I think the illegal drug industry is the main culprit across America. How many gangs are centered around the sale of illegal drugs around this nation? How many of them use the tactics of terrorist assaults with weapons to intimidate their competition? How many times are weapons employed in criminal activities centered around the drug enterprise? We have youths engaged in all nature of illegal activities centered around organized criminal activities that support their drug enterprise. It is the activities of the drug enterprise that are the problem—not guns! These criminals rarely engage in legitimate activities to make their money. Their enterprise escapes the scrutiny of the IRS. These activities are such things as pimping, bank robberies, fencing operations, home invasion robberies, car theft, metal theft, money laundering, marijuana grow operations, meth production labs—the list is endless. All these activities are efforts to raise the capitol necessary to purchase large quantities of drugs (inventory) for street sale operations. It is big business folks. The impact of this illegal activity on our society you could compare to a factory spilling out poison into the community. It is a disaster.
Gun violence? It’s the tip of the ice burg. It’s the drug industry that is doing much more harm to this nation than guns.
It is time for technology to do what our nation’s cultural norms no longer will do. We have entire sectors of our society that have become so compromised in their moral culture, they have become a cancerous growth across this nation. The only way to a cure for any cancerous growth is through technology.
This is why I say, it is time to eradicate the drugs that come from plants by doing some DNA tricks to the fields that grow them. Create genetically engineered species that sends out pollen that renders any plant that is fertilized by that pollen only able to produce sterile seeds.
IMHO.
“sterile seeds”
Very, Very, bad idea. It is rumored that Monsanto already has the gene to render a species or plant to not reproduce.
Do you want the world to starve to death? If the rumor is true, it is possible for that to happen if the gene gets in the wild.
It's impossible to stop people from producing and selling intoxicants because the users are willing to pay more for them than gold! Since there is no victim to report the crime, 99%+ of drug deals are never caught. Even in places that execute dealers, countless people take that small risk to become filthy rich. The profit is so incredible that EVERY single police agency is corrupted by it. Even the CIA was caught assisting drug smugglers in the 1980s.
Even if you somehow magically sealed the border and stopped all subs, drones, planes, scanned every crevice in every vehicle, scanned every person's stomach AND eliminated police corruption to stop the import of certain plants. It would still be pointless because any plant can be grown indoors and users would still be willing to pay that extra price.
Even if you somehow made every intoxicating plant extinct through genetic warfare, it would still not work. For one, nearly every plant has some intoxicant that can be extracted if the price is right. Many of these plants, such as swamp reeds, are an important part of the world ecosystem. And don't even get me started on the dangers of releasing genetic weapons into the wild.
Also, there are potentially an infinite number of mind-bending synthetic drugs that can be manufactured. The synthetics are becoming more popular recently because they are legal and cheap until banned. They are WORSE in every way than all the natural drugs coming across the border. As soon as a certain compound is brought to the attention of authorities, a new one is sitting on grocery shelves before the ban is even signed. They are sold as bathsalts, potpourri, etc.
These new drugs can turn people into real flesh-eating zombies and they only exist BECAUSE of the WOD. It's ironic that safer drugs were banned under false pretenses of “cocaine crazed negroes” and “reefer madness”. Now these things actually happen BECAUSE of the WOD.
The only way to stop drug abuse is to target the problems that make so many people use them. The only way to stop the corruption and violence is to allow the relatively safe natural drugs to be sold by legitimate businesses. Right now we have drug kingpin billionaires on the Forbes 500. Just like the Kennedys and countless violent bootleggers during alcohol prohibition.
How much do you really understand about drugs? Back in the late 1800's pharmacist and doctors were actually making tonics and fountain drinks made from Cocaine and opiates. You could walk in and say I'll have a Coca Cola. Yes the same Coca Cola on the store shelves today minus cocaine.
Back in the 1970's your run of the mill marijuana was grown in some farmers field who lived in a remote area and really there wasn't that much cost. An ounce went for roughly $20. You could not overdose on it, it was not addictive, and it wasn't no where close to the potency today that design via the very engineering you speak of made it far more potent. It was a lot safer than booze.
In steps the War on Drugs. The state and FEDS got serious first on Pot fields. Local crops were destroyed and what was once a Hey dummy don't let me catch you growing no more Pot became hard time in prison. It was at that point the Black Market exploded for POT and the Mexican Drug Cartels were born. Illegal importation of drugs became a profitable enterprise.
Back in the 1930's the feds also tried to outlaw the manufacturing of alcoholic drinks. From that prohibition came some of the most notorious criminal gangs of the day. It did not stop drinking rather it increased. Bootlegging began. But a legal means to distribute alcohol took it's place in every store in the nation.
I used to collect antique bottles. I am very familiar with Prohibition Era Bottles LOL. Tonics and OTC Liquids sales boomed during prohibition. The alcohol content in those products was 20% or greater alcohol. Me and m dad and an uncle would dig out filled in cisterns for the bottles. We knew when we hit Prohibition and knew then the good bottles were deeper just below them.
The WOD has also created another huge problem known as METH. The biggest danger to all of course is METH Labs. It makes more sense to me to allow a legal manufacturing of METH under safe conditions and sell it cheap to addicts then to have Joe METH an addict himself cooking it and blowing himself and his neighbors up.
The government will not end drug production because it can't be ended. The solution is to end the profitability behind it. Believe it or not Bootleggers liked Prohibition. It gave them a market and prices they didn't have before. Prohibition did not save lives nor end drinking. More persons including casual drinkers likely died from bad brew than one died from alcohol associated disease or alcoholism.
The War On Drugs on the other hand has created such violations of the Constitution as property seizures often without due process making the person prove their money was going to be spent for other reasons etc tieing it up for years in some cases in courts where less than honest LEA's are using WOD for revenue enhancement or to out right steal. Most cash is tainted you know. Personally if I have $5k on my person I think that's my own darn business. Could be headed to an auction or to a car lot. One county near me was real bad for cash grabs on the interstate.
WOD has also given us the very wrong and highly dangerous No Knock Raid Policies. It has made honest law abiding persons to be placed on Watch and Suspect databases for the simple purchase of Cold Medications. It has given us gang Activity often associated with out of country drug cartels. It has given a market for designer drugs creating a market that was not there or a threat before the WOD began. It's past time to end the War On Drugs. The War On Drugs is a much bigger threat to the survival of our nation than illicit drug markets it has created.
I don't think it wise for a person to destroy themselves with illicit drugs. On the other hand some illegal drugs are not that harmful to start with. My dad suffered through the final stages of cancer for several years including Chemo. I know enough about Pot to know it helps certain medical conditions like the bad side affects of Chemo. I also knew a man who retained his drivers license and independence by using it for his glaucoma.
Yes some drugs are far too dangerous to be legalized. On the other hand some of the outlawed drugs is just plain stupid. Yes if I could have afforded to do so both monetary wise and not been locked up I would have gotten dad some Pot for his use. No the prescription written anti-nausea medication is not better. I mean lets be logical here. A man was taking Morphine and Hydrocodone plus Chemo and unable to eat, yet Pot would hurt him?
As for myself? I haven't smoked it in over 27 years. But I perfered it too drinking which was legal. Never addicted to it, didn't crave stronger drugs, I just got tired of the stuff and moved on like the vast majority of those who ever smoked it have. OH BTW doctors say my lungs are clear.