US waves white flag in disastrous 'war on drugs'

Originally posted by thebulldog
And once again Canada takes two steps back on this issue as America sprints ahead. Glad to see this happening as the trends set south of the border, sooner or later affect what we do here. I hope against hope in my life time to see prohibition ended.

What do you mean? What has Canada done?

"What do you mean? What has Canada done?"

I don't know what Canada has done either. Actually, the laws in Canada relating to controlled substance possession are quite reasonable compared to those outdated Draconian laws in the USA.

Don't hold your breath on the War on Drugs or any other phony war which has been concocted to end anytime soon. These fake wars are not only extremely profitable, they destroy people's lives. Basically, a win-win for those who started them and continue to perpetuate them.

reply to post by whaaa


Thank you whaaa,

I agree with many positions of people on the left. I believe any social issues should be decide by each individual.

The right religious fanatics are completely wrong to believe you can mandate or legislate morals.

We may vary on social programs but I believe most people be it left or right would agree on more things than not.

Thanks.

[edit on 1/18/2010 by endisnighe]

reply to post by endisnighe


Agreed!

...it's more like "War withdrugs".

Why is it that one can buy poison, gasoline, etanol, alcohol, PROZAC, (did I say poison already? - the one that kills people)... but cannot use some specific Acid from a Fungus...


I mean... it's like the old Apple from the Tree again?

This is amazing if true. I am sure any discussion of this would have been over crowded by all the reporting on Haiti. It is likely that the Obama Administration waited until an event like Haiti, to do it without stirring up too much attention. I suspect very soon, Obama will make some sort of press statement, if this is true. If he doesn't announce it and its true, evidence will leak about it online, through you tube, eyewitnesses, other countries etc.

Originally posted by endisnighe
I agree with many positions of people on the left. I believe any social issues should be decide by each individual.

The right religious fanatics are completely wrong to believe you can mandate or legislate morals.

On "morals":

Legislating morality is what most good laws do, but morality is by degree since, to me, it's a human invention.

Grievous moral infractions: rape, murder, enslavement, theft, etc, are obviously wrong so those are not considered since most people accept them as being amoral. These are items that infringe upon another's mortal and material natural rights.

Trivial moral infractions: drinking, smoking, homosexuality, drug use, porn, violent video games, etc are where the Christians get their panties in a bunch and we are at serious odds with them.

These are items that have no inherent infringement upon another's mortal or material natural rights.

No wearing your seat belt and hate crime legislation are other examples of legislative nonsense.

The war with religion is being claimed by religion, when it is religion itself that has been the bane to natural rights for longer than anyone cares to remember.

Originally posted by ChrisR
About time that the policy of dumping billions into black holes in the name of the "war on drugs" was examined.

Now, only if we can get the Congress to quit approving BILLION dollar budgets EACH year that get dumped into black budget ops that the public ever see whether the results of which were properly used or not.

reply to post by KrazyJethro


I may have to save this comment of yours for future use.

I never put it down like that, I always just state the basic tenant of Common Law as "hurting another or infringing on another's rights".

Thanks KrazyJethro.

Gee, on the second page and nobody is contradicting the bravado going on here. I find that 1) unique 2) refreshing and 3) somehow against nature. OK, so what is the downside to this? Or is there not one? I agree that the war on drugs is a failure, that the consequences to societies, lives and justice have been abominable. But does that mean that there should be no restrictions, conventions, expectations of proper time and place, etc. Or will the worst be a mad rush to capture famous names.

*Snip*

Maybe turf wars will not end, but they will be good capitalistic struggles for control. I can see it now: Florida citrus growers struggle with California over the designation "Orange Sunshine" and the display cases at Vons and Safeway keeping mushrooms in a special "gourmet" section. Kids toy stores that stock "Silly Cybin" Gee, I think I like the idea after all....

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Do not discuss personal drug use

[edit on 1/18/2010 by semperfortis]

I read that the white house Czar is signaling this move, I hope he doesn't get forced to resign by Limbaugh or they just kick him out for having a sane thought in his head. California is working towards some type of decriminalization and this is perhaps the best news anyone can hear regarding the drug war, I have plenty of doubts I can vent but for now I just want to be hopeful and assume something good will finally come out of Obama's many Czars. He has enough of them, I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut.

maybe it's starting to cost a lot more to cover up all the drugs they smuggle into the country?

End of the war on Drugs....

Hmmmm maybe i'll finally get to use that Psycho pharmacology degree I paid 50,000.00 for 20 years ago and do some legitimate research...

God forbid i'd be allowed to create some harmless drugs lol

It's easy to figure it out, just see what is happening in Holland . They almost close jails for lack of inmates, would have many out of work 2,000 or something, now they are importing inmates ha !
It's a cycle were all the time new criminals are created with high degree in violence. The young go try a drug and get cought ending up on a school were he is (sure) to be lectured how to became a real criminal, there is no way around once one is there .
So many people living out of the disgrace of others.

Here is a different article that says the drug czar Gil Kirlowkowske was the one that signaled this move.

online.wsj.com...



[edit on 18-1-2010 by ancient_wisdom]

I have a feeling the War on Drugs is just going to be renamed.

Just like the War on Terror, which was named to some bull#.

They will do the same things, just rename it to something innocuous.

[edit on 1/18/2010 by endisnighe]

Originally posted by KrazyJethro

Originally posted by thebulldog
And once again Canada takes two steps back on this issue as America sprints ahead. Glad to see this happening as the trends set south of the border, sooner or later affect what we do here. I hope against hope in my life time to see prohibition ended.

What do you mean? What has Canada done?

Actually, Canada hasn't done anything yet. Harper is attempting to pass a "get tough on crime" bill including mandatory sentencing laws for cultivation. The bill was amended to be more lenient and held up in the Liberal controlled Senate.

Proroguing parliament was a way to kill the bill in its current form, so it can be reintroduced in its original harsh version, after Harper has appointed more Conservative senators to give him the majority. This will happen when parliament resumes after the Olympics. The bill will then probably pass no problem.

[edit on 18-1-2010 by TheComte]

[edit on 18-1-2010 by TheComte]

We'll honestly they shouldn't worry about cannabis. The focus should be on the more illicit drugs coming into the states. Then again, the world wouldn't need drugs if it wasn't so messed up.

America probably has or is planning to sell the confiscated drugs.


[edit on 18-1-2010 by OpenYourHead]

reply to post by OpenYourHead


Why simply marijuana if i may ask? And humans have been using drugs for all of our recorded history and probably before that aswell. There is nothing wrong with them when used in moderation. Hopefully idiotic politicians see this glaring fact and end the nonsensical war on drugs.

I hope this gets more attention. Hopefully it will hit the evening news and more people will see whats going on. I doubt its going to reach the evening news tho. They are focused on other stuff at the moment.

If we do completely wave the white flag and change our policies, we could save billions within only a few years. The prisons would have only around half or so the population that they have at the moment if non-violent drug offenders are relased, and it would save the taxpayers plenty. Im sure crime would go down, but would not just dissapear. A good example is holland/Amsterdam like what an above poster said. Almost nobody in prison and a extremely low crime rate. There was a movie made a year or so ago called "American Drug War : Last White Hope" i think the name was. They had a segment about Amsterdam and they said that most people living there dont even know what meth is, almost nobody does hard drugs, and said the goverment says that they have succedeed in making pot boring.

Originally posted by ancient_wisdom
Here is a different article that says the drug czar Gil Kirlowkowske was the one that signaled this move.

online.wsj.com...

From the above link:

"WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration's new drug czar says he wants to banish the idea that the U.S. is fighting "a war on drugs," a move that would underscore a shift favoring treatment over incarceration in trying to reduce illicit drug use.

In his first interview since being confirmed to head the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske said Wednesday the bellicose analogy was a barrier to dealing with the nation's drug issues.

"Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," he said. "We're not at war with people in this country.""

I notice that it says: "a move that would underscore a shift favoring treatment over incarceration in trying to reduce illicit drug use."

Having been on the dirty end of the "treatment" stick, I can tell you it will make them just as much money, with no need to send DEA agents overseas.
Perhaps it was just the writer's interpretation, but I think I smell a trap.
On the other hand, to see the new drug czar quoted as saying: "We're not at war with people in this country.", gives me a warm fuzzy.

Thanks for the news! S&F'ed