Reply #60: Like cracking down on illicit black market drugs has ever worked.

[MadHound]

Face it, the human race seems to have an inherent need to change the state of its conciousness, and use everything from alcohol to acid to meth in order to do so. All that cracking down on a black market does is make the price of the product go up, instills more desperation in the users and addicts, and results in an ever increasing secondary crime wave that harms the surrounding society. How successful was Prohibition? How successful has the War on Drugs been? Prohibition led directly to an immense explosion in organized crime whose effects are still being felt today. The War on Drugs has taken away an ever increasing amount of civil rights and liberties from the ordinary citizen, made our cities and suburbs increasingly dangerous, and fueled an explosion of violence throughout our country.

And the funny thing is, neither Prohibition nor the War on Drugs ever decreased the usage of the substance that they were supposed to. Alcohol usage went up, drug use has gone up, the crimes associated with illegal drugs have gone up. So who wins? Certainly not the ordinary citizen. No, the winners in this game are our government, they get to further increase the scrutiny and oppression of their citizens, all in the name of the War on Drugs. They get to command massive sums of money for unknown purposes, all in the name of the War on Drugs. They get to seize citizens property for such petty reasons as having a joint in one's car or house. These forfeiture laws also benefit local and state law enforcement agencies, since they keep a share, and generally have the ability to purchase such property of their choice at auctions that are easily rigged. It benefits the legal industry. How many attorneys are employed in either defending or prosecuting drug cases? Millions.

Yet the vast majority of Americans fail to see any benefit from the War on Drugs. Instead, people like the OP are hassled and harassed while trying to take care of their health. Old car hobbyists like myself are hassled and harassed due to certain chemical purchases we make for our hobby. Crime is rampant as addicts try to get money to feed their habit. Violence ravages neighborhoods.

Now then, let's take a look at an alternative. In London and Amsterdam they have come up with a humane way of dealling with their heroin addicts. The addict comes into the city on the tube, stops by a govenment health center, gets their shot of heroin for the day, goes to work, is a happy, productive, tax paying worker, gets off work, stops back by the government health center and gets their evening shot, goes home on the tube, spends a comfortable, relaxing evening at home, and has a fine life. Gee, how enlightened.

We should legalize all drugs. If you legalize drugs like amphetimines, then speed freaks wouldn't have to turn to kitchen brewed trash like meth to feed their habit. If you legalize drugs, you can tax them, and use that money for real treatment and education programs. If you legalize drugs, you can eliminate a large part of our crime problem. If you legalize drugs we can all be free citizens in a free country again.

Sorry, but it is past time that we declare the War on Drugs a failure and legalize all drugs. Anything else is simply more of the same insanity.