signalsDeath To Drug Dealers...
February 25th 2007 23:53
A mayor wants to introduce legislation to seek the death penalty for convicted crack and heroin dealers. Don't start jumping for joy prematurely!
He also wants to legalize marijuana. Double-standards seem to have become a norm in politics. Marijuana may be considered the lesser of evils but it is still illegal, nonetheless! The fact that one wants to ban 'hardcore' and legalize a 'soft' drug makes one wonder about alterior motives. In other words, does the mayor use illegal marijuana, and can we believe him???
He also wants to legalize marijuana. Double-standards seem to have become a norm in politics. Marijuana may be considered the lesser of evils but it is still illegal, nonetheless! The fact that one wants to ban 'hardcore' and legalize a 'soft' drug makes one wonder about alterior motives. In other words, does the mayor use illegal marijuana, and can we believe him???
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by Mark Schultz
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I have seen extreme cases of both hard and soft drug junkies. I can tell you that crack and heroin are evil substances that destroy lives. Marijuana is not.
Look at the case in Amsterdam. The smoking of Marijuana there hasn't lead to a city in ruin, now has it? I don't even classify dope as a drug, at least not in the sense that amphetamines or opiates are drugs. They simply differ too much in destructive capability, and as such they have to be dealt with in different manners.
Look at the way prohibition ran it's course. Alcohol was banned, and a huge black market emerged. Now, alcohol is the most widespread drug in the world. But, with careful legal guidelines regarding production and consumption of alcohol, it hasn't destroyed our society. I believe marijuana and perhaps even ecstasy could be treated in the same manner.
Also, the implications for illegal drug producers. Legalize it, and the profit margins that they can command is diminished by a huge amount. There just isn't the incentive to produce outside the law when it is legal to produce. With all legal production, the government can control the prices through taxes, as they do with cigarettes, and spend this revenue to work on educational programs and rehab programs.
Yeah, we thought about this topic for a while.
As for the death penalty... I don't agree. Maybe for serial offenders, but working on the supply side of the equation isn't working. The legislation needs to focus on how you stop users, not dealers.
Comment by David
It was well worth worth posting this Post ...
Just to read Mark Schultz's reply ...
David ...
If you want to know about drugs? Ask a person who knows about them ...
If you want your toilet fixed? Ring a plumber ...
If you have a broken leg? Ring an MD.
If you have an eating disorder? Top yourself and put us all out of our misery ... ***
I love comments like Mark's ... The voice of authority and experience rings louder in my ears than the voice of theory ..
Comment by Mark Schultz
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I have nothing against those that are anti-drugs. I have met several people with legitimate criticisms, and I respect their opinions. In actual fact, Signals may have a legitimate gripe with the drug scene, but many people have a biased and unfounded hatred of our lifestyle, which is why I felt I had to make that post.
If that made no sense... I'm kinda drunk right now. I'm not a posterchild for functional druggies, but I do know people who have a vice or two and ae still geniuses, and I am a firm believer in the rights of users of certain classes of drugs.
Comment by signals
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My stories in case you miss them are mostly about STUPID things druggies do, I don't endorse nor condemn the usage, because it would make me a hypocrite in a sense.
Mark's arguements are nothing new. He brings up Amsterdam which is probably his Mecca, but has probably never been there to see if his 'theories' hold true. He obviously doesn't know the consequences that await for returning Americans when they are strip-searched by Customs just for saying they went to Amsterdam.
Mark, I'm not naive by any means and your arguements about legalizing pot aren't true. If it were legalized it would probably be given out by pharmasists. You'll get a 30 day amount and if you run out, tough! You may smoke an ounce a week and that may be all you get for a month. Plus now you're on a computer that monitors your usage.
Unlike cigarettes, pot alters your senses which would make law enforcement(that would lose money busting criminals) more agressive toward driving under the influence of MJ. Pot may be less hard than heroin and cocaine but altering the senses like alcohol, would bring cops down even harder.
I know what your going to say as you puff on that joint, that alcohol is more dangerous than pot. Doesn't matter because pot alters senses which can interfere with driving even if you do the same routine everyday.
I hope you do get it legal, Mark. What's happening in California and Arizona? To legalize it would have consequences that would best leave well enough alone.
Just a bit of friendly advice...if you want to argue FOR marijuana, don't do it stoned. And read my posts rather than reading into my posts...Thanx!
Comment by Mark Schultz
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I am not talking about legalizing it to be sold in pharmacies for medical reasons, like you suggest. I'm talking about making pot as legal as cigarettes, or alcohol. Of course, these are highly regulated markets with strict controls, which is how the dope market should be dealt with as well.
No, you are right. I have never been to Amsterdam. I do know a group of people who grew up there though, and they are the ones who explained why the city didn't fall apart. Now, unless you've lived there for, oh, 15 years, then you don't know as much about the city as this group did, so I'm thinking maybe the basis for my opinion might be a little more sound than yours. You know, just throwing that out there.
As for returning Americans: Well I'll be DAMNED! They search you because you went somewhere where an illegal (in America) drug is legal? I never would have guessed.
Guess what? If pot were legal, they wouldn't care.
Law enforcement making less money by busting less criminals? Fucking hardly. Riddle me this, genius. I have 100 drug dealers, half of which deal pot and the other half deal crack. If they're both illegal, then I'm spreading my resources to try and catch them all. However, if pot is legalized and restricted, I can focus all of my attention on the REALLY dangerous drugs (in this case the crack dealers, I don't want to move too fast for you), and be much more effective in controlling them. Now, that was a simple example, but the same concept applies: Take the least harmful drugs out of the picture, and the police can focus on controlling the REAL drugs: the crack, the smack, the ice, all the real harmful stuff.
"I know what your going to say as you puff on that joint, that alcohol is more dangerous than pot. Doesn't matter because pot alters senses which can interfere with driving even if you do the same routine everyday."
No shit, Sherlock. Hey, you know what? Alcohol does that too. That's why it's illegal to drive after drinking (see? It's one of those legal controls I talked about. Fancy that!!!), and why it would be made illegal to drive while there is a certain level of THC in the blood.
Weed, I feel, is no more harmful than alcohol, which is perfectly legal and acceptable. The current methods being used to deal with the dope market are inneffective, which is why "dumb stoners" can still get their fix.
Maybe you should read my comment before you try to respond to it. Half the things you said I'd already talked about in the first comment.