Comments on: What The Drug Warriors Have Given Us http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/peripatetics/what-the-drug-warriors-have-given-us/ Just another WordPress weblog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:36:59 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: random_sheep http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/peripatetics/what-the-drug-warriors-have-given-us/comment-page-1/#comment-16817 random_sheep Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:13:30 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/?p=9721#comment-16817 Four legs good, two legs bad! Four legs good, two legs bad!

]]> By: Dave http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/peripatetics/what-the-drug-warriors-have-given-us/comment-page-1/#comment-16694 Dave Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:34:55 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/?p=9721#comment-16694 You are correct .."people would recoil" Nobody cares that we would take all those young kids off the street, taking the profit away so that there is no reason to be there. Legalize is good, why not Nationalize! use the money for Social Security and Health Care! No? Then how about putting it in the State's hands. Let them tax the hell out of it; and along with it prostitution. But no..there is to much money to be made. Just look at Afghanistan... when the Taliban took over they Opium trade went to zero, since we came back it is around 90% of the total money maker for the country. If we are so concerned about helping the Afghans why don't we elt them sell their Opium for Morphine? Like we do with Turkey? To many rich corporate types making to much money to stop the War on Drugs....just like every other war...money money money. What about Hemp? This is part of the scare tactics also...Hemp is a great product that could revolutionize clothing and building...it is a damn shame the state we find ourselves in. Nobody talks about all the drug use in the military! All the alcoholics they help make and then let rot on public streets. I am really tired of it all. You are correct ..”people would recoil” Nobody cares that we would take all those young kids off the street, taking the profit away so that there is no reason to be there. Legalize is good, why not Nationalize! use the money for Social Security and Health Care! No? Then how about putting it in the State’s hands. Let them tax the hell out of it; and along with it prostitution. But no..there is to much money to be made. Just look at Afghanistan… when the Taliban took over they Opium trade went to zero, since we came back it is around 90% of the total money maker for the country. If we are so concerned about helping the Afghans why don’t we elt them sell their Opium for Morphine? Like we do with Turkey?
To many rich corporate types making to much money to stop the War on Drugs….just like every other war…money money money.
What about Hemp? This is part of the scare tactics also…Hemp is a great product that could revolutionize clothing and building…it is a damn shame the state we find ourselves in.
Nobody talks about all the drug use in the military! All the alcoholics they help make and then let rot on public streets.
I am really tired of it all.

]]> By: James Madison Fan http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/peripatetics/what-the-drug-warriors-have-given-us/comment-page-1/#comment-16528 James Madison Fan Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:17:38 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/?p=9721#comment-16528 The thing that bugs me is that a lot of this can be traced to trafficking Marijuana and I have yet to find anyone that can explain why MJ is illegal while alcohol and tobacco can be picked up at the supermarket without a perscription? Alcohol and nicotine are far more addictive than marijuana but it is considered a "Schedule I" drug. Doctors can prescribe morphine to a patient dying of cancer but not marijuana to someone trying to fight the effects of chemo. This makes no sense. In fact, based on the addictive properties alone MJ is a far more desirable "recreational drug" than either alcohol or tobacco but it is treated far more harshly. About the only reason I can find to keep MJ illegal while alcohol and tobacco can be purchased at will is that big tobacco and brewers do not want to compete with a weed that can be grown in your backyard for free. No need to buy a six pack or a fifth of Jack. No need to buy a pack of Winstons or Camels. All you have to do is plant a couple seeds and you are set for the year, if not for life. This is not just a corporate nightmare it is a governmental nightmare as well. What happens to the jobs? What happens to the taxes? Government loves their "sin taxes." If big business is going to make money getting "Joe Sixpack" addicted the government wants their "fair" share of the blood money. I cannot really comment on cocaine, heroin, and similar drugs. Perhaps there is a reason to keep them illegal while allowing two drugs of similar addictive properties to be purchased at the corner liquor store but it makes absolutely no sense to me for us to be investing the lives, money, and effort on trying to stop the use of a marijuana. Didn't we learn anything from Prohibition? The thing that bugs me is that a lot of this can be traced to trafficking Marijuana and I have yet to find anyone that can explain why MJ is illegal while alcohol and tobacco can be picked up at the supermarket without a perscription? Alcohol and nicotine are far more addictive than marijuana but it is considered a “Schedule I” drug. Doctors can prescribe morphine to a patient dying of cancer but not marijuana to someone trying to fight the effects of chemo. This makes no sense. In fact, based on the addictive properties alone MJ is a far more desirable “recreational drug” than either alcohol or tobacco but it is treated far more harshly.

About the only reason I can find to keep MJ illegal while alcohol and tobacco can be purchased at will is that big tobacco and brewers do not want to compete with a weed that can be grown in your backyard for free. No need to buy a six pack or a fifth of Jack. No need to buy a pack of Winstons or Camels. All you have to do is plant a couple seeds and you are set for the year, if not for life.

This is not just a corporate nightmare it is a governmental nightmare as well. What happens to the jobs? What happens to the taxes? Government loves their “sin taxes.” If big business is going to make money getting “Joe Sixpack” addicted the government wants their “fair” share of the blood money.

I cannot really comment on cocaine, heroin, and similar drugs. Perhaps there is a reason to keep them illegal while allowing two drugs of similar addictive properties to be purchased at the corner liquor store but it makes absolutely no sense to me for us to be investing the lives, money, and effort on trying to stop the use of a marijuana. Didn’t we learn anything from Prohibition?

]]> By: Steve Hogan http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/peripatetics/what-the-drug-warriors-have-given-us/comment-page-1/#comment-16517 Steve Hogan Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:41:09 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/?p=9721#comment-16517 Sean, Maybe you should travel down to the border towns along the US-Mexican border. You might be enlightened about the rate of violent crime. Sean,

Maybe you should travel down to the border towns along the US-Mexican border. You might be enlightened about the rate of violent crime.

]]> By: Sean http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/peripatetics/what-the-drug-warriors-have-given-us/comment-page-1/#comment-16504 Sean Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:35:49 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/?p=9721#comment-16504 I agree with your premise, but think you are exaggerating the violence caused (at least in the US). Violence as a scare tactic always seem to work even when we have studies repeatedly showing that violent crime has been decreasing in major US cites. I agree with your premise, but think you are exaggerating the violence caused (at least in the US). Violence as a scare tactic always seem to work even when we have studies repeatedly showing that violent crime has been decreasing in major US cites.

]]> By: Marc http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/peripatetics/what-the-drug-warriors-have-given-us/comment-page-1/#comment-16373 Marc Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:38:17 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/?p=9721#comment-16373 The drug warriors have also gifted us a vast prison population. Apparently, they feel that destroying the lives of tens of thousands of productive individuals by running them through the criminal justice system like cattle is a small price to pay for furthering their own careers. William Griggs was correct when he called the war on drugs a murderous farce. The drug warriors have also gifted us a vast prison population. Apparently, they feel that destroying the lives of tens of thousands of productive individuals by running them through the criminal justice system like cattle is a small price to pay for furthering their own careers. William Griggs was correct when he called the war on drugs a murderous farce.

]]> By: Rev, J. Shaffer http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/peripatetics/what-the-drug-warriors-have-given-us/comment-page-1/#comment-16372 Rev, J. Shaffer Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:28:38 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/?p=9721#comment-16372 You'd be amazed (or maybe not) at the number of people who are unable to comprehend "The War on (Non-Corporate) Drugs put you next in line to be assaulted, kidnapped, raped, robbed, and/or murdered, *by the same Government sword to protect you* from assault, kidnapping, rape, robbery and murder." You’d be amazed (or maybe not) at the number of people who are unable to comprehend “The War on (Non-Corporate) Drugs put you next in line to be assaulted, kidnapped, raped, robbed, and/or murdered, *by the same Government sword to protect you* from assault, kidnapping, rape, robbery and murder.”

]]> By: Todd Geiger http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/peripatetics/what-the-drug-warriors-have-given-us/comment-page-1/#comment-14583 Todd Geiger Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:00:34 +0000 http://www.thefreemanonline.org/?p=9721#comment-14583 Great article. Great article.

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