That's not true. There are many people I know that smoke in moderation. Sure, many people can't control themselves and smoke more, but whose fault is that? I don't know, maybe the people who smoke them. That's like me saying that sex is addictive so that is why I go out and rape women. There are warnings all over every pack of cigarettes. If you smoke them, you know you are going to get addicted. But it's your choice and you have a right to make that choice. But don't even try to make me feel sorry for the poor tobacco smokers who didn't think they were going to get addicted. That is like me doing cocaine and thinking I won't get high. Come on man, you can do better then that. As for how much money the gov't makes on tobacco, they might make a lot on the front end, but it cost them a fortune on the back end. In the end, it's the tobacco companies themselves that make all the money, not the government.
Regarding the hard drugs, execute drug dealers who possess X amount of heroin, cocaine, crack, crystal meth, etc. Make that X amount reasonable to differentiate between a user and a dealer. Also execute the traffickers, those that launder their money, the pilots and speedboat drivers, the mules who smuggle the shit...you get the picture. (Oh yeah, let's not forget the filth that rape women after knocking them out by putting that drug in their drink - execute them too, but castrate them first.) Make it clear that if you abet the illegal drug industry in any way, you will die. Really make it a drug "war." Shoot 'em in the back of the head and charge the family for the bullet as they do in China. Or hang 'em like the Malays. No need for millions in litigation and expensive methods like intravenous injections. BTW, regarding users, I don't think any measure will be able to curb demand as a large segment of our population has an unquenchable thirst for self-destruction. Treatment and education need to remain in place and expanded - please note that I am NOT advocating a "kill-the-dealers-and-end-treatment/education" by any means. Let's continue treating addicts but at the same time make the pusher/dealer side risk their very lives for their livelihood. BTW, this was discussed extensively last year in ET: http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14723&perpage=6&pagenumber=1
Mav, The depths of your ignorance and your amazing way of spinning, ducking, weaving and talking out of the side of your mouth has rendered me completely speechless. I have nothing more to say to you other than if this trading thing dosen't work out for you then you should most def go into politix, sadly your exactly the type of didlo that thrives in that arena.
Yes, ever since alcoholic beverages were re-legalized in 1932, America has been sooo plauged by the scourge of black-market moonshine dealers. Mav, you have no leg to stand on here, give it up. ....and hapa, drug traffickers should not be executed, they should be recognized as the courageous freedom-fighting heroes that they are. Their faces should be put on postage stamps in their honor. No...I'm not joking. Who does more to fight for your freedom to Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness- the drug supplier, or the DEA narc scumbags who use your tax dollars to foster an Orwellian Nanny State which devotes $50 Billion/year to rob us of our freedoms?
And you still haven't answered my question on the first page. LOL. I had no idea when I first asked it that it would be so controversial. It was a simple question. Oh and btw, would I be willing to give up my healthcare rights to do whatever drugs I wanted without the gov't interfering in my life? The answer is Yes. You keep acting as if I'm on some kind of crusade against drug users or something and I'm not, I just don't want to pay higher taxes and higher healthcare costs. Is this so hard for you to understand? I believe in personal freedoms in this country but not at the expense of the US taxpayer. This is why I do not support universal healthcare, free education, and gov't sponsored abortions. You know this yet you continue to act as if you don't know I'm a diehard anti-tax conservative. Smoke all the joints you want, just don't pass the buck to me. Got it? Good. Good trading.
Hey hey hey! Calm down. Maverick has a point. I know plenty of people who smoke in moderation. In fact, I don't smoke, but if I go out drinking, I might have one or two cigarettes. This doesn't cause me to go out and buy a pack and start a habit, though. When it comes to weed, I can't think of one person in my life who hasn't tried it at least once. I know plenty of people who do it somewhat regularly, including people who are productive. It really amazes me how our government can spend millions and millions of dollars on an anti-drug campaign targeting weed, yet they just let the tobacco industry have at it. Well, it doesn't amaze me because the all-mighty dollar is behind it. Instead of paying $50 for an eighth, they could legalize it, sell it in a controlled fashion like they do cigarettes, and collect an amazing amount of taxes from it. Have you seen some of the pathetic PSA (public service announcements) our government has done for weed? They made one commercial that portrayed weed as a date-rape drug where the woman can't say no because she's too high. Give me a break! If you want to go down *that* road, then surely alcohol has been used in that fashion much more effectively since the Greek civilization. The war on drugs is bullshit. You have an act of government criminalizing a substance that naturally causes that substance's price to increase due to supply/demand. Since that substance now costs much more, it is harder to obtain and guess what -- crime increases! So now we have more crime! The government is under the mistaken idea that by legalizing soft-drugs, that everyone is suddenly going to run out, get high and sit around all day eating cheesie-puffs while watching simpson re-runs. It doesn't quite work like that. cigarettes are legal, but does everyone smoke them? Alcohol is legal, but is everyone getting drunk all the time? The biggest problem with the drug war is simply put like this -- the government doesn't trust you to make responsible decisions and therefore makes the decisions for you. I don't think there is anything morally reprehensible when someone on a Friday night decides to smoke a bowl. In fact, if you're in the privacy of your own house and you aren't affecting anyone else's life, you should be able to pop any pill under the sun or smoke any kind of weed, plant, shroom your heart desires because it is *your* life. There are a growing number of people who want weed legalized and it is not because they are pot-heads. Simply, it is because the more intelligent people realize that the amount of money we piss away in our current system chasing users is a complete waste. I don't have any cold hard facts and I hate to make numbers up, but I easily bet that over 10% of our prison population could be released right now without any severe consequence to our society because they were simply non-violent offenders that got caught up in a bullshit war to help make our streets safer from people high on weed in search of cheesie-puffs.
I'll assume you really aren't joking: The drug supplier does not fight for my basic freedoms - he/she/they fight solely for their profit. They infest this nation's communities with poison and cause untold misery to millions. Give me a break. The dealers are "courageous freedom-fighting heroes" and the DEA personnel are "narc scumbags" huh? You've got your heroes and villians all mixed up.
questions to anyone who can answer: if you eat weed, is the high as good as smoking it? do you need the same amount? basically, what are the differences if you eat it? i say this because i am generally not someone who likes to smoke (lung damage). thanks
Then what you are saying is BOOZE should be illegal....considering it has killed far more people than Marijuana ever has. Who do you think has to pay for scraping mr boozed up from the pavement floor when he slams his car into a pole??? I say legalize marijuana....anything other hard drug is going to take some serious debating about.....
No EL, you are putting words in my mouth. I am not making a legalization argument for or against any drug. Hell, if it were up to me, I say legalize all drugs hard and soft. Who are you to say what drugs should or should not be legal? What I am saying is that people who abuse drugs should be on their own as far as health insurance goes. Very simple. I don't understand all the confusion here. And btw, I think the same goes for tobacco smokers, heavy drinkers and obese people. My argument really has nothing to do with drugs specifically, but rather people who choose to live unhealthy lifestyles. This country is becoming so socialistic. We tax the rich to help the poor, and we tax the healthy to pay for the unhealthy. Do you have any any idea what it cost for a healthy male in this country to get basic coverage with a $1000 deductible. And by healthy I mean, works out 5 days a week in the gym, 10% bodyfat or less, no cholesterol problems, no blood pressure problems, no family history of medical problems. It's a joke. Something like $250 a month on the low end. And do you know why? Because I have to pay for all the people in this country who choose not to take care of their body. So instead of charging them what they really should be charging them, they charge me more. I had no idea I was living in France! F*ck man, at least in France I get a 35 hour work week, 4 months of vacation a year and free healthcare. We basically have socialized medicine in this country except without all the benefits. And we let the heathy people pay for it. Figures huh. Look, if we are going to have full blown socialism in this country, let's at least be honest about it and make it public so those of us that don't want to live here can move to a different country. Let's stop pretending.