rdubnpk You are assuming that drug use will become rampant just because it becomes legal??? Drugs are so readily available now that everyone could be a junkie if they so chose. If you say they would be cheaper if legalized, that wouldn't be the case after the governement adds the taxes they are sure to add. The jail population would probably be cut in half and drug related murders would be virtually eliminated. I don't see your arguement as being valid.
Many innocent people are going to die over the drug trade/war, many have and many more will continue, innocent along with the guilty.
Drugs are not as readily available as you think and the majority of the population don't do it because the majority are law abiding when it comes to drugs. If it became legal there would be a large increase in people using. The majority of that increase would come from younger generations who don't normally have access to it. So yes... I believe it would become rampant. Just think of the effect if the drinking age in the US dropped from 21 to 19. Many, many more 19 and 20 year olds would drink and drink more often. There would be a major increase. The majority of the time when young people hit the legal age to drink they spend the next few years drinking a lot heavier then they would later in life. Learning those lessons about excessive drinking, mixing drinks, etc. Even though many of them have already been drinking underage for a few years. Those that waited until they were legal age get added to the mix. You can't tell me that you've never seen this. I could care less about the people who go to jail. If you're going to do something that is illegal you have to be ready to pay the price. If I get caught speeding I don't get mad at the cop who gives me a ticket.
Many innocent people die because of gambling addiction, drunk drivers, loaded hand guns, etc. Making drugs legal won't change that.
I have to strongly disagree with you here.. I can't speak for what goes on in Canada, but in the US I'd feel confident betting that there isn't a single family that doesn't have at least a few regular drug users in it. (not withstanding those who only "tried it" or "used to") As for it being unavailable, I don't know where you get that idea. I suppose if you've never looked you might think its not around, but it is, and the younger generations are the ones most likely to be doing the selling and consuming. At least with booze you have to have a fake ID or get an adult to buy them for you, drugs on the other hand can be bought on virtually any busy street corner no questions asked. I think back to when I was in highschool (and even middle) and probably the majority of the people I knew either did some sort of drug or knew someone who could get them for you. The only "drug" I ever did was booze, but I feel like I was probably the exception, at least in my circle. Anyway.. in case you haven't already read this here is the wiki entry for the war on drugs..
Wow.. I'm sorry but I find that hard to believe. that "isn't a single family that doesn't have at least a few regular drug users in it". If that was the case then the US would have crumbled into Anarchy a long time ago. Sure there are sections of cities where it's easy to find drugs... but that isn't the majority by any means. Wiki posts are notoriously inaccurate.... Talk to almost any cop an they'll tell you that while the war on drugs may not be going well the alternative is worse.
The opium trade 4, as I said earlier, I'm hard pressed to find anybody that agrees with the proposition Life and I have represented (I think) on this thread, and others, when it comes to the best way to manage people's Desire to get high, but cops are part of the industry that has grown up around the process of rendering drug use illegal, so I don't consider them objective (but then, who is on this issue). I've lived in China where opium is still used, opium pipes sold openly, and marijuana is sold on the streets by little old ladies; nevertheless, it is still illegal there, though you can find restaurants with ganga on the menu, along with the desserts. Stories you read about the days when opium use was not illegal (gotta go back aways for that one) there seem to have been plenty of people laying around, glassy eyed and useless to anybody. HOWEVER, that doesn't suggest to me that the criminal option is the best way to manage this obvious abuse.
If I'm want to know about the most rampant diseases I'll go talk to the CDC. If I want to know the straight story about what's going on in Afghanistan I'll talk to a soldier. If I want to know what's going on in the drug world, I'm definitely going to take a cop's opinion.
(and it is only a cop's opinion.) ( I bet the drug dealer would have some opinion I really don't think they would like to see drugs legalized... how else are they going to make so much money.)
