Is there enough will power in Washington this decade to let the herbs grow and be free? So many legal drugs are killing us, but we want to criticize marijuana.
I think it should be legal but it isn’t harmless. More and more they are finding a certain percent of people prone to mental illness will experience psychotic breaks. Also, while far less serious, some places you go now just reek of pot everywhere.
I’ve read it several places. My daughters psychiatrist mentioned that for some that are already prone to mental illness it can exacerbate the condition and cause psychosis. There have been associational studies correlating pot use and mental illness, although that doesn’t necessarily mean causation. You can google and find plenty of references.
I do not partake, but I would trust THC before I would trust the many synthetics that are prescribed to mentally ill patients.
The drug war has spent $2.8 trillion dollars or more since 85’. This has resulted in zero reduction in access to drugs. I’ve known and partook in the use of most every drug. ( my only problem has been with alcohol) I have never heard of a friend or acquaintance ever say; we can’t get x drug whenever they want it. The attempt to eliminate drugs from a supply perspective has been an absolute failure. What would happen if we took that $100b per year and reallocated it to rehabilitation. My conservative father has for years suggested we give the more dangerous drugs; heroine; for free in a facility administered by health practitioners however you would have to be clean for x months to exit. It would reduce hot doses; put the cartels out of business; and just possibly reduce the number of ODs. The drugs with near zero acute danger(lsd, psylocibin, cannabis etc) would be legalized and regulated at the same level as alcohol. Cocaine is less acutely dangerous than alcohol. Or more likely we can continue pounding our head against the wall and hope something changes. Granted the cops would lose their easy prey but possibly start focusing on real crime.
I am certainly for a more rehabilitation based model. However I don’t agree with the approach in some cases to just let people live in the streets and get high at their own risk and risk to everyone else. I think something should be done with them. Rehab, drug courts, followed by prison- whatever. Also, the much touted Portugal decriminalization model has taken somewhat of a turn for the worse. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/07/portugal-drugs-decriminalization-heroin-crack/#
Sending individual end users to prison is just nuts. Guess what? The government agrees, which is why they focus on distribution, mainly large-scale distribution, from a law enforcement standpoint. The point @Rocinante made is heard loud and clear. And how can you send end users to prison and have a porous border where cartels move units by the truckload across our border? You want to focus on the single mom who can't get her life straightened out, but ignore the foreigners coming across our border unimpeded.
Well if you had actually made a good faith effort to understand what I posted you would have noticed that prison is a last resort, only after all other efforts fail - and for some all other efforts will fail. I have talked to some recovered addicts and they said prison was the only motivation that got them clean. Leaving addicts to continue to either fry their mind on meth or eventually kill themselves on fentanyl is about the least compassionate thing you can do. I am all for anything that we can do on the supply side also. However the issue of illegal aliens and illicit drugs are 2 different issues and fixing one doesn’t fix the other. Most of these drugs come in through otherwise legal points of entry.
Anyone know what happens in Florida if the police find that you have weed or an out of state gummie? Nothing? Citation? Arrest? A friend is curious actually, I imagine it depends on the officer
Can't cite specific laws but the overwhelming majority of cops I have worked with do not care about personal use weed and edibles unless it's used as PC for further offenses. Definitely matters as to the cop or particular department whether they will even address an out of state edible.
These sentences in that article is the concerning part to me and, IMO, probably a big factor in why the success of Portugal's model has deteriorated. Such a transition in prevailing thought from "drug addiction is an illness that should be treated" to "drug addiction is a right that should be protected" is as dangerous as it is preposterous.
Pot makes some people paranoid. I had friends in HS that experienced it while others would chill out. Maybe it was the type of strain, amount ingested, etc.? Ban smoking in public due to the smell. Gummies for everyone. Lol
I was just going to cite that WAPO article. One solution may be to keep it legal to buy, but make it illegal to use in public. We haven’t noticed it as a problem in Lagos, Portugal, where my daughter has a house.
I don't understand the concern about legalizing it as a regulated substance. Way less harmful than alcohol to society as long as it has some controls. Smoking 3 times a day and driving while high isn't the same as saying legalize it.
The problem with drugs is not necessarily use. It’s the consequences that follow the use. My libertarian Flood has no issue with legalizing all drugs. As the majority of people must read have properly noted, America’s war on drugs has been a dismal failure from day one for all the reasons stated. This is because, as many people here point out, the approach has been ass backwards. Our government attempted to solve a problem, without first IThis is because, as many people hear point out, the approach has been ass backwards. Our government attempted to solve a problem, without first identifying the problem. In my mind, the real problem is the consequences to third parties from stupid drug and alcohol use. When I am President, under my administration, I will sign an executive order on the first day, legalizing all drugs. However, simultaneously, I will get with Congress to pass laws to provide real disincentives for people to use drugs in an irresponsible manner. If you’re caught operating a motor vehicle under the influence, it’s a mandatory 3 year jail settings. If you injure somebody while operating a motor vehicle vehicle under the influence, you spend one day in jail for 10 dollar of damage you cause. $1000 in medical bills, 100 days in jail for you, up to a maximum of 5 years. If you kill somebody while intoxicated, 10 years per life you take. In all instances, you lose your driving privileges permanently. If you were caught operating a vehicle under a suspended license, due to drug use, 20 year jail time. your freedom to use drugs does not supersede grandma’s freedom to drive down the road without getting killed.
