Not sure I agree with legalization. Everything that is sold legally is also available illegally because the illegal stuff usually sells cheaper particularly if it involves goods that are taxed.
I don't think you meant to say everything. "everything" is an absolute. Where can i buy everything (legalized products) cheaper illegally? I'll have some illegal aspirins, milk, gasoline, etc etc.. . Not everything sold illegally is less expensive. All of those drug addicts who also consume alcohol seem to be buying beer from liquor stores and not some illegal cheaper source. They have no reason to spend more money legally on alcohol, while they illegally buy drugs. You do have a point about the taxes, so we can just agree to not tax the stuff.
Drug addiction, regardless of the substance, is a mental health disease, just like alcoholism.
In both cases treatment is only successful when the patient wants to get clean.
Unfortunately what we lack is good, affordable, mental health care. Which would go along with an educated public and political leaders.
I know they say addiction is a disease.. but how much of that political correctness? People do just
decide to stop patronizing their addictions cold turkey. Not everyone, but enough to realize it's not a universal truth.
You can't just decide to stop having a disease. Many do decided to give up their addictions. Also what other mental health disease requires you to continue a behavior for it to continue?
The law enforcement community is left holding the bag on this, they know only one way to deal with the problem, arrest and incarceration.
Because that's what law enforcement is about, it's not a mental health agency, it's not a public health agency. It enforces the law.
Law enforcement isn't trying to resolve the problem, and it isnt' supposed to. That's not their job.
They're just adhering to the job instructions. The judicial branch isn't law enforcement. Judges often force addicts to participate in rehab programs. Law enforcement aren't determining the incarceration aspect.
Legalization will only make it more difficult to get the dealers and the gangs they support off the street.
We need to reduce the demand.
If drugs were legalized the big corporations would put street dealers out of business just like they do
with mom and pop stores. "Reduce the demand" is on the right track but I think eliminate the demand
would be a better choice of words. However I would even question that. Why? If people want to take legal risks to get high (that has no bearing on others), tha'ts called freedom. Are we going to stop allowing people consume alcohol too? 20k vehicle homicides involve alcohol per year on average. that's a much bigger problem killing innocent people, than drug addicts. stop sky divers? stop vehicle racers at the race track? What about the worlds oldest profession? that too? Are we just going to pick and choose what deadly activities we 'allow' as if it's our right to regulate their health and choices? based on what? how palatable we think it is? The high might not be exactly the same, but it's still dangerous activity that people do for the feeling, and risking death upon themselves. And many racers will spend their money on racing like an addict. If you want to get rid of the demand for illegal drugs, make the drugs legal and affordable, and controlled. A lot less people would be dropping dead from bad batches and OD's. Isn't that what the problem is? That and those who can't afford their habit so they commit crime. Some people should be sedated from opiates vs causing havoc on society. If they want to induce themselves, all the better.
That's not a new idea, the countries that export the drugs have long told the US that they can't fight the producers as long as the US provides a huge market.
We've tried banning it, that doesnt' work. isnt' it logical to just give them as much as they want? as cheaply as possible?
pardon my rambling, saw something that gave me another thought.
I'm not condoning drug use, but there are users and there are addicts. There is a distinction, just as there are people who drink and there are alcoholics. The addict and the alcoholics cannot control themselves except by total abstention from the substance(s). There is no turning use on and off. Recreational users can and do.
By that logic you should be for alcohol prohibition. Are you?
Because they have a problem, they become prime targets for all kinds of crime, even in recovery, they become victims of people seeking to profit from their illness. Dealers, pawn shops, landlords, you name it.
