Posted on 10/25/2005 10:10:26 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
I posted this this morning:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1508722/posts
As someone who has been followed, pulled over and thrown against the back of my rental car by small town cops because I was a suspected meth person, I still support strong laws and aggressive enforcement. Why? Because I've talked to those same cops over beers and know what they're up against.
Ditto on that for me. Meth effects people that by in large are below the social radar. When I go visit my old hometown - rarely - I can spot the addicts from across the street and the Meth houses a mile away. They have even taken to making meth in vans driving down the road. Very unsettling to see communities torn by this.
I think PCP is probably worse, but it too is illegal. As long as they all stay illegal, it will be impossible to distinguish the harms of any given drug from the harms of drug prohibition. But, we can look to precendent, and I continue to believe that Prohibition provides much useful insight.
>>>This drug is destroying the small towns across the middle of the country>>>
See, I'm all for personal responsibility. PEOPLE are destroying small towns. What you are saying is like saying guns kill people. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Guns are the method. Same as drugs are the method that PEOPLE use to destroy themselves and sometimes taking others down with it.
In my nephew's case he has my brother and 2 sets of grandparents who have filed for guardianship. CPS ignores all...
Would they engage in those behaviors if they weren't facing years in jail for doing the drug? I don't know, and you don't either - but I did know many meth users in college, and not a single one of them acted like you just described.
In the urban populations I lived in, crack use was much less disruptive to normal life than was the crack trade. But that's just my experience.
So these maggots have a right to victimize me and mine(and oh yes they do...until I have them in from on my shotgun...which happened twice)
Bud, there is a serious problem with this drug...and no amount of discussion can solve it...there has to be directed action to eliminate the production and distribution of the crap.
but I did know many meth users in college, and not a single one of them acted like you just described.
It's a progressive deal, like alcoholism. They might maintain for months or even years, but they eventually hit the steep part of the slope.
I'm sure revenue agents in the 20's and 30's would say the same thing about what they're up against. I hope you sued those cops for all they were worth, but I guess not. Some people like tyranny.
"Would they engage in those behaviors if they weren't facing years in jail for doing the drug?"
These people live in another world...Honest Mate, after they have been up for 5 or so days...They aren't in the real world.
"not a single one of them acted like you just described"
No offense, But I don't think you were looking
Yes, but the question is often whether the laws help curtail the problem or exacerbate it. Under prohibition the drugs are usually stronger than when legal. See this article.
When drugs or alcoholic beverages are prohibited, they will become more potent, will have greater variability in potency, will be adulterated with unknown or dangerous substances, and will not be produced and consumed under normal market constraints. The Iron Law undermines the prohibitionist case and reduces or outweighs the benefits ascribed to a decrease in consumption.Statistics indicate that for a long time Americans spent a falling share of income on alcoholic beverages. They also purchased higher quality brands and weaker types of alcoholic beverages. Before Prohibition, Americans spent roughly equal amounts on beer and spirits. However, during Prohibition virtually all production, and therefore consumption, was of distilled spirits and fortified wines. Beer became relatively more expensive because of its bulk, and it might have disappeared altogether except for homemade beer and near beer, which could be converted into real beer.
Also remember that people who keep meth labs in their homes aren't doing so because they are aficionados who enjoy making it. They are doing so because they can't go buy it at CVS. If you have a neighbor cooking this stuff in his home then you are in more danger, and the drug laws are to blame.
They do? But the media scare stories talk about how immediately meth grips your soul and crushes it and you into oblivion. No? Besides, not everyone who drinks becomes alcoholic, and not everyone who does meth becomes an addict. (But, I suppose, we should throw them all in jail, just like we did for drinkers during Prohibition, right?)
I support police in almost all instances. So, no I didn't sue them. I actually got to know a couple of them and we became friendly. Their actions were prompted by fear.
And spare me the "tyranny" thing. A small town cop making a stop isn't exactly the rise of the Third Reich or Stalin. It's a young kid trying to do a difficult job.
You are now talking like the casual meth user...right before they get nailed.
"The data always lags behind reality,"
Very true, we always manage the past. Talked to some former drug users in the last hour and they thought the restricted sale of cold medicines was helping.
>>>99 percent of first-time meth users are hooked after just the first try";>>>
What??? By this statistic, an average of 15% of the population is hooked on meth. What a load of crap. Reminds me of "Reefer Madness". There is a DEFINITE danger issue regarding meth, but I also studied the prohibition and the propaganda was very similiar with alchohol. Ridiculous claims that never came true. Still doesn't make alchohol good, but it doesn't help to make ridiculous claims either.
The problem with this is that there will be production and distribution of meth as long as there are people who want it. And as with any drug there will always be people who want it.
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