“Mexico is Colombia two decades ago”

[fathertime]

Mexico is Colombia two decades ago”

That is what  Hillary Clinton recently said.

  Felipe Calderon in response said:
 â€œWe are both victims of the enormous American consumption of drugs, and now the sales of weapons."

You know what, as much as I hate to agree with Calderon just this one time I’m going to nod in agreement.  We have all these laws about outlawing drugs in our country, yet the demand is still very high among young people.  The cost of the black market drugs is high, so Colombia and Mexico among other countries are fighting for and supplying what the people of the USA want.   We can’t keep creating this market and rewarding the ‘bad guys’ and then complain about how their country is going to shiit and how they have to clean it up.  WE are the ones that have to clean it up and stop/slow down the consumption.   
.    Frankly I think chronic drug use is pretty pathetic (under most circumstances), occasional recreational use is pretty stupid too.   My thought is drugs are for people who don’t know how to have a good time without using them.  That being said, I think the people should decide how they want to live their lives and suffer the consequences or rewards of their decisions.  My feeling on the matter is we need to start legalizing some of these drugs for people over 21.  The penalties for violent crimes, theft, and driving under the influence should be greater as a tradeoff to legalizing drugs.   Of course supplying the underaged with drugs should be dealt with severely as well.


It is an issue with lots of ramifications, so I want to hear other people’s opinions on it.

Fathertime!

[utopiacowboy]

Drugs will never be legal in this country. There is too much money being made by law enforcement, politicians and the cartels for them to give up their racket. 

[Ray]

I have absolutely no use for dopers.

If you legalize dope for adults, kids will be able to get it much easier than they do now and more kids will die.

Ray

[utopiacowboy]

Google some designer drugs called K2 and Spice. Perfectly legal in this country although outlawed in Europe. I talked to my local police chief and we both agreed that kids were better off smoking mj than this stuff. At the root of what's legal and what's not is always money.

[Shadow_mas]

A full legalization would mean control over production and taxes. This would not make the drugs cheaper, and give a lot of work to police it.

This is the reason why the 'crazy Dutch' have made a system where drugs are not legal, however posession of low amounts for own use is not. As for tha famous 'coffeeshops' they work under a backdoor-frontdoor rule which is even weirder. They are allowed to sell (not to underage persons) however they are not allowed officially to buy or grow.

The system is completely crooked and does invite all kinds of misuse. However a full legalization would be impossible due to the European neghbours.

[kojak]

I remember watching a video from the University of El Valle while I was in Cali several years ago about how the city of Cali would benefit from the legalization of drugs in the west. The benefits would be innumerable...basically from what I saw in the video, Colombian cities would become some of the riches cities in the world.

I don't know if that's witchful thinking but definitely very interesting point of view. Don't really know if I'm for or against legalization maybe ganja but the rest I really don't know. We are having enough problems with prescription drugs abuse, it's literally becoming a national epidemic in this country.  

[Dave H]

I remember watching a video from the University of El Valle while I was in Cali several years ago about how the city of Cali would benefit from the legalization of drugs in the west. The benefits would be innumerable...basically from what I saw in the video, Colombian cities would become some of the riches cities in the world.
 

GREAT for Colombia...but it would dump the US down the crapper!

[Dave H]

I have absolutely no use for dopers.

Ray

Hey Ray,

Same here..."absolutely no use for dopers!!!" Some of the neighbor hood shabu punks had to learn that the hard way!  

Dave

[kojak]

 
 quote>GREAT for Colombia...but it would dump the US down the crapper!<
 

Profiting from other people's misery, isn't that the capitalist way, free market for better or worse.  Seriously though I'm with you on that one H. "you reap what you sow"  It would be unwise for Colombia or Mexico to pursue the legalization of coca or opium base drugs that generally bring nothing but misery to so many, just my personal opinion...

[Dave H]

Sometimes I think that I would like to live in Singapore...where they whip peoples' azzes for graffiti! Litters and people who don't flush a public toilet face large fines, plus a week of free public janitorial duty!  Drugs...forget about it!!!

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070318/26litter.htm
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Singapore#Capital_offences

Michael P. Fay only got 4 strokes...I would have given his candy azz 50!

[fathertime]

The system is completely crooked and does invite all kinds of misuse. However a full legalization would be impossible due to the European neghbours.

Please explain how the European neighbors have an impact on the laws within your own sovereign nation?

Thanks,
Fathertime!

[Shadow_mas]

Please explain how the European neighbors have an impact on the laws within your own sovereign nation?

Thanks,
Fathertime!

Which souvereign nation are you talking about ? 
When countries signed the European treaty, they agreed to create equality in economy and laws for a large extent, and countries that try to pass laws that are not agreed by the European Parliament could be cast out. Which would not deter France or Germany, but for a small country which is largely depending on trade things are different.

[jm21-2]

Although I have never smoked pot, the consensus seems to be that it is better for people in basically every way compared to alcohol, and certainly much less addictive and dangerous. It also accounts for most of the Mexican cartels' profits. Keeping it illegal is a pointless drain on our system. Certainly arguments could be made against the distribution of very hard drugs like meth, but marijuana? Not really.

[Dave H]

Keeping it illegal is a pointless drain on our system. Certainly arguments could be made against the distribution of very hard drugs like meth, but marijuana? Not really.

There are some damn good reasons that marijuana is illegal:

You might become a white Rasta!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmpbBApzHqc&feature=related

...or wearing a diaper in public like George Clinton.


Worse yet ...It turns people gay!  



You might not be able to hide the fact that you have become a flamer!


You might even start "cottaging" and  get arrested for "engaging in a lewd act" (I am not talking popsicles or copsicles here, but meat popsicles) in a public toilet in a park!


Sucking Popsicles in a public park would probably be less embarrassing.


You might wake up to find out that you have become one of the Village People!

[Dave H]

Even worse...if you don't inhale, you might become a Democratic President! (Democratic Presidents never inhale!)  




They "bogart"  the joint!

bogart   
To keep a spliff to oneself to oneself, especially while hanging from your mouth. From actor Humphrey Bogart's trademark cigarettes, held in lips or hand, but rarely actually smoked.

[jm21-2]

Even worse...if you don't inhale, you might become a Democratic President! (Democratic Presidents never inhale!)  

Didn't Obama say something like "yes I inhaled, Isn't that the point?"

Pot heads may be annoying, but they're relatively harmless in any real sense of the word. Would you rather have a drunk driver going 90 when he thought he was doing 60, or a stoned driver doing 20 when he thought he was doing 60?

Amazing how hard it is to prove prohibitionist ideas cost a lot and don't do much given all the historical evidence...

[michaelb]

Is that our illustrious president? Looks like he's modeling for a photo shoot advertising Bambu brand papers. (I prefer Top brand myself, but then I only use them for tobacco).

[michaelb]

Didn't Obama say something like "yes I inhaled, Isn't that the point?"

Pot heads may be annoying, but they're relatively harmless in any real sense of the word. Would you rather have a drunk driver going 90 when he thought he was doing 60, or a stoned driver doing 20 when he thought he was doing 60?

Amazing how hard it is to prove prohibitionist ideas cost a lot and don't do much given all the historical evidence...

I think you're right, it was President Bill who didn't inhale (yeah, right), but neither of the people you cited can drive worth a darn.