Legalizing drugs in my hometown of El Paso???...

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-- Legalizing drugs in my hometown of El Paso???...

Posted by WhooCares on Jan-07-2009 17:57:

Legalizing drugs in my hometown of El Paso???...

REP. BETO O'ROURKE PROPOSED TO GET DRUGS LEGALIZED IN EL PASO.
CITY COUNCIL AGREED TO PASS IT UNANIMOUSLY!

Our Mayor, Mayor Cook Vetoed it.

quote:
Jan 6, 2009 03:43 PM EL PASO, Texas -- City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday expressing solidarity, sympathy and support for Juarez amid the drug violence. But Mayor John Cook vetoed the resolution hours after it passed due to an item one City Council representative added to the resolution at the last minute. Rep. Beto O'Rourke said at Tuesday's meeting that since nothing seems to be working, maybe it's time to look into drug legalization.

O'Rourke urged support of an honest and open debate on the legalization of drugs in the United States: "We need to say something that is a probably difficult for anyone to say, which is one, has the drug war been successful; two, if not should we continue it; and three, given that should we look at legalizing, controlling and taxing drugs and narcotics in the United States?" Cook told ABC-7 he decided to veto the resolution because that item detracted from the original intent of the resolution, which was to curb the violence in Juarez. In his veto, Cook said, "It is not realistic to believe that the United States Congress will seriously consider any broad based debate on the legalization of narcotics. That position is not consistent with community standards both locally and nationally. I urge Council to reconsider supporting the original wording as recommended by the Committee."

UTEP political science professor Tony Payan, who serves on the Committee on Border Relations, told City Council it was about time El Paso weighed in on the drug war in Juarez. So Council did, by signing off on a resolution that included supporting funding for law enforcement, stiff penalties for weapons trafficking and rehabilitation for drug offenders. Payan, who wrote the original resolution, said what is happening in Juarez is our problem, too.
"El Paso was too passive in our view. We had not said anything, we had not done anything as Juarez ended the year with 1,633 deaths," Payan said.

source:
CLICKY

Thoughts??

I personally do not know how legalizing a drug can curb tail the violence happening now across our border over in Juarez Mexico(and across Mexico for that matter)..
I haven't been to that shit hole in over a year now..

i mean, if we legalize a drug, wouldn't that give the cartels more leeway?(supply and demand) In my opinion, legalizing drugs should start IN Mexico. Hit the drug cartels where it hurts.

Posted by Lebezniatnikov on Jan-07-2009 18:07:

Supreme Court here you come.

Posted by Arbiter on Jan-07-2009 18:36:

Re: Legalizing drugs in my hometown of El Paso???...

quote:
Originally posted by DjWhooCares
i mean, if we legalize a drug, wouldn't that give the cartels more leeway?

No. There's a reason the cartels deal in illegal drugs, but not the legal variety: limited competition. They couldn't compete in the market for now-legal drugs. If now-illegal drugs were legalized, they would not be able to compete in that market, either.

Posted by Krypton on Jan-07-2009 18:40:

Re: Re: Legalizing drugs in my hometown of El Paso???...

quote:
Originally posted by Arbiter
No. There's a reason the cartels deal in illegal drugs, but not the legal variety: limited competition. They couldn't compete in the market for now-legal drugs. If now-illegal drugs were legalized, they would not be able to compete in that market, either.

They are the only suppliers and would be in a much better position in the market. Honestly, if I wanted, I could get almost any well-known narcotic I wanted here in El Paso, even though it's all illegal. It's not hard at all. So obviously, the prohibition policy is failed.

Posted by Psy-T on Jan-07-2009 18:50:

quote:
In his veto, Cook said, "It is not realistic to believe that the United States Congress will seriously consider any broad based debate on the legalization of narcotics. That position is not consistent with community standards both locally and nationally. I urge Council to reconsider supporting the original wording as recommended by the Committee."

that position isn't consistent? who are the council representing if not the local community?

Posted by Zild on Jan-08-2009 01:38:

I think the cartels need for the drugs to be illegal in order to secure immense profits. The battle over the drug trafficking corridors is fueling the violence. Of course there would still be groups who would deal in smuggling arms, people, and untaxed goods, but legalizing the drugs would go a long way to curb the money brought in by the major cartels.

As long as Americans are willing to pay for black market items there will be Mexicans willing to smuggle those goods for the right price.

Posted by Krypton on Jan-08-2009 03:03:

Geez. El Paso is one of the safest cities in America. I have yet to see a "ghetto" area of the town. But when I look at Juarez from UTEP, I see shacks and dirt roads as neighborhood streets. That place is a SHIT HOLE. With 1600 murders in 2008, it's like living next to Baghdad. And I'm not going to lie, the drugs are fucking pure.

Posted by Damerchi on Jan-08-2009 11:36:

if its legalized on a local level, that cant stop the DEA from swooping in does it? My frame of reference is what happened to various dispensaries in California, where the local cops just stood and watched the DEA break, enter, and seize all the ganja

Posted by Dale Gribble on Jan-08-2009 14:20:

quote:
Originally posted by Krypton
Geez. El Paso is one of the safest cities in America.

Dude my mother was born in Juarez and her side of the family live in El Paso, that whole friggin area is a sleaze pot- I hated living there in the 70s and haven't gone back since 2002.

I say give it back to Mexico.

The food is great

Posted by WhooCares on Jan-08-2009 15:06:

quote:
Originally posted by Dale Gribble
that whole friggin area is a sleaze pot

well, lets not make this into a bash el paso issue..
srsly el paso is not a bad place to live in..
a bit boring..yes..but its rlly safe n shit..

back to topic
at this point, we need to try ANYTHING, since all of mexico is corrupt.
these ******s do not care about who gets killed or how the drugs happen to make it past our borders..

i srsly hate these fucking drug cartels...

20 killings in juarez already in this new year...

Posted by Lebezniatnikov on Jan-08-2009 15:16:

If El Paso is so safe, why legalize drugs to make it less dangerous?

Posted by atbell on Jan-08-2009 19:12:

quote:
Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov
If El Paso is so safe, why legalize drugs to make it less dangerous?

Profits as they are shipped on to other counties?

I'm of the opinion that prohibition doesn't work. Unfortunately the economics of having a drug war are massive. Think of all the police jobs and cartel jobs that would not exist if there wasn't such a thing as 'prohibited' substances. Not to mention all those guns that wouldn't need to be sold.

That means there's a rather strong, and well armed, pro-prohibition lobby.

Posted by Zild on Jan-08-2009 22:16:

quote:
Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov
If El Paso is so safe, why legalize drugs to make it less dangerous?

The problem isn't in El Paso, but right across the river in Juarez. As an American who has family along the border on both sides I would love to be able to cross without fearing for my life or thinking I may be detained by the feds at the checkpoint for not having proper paper work, etc...