The way to end this and the drug gangs is to legalize drugs. No, I am not a libertarian, but I am a person who uses history as a lesson. Drugs and gangs were not a problem in this country before they were outlawed. Prior to the turn of the century most drugs were legal in this country and the drug addition rate was no worse then than it is now, AND we had the added benefit of not having gangs that are financed by illegal drugs.
There are a whole lot of people who use a moralistic approach to drug use instead of the lesson that prohibition taught us, in fact there are some who still believe we should bring back prohibition along with bootleggers and the crime that was rampant during the prohibition era.
Want to end drug crime? Legalize it, take the money out of it and you will stop drug dealers and most of the crime in their tracks, not to mention defunding street gangs. Yes, we would probably still have gangs but we would take the sting out of most of them, without money they would fall apart.
I would be willing to bet that the reason drugs are NOT legalgalized in this country is, in large part, due to the bribing of officials to make sure the golden goose isn't slain. Flame away if you want, but this time maybe, just maybe, you could try using your heads to think with instead of your emotions.
Your post contains much that is reasonable.
Unfortunately, since you fail to pander to the self-righteous prohibitionists in our midst, you will be dismissed as either a pot-head or a cloud-cuckoo libertarian.
The faith that these folks have in the state is truly frightening. American-style socialism certainly has created its own special version of secret police.
Just for the record, I agree with you 100%.
Sounds like a ptractical solution.
I think you are saying the drug dealers might be bribing the officials, that may be true. I know for a fact though that the police lobby like crazy for the war on drugs and they especially like the forfeiture laws. The war on drugs is great job security and increased funding for the police, courts and prisons. It's a win win situation for the police, drug dealers and politicians.
We the people are the losers.
The way to deal with this is to execute ANYONE guilty of drug manufacturing/selling within 7 days of arrest.
It works in Singapore!
I bet if this was 1926 instead of 2006 you'd be saying the same thing about alcohol -- just legalize it and the gangs will go away.
And you'd be just as wrong.
I have a better idea.. don't make my response as a private citizen illegal... I guarantee there will be ZERO druggies in my county within one year...