Some day, a genius will figure out how the country"s coffers - whether USA, Mexico, or Canada's - can be overflowing with money! Billions and billions of dollars are available from the sale of drugs, but instead, billions are spent on fighting same. And when will it end - some day, never? So there are 3 options: 1) the status quo, or 2) stop spending billions fighting it and just let the cartels make their sales, or 3) countries can become the legalized sellers of drugs. I'm not suggesting; I'm just stating the obvious: coffers can be full or empty. But no-one has yet to figure out how.
Not referring to "personal use"--How many existing countries have decriminalized the sale of drugs? (for semantic purposes, I refer to cocaine, marijuana, meth, etc.) I found this on Portugal--one of the most endebted countries in the EU. Decriminalizing Drugs in Portugal a Success, Says Report - TIME 5 Years After: Portugal's Drug Decriminalization Policy Shows Positive Results: Scientific American
Good work, Jim, I'll have a look at those. Thanks for thinking of doing a search. I had no idea about this.
What Portugal did was good, and produced positive results which are measurable. But, in my opinion, they didn't go far enough by far, by merely decriminalizing drug use. They left in place the criminal syndicates which supply the drugs, the violence inherent in the drug trade, and the dangers created by allowing unlicensed and unregulated production of the substances people put into their bodies. I would go further, licensing and regulating the production of the drugs people want to use in much the same way alcohol is dealt with. This would guarantee the quality of the drugs; then, I would allow the open, but regulated sale of the drugs- again, much as is done with alcohol. Purchasers would be required to sit through a video presentation which acquaints them with the proper use, dose, and hazards of use of the drug purchased. Few seem even willing to consider such a step, much less engage in a dialog which could lead to change. Well known people who've attempted to engage on this subject have been met with stoney silience, from both the users, and the nonusers. Interesting....
