IS THE WAR ON DRUGS WORKING?

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In Russian History today (we just finished the Crimean War) we discussed the issues that caused the downfall of Russia as a great power, made veiled allusions connecting those issues to essentially identical ones in America today, laughed nervously, and moved on. Some of the problems Russia had were (a) massive budget deficits accumulated over several leaders (Reagan and W anyone?) (b) a tendency to get involved in no-win wars such as the one in Crimea (...Iraq?) (c) exemption of the wealthiest from taxation, (c) an insular, isolationist mentality that viewed Russia as superior to Europe and advocated that Russia not partake of reforms and innovations from abroad, and (d) sh***y monetary policy. The prof started to talk about what a horrible sign it was of the disintegration of the Russian economy to go off the gold standard, started to give a hypothetical example from the US, and then stopped after realizing that we haven't been on a gold standard since she was a very small child.

To teach that drugs are bad could be considered to be a very bad generalization. Coffee is a drug, tylenol is a drug, many of the foods we eat are drugs. Some pepsi and coke products contain phentlketoneurics, which has within it aspartame, which is thought by some to be a very negative substance. I believe it to be more poiniant/poignant to teach what the observed effects of specific substances are, both positive and negative. Marijuana can be bad for some people, though not all people. Some people really appreciate coffee and how it affects them, others are uncomfortable with the response this drug(caffeine) elicits. When it comes to health, both mental and physical, marijuana exhibits more positive properties than negative. Many im sure, would consider it to be an entheogen or mind expanding drug, just as coffee or tea enhance our senses to some degree. Yet the propagandist of the early 20th century attempted to demonize the substance. Possibly for personal or political gain. Of course their are other substance as well, some with more negatives than positives and others inversely so. I hope for our own sake, people begin to deprogram themselves from these generalized belief sets. I do not mean to offend Claire333, though this is what I believe. We each have an opinion that can ultimately develop into a more prosperous future for all of us.

Apperently not, nomm nomm nomm

history is scary when you realize you're stuck in reliving the wrong portion of it.

Well, as an authoritarian I would support the death penalty for people found with high amounts of deadly narcotics, but marijuana? Wtf dude. Come now. I would support banning marijuana if alcohol was illegal, but it's not...so.

All drugs should be legalised.

I say this not because I am pro drug use, as an ex heroin addict I am very opposed to drug use.

Continued drug use is a symptom of many causes, with mental health and social conditions arguably the biggest contributors. All the 'war on drugs' does is to send the manufacture and proliferation of drugs into the hands of criminals. This in turn forces the users to commit a variety of crimes to support their addiction. The only way to stop drug use is to fix the cause, this however needs a society that is concerned about social equality and the care and support of its mentally ill (believe me someone who is mentally well will not start sticking needles into their veins).

So whilst we are living in a society that in general does not give a s**t about its poor and unwell we will continue to have a war against them.

Recreational drug use is just part of human behaviour and will never be stopped, however I think that we need far better education on the dangers of so called soft drugs notably cannabis, and the long term effect of party drugs.

At the very least drug users should have safe injecting rooms made available so that overdoses and bad reactions can be treated quickly, party goers should be able to test their ecstasy, acid etc. so that they know what they are taking.

That's not true. That's just cynicism.

I happen to think it can be a very good generalization. I don't bring coffee or soda into my home, soda is a rare treat on the go, and the only first aid you will find is peroxide, bandaids, and tripple antibiotic cream. If you have a headache, then go lay down and chill out. I don't put pills in my mouth and I sure don't give them to my kids. I agree. There are lots of positives and negatives to drugs, but I don't see much positive in most of the illegal ones. I have no problem with pot as a controled substance for cancer patients who need it...just don't offer it to my kids. I also think it has proven to be pointless to be locking people up for years at a time for having it. I would also rather my kids not guzzle caffine, smoke or drink; I don't care if they are legal or not. This is most likely true. I would rather my kids remain programed, because they live in America and drugs are illegal. There are also plenty of people with your views who would gladly tell my child to try some pot...it won't do any harm. But the fact is, you really cannot get a good job anymore without passing a drug test, and most places also do random testing. I think loosing a job or resigning youself to a crappy job is too much to sacrifice regardless of how 'harmful' it may or may not really be. No offence taken at all. I'm really a 'to each his own' kind of person, but few drug dealers keep it their own. You have every right to your opinion.

In the person of Keith Richards, the war on drugs (WOD) is simultaneously working and not working.

So...it's assumed that you're opposing a narcotic on the grounds that it is deadly, and yet...you condone punishing its ownership with death?

And as for marijuana, smoking it is actually rather pleasant. I urge anyone who opposes it's decriminalization to try it at one point; getting high is enjoyable, but once you experience it you'll find that it's hardly worth all the fuss that these politicians are giving it.

Totally agree. Plus, there is more cocaine on Capitol Hill than there is in the whole of Columbia, and they're telling US that we can't smoke a joint with friends after working so hard to pay THEIR salaries??? F$ck you Bush and your wars that don't work.

How is it working at all?

Unless, lyk, your goal is to imprison people who scarcely do anything wrong and to put money into the pockets of organized crime.

Cause then it rawks my sawks.

It was one of Nancy Reagan's wonderful ideas pitched to her husband and became a part of the bread and butter for conservatives and its funny, I have a great many friends who are conservatives who - smoke, trip, party, and yes - they take their losses on supporting a party who's against it just because in most secular senses the rest of their views concur. I think the real trouble is that this sort of thing, everything in our culture really, needs to be thought out a lot more analytically and it will probably take hundreds of years to have things in scope rather than having arbitrary societal checks and taboos built in just to safeguard the ground where we haven't found enough answers yet. We already have signs that the sort of culture war and buffeting we're experiencing between leftism and rightism, religion and atheism, is providing brilliant and analytical minds that can have intelligent discourse on topics like these and actually further the general knowledge of those who are tuned in and can tell that they know what they're talking about - hopefully the more people unflinchingly examine truth the better our world will become in regard to honesty of of our condition and nature in all regards (and yes, substances in that regard could be viewed much more analytically).

As for the religious idea that drugs are a replacement for real happiness or struggle and that their sole potential (or most dominant of all) is to lead people off point into self-destructive hedonism and nihilism; just the opposite for me and a lot of people I know. Particularly when I used to trip I not only had a much deeper sense of things (physical and spiritual) but it was more where I could take everything I'd been going through in life, day in and day out, and piece it all together because I was viewing it from an outside perspective rather than being still too immersed and down-in-it to conduct that sort of assembly; in those senses it was always very productive - that and when I sobered up I was able to take that knowledge and even some of the added perspective with me to whatever degree I decided to underscore the importance and details of the experience.

Is it only the hard drug users among who have a problem with warring on drugs?

Claire333 stated
"I would rather my kids remain programed, because they live in America and drugs are illegal. There are also plenty of people with your views who would gladly tell my child to try some pot...it won't do any harm. But the fact is, you really cannot get a good job anymore without passing a drug test, and most places also do random testing. I think loosing a job or resigning youself to a crappy job is too much to sacrifice regardless of how 'harmful' it may or may not really be."

If Cannibas had not been illegaly criminalized in the first place it would not be illegal. Perhaps regulated. Though you would still have the option of educating your offspring about what your beliefs, alignments, and attitudes are. Relative to employment, I personaly will no longer "submit" to these corrupt policies. I base this on my own principles and believe that some, though not all, agree with this stance. If Cannibas were decriminalized today, I believe that our economy would experience growth economicly, spiritualy, and assuredly in the creative arts.

Last edited by Psimulus on 01 Oct 2008, 10:37 am, edited 1 time in total.

No. I consume no drugs beyond caffeine and alcohol and have no desire to. This does not change my stance.