


[edit on 31-1-2010 by elevatedone]

A little spacing wouldn't hurt.

We have spent billions for the War on Drugs trying to stop the flow and spread of drugs in our country. Yet, we have been unable to halt the spread of the substances.

Why?

Because people want to consume drugs, there is a vast demand for them. If there wasn't such a demand for the illegal substances then we might be able to win the War on Drugs.

I don't see how the government can justify the War on Drugs because they are obviously something the people want. If the people will go to such lengths to obtain something that is illegal maybe it should be reconsidered as to why it is illegal.

Basically everything you are told as in kid in school about drugs is completely untrue. They take the least likely, absolute worst case scenario and tell you that is what will happen to you everytime you take drugs. But then you ask yourself, "If that is what happens to everyone who takes drugs, why do people keep taking them?"

If our Federal government isn't in a constant war with something, then we depend on them less and start taking away some of their powers. The War on Drugs, the War on Terror, the War on you. The War on Drugs is a perfect fit for a war in our homeland. It can't be completely stopped so the Federal government always has something to hang it's hat on.

So my answer is, No it is not worth it.

[edit on 31-1-2010 by tooo many pills]

The war on the Plant serves many purposes.It allows massive intrusions into personal lives.Those were the first wiretappings,informants,urine testings,loss of barriers to reasonableness in 4th Admendment issues.All because of smell.All brought under the abuse of casuistry,calling the various pharmacological agents the same,"Drugs"all bad some worse,a plant worst of all.Don't believe thy lying body,young person,we know what's best,etc.All this,before the other bogus wars,that on terrorism comes prominently to mind,but there are others.Information wars.They want us dumbed down and mind expansion is NOT on that agenda.

I see this mess ending as a sign we actually have overcome,not a step along the path to that end.

3.) Employs thousands of government agents (police officers, cia agents, dea, etc)

DEA, FBI, CIA, INS, ETC plus all sub-contractors... Not to mention the legions of prosecutors and dopewar defense officers.

you also need to remember they have saturated the media and therefore the minds of the population with their propaganda for decades.

that's why a conspiracy website that has no problems discussing child sex slavery,aliens and unicorn farts will get their collective panties in a bunch if anyone even hints that maybe using drugs once won''t kill you and your family the first time you try it.

yeah yeah i've heard the all the excuses before,waa waa stoner trolls.

it's hard for me to stifle the laughter when i see the stop web censorship ads at the top banner on this website.hypocrites

why should we care if your website is censored by the government if it's already censored by its owners?

the internet will get even more censored and the owners of websites dedicated to free speech/conspiracies need to learn one simple phrase to ensure their future.

would you like fries with that?

Originally posted by the_grand_pooh-bah
that's why a conspiracy website that has no problems discussing child sex slavery,aliens and unicorn farts will get their collective panties in a bunch if anyone even hints that maybe using drugs once won''t kill you and your family the first time you try it.
yeah yeah i've heard the all the excuses before,waa waa stoner trolls.

The way I see it...their site - their rules. You don't like it. then split.

Instead, we get 'waa waa' from y'all.

reply to post by CTBAPRBR


Lol, if they are selling it at 100 dollars an ounce, they are ripping people off. The "good" stuff only goes for 65-80 dollars an ounce.

Secondly, no, it's probably not worth it. We haven't made much head way in stopping it. Methamphetamine and marijuana use is rampant. There is not ant stopping it.

Originally posted by JohnnyCanuck
The way I see it...their site - their rules. You don't like it. then split.
Instead, we get 'waa waa' from y'all.

you can't fight censorship in one place and not another.
all or nothing buttercup,pick a side.

and if you don't like anything i say click that ignore button over there.


[edit on 31-1-2010 by the_grand_pooh-bah]

Originally posted by the_grand_pooh-bah

Originally posted by JohnnyCanuck
The way I see it...their site - their rules. You don't like it. then split.
Instead, we get 'waa waa' from y'all.

you can't fight censorship in one place and not another.
all or nothing buttercup,pick a side.

and if you don't like anything i say click that ignore button over there.

My ignore list is a very short one...three individuals who are so full of it that I could not even abide seeing them on my screen. Interestingly, at least two of them have subsequently been tossed off the site.

You don't fall into that category and I generally find your posts valid.

Yes i think the war on drugs is worth it i think they are not using enough brute force.

The way I see it, The government makes the drugs, sells the drugs, then busts the people for having the drugs.

The government is the biggest runner of drugs. It is very profitable.

There are other operations besides the government involved with drugs. Those are gangs and etc.

Government makes the most money, look at the pharmacy, those are just prescription drugs.

Immagine the illegal drugs as well....

Originally posted by zaiger
Yes i think the war on drugs is worth it i think they are not using enough brute force.

Well, somebody certainly is...

13 killed in Mexico 'drug state'

The bodies of 13 people have been found on a dirt road in Mexico's Sinaloa state, home to one of the country's most violent drug cartels. The victims' hands were bound and all had been shot. Most were teenagers. news.bbc.co.uk...

...and the simple fact is that if drugs were decriminalised...these cartels would have to find new hobbies, and half the jails north of the Rio Grande would close.

The immediate tax benefits on both counts would be enormous.

Sin laws don't work...sin taxes do.

Strong governments decrease culture. Strong cultures decrease government intrusion and excessive policing. When we have laws that prohibit turning people down for employment or renting or membership in our groups based on a single linear factor, like race or gender or sexual orientation, we are then required by law to accept those who have two traits, one that single linear factor and another like drug use, and therefore the same government that wages war against drugs forces us to accept drug users. A sane society permits such behavior but allows its exclusion, and a relatively happy mean is achieved. Our other option is to go totalitarian and implement penalties like death for drug use, which while effective is so socially disruptive that it seems comical. Why worry about those who are destined, as anti-drug advocates state, for failure, when we can put our time, money, energy and focus on those who are doing right and contributing.

The war on drugs took the drug business from hippie adventurers and gave it to ruthless killers. This provides a nice income for many police officers. If you were a cop would you go bust the non-violent hippie or the guy that might kill you? The killers pay the cops well. Everything played out just like it did during alcohol prohibition.