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Have We Lost the Drug Wars?
Townhall.com ^ | January 8, 2013 | Bill Murchison

Posted on 01/08/2013 10:59:00 AM PST by Kaslin

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To: JustSayNoToNannies

“Hypocrite. “

You know, I am not interested in indulging in a name calling contest. You think recreational drug abuse is benign. I don’t. There is no reason to get nasty.

I don’t happen to think there is really such a thing as a “l’il bit” of recreational drug abuse. I just don’t. Go ahead and pretend people drop a micro dram of acid or snort a grain of Coke. I know it doesn’t happen.

Whereas normally people have 1, 2, maybe three drinks. This is reality.

Right, being personally drunk is basically legal unless you have dependents there or whatever. I know. Public drunkenness is basically not. I know.


341 posted on 01/09/2013 12:58:29 PM PST by Persevero (Homeschooling for Excellence since 1992)
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To: Persevero

One or two or three drinks most certainly can get you “high.” Certainly a similar amount of pot won’t turn you into a raving lunatic. And you could never die from to much pot, unless you were in an airtight room without oxygen, I guess. Alchohol poisoning is always a possibility.

Oh, wait, is your problem that the doses for illegal drugs are too strong? Yell you what, were alchohol still illegal we probably wouldn’t be drinking Bud Light or winecoolers. Were amphetamines legal like they used to be, they’d come up with their own version of Zima.

“have you ever known anyone to do that? I have not.”

Yes. Maybe your whole support of prohibition stems from not getting out enough.

“most people who had a drink today, did not get drunk.”

You can’t be this naive. You are aware, aren’t you, that during Prohibition consumption of alchohol went up? Why? If you’re going to risk getting busted at a speakeasy for drinking you better damnable well make it worth your while!

Also, most? What about alchoholics? They exist. Probably 100% of those who drank today got drunk. And how many crashed their car, robbed a house to get their next fix, raped your daughter, or whatever else it is you’re supposedly preventing users of big, bad drugs like pot from doing?


342 posted on 01/09/2013 1:07:01 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: Persevero

“There is no drug that people use, besides alchohol, that they don’t use for the express purpose of getting stoned.”

I suppose alchohol is used in cooking. Nevermind pot brownies for now. It is possible some people actually drink their favorite drinks because they like the taste, like they say. Or for heart health, as they’ve been ordered. Or because they are social robots and do what other people have programmed them to do, without thinking.

But come on. The point of drinking is to get drunk, or tight or high or whatever euphamism you prefer. All you’re talking about is a matter of degree. Might I submit that a majority if people could learn how to use al the big, bad drugs at least as well as alchohol are they given millenia to develop customs in the bright light of day, beyond the reach of SWAT teams and “assault” rifles?

That’s a pretty low bar, by the way, considering how destructive is alchohol to the family, to society, and to life.


343 posted on 01/09/2013 1:18:21 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: Persevero

“I don’t happen to think there is really such a thing as a ‘l’il bit’ of recreational drug abuse. I just don’t.”

Then you are ill informed, or maybe irrational. Although you did use the term “abuse,” so I guess by definition you’re right. But let’s pretend you said use. What is with this midifier “recreational,” anyway? I see its general purpose, though ot begs the question what is alchohol use, if not recreational? Palliative? Workmanlike? Dutybound?

Please tell me at least you recognize the possibility of a little bit of “recreational” pot use? Or do children really leap out closed window’s after a single puff?


344 posted on 01/09/2013 1:25:06 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: Persevero

“I don’t happen to think there is really such a thing as a ‘l’il bit’ of recreational drug abuse. I just don’t.”

Then you are ill informed, or maybe irrational. Although you did use the term “abuse,” so I guess by definition you’re right. But let’s pretend you said use. What is with this midifier “recreational,” anyway? I see its general purpose, though it begs the question what is alchohol use, if not recreational? Palliative? Workmanlike? Dutybound?

Please tell me at least you recognize the possibility of a little bit of “recreational” pot use? Or do children really leap out closed windows after a single puff?


345 posted on 01/09/2013 1:25:21 PM PST by Tublecane
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To: Lazamataz
America first started having much more widespread addiction problems.

Drug War mythology.

Prove your claim.

Your claim came first - your proof can come first.

346 posted on 01/09/2013 1:45:32 PM PST by JustSayNoToNannies ("The Lord has removed His judgments against you" - Zep. 3:15)
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To: A_Former_Democrat
Alcohol can be abused, drugs by nature, are abusive.

Nonsense. I've known many people who have smoked a little pot and remained more together than many sober people I know.

You can cite all the personal exceptions you wish, I too have known hundreds of dopers and the only one who ever excused it besides the desire to get high, was she “liked the taste” )which in itself was BS.

Who said anything about not wanting to get high? The question is: is it in the nature of drugs other than alcohol that they always be used to the point of losing judgment? The answer is no - although they sometimes are so used.

My point is the motivation to get high, alone, is enough to make drugs abusive, dangerous, and thus illegal, by law and by logic.

No logic there - many people are motivated to get drunk to the point of losing judgment, while other drugs can be and are used short of that point.

We tried banning alcohol, it didn’t work.

Banning drugs isn't working either.

347 posted on 01/09/2013 1:59:18 PM PST by JustSayNoToNannies ("The Lord has removed His judgments against you" - Zep. 3:15)
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To: Persevero
Hypocrite.

You know, I am not interested in indulging in a name calling contest.

You established yourself as a hypocrite by claiming concern about people "becoming very serious threats to others" but ignoring the fact that at least some of the drugs you want to ban don't increase violence while the drug you want to keep legal does.

You think recreational drug abuse is benign.

Provide an exact quotation where I said that.

I don’t happen to think there is really such a thing as a “l’il bit” of recreational drug abuse. I just don’t.

You're wrong - I've seen it done with coke and with pot.

Whereas normally people have 1, 2, maybe three drinks. This is reality.

People getting drunk happens all the time. This is also reality.

being personally drunk is basically legal unless you have dependents there or whatever. I know.

So you know your previous claim that "Drunkenness is basically against the law" is garbage. Good. What have you done to advance the cause of banning drunkenness to prvent very serious threats to others? (Posts to FR count.)

348 posted on 01/09/2013 2:21:22 PM PST by JustSayNoToNannies ("The Lord has removed His judgments against you" - Zep. 3:15)
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To: Lazamataz; CowboyJay
I came of age in a trailer park during the 80's where drug use was rampant, and that's pretty much my experience as well. Seems like crack and meth induce psychosis in a higher percentage of users. I've seen people just as whacked-out and violent on booze, but the percentage is definitely lower. With alcohol it's just isolated individuals - but the chance that someone will use and go off the deep end still there. With crack and meth, it seems like the percentage is much higher of people who turn into Mr Hyde when they use.

You cannot believe your lying eyes, according to JustSayNoToNannies. You must, instead, believe a (clearly flawed) government report.

Believe what you want - but no one person's, or two people's, personal experiences are either randomized or controlled for confounding factors like pre-existing psychiatric conditions.

349 posted on 01/09/2013 2:32:41 PM PST by JustSayNoToNannies ("The Lord has removed His judgments against you" - Zep. 3:15)
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To: JustSayNoToNannies

Ok, I give, you win


350 posted on 01/09/2013 4:40:34 PM PST by A_Former_Democrat
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To: JustSayNoToNannies
Your claim came first - your proof can come first.

You know, you like to sound all scientific and s**t, but when it comes down to it, you are a petulant child. I would have taken a different approach. I would have defended my position, then I would have said, "Your turn."

It's not my forte to compile and/or dive into stats, but I will get around to it tomorrow, provided I have time. Not important enough for me to bother with tonight.

351 posted on 01/09/2013 6:05:24 PM PST by Lazamataz (LAZ'S LAW: As an argument with liberals goes on, the probability of being called racist approaches 1)
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To: JustSayNoToNannies
"Believe what you want - but no one person's, or two people's, personal experiences are either randomized or controlled for confounding factors like pre-existing psychiatric conditions."

You do realize I'm actually on your side of the legalization debate?

Anyone who would smoke meth or crack already has a screw loose. I'll give you that much. As to the rest, go hang out at a few dozen parties where someone is smoking meth or crack, and get back with us - that is if one of them doesn't whack you over the head with a tire iron before you complete your research.

If I had no choice, and had to pick between being in a room with:

A)10 people drinking beer
B)10 people smoking pot
c)10 people smoking meth
D)10 people snorting coke
E)10 people smoking crack
I'd go B,A,D,C,E.

I've seen maybe two people get slightly manic on weed, but never violent. I have no problem with responsible beer drinking even around the kids. Coke - some people can handle it, some can't. I'd never knowingly hang out with someone under the influence of cocaine - if somebody's crazy enough to mess around with coke dealers, no telling what else they're into. Meth makes people psychotic and violent on occasion - meth induced psychosis is a well documented phenomenon. I doubt you'll run across too many meth smokers who've never undergone psychosis under the influence. Crack doesn't make them as violent, but the addiction seems to be stronger and crackheads will do some pretty cutthroat stuff to feed an addiction. Start hanging out with crackheads, and you may wake up in a bathtub full of ice missing a kidney.

Certainly not a scientific assessment. I didn't need Nancy telling me to Just Say No to drugs. I've seen up close and personal what hard drugs do to people. If you're trying to put something like crack cocaine on par with a few beers, I don't think you'd find many believers among people who've seen the effects for themselves.
352 posted on 01/09/2013 6:41:24 PM PST by CowboyJay (Lowest Common Denominator 2012 - because liberty and prosperity were overrated)
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To: Tublecane

You may certainly have the last word, TC, I don’t enjoy your histrionics or mischaracterizations of what I say. It is not helpful and I don’t deserve it. I have made my positions clear. If you don’t like them, that is your business.


353 posted on 01/09/2013 10:15:43 PM PST by Persevero (Homeschooling for Excellence since 1992)
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To: JustSayNoToNannies

You may certainly have the last word, JSNNN, I don’t enjoy your histrionics or mischaracterizations of what I say. It is not helpful and I don’t deserve it. I have made my positions clear. If you don’t like them, that is your business.


354 posted on 01/09/2013 10:16:44 PM PST by Persevero (Homeschooling for Excellence since 1992)
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To: Lazamataz
per-capita, crack and meth heads are far and away much more dangerous.

Now you're making statistical claims (which is progress of a sort); let's see the statistical evidence.

Well?

defend crack and meth use

Nobody's doing that - you're hallucinating.

I assert that crack and meth users are far and away more dangerous and unpredictable than alcohol users. You say that they are not. Around these parts, that's called 'defending'.

You're still hallucinating - I don't 'defend' battery by saying it's less bad than torture.

355 posted on 01/10/2013 7:00:33 AM PST by JustSayNoToNannies ("The Lord has removed His judgments against you" - Zep. 3:15)
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To: Lazamataz; Ken H
America first started having much more widespread addiction problems.

Drug War mythology.

Prove your claim.

Your claim came first - your proof can come first.

You know, you like to sound all scientific and s**t, but when it comes down to it, you are a petulant child.

<snicker>

I would have taken a different approach. I would have defended my position, then I would have said, "Your turn."

And yet after making the first claim, you didn't.

It's not my forte to compile and/or dive into stats, but I will get around to it tomorrow, provided I have time. Not important enough for me to bother with tonight.

That you consider supporting your claims "not important" is duly noted.

Here's something to consider (a tip of the hat to FReeper Ken H):

"So we had 400,000 opium addicts in 1880, many of whom were addicted Civil War veterans. The population of the US in 1880 was around 50M. That works out to an addiction rate of 0.8% in 1880. Now, in 1900 the addiction rate to either opium or cocaine was 0.5%.

"So in 1880 there were 0.8% addicted to opium vs 0.5% to either opium or cocaine in 1900. The DEA is telling us that addiction declined substantially between 1880 and 1900, despite these drugs being legal."

356 posted on 01/10/2013 7:10:56 AM PST by JustSayNoToNannies ("The Lord has removed His judgments against you" - Zep. 3:15)
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To: A_Former_Democrat
Alcohol can be abused, drugs by nature, are abusive.

Nonsense. I've known many people who have smoked a little pot and remained more together than many sober people I know.

You can cite all the personal exceptions you wish, I too have known hundreds of dopers and the only one who ever excused it besides the desire to get high, was she “liked the taste” )which in itself was BS.

Who said anything about not wanting to get high? The question is: is it in the nature of drugs other than alcohol that they always be used to the point of losing judgment? The answer is no - although they sometimes are so used.

My point is the motivation to get high, alone, is enough to make drugs abusive, dangerous, and thus illegal, by law and by logic.

No logic there - many people are motivated to get drunk to the point of losing judgment, while other drugs can be and are used short of that point.

We tried banning alcohol, it didn’t work.

Banning drugs isn't working either.

Ok, I give, you win

Always glad to welcome a convert!

357 posted on 01/10/2013 7:13:59 AM PST by JustSayNoToNannies ("The Lord has removed His judgments against you" - Zep. 3:15)
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To: JustSayNoToNannies
Well?

LOL! You remain a petulant child. Perhaps you can make your lower lip quiver a little?

I was actually going to spend a few moments and do this, but now I will delay. I am curious to see what level of immaturity you can rise to.

358 posted on 01/10/2013 7:19:18 AM PST by Lazamataz (LAZ'S LAW: As an argument with liberals goes on, the probability of being called racist approaches 1)
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To: JustSayNoToNannies
"Ok, I give, you win"

Always glad to welcome a convert!

Self-centered, immature people often miss sarcasm directed at them.

I don't know you, but your attitude and demeanor indicates to me that you have some very serious personal issues.

I would encourage you to work on those.

359 posted on 01/10/2013 7:22:27 AM PST by Lazamataz (LAZ'S LAW: As an argument with liberals goes on, the probability of being called racist approaches 1)
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To: Persevero

These two are real pips, huh? :)


360 posted on 01/10/2013 7:24:12 AM PST by Lazamataz (LAZ'S LAW: As an argument with liberals goes on, the probability of being called racist approaches 1)
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