End the War Now!

[centerhill condor]

Well, it has been forty years and the war on drugs continues. What President Nixon started as an effort to rid the country of dangerous addictions has itself become a dangerous addiction. Politicians outbid one another on drug sanctions/penalties as a substitute for leadership on other issues that could actually be resolved with character and moral courage.
I can't believe people are arrested and prosecuted for drugs they self administer... you've watched "cops"... we'll set 1/2 dozen deputies out to catch/jail/prosecute a guy buying/selling $20 rocks... I don't get it... my plan is to stop paying people social security disability for being drunks/addicts and simply mail them their drug of choice in a brown paper wrapper or they can buy their own at the market.
Then they can find their bottom as quickly as possible and die if that's what their habit requires. How this became a law enforcement issue is beyond me... one thing I do understand is that "big brother" gets quite a bit of power and revenue from asset seizure/forfeiture...a dangerous habit to be sure.
With my plan, you can get however much free dope you think you can handle if you agree to become sterilized, maintian employment and don't redistribute.
The Brits have been handing out heroine since the 90's... 1790's that is and for people that are truly addicts they live a much more productive life because they aren't stealing and robbing to support their habit.
Currently we're incarcerating people by the 100's of thousands for possession and distribution at a cost that almost can't be calculated creating a permanent underclass that is unemployable because they're being put in jail for something they do on their own time with their own money.
Also, criminalization has created a vast international black market loaded with bad guys that seek to destroy law and order. If we take the profit from the black market the market fails and the violence goes with it. The Taliban relies on poppy plants for revenue and the anger our destruction of crops yields fresh recruits.
This "war on drugs" has created a growth in government that could not otherwise be justified or financed. We have a surplus of violent felons on the street assaulting law enforcement and society because the jail is full of stoners. All the while as long as your drug of choice is alcohol, coffee, or tobacco you're given a government stamp of approval.
Our tax dollars are spent by the billions annually for environmental clean up from home meth production. In Nashville over 70% of the patients at the Vanderbilt burn unit are from home meth production. Meth is made for a good profit at a properly regulated and safe chemical facility every day. Reefer can be grown by our farmers at a nice profit or in your own back yard. The founding fathers recognized the value of "hemp" and it was a valuable national asset for many years.
How your neighbor's drug problem became a national budget priority is purely political. People are gonna take drugs... the question is how much should it cost you? Our country would come out way ahead if we stopped making a political opportunity from human frailty.
If you really want to fix the drug problem write your legislature and ask for the government to get out of the way and let private organizations help those who realize they have a problem and decriminalize for those who don't.
DUI/DWI and all those other offenses related to the harming others will still be a well punished crime.
In 40 years we've proven, once again, morality can't be legislated and that this war is a never ending quagmire with benefits to a select few and horrific results for the rest. Stop the war and start the compassion.
I'm interested in your thoughts... If you disagree post your ideas. If you agree copy and print to the congress.

[steelcomp]

You're joking, right???

[rodnjen]

Great in theory but hard to implement. The cost of addicition in the form of worker productivity is and would be immeasureable. I like where you are going, perhaps start with weed first then see how that flies. I feel the same way about prostitution, legalize it, regulate it and tax it. It is a social and personal issue not a criminal act.
I think a strong government is essential, we just need to be better and choosing our priorities as a country.

[mickeyfinn]

I think that this is an indication of one of the major problems with the country today. When this country was originally founded there was a large emphasis put on "states rights". This fits into that catagory. If an individual state wants to legalize drugs that should be the right of that state. Isn't prostitution already that way? We have way too many federal laws that provide blanket coverage for all 50 states. These need to be reduced greatly. I personally would not want my money spent to buy drugs for the addicts, however I don't want it spent prosecuting them either. If you are drawing welfare I would think that a drug test would not be unreasonable. If you test positive no money for you. If you choose to turn to crime to support your habit then we prosecute you for that. In the mean time we need to get the bleeding heart liberals out of our prisons. I grew up with the mistaken impression that jail was a "bad" place to be. Not a place with A/C, Cable, weight rooms, carpet etc, etc, etc. We have a lot of honest hard working people in this country that live a life with a lot fewer of these amenities than our convicts have. Make them work, mow lawns, break rocks whatever. Do you realize that we have "Chefs" positions in most prisons now days? What happened to the man with the gun watching the inmates cook food. Better yet cooking food that they raised or grew. I guarantee that if a few of the street thugs knew that if they got caught, there would be serious uncomfortable consequences a lot of our problems would solve themselves. Just like the problem with illegals in this country. The problem is not the illegals. It is the people profiting from them. Institute harsh fines if you are caught hiring one and enforce them. If they can't get jobs, welfare or any other benefits they will quit coming illegally. Our biggest problem is politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike (I happen to think the republicans are slightly less guilty than the democrats) are using their power to appropriate money, implement social programs and other things as a way of buying votes. I don't know what the real solution is, (identifying the problem is easy) but something needs a full overhaul. People have figured out that their vote can vote themselves other peoples money and that is a difficult problem to cure.