Quote from hapaboy:
I used to be firmly in the "drugs are bad, don't legalize them" camp. However, after looking at the results and studying the issue in a more objective manner, I now feel that legalization is the better way.
The "war on drugs" is a failure. Even DEA agents admit as much.
What good does it do to imprison somebody who is addicted to drugs and place him or her in an environment with rapists and murderers? Prisons should be for serious offenders, not addicts. I don't like the fact that overcrowding due to imprisoned addicts is leading to the early release of genuinely violent offenders who go out and kill and/or rape more innocents.
Why facilitate a process that leads to so much organized crime and all the associated misery?
Why spend billions of dollars on all of the above?
Why shouldn't someone with chronic pain be able to take drugs to manage that pain?
It is also hypocritical beyond belief that alcohol and tobacco are not currently illegal as well.
Legalize, regulate, and tax. Perhaps it will result in less crime, less overcrowded prisons, and enable those who need help to get it. I don't see the harm in trying something new, especially since the old way is utterly ineffective.
(Discussion of this issue on ET has helped bring me to this new conclusion. Yes, even with all the ad hominem flying around, occasionally one is able to sift through the detritus and learn something here. Thanks especially to RM and others for sharing their experiences and viewpoints.)
