illegal drug cure

[master53yoda]

But...we do have "deep seated cultural guidelines of reasonable use" regarding certain drugs, such as marijuana. 50% of adults have tried it, including our 3 most recent presidents, and a lot of people use it frequently. I don't advise it, but I don't think a person's life and future should be taken away because of a joint. The number of lives ruined not because of the drugs but because of the criminalization of petty drug use is unbelievable. Our prisons are overcrowded with the victims of years of misguided drug policy.

I don't agree with improper drug use whether it is prescription, over the counter, illegal, alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine.

That said I feel that our society has a major problem in recognizing when something is not good for them. Look at the incorrect, untrue information that has been put out by the tobacco and alcohol industries and accept by us to get us to continue the use of a legal, but just as bad as marijuana use is as far as damaging people is concerned.

I say this because I know of a number of people killed by alcohol or tobacco use.

We operate under the assumption that if a person is not caught doing something wrong, they are not in the wrong. For example (marijuana. 50% of adults have tried it, including our 3 most recent presidents) , if this were not true the last three presidents would not have been president, because if they would have been caught they could not have been president with a felony drug conviction.

The original post spoke of Meth. I have seen 2 houses that had to be completely stripped to framing to deal with the fact that they had been meth labs. besides making the lab a bomb when it is running it creates a toxin structure that it is almost easier to burn down then remodel into reasonable use. Meth I feel needs to be illegal even if Marijuana becomes a legal controlled substance as is tobacco and alcohol.

[TB Roye]

We have a State Assemblymember from SF who wants to solve our budget crisis by hang on. Legalizing Pot. The retail establisments would pay $5K up front and $2k per year. They would also be a $50 tax on each ounce. He figures it would raise a couple of Billion a year or more. Wrong! why would I go pay some much when I could go down the street to the park or a number of other places around town and get some much cheaper? Does he think my neighborhood pot dealer is going to pay the fees and collect and remit the tax on each ounce? Get real not going to happen. Medical Pot should be despenced by a hospital or simular facility not by some retail establishment or club.

Tom

[GoFish104]

I think we're comparing apples & oranges. Pot I think should be legal, saying you can't tax it is much like saying you can't tax booze but somehow they do. Meth on the other hand.. I think the manufacter of meth should be a capital offence. Jack

[gsmittle]

To those who will be offended, I appoligize now. I have come to the conclusion that by legalizing meth and making it free, that we can win the illegal drug war for this country. We would put the Mexican drug lords out of business very fast. We would also finish killing or allowing to self-destruct all the people that are hooked on that stuff. There would be no reason for the theft that currently goes along with the drug culture as we know it. Overpopulation would soon cease to be a problem, more jobs would be available, and there would be fewer applicants. I too would probably lose a child or two, but it might be quicker than what I watch now, thus reducing the suffering. I would like to add to this destruction list people who put on videos of big snakes. Have a good day, Bruce

Been reading Malthus lately?

g.

[atgcpaul]

We have a State Assemblymember from SF who wants to solve our budget crisis by hang on. Legalizing Pot. The retail establisments would pay $5K up front and $2k per year. They would also be a $50 tax on each ounce. He figures it would raise a couple of Billion a year or more. Wrong! why would I go pay some much when I could go down the street to the park or a number of other places around town and get some much cheaper? Does he think my neighborhood pot dealer is going to pay the fees and collect and remit the tax on each ounce? Get real not going to happen. Medical Pot should be despenced by a hospital or simular facility not by some retail establishment or club.

Tom

Funny story. We have a DEA license at my lab, and we are currently buying
all drugs including Schedule 1 drugs to test for potential pharmaceutical use.
Anyway, the company doing the procurement and handling gave a little
presentation on their process for growing and developing different medical
marijuana crops in Louisiana. They have to QC each batch, and they are
always trying to "improve" upon their product. The presenter added that
they never had any problems finding unpaid volunteers for their studies.

[chopnhack]

jeez, I cant wait until they legalize LSD....they have shown promising results in treating schizophrenia...something that maybe some of us on this board could use
j.k. - legalizing in my opinion would be a disaster. We have so many useless people already in this country why add to the ranks?

[jlm]

Pot I think should be legal, saying you can't tax it is much like saying you can't tax booze but somehow they do.

The difference is it takes a fair amount of work and knowledge (okay, not so much knowledge, but I know from home-brewing beer it's a lot of work) to make drinkable alcohol. It's easier to buy it. Marijuana, on the other hand, is a very easy crop to grow. It's no coincidence they call it "weed". So if it were legal, it wouldn't take long for the heavy users to catch on that they could grow it for free, and screw the taxman.

I still think it should be legalized, but the idea that it would result in tons of tax revenue is probably erroneous. It would generate some revenue for sure, but I don't think it would be the long-term tax windfall that some people think it would be.

As TB Roye pointed out, the tax structure would have to be pretty low, because folks are already used to buying pot from illegal sources now, so if the legal version is much more expensive, they'll just keep on buying the bootleg stuff.

Actually, the best way to monetize pot for the government would be to decriminalize it so that possession of small amounts is a fine, like a traffic ticket. No additional infrastructure needed, and most people that are in jail on a light drug offense now (costing us tons of money) would instead be paying money into the system.

[GoFish104]

The difference is it takes a fair amount of work and knowledge (okay, not so much knowledge, but I know from home-brewing beer it's a lot of work) to make drinkable alcohol. It's easier to buy it. Marijuana, on the other hand, is a very easy crop to grow. It's no coincidence they call it "weed"." OK I know nothing about brewing except what I've read & it does not look that hard. Now brewing something of quality might be a little more difficult I admit. Growing pot I have a little 2nd hand knowledge about. My youngest daughter has a liscence to grow for her personal use. Her set up is quite elaborate. Now I know it's a weed, I've seen it in road ditches & along streams ect. but that is barely the same plant as the hybridized stuff that gets smoked. If I remember right pot is the #1 cash crop in Ca. as well as being close in several other states, I don't think you would have to tax it at to high a rate to have a fair amount of income. To say that pot smokers would still buy it on the streets instead of from a legal outlet to me is just silly. Many of them are just ordinary folks ( or presidents). OK I better go have a cup of stimulant, take my 4 drugs & get ready for work. Jack PS coffee, anti inflamatory for gout, high blood pressure meds (2) & an acid reducer

[bruce hylton]

Well this brought out a lot venom. But this is a solution. Most of the rest of the comments were not. After almost 50 years of "drug war" we have not improved that I can see. So for the negative group, how about a solution? Makes for an interesting read and takes my mind off trying to pay my property taxes.

[Pappy]

My oldest son is/was a meth addict. A 'friend', who was not a user, used his addiction to get him involved with a rolling meth lab. They were making final arrangements to leave for Califonia when they got arrested. The 'friend' was on parole and is still in Federal custody. When he is released, it will be to the Texas prison system to serve his remaining time. He will recieve no credit from the state for the time he is serving on federal charges.

This same man, when my son cooperated with investigators, had a 'jail-house' contract put on him. When Paul was moved to a protected location, he tried to put contract
on me and my family.

Had meth been legal, my son might not have had a criminal record for drug violations, assuming heroin didn't become his next drug of choice. His record would be, instead, for other illegal activities commited to support his habit. There is no way most using addicts are going to maintain a job that will support their lifestyle. Today he is married to his high school sweetheart, a good father to her 12 year old daughter, and a person I enjoy being around. If not for his arrest and subsequent conviction, he would either be dead or a complete drain on society.

I support the legalization, or at least reduced criminalization, of Marijuana but don't tell me there are any benefits to legalizing other recreational drugs. Most addicts put themselves in that situation and, it may be argued, deserve the ultimate consequences. There families shouldn't be subjected to the grief of their loss because the govenment made it easy to get th drugs.

[DonHo]

"Drugs can't ever be free, so there is no way we can take the 'profit' out of it. "

Making drugs legal wouldn't make them free, but being able to buy at the local drug store should make them much cheaper than having to buy illegal drugs that have been smuggled in off the streets. OTH if the big pharmaceutical companies and the government get involved, they might cost even more.

DonHo

[shoottx]

The challenge in all of this is back to that same common thread that runs through most social debates and that is "personal responsibility".

Where in all of this discussion are we talking about the personal responsibility. With cigarettes and alcohol, both of which are government controlled, we have lost the war on personal responsibility. If a person over uses either and the runs in to problems the answer is not to take personal responsibility for your own actions it is to sue some one. Starta class action suit and blame the cigarette manufactures. Get drunk, get in a wreck, sue the bar or the hostess that carelessly over served you. The costs related to drunk driving are astronomical, death, disability etc.

All of that said, prohibition proved outlawing alcohol didn't work and it gave us the Mafia. Trying to out law some of the other casual use drugs have created the drug cartels and contributed to problems.

So do we give it to the government to run? When the government seized one of the famous brothels in Nevada for back taxes and tried to run it it went bankrupt. So the government can't sell booze and Sex successfully so why do you think we should put them in charge of legal drugs.

[Kristofor]

I'll start with full disclosure that I have never once used an illegal drug of any kind (****, out of the running for Prez.). That said, I know the approach we're using now has been a disaster... Today we have spent billions without doing anything to significantly improve the overall situation. I'm not sure if legalization is the best approach, or if decriminalization (remove the prison component) or something else is better, but doing more of the same is insane.

Are there people who can be successful with a recreational drug habbit? Sure, I know a dozen or more successful senior managment and technical people at a previous employer who would smoke weed and/or do coke at parties fairly frequently. I know that it has the ability to spiral out of control for some folks too.

Are there drug users who have ruined their lives and those around them? Of course. Are there people who have done the same thing with addictions to tobacco, alcohol, lottery tickets, or shopping? Heck yeah!

Our current system tries to provide treatment for the addiction in some cases sure, but it doesn't seem to make that the first priority. I'm not trying to be "soft of crime", but rather to be pragmatic. If I can spend $100K per year to keep some deadbeat in prison for 5 years, or $75K per year to treat him/her, and provide intensive support for 3 years until they get their act together I guess I'd pick tha latter...

I'd also be clear that being high or wanting to be high isn't an excuse for your actions. If you break in and steal something or are messed up and plow your car into someone you should go to jail for those crimes still...

[gjat]

The only arguement FOR legalization is the mythical arguemnt the War on Drugs has not accomplished anything. Let's see some logical evidence to defend that position. How can you say the WoD hasn't done anything? How can you prove or disprove any sort of deterent factor?

How many people currently don't use drugs that would have used drugs if they were legalized? At it's foundation, the argument is unquantifiable.

[crokett]

The challenge in all of this is back to that same common thread that runs through most social debates and that is "personal responsibility".

QFT. When I was in college I was assigned the task of writing an argument that supported the legalization of drugs for a debate class. During my research I concluded that drugs should not be legalized. We as a society are not responsible enough, even with alchohol, and alchohol isn't quite as addictive plus it gives you immediate and painful feedback when you abuse it. I ended up convincing my professor to let me argue the point that drugs should not be legalized. I still feel the same way.