OFF TOPIC: Brady, you're partially correct. In my view, all drugs should be treated medically, not criminally. And I'm not talking about selling drugs and tomatoes in supermarkets. They should be dispensed pharmaceutically and under medical supervision. Most addicts would prefer this rather risk going to jail by having to steal and hiding from the law. An extra benefit: The mob and gangs would not get all that money!
A better strategy would be a public health one intended on reducing the harms associated with drug use. Depriving federal transportation money to any state whose marijuana laws do not comply with the federal statute doesn't help anybody except maybe make some politician who dreamed up the idea look good.
It really is a question of instituting public policies which recognize drug use will always exist--legal or not--and that everyone will have access to them--legal or not. So, therefore, is it best to waste money putting folks in prison because they made a personal, a moral, choice to use drugs? I think not.
Legislating morality has never worked in a free society. The fact that you choose not to do them and I choose not to do them is because, in our own considered opinions, we see the harms they inflict. Government is inherently wrong when it makes this choice for us. Most folks will do the right thing when it comes to protecting themselves.
Although, my stats are a few years old, from memory when I was actively involved in this subject, I recall most cocaine deaths, of which there are approximately 7,000 per year, according to Dartmouth College researcher (Dr. Ganziniger(sp?), result from adulturations cut into the drug by shady dealers who only want money and will put anything into the cocaine (or heroin) in order to increase its quantity for sale. Deaths can also result from using completely pure cocaine. You see, there is no quality control.
Approximately three percent of our society have problems with hard drug addictions; 10 percent have problems with alcohol addicitions; no one is addicted to marijuana. Hard drugs and alcohol are physical addictions; marijuana, at worst, can create psychological dependency--but there is no withdrawal symptoms when deprived of intake.
Well, rather than go on and on--I've obviously opened a box here--let me present the following citation for further information, if you'd care to enlighten yourselves to meaningful and productive alternatives. See below:
drugpolicy.org
drugpolicy.org
medicalmarijuana.org |
