Re:DEA Wants Inside Medical Records to Fight the War on Drugs
by gozur88 on Saturday June 11, 2016 @07:05AM
(#11883018)
>But most folks won't do this stuff. Most folks won't even get addicted.
That is absolutely true. I didn't say civilization will collapse or anything like that. I'm just saying there will be a price. There's certainly room for disagreement over how high the price will be. But I think it's pretty ridiculous to pretend ending drug prohibition will be free.
>Only that isn't really true either. Some of the campaigns to make them illegal were based in racism.
I don't find this compelling. Yes, there was a feeling of "Don't smoke pot - only jazz musicians smoke pot." But if you really thought only jazz musicians smoked pot there wouldn't be any reason to make it illegal. And if there were 88% of the country wouldn't tolerate prohibition just to oppress the other 12%.
>Misinformation was spread, both before and after. My grandmother thought pot would make people insane, for example.
Yes, that's true, though I think there's a big difference between marijuana and, say, opiods, amphetamines, or barbiturates.
>There are drugs that I think are bad for folks that take them and their families, but we could actually help folks and their families instead.
If you read up a bit you'll see I'm in basic agreement with you on the right way to move forward. I just think it's naive to believe people won't take more drugs in the margin, and we won't be dealing with some problems as a result. The hope (and my belief) is the new problems will be fewer than the old problems we're getting rid of by getting rid of drug laws.
That is absolutely true. I didn't say civilization will collapse or anything like that. I'm just saying there will be a price. There's certainly room for disagreement over how high the price will be. But I think it's pretty ridiculous to pretend ending drug prohibition will be free.
>Only that isn't really true either. Some of the campaigns to make them illegal were based in racism.
I don't find this compelling. Yes, there was a feeling of "Don't smoke pot - only jazz musicians smoke pot." But if you really thought only jazz musicians smoked pot there wouldn't be any reason to make it illegal. And if there were 88% of the country wouldn't tolerate prohibition just to oppress the other 12%.
>Misinformation was spread, both before and after. My grandmother thought pot would make people insane, for example.
Yes, that's true, though I think there's a big difference between marijuana and, say, opiods, amphetamines, or barbiturates.
>There are drugs that I think are bad for folks that take them and their families, but we could actually help folks and their families instead.
If you read up a bit you'll see I'm in basic agreement with you on the right way to move forward. I just think it's naive to believe people won't take more drugs in the margin, and we won't be dealing with some problems as a result. The hope (and my belief) is the new problems will be fewer than the old problems we're getting rid of by getting rid of drug laws.