Why not legalize all drugs?

[Confounding]

The War on Drugs is a failure. That is an almost universally accepted truth. Opiate and methamphetamine use is on the rise despite all of our many harsh drug laws. Despite the fact that we spend 80 billion dollars a year fighting drugs. Why keep fighting it? Didn't we learn from prohibition? Our drug war is a boon to organized crime; without it their world falls apart. How will drug lords make a living without illegal drugs? How will dangerous gangs continue to thrive without the illegal drugs they sell? We need to accept that people that want to do drugs are going to do them regardless of the law. After accepting that we need to collectively realize that the most logical option is to stop wasting so many resources fighting them. Instead we should be profiting from them. If we ended the drug war and legalized/taxed drugs we would generate/save a huge amount of money.

"If drugs are legal more kids will use them."

Marijuana use among teenagers has gone down in states that have legalized. Most high school students will tell you it's harder to get a 6 pack than it is to get drugs. Why? Because drugs dealers don't care who they are selling to. A business is going to have to follow laws that won't allow them to sell to minors. Yes, there are loopholes and some minors will still get drugs, but it's a hurdle that doesn't currently exist.

"If drugs are legal our society will be nothing but a bunch of burnouts"

I don't know about any of you, but my decision not to use heroin, meth or some equally bad drug has absolutely nothing to do with the legal status. I don't use them because using them is stupid, and I very much believe most of society chooses not to use those drugs for the same reason. They should be legalized, but like cigarettes we should teach kids about how horrible they are and what they can do to your life. People need to make decisions on their own. It's not the government's place to decide for us what is or isn't an acceptable habit.

 

[Andylusion]

The War on Drugs is a failure. That is an almost universally accepted truth. Opiate and methamphetamine use is on the rise despite all of our many harsh drug laws. Despite the fact that we spend 80 billion dollars a year fighting drugs. Why keep fighting it? Didn't we learn from prohibition? Our drug war is a boon to organized crime; without it their world falls apart. How will drug lords make a living without illegal drugs? How will dangerous gangs continue to thrive without the illegal drugs they sell? We need to accept that people that want to do drugs are going to do them regardless of the law. After accepting that we need to collectively realize that the most logical option is to stop wasting so many resources fighting them. Instead we should be profiting from them. If we ended the drug war and legalized/taxed drugs we would generate/save a huge amount of money.

"If drugs are legal more kids will use them."

Marijuana use among teenagers has gone down in states that have legalized. Most high school students will tell you it's harder to get a 6 pack than it is to get drugs. Why? Because drugs dealers don't care who they are selling to. A business is going to have to follow laws that won't allow them to sell to minors. Yes, there are loopholes and some minors will still get drugs, but it's a hurdle that doesn't currently exist.

"If drugs are legal our society will be nothing but a bunch of burnouts"

I don't know about any of you, but my decision not to use heroin, meth or some equally bad drug has absolutely nothing to do with the legal status. I don't use them because using them is stupid, and I very much believe most of society chooses not to use those drugs for the same reason. They should be legalized, but like cigarettes we should teach kids about how horrible they are and what they can do to your life. People need to make decisions on their own. It's not the government's place to decide for us what is or isn't an acceptable habit.

Honestly, getting smokes and alcohol, was really super easy when I was in school. Way easier to get sticks and beer, than illegal drugs.

Youth pot use in Colorado, has gone up, not down.

Fed study says pot use by youth on rise in Colorado, leads nation

And right now in Ohio, we have 23 kids dying each week from Heroin.

It's a real hard sell to the voters, let alone trying to convince me, that if we legalized it, all those kids would somehow go "oh this is boring now, we should stay clean".

Heroin epidemic kills at least 23 Ohioans each week

So the reality we see, and the Utopia you claim... just doesn't seem to match up.

 

[Stephanie]

Heck they might as well. Looking at the voters in this day and age coming out of the Universities/commie camps. they sound like they smoke a pound of weed a day. lol

Half of them don't even know who the Vice President of the country is.

 

[Confounding]

Heroin epidemic kills at least 23 Ohioans each week

.

Heroin is killing all of those people despite the fact that it's illegal. I think when it all boils down illegal drugs create a worse situation than legal drugs would. We would eviscerate the black market and organized crime if we legalized. It would also create a ton of businesses that would employ a lot of people.

 

[Stephanie]

Heroin epidemic kills at least 23 Ohioans each week

.

Heroin is killing all of those people despite the fact that it's illegal. I think when it all boils down illegal drugs create a worse situation than legal drugs would. We would eviscerate the black market and organized crime. It would also create a ton of businesses that would employ a lot of people.

oh boy, just the kind of business I want to avoid. good grief have any of you dealt with a drug addict? . Colorado is already having problems with their legal pot from what I've been seeing

 

[Confounding]

oh boy, just the kind of business I want to avoid. good grief have any of you dealt with a drug addict? . Colorado is already having problems with their legal pot from what I've been seeing

People are going to do the drugs either way. It sucks that people are foolish enough to make that decision, but the fact is they will, and a controlled setting that destroys the black market and makes us money is way better than the out of control mess that we're wasting 80 billion dollars a year on currently.

 

[Centinel]

I guess it all boils down to the question of Who owns your body? You or the government?

 

[Confounding]

Oh, and don't even get me started on the hypocrisy of legal alcohol. Booze is obviously far worse than weed, and arguably worse than a lot of other illegal drugs too.

 

[1stRambo]

The War on Drugs is a failure. That is an almost universally accepted truth. Opiate and methamphetamine use is on the rise despite all of our many harsh drug laws. Despite the fact that we spend 80 billion dollars a year fighting drugs. Why keep fighting it? Didn't we learn from prohibition? Our drug war is a boon to organized crime; without it their world falls apart. How will drug lords make a living without illegal drugs? How will dangerous gangs continue to thrive without the illegal drugs they sell? We need to accept that people that want to do drugs are going to do them regardless of the law. After accepting that we need to collectively realize that the most logical option is to stop wasting so many resources fighting them. Instead we should be profiting from them. If we ended the drug war and legalized/taxed drugs we would generate/save a huge amount of money.

"If drugs are legal more kids will use them."

Marijuana use among teenagers has gone down in states that have legalized. Most high school students will tell you it's harder to get a 6 pack than it is to get drugs. Why? Because drugs dealers don't care who they are selling to. A business is going to have to follow laws that won't allow them to sell to minors. Yes, there are loopholes and some minors will still get drugs, but it's a hurdle that doesn't currently exist.

"If drugs are legal our society will be nothing but a bunch of burnouts"

I don't know about any of you, but my decision not to use heroin, meth or some equally bad drug has absolutely nothing to do with the legal status. I don't use them because using them is stupid, and I very much believe most of society chooses not to use those drugs for the same reason. They should be legalized, but like cigarettes we should teach kids about how horrible they are and what they can do to your life. People need to make decisions on their own. It's not the government's place to decide for us what is or isn't an acceptable habit.

Yo, I agree, that would eliminate a Slew of Mini Socialist Puppets!!!

"GTP"

 

[Pogo]

Portugal's Experiment in Drug Decriminalization Has Been a Success

​

 

[1stRambo]

Portugal's Experiment in Drug Decriminalization Has Been a Success

​

Yo, this is America, not Portugal, DAH! This Country is all about the Dollar, you get poison? Tough Shit!!!

"GTP"
Follow The Money!

 

[Pogo]

Portugal's Experiment in Drug Decriminalization Has Been a Success

​

Yo, this is America, not Portugal, DAH! This Country is all about the Dollar, you get poison? Tough Shit!!!

"GTP"
Follow The Money!

That makes no sense whatsoever, and I'm not even referring to "yo".

Portugal is given as an example of a country that tried this road and made it work.
You don't like things that work? Tough shit.

Fun fact: Portugal is also the setting in my avatar.

 

[1stRambo]

Portugal's Experiment in Drug Decriminalization Has Been a Success

​

Yo, this is America, not Portugal, DAH! This Country is all about the Dollar, you get poison? Tough Shit!!!

"GTP"
Follow The Money!

That makes no sense whatsoever, and I'm not even referring to "yo".

Portugal is given as an example of a country that tried this road and made it work.
You don't like things that work? Tough shit.

Fun fact: Portugal is also the setting in my avatar.

Yo, Dip-Shit? What is the Population difference? I Rest My Case!

"GTP"

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

People are slowly coming to this realization, but like everything, it will take time.

 

[Pogo]

Portugal's Experiment in Drug Decriminalization Has Been a Success

​

Yo, this is America, not Portugal, DAH! This Country is all about the Dollar, you get poison? Tough Shit!!!

"GTP"
Follow The Money!

That makes no sense whatsoever, and I'm not even referring to "yo".

Portugal is given as an example of a country that tried this road and made it work.
You don't like things that work? Tough shit.

Fun fact: Portugal is also the setting in my avatar.

Yo, Dip-Shit? What is the Population difference? I Rest My Case!

"GTP"

I'll tell you what the population difference is without even looking it up --- it's IRRELEVANT, that's exactly what it is.

You don't have a case to rest.

"GFY"

 

[Andylusion]

Heroin epidemic kills at least 23 Ohioans each week

.

Heroin is killing all of those people despite the fact that it's illegal. I think when it all boils down illegal drugs create a worse situation than legal drugs would. We would eviscerate the black market and organized crime if we legalized. It would also create a ton of businesses that would employ a lot of people.

Right... again... the argument you are trying to make that "if we made it legal, they would all get bored with it, and stay clean" is hard to sell.

And see, you are making a case, that seems to contradict your prior complaint.

If you made it legal, and you had a major "walmart-like" company selling heroin legally, with slick advertising everywhere... would more, or fewer, teens be dying every week from Heroin?

I'd suggest more. At least with it illegal, you can get the police to take them away, where they could get help. But if you made heroin legal, what exactly do you think you can do to stop your kids from overdosing on heroin? Nothing. They are not doing anything illegal now. All you can do is watch them die.

Again, Colorado to me, proves this point. They legalized pot. Has the black market gone away? Largely yes. But has that resulted in fewer people high on pot 24/7? No. Now more people than ever, are ruining their lives, destroying their families, high on pot all the time.

 

[Andylusion]

I guess it all boils down to the question of Who owns your body? You or the government?

Well ok.... you want to play that card... fine.

If you want to claim "It's my body, and I can do what I want to" game... ok. But here's the deal, you can do what you want to, but you 100% own the responsibility for your body.

So when you get AIDs, and demand treatment... you pay for it... or you don't get it. You just die.

You have a heart attack from heroin, someone calls 911 "help we have a drug overdose", and they say "Ok, call a hearse. Bye". You just die.

You decide that you want to surf in high seas when no life guards are on duty, and you get sucked out to sea "Help a surfer is in trouble!" and they say "That sucks. Hope you can find a boat and go get him. Have a nice day".

This is my problem....

The people who want to legalize drugs, want to be able to "do what I want with my body!" but then they don't want to face the consequences. They want me and the rest of society, to pay for the health care, and the rescue services, and so on, to protect those druggies from their choices.

That's the issue. If we didn't have to pay for your drugged up butt, we wouldn't care as much what you did. But when you demand we pay for you... then yeah, I have a problem with that.

 

[Centinel]

Well ok.... you want to play that card... fine.

If you want to claim "It's my body, and I can do what I want to" game... ok. But here's the deal, you can do what you want to, but you 100% own the responsibility for your body.

So when you get AIDs, and demand treatment... you pay for it... or you don't get it. You just die.

You have a heart attack from heroin, someone calls 911 "help we have a drug overdose", and they say "Ok, call a hearse. Bye". You just die.

I'm fine with that arrangement.

 

[Andylusion]

Well ok.... you want to play that card... fine.

If you want to claim "It's my body, and I can do what I want to" game... ok. But here's the deal, you can do what you want to, but you 100% own the responsibility for your body.

So when you get AIDs, and demand treatment... you pay for it... or you don't get it. You just die.

You have a heart attack from heroin, someone calls 911 "help we have a drug overdose", and they say "Ok, call a hearse. Bye". You just die.

I'm fine with that arrangement.

I'm fine with it too. But until that happens, I get a say in what you do. Too bad. Get all your buddies, and your lobbying groups, to support eliminating all social benefits to druggies, and I'll vote for your bill.

Until then, the Ohio campaign to legalize drugs was shot down. We have so many kids clogging up our Emergency services, and ERs, and hospitals and rehab centers, that quite frankly, I'm just as happy to toss them all in jail, and forget about them.

 

[Confounding]

If you made it legal, and you had a major "walmart-like" company selling heroin legally, with slick advertising everywhere... would more, or fewer, teens be dying every week from Heroin?

Cigarette ads are banned on T.V and the radio. The same should obviously apply to the drugs if they were legalized. Cigarette use in the U.S is actually going down, likely because of the ad ban and the fact that we teach kids that they are bad. I think if we did it right we could actually see drug use go down. I think you are naive to assume harsh laws and prison time are the only way to limit drug use.

I'd suggest more. At least with it illegal, you can get the police to take them away, where they could get help. But if you made heroin legal, what exactly do you think you can do to stop your kids from overdosing on heroin? Nothing. They are not doing anything illegal now. All you can do is watch them die.

It would be illegal for kids to do heroin. Also if it were legal it'd be easy to keep records of who is buying how much. That'd probably make it easier to figure out who the addicts are so we can try to get them some help.

Now more people than ever, are ruining their lives, destroying their families, high on pot all the time.

You sound like somebody that has never smoked pot before. The black market going away is huge and the value of such a thing cannot be understated.