[TWilliam]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'F')YI:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'a')nd a perfect alternative for those who find smoking difficult.

[Kingcoal]

Hemp was a major cash crop before it was made illegal in the 1930's. Hemp fibers are stronger, pound for pound than wood fiber. Hemp was the de facto material used to manufacture heavy duty clothing, canvas, etc. Hemp seeds were eaten as food for centuries. Then there is the female hemp plant, AKA marijuana. In the colonial days, farmers were required to grow a quota of the hemp plant. George Washington was one of those farmers who commented in his writings on the "interesting" properties of the female plant.

The ridiculous thing is that not only is marijuana illegal, it is a schedule 1 substance - right up there with heroin. The government, in its infinite wisdom considers there to be no legitimate use for marijuana. Not only that, during the Reagan administration, marijuana was seen as the gateway drug towards harder drugs, so almost all effort went into enforcement against marijuana. Not only do you have a relatively harmless intoxicant illegal, but you have the government ignoring very dangerous drugs in favor of suppressing marijuana. WTF?

[mattduke]

Government outlaws private money.
Government monopolizes money creation.
Government outlaws gambling.
Government runs lotto.
Government outlaws liquor sales.
Government runs ABC stores.
Government outlaws cocaine.
CIA runs cocaine.

[The_Toecutter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')overnment outlaws private money.
Government monopolizes money creation.
Government outlaws gambling.
Government runs lotto.
Government outlaws liquor sales.
Government runs ABC stores.
Government outlaws cocaine.
CIA runs cocaine.

[CarlosFerreira]

I have been discussing the War on Drugs with friends lately. Can't get my head over the idea it should be legal, because of the possible effects it might have on your nervous system. I'm also, by principle, against any sort of product that promotes unconsciousness - and that includes alcohol and tranquilizers, Prozac, Xanax & friends. I can happily report that, although I enjoy a good glass of wine, I've never been drunk.

But I am also very sensitive to the economics arguments over these sort of problems. I found this:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'U')nder the headline “The Failed War on Drugs,” Washington’s respected, middle-of-the-road Brookings Institution said in a November report that drug use had not declined significantly over the years and that “falling retail drug prices reflect the failure of efforts to reduce the supply of drugs.”

Cocaine production in South America stands at historic highs, the report noted.

Like other think tanks, Brookings stopped short of recommending a radical departure from past policies with a proven track record of failure such as spending billions on crop eradication in Latin America and Asia while allotting paltry sums in comparison to rehabilitating addicts.

Enter Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an organization started in 2002 by police officers, judges, narcotics agents, prison wardens and others with first-hand experience of implementing policies that echo the prohibition of alcohol. Prohibition, now widely regarded a dismal and costly failure of social engineering, came to an end 75 years ago this week.

[Cloud9]

The current situation is the same as prohibition. Legalize and tax and you strip away the finacial base of the drug lords.

[TommyJefferson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('CarlosFerreira', 'C')an't get my head over the idea it should be legal

[CarlosFerreira]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TommyJefferson', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('CarlosFerreira', 'C')an't get my head over the idea it should be legal

[vision-master]

Every morning I start the day with some good drugs.........

[mos6507]

You legalize drugs but you criminalize doing things while under the influence of drugs, like driving.

[TWilliam]

Oh man, don't get me started...

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')rgument from Effect: Prohibition causes more suffering and misery than legal drug abuse would.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')an't get my head over the idea it should be legal, because of the possible effects it might have on your nervous system. I'm also, by principle, against any sort of product that promotes higher [s]un[/s]consciousness

[smallpoxgirl]

We're winning the war on drugs!

[CarlosFerreira]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', '[')url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVkk6fH2u0Y]We're winning the war on drugs![/url]

[TommyJefferson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TWilliam', 'I') disagree, however, with the unstated assumption that use of mind-altering substances is necessarily 'crippling'.

[MrBill]

I cannot get over how F---- dumb the pro-drug lobby is? Drug dealers are not peddling open source software to better humanity. They are selling drugs because of the profit margin between illicit and legal drugs. If Mary Jane and hash were legal then they would be forced to sell, well, crack. If not crack then heroine. What the hell are wrong with you people? Give your head a shake and think for a change. Duh!

[HeckuvaJob]

Great topic CarlosFerreira, timely and relevant. This is my first attempt at putting this argument down in writing, but I've had some thoughts swimming around for some time. I think the first step is to separate this complex issue into 2 broad topics:

1. drug problems
2. drug money problems

I think most politicians would secretly agree that while the war on drugs is not winnable, it is eminently fund-able. Government agencies at every level get earmarks to help fight the war on drugs. Then there is the issue of imprisonment and privately run prisons:
The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population. But it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners.

For the first time in the nation’s history, more than one in 100 American adults is behind bars, according to a new report.

The majority are incarcerated due to non-violent, first time drug charges; victims of tougher, new anti-drug legislation. The California Prison Guard Union has become a powerful political entity.

Some resources:
LEAP - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Judge Jim Gray.com - Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It

One other issue I need more info on is hemp vs. cotton. I'm under the impression that, despite lacking any THC, hemp is still illegal. I've also heard that while hemp grows like a... weed, cotton requires tons of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. It makes sense to replace cotton with hemp - another victim of the war on drugs?

Without a war on drugs, the US would need to come up with another reason for our excursions in Latin America.

The Forbidden Fruit Theory. Holland claims that they've managed to "make pot boring".

We seem to have forgotten the lessons of Prohibition. There's money to be made in making drugs illegal. Unfortunately, the government has replaced Al Capone. Without a massive grass-roots campaign, I don't see anything changing soon.

[HeckuvaJob]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', 'I') cannot get over how F---- dumb the pro-drug lobby is? Drug dealers are not peddling open source software to better humanity. They are selling drugs because of the profit margin between illicit and legal drugs. If Mary Jane and hash were legal then they would be forced to sell, well, crack. If not crack then heroine. What the hell are wrong with you people? Give your head a shake and think for a change. Duh!

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('HeckuvaJob', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', 'I') cannot get over how F---- dumb the pro-drug lobby is? Drug dealers are not peddling open source software to better humanity. They are selling drugs because of the profit margin between illicit and legal drugs. If Mary Jane and hash were legal then they would be forced to sell, well, crack. If not crack then heroine. What the hell are wrong with you people? Give your head a shake and think for a change. Duh!

[CarlosFerreira]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', 'I') cannot get over how F---- dumb the pro-drug lobby is? Drug dealers are not peddling open source software to better humanity. They are selling drugs because of the profit margin between illicit and legal drugs. If Mary Jane and hash were legal then they would be forced to sell, well, crack. If not crack then heroine. What the hell are wrong with you people? Give your head a shake and think for a change. Duh!