How free can we really be?

[Gordon Fink]

Freedom isn’t free, but tyranny is none too cheap either. Which price would you rather pay?

~G. Fink

 

[TallPine]

Banning herion and other drugs does in fact directly produce smuggling, black market distribution, and gang warfare. True enough. These have a miniscule effect on good people.

Well, I would argue with that - mostly that the War on Drugs has caused the average "good people" not to be judged by LE on their behavior, but rather by what they might have in their pockets or glove box or house.

Besides, if smuggling, black market distribution, and gang warfare has only a miniscule effect on good people, how much effect could the original drug usage and dealing have on "good people" ?

The legalization of drugs would rapidly demonstrate to everyone's satisfaction the fact that such legalization creates a different and much worse kind of problem. By the time that demonstration was complete, though, it would likely be too late to reverse the process of legaliztion.

Maybe ... or maybe not...? I don't believe that either one of us can forecast for certain what the effect would be. My history classes didn't tell me about any great crisis from the free use of drugs 100+ years ago. Just like our country didn't collapse before 1968 when anyone could buy a gun through the mail.


If there is any "progress" to be made, it will of course be incremental (just like CCW laws in the last couple decades). The first thing I would like to see is for the federal govt to get out of the drug prohibition business and leave it to the states. Then see a number of states de-criminalize marijuana and see how that works out. When the world doesn't suddenly end, then other states can consider the same thing, and even later on, so-called "hard drugs."

(LightningJoe, I do appreciate your arguments and lack of name calling )

 

[spencerhut]

**Nomex & Kevlar On**
I think the entire "Drug War" is a load of crap. If an adult wants to do drugs let them. I think pot should be taxed and sold like cigarettes. And no, I have never once in my life smoked it. I’ll take any kind of drug test at anytime. Harder drugs, I think you should get a prescription from a doctor. But this whole drug war is the primary instrument the government has used for years to systematically scare the general populace and take away our rights. Not to mention all the law enforcement resources that have been wasted enforcing drug laws when they could have been catching actual violent criminals. How much money do you and I spend keeping non violent drug offenders in jail? Let them go and spend the money on drug education. If they still do drugs, let them. Let them kill themselves, clean out the gene pool. How much drug crime will there be when you can go to the doctor and just buy cocaine over the counter like valium?
If you have bought into this drug war crap you are nothing but a cow in a heard.

 

[WickedXD]

I agree...and so do a bunch of ex-LEO's from Jersey. They have seen years of waste on the "drug problem". If it were all legal...addicts could be treated as a medical problem...and people could get help. Cartels would be out of buisness or should I say Columbia would be our new main importer. People would not be killing eachother over the sh*t. And Pot....well we all know that it could be sold like ciggeretts..and not much would change...except...the paranoia ...."Did you here that? It's the F'N COPS! Hide the sh%t!" LOL But serious...it would cut down on alot of crap. The cops could spend their time catching real criminals. Also they should just make it legal for everyone to own a firearm period! I guarentee gun crime would drop. Not to many criminals are gonna risk robbing someone...when anyone could potentially have a gun. USA at peace...bunch of potheads walking around with heaters...sounds crazy I know...but I bet we would be better off.

 

[DRZinn]

Where are the ALL liberty supporters?

<Raises hand, waves it around wildly> Here! Here! I'm right here! Oh, t'ell with it, nobody's listening.

 

[gego]

I don't see a "right to use drugs" or a "right to marry" in the Constitution. Sure, the latter likely falls under the equal protection clause, and the former, well, I don't know.

If they needed the 18th Constitutional Amendment to outlaw alcohol, they must have considered that it was a right before that. There has been no Constitutional amendment outlawing drugs so maybe there is a right to use them also.

As a practical matter, when you try to outlaw something that many people like, all you do is create the need for organization to thwart the law, hence the rise of gangs to supply illegal alcohol in the 1920's and the drug gangs of today. In all the time before drugs were illegal or controlled by the government, how much more harm did the do then than they do today?

I am a libertarian in my views and support among other freedoms, the freedom to keep and bear arms and the freedom of people to determine what they put in their own bodies, whether good or bad for them. We are either slave, where we are owned and controlled by others, or we are free in which case we own ourselves and control ourselves so long as we do not commit acts of agression against others.

 

[Autolycus]

Well they may legalize limited amounts of weed in Nevada.

Here is the link... http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/

And the drug czars views...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2006/oct/12/101210252.html

If it passes I just may go to Vegas. A lot of younger people go to Europe for some of the more lax drug laws, now they mad just go to Vegas instead. This will help the already booming tourism industry Vegas has.

I hope it passes and if it does perhaps we could have a THR event in Vegas?

 

[Critter183]

Someone said this:

I don't see a "right to use drugs" or a "right to marry" in the Constitution.

That the Constitution enumerated certain rights, does not mean it disparages those not enumerated. That is why the 9th amendment was included in the bill of rights:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

The federal government was established for mutual defense, and to regulate trade. That is it. Oh and carry mail.

All of this other BULL**** is just that, BULL****!

Someone else noted that the feds tried banning alcohol once. Very true and the results were as he posted, disasterous, with a huge increase in violent crime.

Did they pass a law to ban alcohol? No. They amended the Constitution because they had NO AUTHORITY to ban anything.

And to remove the ban, they had to amend the Constitution again.

But that was before America became a dumbed down bunch of ignorant morons. Now, they could ban breathing and half the country would think it a good thing. lmao

What a bunch of pinheads we have become.