[genefromjersey]

I'll repeat myself ( a common thing for old farts like me ):
We need a new war on drugs: one that will win the hearts and minds of our citizens; because only aggressive social pressure will do the job.

The next comedian who tells an "in joke" about drugs should be booed off the stage.The sponsors of the show should be flooded with angry letters, and boycotted,if necessary,until they get the message.

Those of us-in this very forum-who continue to advocate adolescent points of view about drugs, need to "take a little walk on the wild side" and see with their own eyes what drugs are doing to all of us. You need to see addicts "coming down" : all covered with sweat;wrapped in blankets in 90 degree heat;their noses running;their eyes watering; their whiney voices begging for "just a taste,man !" ( I saw it every day for 17 years, and can tell you it ain't pretty ! )

If you're still seething with adolescent rebellion against society, consider this: If society abandons enforcement of one set of laws to make YOU happy, why should it enforce ANY of them ? Neighbor stole your car ? TS !!Boss didn't feel like paying you ? Toughski,baby !

[Calpernia]

You are right. When a situation looks hopeless, we should give up. Always better to conform to the masses then to stand up and do the right thing.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

"The next comedian who tells an "in joke" about drugs should be booed off the stage..."

You seem to think that I disagree with you that drugs are bad- for individuals and for our society. You would be wrong. I agree completely.

BUT, let's take just the relatively simple "baby step" you suggested above- EXACTLY WHO IS GOING TO BOO JAY LENO, et al, off the stage? Who?

No, this war is over, and we should try to mitigate as much of the consequences of the defeat as we can. There are many books outlining what needs to be done, I don't propose to synopsize them here.

But what we are doing is not working- and (almost) everyone knows it. Some sort of "decriminalization" is inevitable. I think that we are very, very close to the maximum number of people that can be jailed or otherwise punished for drug possession/drug use in this country.

The way people and societies behave, it is likely that the pendulum will swing back sometime in the future- another "Great Awakening", perhaps. When that finally happens, the "demand side" of the drug equation will drop back to some low value, and the "supply side" will perforce do the same.

I doubt that I will still be around when that finally happens, and it will not be brought about by the WOD tactics we are using now.