Portugal's approach to drug use and abuse.

[PeoplesElbow]

I don't want to deal with them, I don't want them hitting me up for money for "gas", I don't want them staggering down the middle of Great Mills Road when I am trying to go to work, I don't want them to die in my front yard, I don't want them to leave their trash in my yard, I don't want to be bothered by them in any way.

Drug addicts are a huge pain in the ass to everyone around them, one I don't want to deal with.

 

[Starman]

It’s completely beyond me why we won’t end the War on Drugs here:

http://www.drugwarfacts.org/chapter/economics

 

[Starman]

I don't want to deal with them, I don't want them hitting me up for money for "gas", I don't want them staggering down the middle of Great Mills Road when I am trying to go to work, I don't want them to die in my front yard, I don't want them to leave their trash in my yard, I don't want to be bothered by them in any way.

Drug addicts are a huge pain in the ass to everyone around them, one I don't want to deal with.

I’m surprised you leave your house as easily as you’re triggered.

 

[Starman]

Don’t do drugs kids, but don’t forget your Adderall.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

I’m surprised you leave your house as easily as you’re triggered.

Not wanting to deal with something isn't even close to the same thing. I don't want to deal hemorrhoids or ****s like you either but I am far from being triggered from it.

 

[PrchJrkr]

 

[luvmygdaughters]

I’m surprised you leave your house as easily as you’re triggered.

Well, sunshine, when you have to go to work, you dont have a choice to leave your house or not. I agree with Peoples Elbow, I dont want to be bothered with the druggies, I dont want my grandchildren to be bothered by the druggies, I dont want to wade thru a sea of beggars when I have to stop for gas. I dont want some a$$hole, who is higher than a kite, approaching me and offering to sell his food stamp card!

 

[Chris0nllyn]

Not wanting to deal with something isn't even close to the same thing. I don't want to deal hemorrhoids or ****s like you either but I am far from being triggered from it.

There's a lot of a#### we all don't want to deal with, but it's life.

Well, sunshine, when you have to go to work, you dont have a choice to leave your house or not. I agree with Peoples Elbow, I dont want to be bothered with the druggies, I dont want my grandchildren to be bothered by the druggies, I dont want to wade thru a sea of beggars when I have to stop for gas. I dont want some a$$hole, who is higher than a kite, approaching me and offering to sell his food stamp card!

Just so I'm clear, you're okay with spending as much tax dollars as needed to simply lock up users of all kinds because you don't want to be bothered by the random person you perceive to be a drug addict at the gas station (regardless of how rare any of you or PeoplesElbow's hypothetical situations are)?

No one is advocating druggies be allowed to walk around and bother people like an episode of The Walking Dead, but if you want less people on drugs, and less people bothering you, why not support a program that has shown to reduce the number of users instead of a system that has shown no signs of improvement since the 1970s?

 

[luvmygdaughters]

There's a lot of a#### we all don't want to deal with, but it's life.



Just so I'm clear, you're okay with spending as much tax dollars as needed to simply lock up users of all kinds because you don't want to be bothered by the random person you perceive to be a drug addict at the gas station (regardless of how rare any of you or PeoplesElbow's hypothetical situations are)?

No one is advocating druggies be allowed to walk around and bother people like an episode of The Walking Dead, but if you want less people on drugs, and less people bothering you, why not support a program that has shown to reduce the number of users instead of a system that has shown no signs of improvement since the 1970s?

Not hypothetical or rare. I can only remember a few times I've stopped to fill the car and not be approached by someone asking for money. The Food Lion in Leonardtown, approached by a man offering to sell his foodstamp card, my daughter was approached by the same man 2 weeks earlier. If I had my druthers, I would like to see my tax dollars go to people/children, who have cancer, diabetes, etc to help pay for the cost of their treatments, not someone who constantly remains in a drug induced state, who does not contribute anything to society, who will shoot up in a car with their children in backseat, who will continue to overdose, who will try to bring anyone down with him/her by getting them to use. As a whole, the few dealings I have had with them, they are completely and utterly useless, another drain on society. If you wish to use drugs, be my guest, if you wish to overdose, have at it. But dont expect someone else to pay for it. As I said earlier, I am probably paying for their food, housing and that of their poor children. IF they go to jail, I'm paying for that too, either way, it hits the taxpayer over the head again!!

 

[Chris0nllyn]

Not hypothetical or rare. I can only remember a few times I've stopped to fill the car and not be approached by someone asking for money. The Food Lion in Leonardtown, approached by a man offering to sell his foodstamp card, my daughter was approached by the same man 2 weeks earlier. If I had my druthers, I would like to see my tax dollars go to people/children, who have cancer, diabetes, etc to help pay for the cost of their treatments, not someone who constantly remains in a drug induced state, who does not contribute anything to society, who will shoot up in a car with their children in backseat, who will continue to overdose, who will try to bring anyone down with him/her by getting them to use. As a whole, the few dealings I have had with them, they are completely and utterly useless, another drain on society. If you wish to use drugs, be my guest, if you wish to overdose, have at it. But dont expect someone else to pay for it. As I said earlier, I am probably paying for their food, housing and that of their poor children. IF they go to jail, I'm paying for that too, either way, it hits the taxpayer over the head again!!

I've been stopped by those people as well. Maybe you have insider knowledge, but none of them asked for money to get high so I don't have proof that's what it was for and I'm not about to frame my argument around a hypothetical situation.

You stated you'd like to see tax dollars go to cancer treatment. Even if that cancer is brought on by a legal, mind altering substance, such as alcohol or smoking? We both know that the number of people who do what you say is much, much lower than those who get cancer from smoking, or liver failure from druinking too much, or heart disease from not eating healthy or leading a healthy lifestyle.

I'm not sure why there's some sort of disconnect on what's been said or what Portugal's model is, but many of you repeat this line of "well, use drugs if you want", then advocate for a system that is the opposite of that and your argument is based solely on hypothetical arguments with no facts to support it, a very small minority of people, beliefs that aren't true, downright made-up "facts", or this idea that for some reason now you're worried about the way the govt. spends our tax dollars.

You worry about all that, but support a system that causes those sorts of instances and increase tax money as a by-product of government intervention to a problem that cannot, and will not be solved by the incarceration method. All while ignoring the ever-increasing down sides to law-abiding people who care about their liberty.

 

[Hijinx]

I've been stopped by those people as well. Maybe you have insider knowledge, but none of them asked for money to get high so I don't have proof that's what it was for and I'm not about to frame my argument around a hypothetical situation.

You stated you'd like to see tax dollars go to cancer treatment. Even if that cancer is brought on by a legal, mind altering substance, such as alcohol or smoking? We both know that the number of people who do what you say is much, much lower than those who get cancer from smoking, or liver failure from druinking too much, or heart disease from not eating healthy or leading a healthy lifestyle.

I'm not sure why there's some sort of disconnect on what's been said or what Portugal's model is, but many of you repeat this line of "well, use drugs if you want", then advocate for a system that is the opposite of that and your argument is based solely on hypothetical arguments with no facts to support it, a very small minority of people, beliefs that aren't true, downright made-up "facts", or this idea that for some reason now you're worried about the way the govt. spends our tax dollars.

You worry about all that, but support a system that causes those sorts of instances and increase tax money as a by-product of government intervention to a problem that cannot, and will not be solved by the incarceration method. All while ignoring the ever-increasing down sides to law-abiding people who care about their liberty.

Arguing with people who advocate legalizing drugs is a waste of time. They won't get it until they go thru rehab.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

Arguing with people who advocate legalizing drugs is a waste of time. They won't get it until they go thru rehab.

False equivalency.

Assuming one who advocates for more freeodm, less corruption, and a greater good to society as a whole is a drug user.