Seems a *little* short sighted just to legalize all drugs and then punish people for committing the inevitable crimes that result, doesn't it?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Pretty big assumption that there will be an "inevitable" increase in crimes because of ending the war on drugs.
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A bunch of criminals don't get caught now... and there are such things as "victimless" crimes.A bunch won't be caught, and for each crime there's a victim.
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I don't "rest assured" of any such thing. There is no basis for your argument. In fact, the basis to refute your argument is the historical example of the repeal of Prohibition! Alcohol consumption became no more or less "rampant" than before the repeal, but the price dropped... meaning that those who had/were becoming wealthy because it was contraband had their high priced market dry up literally over-night! Those who had used alcohol before, continued... and those who did not, continued to abstain. I hope you don't really believe that by making drugs "legal" you would increase addiction problems. The historical facts from the repeal of Prohibition show us that public drunkeness was no more of a problem after than it was during or before! AND prior to the end of Prohibition, many of the drugs that are illegal now were available... and there was no historically higher drug addiction problem. Certainly there were people who became addicted prior to the statues against some drugs... a prime example being laudanum. However, there were many people who self-medicated using laudanum without any problems. If mere addiction was the issue, then logic would say that the drug nicotine would be outlawed as well. Than again, I'm not convinced that we aren't on that slippery slope already... but the government's monetary agreement (which they are clamoring to get as much mullah out of as possible) with the tabacco companies depends on increased sales! Many of the organized crime problems which grew out of Prohibition began to take care of themselves when FDR took office and booze was re-legalized in 1933... But then a year later, the new laws regulating opiates (which have expanded exponentially, BTW) were passed giving organized crime the smuggling and black markets that they had become so proficient in and that their profits so heavily relied on. You can attempt to make this a "class" issue all you want, but the fact is that middle-class suburban America has a big "drug problem" as well... And the wealthy, while being able to afford to pay someone else to purchase and thus avoiding the fall if that person is caught, have been able to afford and partake of whatever their current "drug of choice" is, for decades... Don't think there's a drug problem in that group? I seem to read on a fairly regular basis about yet another wealthy socialite or entertainment type who is "checking into" or has been checked into rehab! Addictions, whether they are from opiates, alcohol, nicotine, or other drugs cross all social boundaries.Feeds the rot at the centers of some communities and limits the opportunities of everyone that's born there, lives there, tries to run a business there. Contributes to *their* drug use and continuation of a cycle. Although of course it would ultimately be their *fault* that they used drugs on an individual level, rest assured that on a city wide level the resultant problems would be easily predicted.
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At least we agree that they should be legalized.I AM for legalizing drugs, but with the caveat that the money being wasted on intercepting drugs be turned to treatment and education and prevention, so that some of these results are avoided.
Perhaps to pay for treatment, there should be the same type of sliding scale for payments that we see in other areas. Perhaps to increase education, some of those wealthy entertainment types could do a few more PSAs for gratis... Then again, perhaps we could educate on the local level in churches, synagogues, mosques and within our own neighborhoods, families and friends...Take care...
