Webb to moderate “Drugs in America” panels at GMU
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Published October 8th, 2008
Sen. Jim Webb will moderate three panels at George Mason University regarding drug trafficking, policy, and criminal sentencing this coming Oct. 15.
Beginning at 8 a.m. and running through noon, the three panels are: How do drugs get into the United States and how are they distributed? Combating Drug Crime. And, What’s happening to users?
For more information on the event, contact Kate Zinsser: (703) 993-9699, kzinsser@gmu.edu. RSVPs are required by Monday, Oct. 13.
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How long have we been waging the “War on Drugs?”
Almost 30 years.
How many billions of dollars have we flushed down the toilet fighting it?
I can’t even guess how many hundreds of billions.
Who has gained finacially?
Drug dealers.
How do you win the war on drugs?
Simple. You legalize all drugs.
I know that sounds really radical, but think about it for a minute.
What would happen if we legalized drugs?
To start with, we’d put the drug dealers out of business. Which means we could cut the taxes we pay for the DEA and all the related law enforcement drug task forces.
All those drug addicts wouldn’t have to resort to crime to get their fix. So, Joe Six Pack wouldn’t have to worry about a home invasion.
We could also empty the prisons of over half their populations of prisoners who are in there on non-violent drug charges. Which would mean less taxes devoted to out courts and prison systems.
We could regulate the quality of those drugs, meaning less drug addicts would OD from poor quality drugs. Less taxes we’d have to spend on emergency rooms.
Oh, and by the way, all those legal drugs would be taxed when sold. Billions of dollars in surplus instead flushing more money down the toilet.
Get this through your heads. People have been drugging them selves since God grew the first bud. Pass all the laws you want, it’s not going to stop them from getting high. We may as well try and regulate it like alcohol and tabacco.
And before anyone starts with whole, “drugs are bad” bull crap, over 100,000 Americans die from prescription drugs annually in this country. Over 35,000 of those Americans die while staying in a hospital and recieve those drugs from doctors. That’s three times the amount of people who die annually from illigal drugs.
Think about it.
Just think if we legalized crime. Think of all the money we’d save in court costs and locking people up.
Exactly my point Brian.
Please explain to me how what people do in their own homes impacts you?
Frenchy, I didn’t want to get into your personal life.
Brian,
Here’s the deal. It’s only a crime because our Justice system says it is. If we change the law and decriminalize drug use, then it wouldn’t be a crime anymore.
You heard about proabition haven’t you? Americans didn’t turn in to raging alcoholic because of it. And if did put a dent in the coffers of organized crime.
My main point is, the War on Drugs doesn’t work.
By your logic, the war on murder doesn’t work. It’s been illegal all these years, and people still kill.
The war on rape doesn’t work. Rape is illegal, yet a week doesn’t pass by without story upon story of rape.
You’ll have to come up with something more creative than “the war on drugs doesn’t work” unless you also say “the war on crime doesn’t work” and decriminalize crime.
Besides, I’ve never seen a beer drinker knock over a convenience store to score cash for his next Amstel Light.
And I’ve never seen a pot smoker get in a fight:-)
If drugs were treated like alcohol it would decrease drug related violent crime significantly. The billions of dollars we waste on non-violent drug offenders could be better spent on a host of other issues.
Maybe even spend a small percentage of the tax revenue generated by legal drugs sales on treating drug addiction.
Look, I’ve seen you post lots of opinions advocating personnal responsibility. I don’t think the government should be in the business of telling it’s citizens what they should and shouldn’t do in regards to personnal recreation “As Long As It Doesn’t Harm Anyone Else!”
Frenchy, you have no factual basis to make your claims. You have no idea what would happen if a crack addict could get a hit at a 7-11.
And I don’t think we should turn government into the drug tax collector so government can pay for rehab, either.
You’re making a big assumption that the only problem with illegal drugs is their illegality, and if you took that away, everything would be fine.
It’s not like legalizing drugs will suddenly encourage addicts to get a job so they can buy it retail.
I’m told how fast I can drive, whether I can walk across the street or not, how high my back yard fence can be, what color my trim on my roof can be, what school my child goes to, what business uses I’m permitted in my home, what time I’m allowed to buy a beer…….it’s endless.
If we want to work on personal freedom, might I suggest a few other goals for you rather than legalizing drugs. Compared to everything else that’s regulated in our lives, making it easier to do drugs isn’t exactly what I think the founders would’ve sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor securing for us.
Brian,
I disagree. I think that if we legalized drugs addicts would get jobs to buy it retail.
Once they get arrested on a felony convictions, their ability to get a job is curtailed. They can’t even get a job at MacDonalds. Which severly limits their employment opportunity.
I’m also not saying that people would stop being stupid. Nothing will prevent that. Look at the 60K plus who get killed in alcohol related traffic crashes.
But you are right. I don’t know what would happen if we legalized drugs. I do know, that the current laws do not prevent people from taking drugs, they do not prevent drug related violence, over 50% of our prison populations are non-violent drug offenders, children in middle and high school all ready have access to just about any drug availible, (and no, I am not avocating legalizing drugs for minors, in fact I think adults arrested for dealing to minors should be shot.)
They current system doesn’t work. So why not try something different?
Because just because it may be breezy on top of the Empire State Building, I don’t then choose to jump off.
Hey, I wouldn’t jump either. I just think that legalization might be a better alternative to the current policies.
As for those who would rather jump, they’re going to do it whether it’s against the law or not.
Well, pick a city in America to test it in, and let’s see how well they do.
Not that I don’t enjoy your company Brain, but I can’t believe no else has an opinion on this subject.
As for Cities, I’d recommend San Francisco, but already been there done that…..