The country is moving further and further from traditional ideals and values. The distribution and use of illegal substances has been blamed for this for quite some time now. I believe that the widespread use of drugs is just a symptom of a larger problem. As the middle class shrinks, and as traditional families get fewer, the causes behind habitual drug use become more common. We have to start treating the disease here, not just the symptoms. But that's another post...
The problem with "prohibition" is that it creates a perfect supply and demand scenario. In other words, there's more money in drugs because they are harder to come by. I do not mean to imply that drugs are hard to find, but that the distribution and manufacture of illegal substances require such precautions as to raise the price.
I do not condone the wide-spread decriminalization of drugs. I do support the legalization of Marijuana. For starters, Marijuana does not typically produce violent behavior in users. The violence involved in the Marijuana trade is directly related to the fact that it is illegal. Growth and distribution could and should be governed by the same agencies that watch over alcohol and tobacco (now what was the name of that agency?...). Making Marijuana legal and taxable adds revenue, clears court dockets, and reduces prison populations. Legalization also creates a cash crop that farmers in the lower Mississippi Valley could grow (Farm Subsidies Rant in the making, folks, be patient).
Anyone caught with a significant amount of heroin or cocaine should be sent to prison for life. Dealers are usually just trying to make a living or supporting their own habits. Distributors are usually the people who commit the violent crimes for a buck, or territory. We need to come up with an amount that qualifies an individual as a distributor, and each state should come up with a minimum mandatory sentence. None of this panty-waste ten -year sentencing crap, either. I'm talking 60 years without the possibility of parole.
The Crystal Meth problem is out of control. I know at least six people personally with a meth habit, and I don't run in any "dope circles" by any means. I have started making fun of tweekers in Wal-Mart to let my kids know what that crap will do to you. Meth is so easy to make and so quick to sell that it is not always possible to tell who is a "cook" and who is a simple user. Anyone who lives in rural America knows this. Gone are the days when a small town is a guaranteed safe haven from drugs and violent crime. If you live in a rural area, and you disagree with that last statement, I challenge you to talk to your local sheriff about it.
There should be no tolerance for crystal methamphetamine in this country. A mandatory 30 year sentence without parole for simple possession, add thirty with possession of a weapon. Make it life within 1000 yards of a school, public park, or daycare. We can't stop crystal meth, but we can put it back underground.
As far as the "drug war" goes, we lost. We need to bring our troops (cops, or whatever you want to call them) from Columbia or anywhere else. If we had a secure border, Columbia's problems would not be America's problems. We should stop wasting money on this program because it isn't working.
I doubt if there are any tweekers reading this, because they are all too paranoid to get online. All comments are welcome, though, especially from any "intellectual" drug users. I love to argue with those people...
Picture of the Week
Really, America?...
11 comments:
I don't think government bureaucracy would solve any marijuana problems. The only solution I see is to let everyone grow his own at home and smoke it at home. I don't have a problem with that. I just don't want them driving or otherwise out in public while under the influence.
I'm against mandatory sentences in general because every case is different and that's why we have judges & juries. Yes, absolutely, get the tweakers and dealers off the streets. Death sentences, even, but not mandatory.
I wasn't concerned with any "Marijuana Problems" in the first place. If you just let people grow their own and smoke at home, they will be driving around. With government regulation, there will be somewhat more effective control of this. The MJ issue is really about freeing up jail space and creating revenue for things that matter, like education.
Maybe I should have been clearer. I was demanding MINIMUM allowable sentencing, not mandatory sentencing. A judge should always feel free to add more years. Juries are there to decide guilt or innocence, and are typically given choices for sentencing, like "life without" or the death penalty.
I disagree about Marijuana. I don't know how to handle it, but I don't think it should be legal.
As for sentencing, Every case is different, but Juries can work out the individual details. The only real difference in a possession case is the amount of drugs, anyway. I agree that sentences for drugs and violent crimes should start at about thirty years.
I believe that mandatory treatment should always be the first step in any drug case.
I was hoping someone would say that...
Treatment for addiction NEVER works unless it is voluntary, and even when a person does decide to get help, it sometimes takes several trips to rehab for it to actually work. Ask any former addict, or just go to an AA meeting for research. I do have sympathy for addicts, but not enough to spend my tax dollars on them over and over again. We have to stop being so soft on people. If you give the option to lose, pretty soon you live in a society of losers.
i think it should be perfectly ok to have "stare decisis" in every case, then go off that for your individual case treatments. rehab treatment centers do not work for the simple fact that you cannot make somebody stay the path of sobriety. they may feel great for a little while, but the addiction runs through them everyday. drugs are a symptom of society aimed at the under privileged to give them a relaease from the stress and anguish they are feeling, and it is this feeling that they crave and no mediacl documentation has ever been produced to say otherwise. nor has there been medical documentation to show a way to combat addiction aside from the will of the individual.
now if you were to impose stalin's view point of communism which is the greater good for the many and tell meth monkeys that upon capture they were to be incarcerated and placed as cooks in lets say iraq or afghanistan,and forced to perform work or be let out on the streets of baghdad to fend for themselves. i think they would stop cold. but then again we have the bill of rights, not what is right for those of us who are good people.
BULLDOG 27
Legalizing marijuana isn't likely to "clear court dockets and reduce prison populations." Alcohol is legal, and the courts and prisons are full of alcoholics and problem drinkers. If marijuana were legal, more people would use it. The problem users would pay their DWH (Driving While High) fines and be back on the streets to end up in court and prison. Making anything legal sends a message to youth that it's okay. Also makes it easier to buy so that those already using will use more often. METH, on the other hand: yes! Lock them up!
Bulldog 27
The Bill of Rights is possibly the most illuminated piece of the constitution. The fact is, just because you don't think I'm a good person doesn't mean that I'm not. I am offended that you speak of the bill of rights as if it were a thorn in your side. I am protected from people like you by the bill of rights. You are protected from people like me by the bill of rights.
Wait...you're a republican, aren't you?...
How am I protected by people like you from the bill of rights. Lets look at the food chain for a second. I am not, will not be, and never shall fear another man woman or child that walks this earth, so go get a gym membership and a haircut hippie and when the terrorists strike close to you blow on your pink liberal issued whistle and I will come save your life.
Bulldog 27
Being a soldier doesn't put us above the constitution. We are the defenders of it. We are the protectors of the Republic, and as such, do not complain about who it is that we defend. If you ever disparage the constitution again on my blog, I will delete your every post.
No man is above the constitution in this country. The system is far from perfect, but is still the greatest to have ever existed. We have enjoyed generation after generation of unmatched success and prosperity as a nation. If we wish to provide this "American Dream" to our children, we have to set aside our bluster and arrogance and strive to repair what we have allowed to be broken.
This may involve accepting differences in people and moving ahead to get the job done. Like we do as soldiers.
With regard to the sentencing discussion... Judge's impose the sentences in this country PERIOD... sentencing is one of the discretionary powers they possess... in jury trials the jury can make sentencing recomendations, but that is all they are, recomendations. The ultimate decision is left up to the judge, even in capital murder cases. True, a jury has to elect to impose the death penalty before it can be given, however, it is well within a judge's power to over rule the jury's RECOMENDATION and impose a life sentence. Other people who can make recomendations or speak to the court about their wishes with regard to sentencing include: victims or victims' family members; expert witnesses or the Prosecuting Attorney in en banc trials (judge or judges only, no jury); in juvenile cases or administrative agency hearings a representitive of the state may be able to weigh in with their opinion. Judges do have the final say though, with certain statutorial limitations....such as mandatiry sentencing or sentencing guide lines (which are usually fairly broad)
As for the legalization of Marijuana.... I think it is a good idea. Especially since alcohol is legal. When the two drugs are compared, yes alcohol is a drug, marijuana is by far the lesser of the two evils. More violence and death has been attributed to alcohol in the last five years than has been attributed to marijuana in the last five decades (personal use...not drug cartels and drug wars.) Drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, spousal abuse, bar room brawls, murders...all alcohol related. Go to Amsterdam and ask a coffee shop proprieter if he has ever seen a coffee room brawl between a bunch of pot heads. The answer will probably be no. So, what prevents marijuana from becoming legal? The governments inability to regulate it and tax it, the inability of law enforcement to prove that someone is driving under the influence of it (tests only prove you have used it in the past few weeks), and the bibel thumpers (otherwise known as the majority of people who turn out and vote) of this country who have had it ground into their heads that it is a terrible "GateWay" drug. How do we legalize it? 1) develope a technology that will allow cops to test if a driver is under the influence of marijuana (think weed breathalizer...i believe these are being worked on) 2)secure the boarders and prevent outside supplies from coming in (will aid the government in its regulation) and 3) wait for the baby boomers to die out all while encouraging generation X to turn out and vote more regularly.... just think, in 25 years it won't be uncommon for a senator or congressman to brandish a tatoo... b/c everyone is getting them... I would wager that 45% or more of the ppl in my lawschool have tats...what does that have to do with anything you might ask? Typically ppl who have tatoos are more open minded and are not affraid of going against certain norms of society...hence, more likely to legalize pot. If Marijauna is going to be legalized it won't be for quite some time.... just a few facts to leave you with....
1) an acre of Marijane produce more O2 and more paper than 10 acres of trees.
2) Hemp is several times more durable than cotton...think a pair of jeans that will last you 7 years...if you don't get to fat to fit in them
3) Think of the $$ our country could make off of weed...all of which could be funneled right into our education system...which is in need of some changes
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