Incarceration

[John Dibble]

But seriously, I have known a few alcoholics and valium-users.  They seemed to me to be suffering from other problems - chiefly poverty and the results of poor parenting, abuse, etc. - rather than the drug itself.  The drug is always just a palliative for the real problem, not the problem itself.

The drug is used as a temporary 'feel good' escape, and they often feel more miserable than before once the high stops. The addiction makes it harder to actually solve the problem. For instance, you list poverty as one of the problems - how is regularly spending money on an addictive and expensive drug going to get them out of poverty? Addicts use drugs to escape from reality rather than trying to solve their problems in the first place, which makes thinkgs much worse in the long run.

[opebo]

a junkie's existence is apparently quite pleasurable... Not very productive, though.

And this is why it is illegal.

For instance, you list poverty as one of the problems - how is regularly spending money on an addictive and expensive drug going to get them out of poverty? Addicts use drugs to escape from reality rather than trying to solve their problems in the first place, which makes thinkgs much worse in the long run.

Poverty is usually an insoluble problem for the poor person.  His only option is a life of unending toil, relieved only by death.  How can you blame him if he chooses to avoid being conscious of this unpleasantness by using drugs?

[John Dibble]

For instance, you list poverty as one of the problems - how is regularly spending money on an addictive and expensive drug going to get them out of poverty? Addicts use drugs to escape from reality rather than trying to solve their problems in the first place, which makes thinkgs much worse in the long run.

Poverty is usually an insoluble problem for the poor person.  His only option is a life of unending toil, relieved only by death.  How can you blame him if he chooses to avoid being conscious of this unpleasantness by using drugs?

Wrong. Just plain wrong. One can generally get out of poverty by making good decisions - long term poverty is most often the result of continually making poor decisions. For instance, look at crack addicts - they spend large amounts of money on crack that could instead be used to buy food, shelter, and decent clothing. This isn't a difficult concept to understand.

[David S]

End the drug war and release those who are in prison for drug abuse only.

Hang the truly violent offenders.

Apply stiff penalties for crimes but make sure the penalty is proportionate to the crime.

In some cases financial penalties may be more appropriate than incarceration. Specifically cases such as fraud might be best punished by making the perpetrator repay the victim and pay a stiff penalty too. If he doesn't have the money, or won't pay it then jail him.

[dazzleman]

End the drug war and release those who are in prison for drug abuse only.

Hang the truly violent offenders.

Apply stiff penalties for crimes but make sure the penalty is proportionate to the crime.

In some cases financial penalties may be more appropriate than incarceration. Specifically cases such as fraud might be best punished by making the perpetrator repay the victim and pay a stiff penalty too. If he doesn't have the money, or won't pay it then jail him.

Here's the practical problem -- many people with drug habits are involved in other crimes, like thefts as an example.

While it may be more doctrinally pure to wait until they commit other crimes, for which they may or may not be caught, a lot of crime is prevented by locking up drug abusers.

I'm not talking about the person who smokes a joint occasionally, or even regularly.  But people with real drug habits habitually steal and often become violent.  They are not as harmless as many liberals try to portray them as being.  Drugs are the common thread that runs through much of society's problems with crime, child abuse and spousal abuse.

[David S]

End the drug war and release those who are in prison for drug abuse only.

Hang the truly violent offenders.

Apply stiff penalties for crimes but make sure the penalty is proportionate to the crime.

In some cases financial penalties may be more appropriate than incarceration. Specifically cases such as fraud might be best punished by making the perpetrator repay the victim and pay a stiff penalty too. If he doesn't have the money, or won't pay it then jail him.

Here's the practical problem -- many people with drug habits are involved in other crimes, like thefts as an example.

While it may be more doctrinally pure to wait until they commit other crimes, for which they may or may not be caught, a lot of crime is prevented by locking up drug abusers.

I'm not talking about the person who smokes a joint occasionally, or even regularly.  But people with real drug habits habitually steal and often become violent.  They are not as harmless as many liberals try to portray them as being.  Drugs are the common thread that runs through much of society's problems with crime, child abuse and spousal abuse.

The same was true for alcohol during prohibition. Prohibition created a booming business for bootleggers. Bootleggers were shooting each other over turf wars and innocent people were getting killed in the crossfire. The murder rate plummeted after prohibition was repealled.

Many of the theft crimes you associate with drugs are due to drug addicts stealing to fund their habits. Same is true of prostitution. But if the stuff is legal and not taxed to death it would be relatively inexpensive which would reduce the need to fund a habit by illegal means.

Also the problems you blame on drugs are happening now even though drugs are already illegal.

My suggestion would be to make it legal by prescription. You get a blood test which shows you're currently using it and then you can get a prescription to buy as much as you want. It would not be legal for non-users to buy it. I would also require a warning on the package similar to that on cigarettes:

"Warning. The Surgeon General has determined that this sh**t is dangerous as hell and will probably kill you. But if you're dumb enough to use it then so be it. On the other hand if you want to kick the habit call 1-800-xxx-xxxx to get help."

[??????????]

Maybe I could agree David. But Meth should never ever ever be legal under any circumstances.