I've been held up by a group of heroin addicts at knife-point and lived in an area with houses that often had dead bodies and beaches full of needles. I'd say it was far worse than most crime-ridden areas of the US back in the 90s. So I know how laughable the fight against drugs actually is, it doesn't do anything. Try again. The only way to realistically reduce drug addiction is to improve the lives of people.
You can prove a dealer if you buy from them. They won't be legally selling crack at your local pot shop. I did expect that they would eventually legalize marijuana and be selling it at places similar to liquor stores. Society basically made a decision that marijuana use wasn't really any worse than alcohol (which I tend to agree with). Many people don't know this, but alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States behind smoking and obesity. Society would be better off without tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, drugs, unhealthy food, etc, but I think the common viewpoint is to draw the line at hard drugs, because they have the addictiveness of nicotine with the danger of binge drinking. I don't have any kids, but I'm not too worried about myself getting killed by a druggie looking to score. I live in the city of Tampa. I pass by homeless addicts all the time. Never had an issue. Prison doesn't reform drug addicts. It makes them worse. After prison they have a record and can't get a job. What do people do when they can't get a job? Go back to drugs. We've been locking up people for drugs for years. Has it worked?
So using the let out of jail free card is the answer to drug use and improving the lives of people. I guess that would also apply for rapists, ect? Let them out of jail to improve their lives also? I say no. For some, getting thrown in jail might be the one step they need to stop using and get their lives back together. Putting them back on the street and telling them it's okay is not a good deterrent.
Nothing hurts a person more who's trying to get their life back together than giving them a criminal record. Rapists are violent criminals. They're not in the same category as somebody who does drugs. If the drug user commits violent acts then they should go to prison like anybody else.
Liberal states want marijuana stores so they can make money from peoples drug addiction. It's only a matter of time before they sell other drugs. Alcohol is bad. Marijuana mixed with alcohol is even worse. Maybe we should add some coke to the list? Tobacco is being taxed to hell and that is good. It makes for less nicotine fiends. I believe big giant tubs of soda pop are not allowed in NY anymore? Good. Not so sure most of the local druggies end up in prison? I was thinking the local jail. We had a hard core junkie living next door to us that spent time in jail. The people next door are Christians who help people like him make it when they get out of jail. He is doing fine from what I can see. That is the kind of help the people need. You do bad with drugs? You go to jail and then get help when you get out. On second thought, maybe skipping the jail part might be good. But there has to be something besides just letting them out and not having any repercussions.
Skipping the jail part is what decriminalization is about. We need treatment. I believe the bill in Oregon is they have to pay a fine or go to treatment. They're not to just be ignored smoking crack out and shooting heroin in the open.
Okay. I was surprised to think they would be letting people off scott free. Paying a fine to help others for treatment or going to treatment sounds fine to me.
People start abusing hard drugs out of desperation, not the other way around. Rapists are violent criminals, in what universe does it equal someone using drugs? It sounds to me like you're basing your drug world knowledge on movies and propaganda, nothing to do with reality. Most drug users have full-time jobs, often families and so forth. They have never robbed anyone. One guy buys beer or sips whiskey at the bar, other one snorts a line of coke in a office bathroom. It's completely arbitrary that one is legal and the other is not.
I appreciate you keeping it civil so we can discuss this. Druggies do have victims, you are correct. They tend to rob and steal, commit assault, etc. Not always, sometimes they're just users. Stealing is a crime. Assault is a crime. Possession of the substance does no harm to anyone other than the person using it. Thus, victimless. Possession shouldn't be illegal. Prosecute all other crimes accordingly. I agree 100% that life without drugs is fine. But not everyone sees life as you and I do.