[Curtman]

Wonder if stiffer penalties would end the drug war?

[Public_Domain]

[Yogi]

WAR ON DRUGS What a crock of shit! It's akin to running around in the jungle with a fly swatter. The only ones who think, or would have us believe they are accomplishing anything are those who manufacture 'fly swatters; those who sell fly swatters, and those who are running around swinging the fly swatters!

[Curtman]

I think I'm endangering this thread for popcorn status.. Hahaha

Sorry if it's over the top.

[Public_Domain]

[Arctic_Menace]

I like the education my parents gave me.

"We know you're not an idiot, and you know we're not idiots either. Be smart about experimenting with drugs and educate yourself. However, if you ever so much as TRY heroin, meth or crack, your ass is going on the streets. Also, if you don't smoke cigarettes by the time your 21, I'll give you $2000."

Threats, bribery and free reign. Best parents ever.

[Public_Domain]

[Curtman]

Mr_Canada Mr_Canada:

Arctic_Menace Arctic_Menace:

I like the education my parents gave me.

"We know you're not an idiot, and you know we're not idiots either. Be smart about experimenting with drugs and educate yourself. However, if you ever so much as TRY heroin, meth or crack, your ass is going on the streets. Also, if you don't smoke cigarettes by the time your 21, I'll give you $2000."

Threats, bribery and free reign. Best parents ever.

Similar, except I didn't need money to know not to waste any on cigarettes,

My parents separated when I was 4, my mom was diagnosed with cancer 3 times while I was growing up, my brother and I moved between family members in the meantime. I made bad choices, and got involved with bad people, and saw the evil that they do. I got away and hid from them for a few years. These days I'm free from them, and I'm free to speak about it I hope.

[GreenTiger]

Curtman Curtman:

We already have a plan in place for alcohol.

Legalize, regulate, and tax.

The tax revenue plus the savings from ending the war on drugs can go toward fighting real crime.

That would make sense in the states as well, but the block heads in Washington will
never figure that one out.

I would love to see the financial incentive for the drug lords get knocked out
from under them.

[GreenTiger]

Curtman Curtman:

Wonder if stiffer penalties would end the drug war?

Booze is out in Iran, but you can smoke grass?

[Dayseed]

Curtman Curtman:

We don't have alcohol smugglers shooting each other in the street.

Tobacco, we have real statistics to show that education, regulation, and taxation can work to reduce usage.

The violence from the black market movie industry is negligible too I think.

Which unfortunately highlights what a bad job the government does identifying to the public just who is smuggling booze and smokes. A lot of it comes from the Hell's Angels and other biker gangs. If you think they're not shooting each other; you're wrong.

I will agree there doesn't seem to be too many movie-related murders in the courts right now. However, it does illustrate that its the profit of these in-demand items that fuels the crimes, not the mere illegality of whatever the commodity happens to be.

$1:

Crooks won't trade it, because legitimate businesses will.

I disagree. If you're correct that crooks don't concern themselves when legitimate business trade in a commodity, explain pirated movies, videogames, stolen cars, sawed-off airbags, hacked/cracked cellphones et cetera.

$1:

Crooks do it now because the price is inflated, and they have a monopoly on the market. The way criminals operate now, they sort out their problems outside of the law. They protect their interests that way as well. When Molson wants to increase sales, they don't do a drive by at Labatt's.

Um, all of the above is beside the point that criminals will continue to trade in marijuana despite it being legalized. If your next point is somehow that violence is linked to the illegality I again direct you to the many adventures of outlaw motorcycle gangs and the Calabrian/Sicilian mob.

[andyt]

Sure, if you legalize pot, there will be people who grow it and then try to sell it without paying taxes. And there will have to be enforcement around that. But if illegal tobacco selling were all that the gangstas were up to, (ie take illegal drugs out of the equation) there wouldn't be many gangstas and they wouldn't reap nearly the profits nor would they find it profitable to shoot each other for them. It would be a minor annoyance, not the problem illegal drugs are now.

Legalizing drugs won't create heaven on earth. It might even have some negative consequences (greater use). But over all it will be a lot better than what we've got now. Put the extra profits and lower policing/jail costs first and foremost to drug treatment and use prevention.

[desertdude]

Arctic_Menace Arctic_Menace:

, if you don't smoke cigarettes by the time your 21, I'll give you $2000.

So did they pay up ?

[BigKeithO]

andyt andyt:

Sure, if you legalize pot, there will be people who grow it and then try to sell it without paying taxes. And there will have to be enforcement around that.

Why will there have to be enforcement around that? Last time I checked plenty of people brewed their own beer and made their own wine. They aren't paying taxes on that and no one seems to care. Pot is somehow different? Or are you talking about large scale grow-op's?

[BigKeithO]

Dayseed Dayseed:

However, it does illustrate that its the profit of these in-demand items that fuels the crimes, not the mere illegality of whatever the commodity happens to be.

So it is the profit that motivates the sale of these items. Got it.

Dayseed Dayseed:

I disagree. If you're correct that crooks don't concern themselves when legitimate business trade in a commodity, explain pirated movies, videogames, stolen cars, sawed-off airbags, hacked/cracked cellphones et cetera.

Wait a minute... Didn't you just say it was profit that motivated these people? Why are you lumping pirated movies, video games and "cracked" cellphones in this list then? Who is making money on the pirated stuff? Last I checked anyone could do this from the comfort of their own home, I've yet to have someone try to sell me pirated movies, music or games. As for cracking a cellphone, a data cable and Google will give you everything you need to do it. Examples of illegal behavior being done for free tend to water down your argument about for profit. Stick with the scarce items (airbags and stolen cars) and it sounds a little better.