Hi, MSB!!!
Okay, I am going to post the email you sent me about the decriminalization of drugs, since the mood around here seems to be quite political at the moment. One of the things I have not studied enough about this subject are the practical aspects of decriminalization. For example, will the governement allow drugs to be prescribed for addicts like they do in England, or will marijuana still be sold by friendly neighborhood dealers but will they pay taxes?
If anyone knows detailed answers to the practicalities of decriminalization, please post!!!
Oh, and I am very sorry about your copy of "Relish". I like to listen to things over and over and over again, so I know it must be frustrating to have had that easy familiarity with the tape snatched from you as you were just getting into it.
I don't know that I expected a lot of comments about the Irish poems. I thought some of them were good because they were fresh and interesting and modern, and I thought several of them would appeal to men. I mainly thought it was curious that people were telling me my email that they were enjoying them, but not out here.
Okay, your views on decriminalization of drugs:
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Why drugs should not be decriminalized.
I believe that narcotics as determined by present United States law as being
illegal with certain penalties attached for those who engage in the sale of,
distribution, or use should remain in place based soley upon observations
and past experience of said substances. I have known and been known by
certain parties to have engaged in such activities, and while I personally
never had to account for my actions through our court system and subsequent
penal phases, I cannot, in good conscience, passively condone such activities.
The laws, as determined by a majority, are put in place in some cases to
protect us from one another and in other cases to protect us from instances
which may lead us to the brink of self-destruction. I believe that those
laws dealing with illegal substances are based on the latter of two types.
So why is it, in the case of drugs which have been abused, that we, as
americans, have an almost gargatuan problem regarding drug abuse? Why indeed.
Maybe the question should be, what is it that we as americans have not
abused? We, by our very nature as a culture, have abused practically
everything in which we have ever indulged. So having said that, is this the
reason that we should legalize those substances of a narcotic nature because
we have abused everything else we've ever touched. Should we throw our
hands into the air and just say we concede that we do not have enough
self-control to abstain from the use of illegal drugs. NOT ME!
I believe that for the most part drug use starts with the younger
generations. It is hardly a secret that most adults who abuse alcohol or
tobacco started these habits in their teenage and early adult years and
never gave these habits up because they mistakenly thought they would be
able to do so at any time and further more would be able to recognize when
the participation was demeaning their own welfare. This very thinking is
also the reason why so many have become addicted to the use of narcotics
both legal and illegal. But when dealing with such things as crack cocaine
or herione, we know that these two narcotics are so highly and quickly
addictive that even minimal exposure can quickly become problematic.
Younger people by their lack of maturity do not usually have the
fore-thought to see that engaging in the use of any of a range of illegal
substances may be a detriment to their future well being. I strongly
suspect that a majority of those who would call for legalization of any
number of various types of narcotics are those who are currently engaging in
the use of whatever substance it is which they are seeking legalization.
Further more, it would be very difficult for me to believe that they are not
themselves, in some cases, addicted to these substances and are merely
seeking legalization to protect themselves from possible future prosecution
or as a way to continue with their habit. I cannot concievably believe they
are calling for legalization because they believe it would be in the best
interests of our society as a whole.
Having said all of the above I can not rule out the possibility that there
may in fact be ways that some of these substances such as marijana may be of
use to those who suffer certain afflictions. But there should be full-proof
evidence to support claims that these uses are in fact of a beneficial
nature and be limited to those with such afflictions.
Lastly, for those that honostly believe that certain narcotics noted as
being illegal should be legalized, I would ask you to do one thing. Look at
your children, for those of you that have them, and ask yourself if your
desire to legalize certain drugs is being done because you believe that if
they engage in those substances it will be in their best interest even as
you believe it is in your own and our society as a whole. I feel that
anyone who believes that certain or even all narcotics as a whole should be
legalized is doing exactly that by pushing for or supporting legislation to
decriminalize any number of illegal narcotics.
It may seem odd to some that I am so staunchly opposed to legalization given
my own participation for quite a number of years in the indulgence of dope.
I've seen it ruin lives. I know that having done dope for so many years
myself has limited my abilities to fully appreciate life. I do not want
others to come to this same conclusion at a later time in their own lives.
I say no to legalization for precisely these reasons. And I haven't even
begun to explain why I feel the dollar amount would be much greater if drugs
were legalized. I doubt the trade off of what might be saved would out
weigh the costs of treatment, broken lives associated with those who
indulge, and other problems which may be incurred (really unforseeable) by
legalization.
The above thoughts are merely my own. I do not have any imperical evidence
to support my observations and therefore it should be considered as only an
opinion. |
