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Re: Re: The War on Drugs
| quote: | Originally posted by prolikewhoa
the simple solution is to legalize drugs in the united states. why this is such a taboo idea i don't understand. yes, drugs can be dangerous. yes, there is crime associated with drug use and sale - BUT that crime would diminish greatly with legalization. for one, drugs would no longer be sold to children (of course some kids are still going to find a way, similar to how kids can find ways to get cigarettes and booze... but at least the drug dealer who was peddling coke at the jr. high would be out of business). the other main benefits are the enormous relief of the justice and prison system which are currently so overburdened with nonviolent drug offenses that real criminals are getting out every day to keep prisons from max capacity. that, and the amount of new taxable revenue, combined with the billions we have wasted on the war on drugs, we could be out of the recession in 20 years. i could go on and on.
//edit: pertaining to the article, military intervention without legalization is a horrible idea. you have to cut the source of income for the cartels. if they can't pay twisted fucks to do their dirty work, they WILL lose power. |
One of the "problems" with legalizing drugs is that you have a lot of people who are employed as a result of the war on drugs. Private prisons, correctional officer unions (CCPOA, for instance), not to mention public servants (e.g. Sheriff Joe Arpaio) whose positions are justified as a result of this "war", all have a stake in making sure drugs are kept illegal.
To the article & your edit: I don't think legalizing drugs is going to make a military intervention, in Mexico, more feasible. Regardless of whether they're legal or not, you will see some incredibly nasty shit that will make atrocities in Afghanistan and Iraq look far less horrific. In a lot of ways, what's happening in Mexico, right now, has already exceeded that threshold.
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my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012
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