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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (296087)	9/12/2002 11:10:01 AM
From: TigerPaw	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

and have a tendency towards rapidly creating dependence Like nicotine, right? TP

To: Neocon who wrote (296087)	9/12/2002 11:28:48 AM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

At least you are consistent on principle... unfortunately the principle is belied by hard facts. Re: "It has nothing to do with puritanism." >>> Er, I beg to differ. The imposition of social mores on essentially private behaviors, backed by punitive actions enforced by a dominant federal government is a direct outgrowth of Puritanical views. Re: "It has to do with the assessment of the social hazard constituted by hard drugs." >>> And what about "soft" drugs with a lesser harm profile than currently legal substances such as the highly addictive tobacco and alcohol? What justifies the high social costs of their criminalization... other than a Puritanical "Big Brother" world-view? Re: "One may be right or wrong about the merit of prohibition, but it is not evidently better to allow the United States to be flooded with drugs...." >>> The US - under our 60 year long prohibitionist regime - is already the World's largest consumer of psychoactive substances per capita... far in excess of the per capita consumption patterns of other nations which have replaced prohibitionist/criminalization drug schemes with policies based upon "harm reduction" or educational and medical treatments of the issue. One can't "flood" something which is already flooded. >>> Is there something wrong with the American people? Are we more "evil" than other peoples? Are we morally "weaker"? >>> I think not. The problem is with our Puritanical/prohibitionist approach. The problem is POLICY, not our people... who are generally both good and sensible. >>> I ask you one question: If (for example) pot were made legal for personal adult use, taxed and regulated by the government like tobacco or alcohol, and people were still held PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS, AND PROSECUTED FOR ANY HARM THEY CAUSED OTHER PEOPLE, WITH NO EXCEPTIONS FOR "DIMINISHED CAPACITY", NO REDUCED SENTANCES IF YOU HIT SOMEONE WITH A CAR BECAUSE YOU WERE "DRUNK" OR "STONED" OR "SLEEPY"... would the use of pot go up or down? >>> Just because pot became legal for adult use, would YOU use it? No? Then what makes you think others would adopt foolish personal behavior that they haven't already?