Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Justice Stevens speaks out for pot

Interesting take on the retiring supreme court justice and his public questioning of the war on drugs.

7 comments:

Cham said...

link not work.

iv1 said...

Fixed it, thanks.

John Galt said...

And suppose narcotics were to be legalized?

Then what, pray tell, do you intend to do about all the addicts breaking into homes & businesses in order to boost your property to feed their addictions?

I really do not think anyone would care about narcotics if their users didn't tend to become criminals in any event.

Suggestion: legalize the drug and then impose a lengthy mandatory prison sentence on anyone using or in possession of narcotics while engaged in a high-level misdemeanor or felony.

Cham said...

Not every drug user is breaking into homes to boost property. The majority of them are using the cash they earn to buy their drugs. Since I don't sin there is nothing I love more than a hefty sin tax. I'm big on legalizing drugs and taxing the beloved crap out of them.

We have addicts. Drugs, legal or illegal, will make some people into addicts. We have alcoholics, legalizing alcohol didn't increase or decrease the number of alcoholics. An alcoholic will always get his/her alcohol just as a drug addict will always get their drugs. However, making alcohol legal paved the way for AA, Al-Anon, rehab centers and open discussions about the affects of alcohol.

Legalizing drugs will bring the addict out of the basement and abandominium, where the situation can be discussed openly. The war on drugs is a disaster in so many ways. We have more prisons, more LEOs, more laws, more lawyers and more judges.....and much more crime. I'm willing to try something new. Where do we start?

Anonymous said...

Legalize drugs and the prices will drop. Supply and demand.

Drugs are expensive now due to the huge logistics/criminal enterprise needed to get them to the users.

John Galt said...

But understand that even if drug distribution becomes a government function, the commodity may be cheaper, but never free.

Addiction will still cost money, and addicts are likely to engage in crime to feed their habits.

Cham, I'm fine with the idea of sin-less users, but the criminals need to be pounded unmercifully.

John Galt said...

I will never buy into the notion that addiction is a medical problem and addicts should be treated the same as someone who contracts the measles.

Addiction (almost always) cannot happen unless you voluntarily admit the drug to your system.

That's your choice, and your problem.

The most interesting counterexample would be, for instance, newborn addicts who become addicted due to the conduct of the mother. They merit special treatment, and their mothers merit a special litle place in Hell.