Good, maybe we can spend our money in places where it is actually needed now.

Oh my God, he ACTUALLY said that too!

poor bastard is doomed for sure now.

Good first step. Combined with Holder's policy of salutary neglect of federal marijuana enforcement, we might be on to something.

I'm glad to hear that he considers drug abuse to be more than just an enforcement problem. It's a bit away from recognizing that drug abuse is a symptom of larger problems--and that addressing some of the larger societal issues will curb drug abuse better than just looking to cut down supply and demand.

But that's something that can be addressed perhaps when our economy isn't getting a swirly.

hubiestubert: I'm glad to hear that he considers drug abuse to be more than just an enforcement problem. It's a bit away from recognizing that drug abuse is a symptom of larger problems--and that addressing some of the larger societal issues will curb drug abuse better than just looking to cut down supply and demand.

But that's something that can be addressed perhaps when our economy isn't getting a swirly.

I don't think we're going to go broke from treatment programs especially if we're saving money on incarceration.

My question is, why did we wait until when the economy was in the gutter to address these problems the way they ought to be addressing? Along with my Senator, Jim Webb, trying to reform the prison system... sigh. Farking politicans. There isn't half a nut amongst the whole lot of 'em.

ragekage: My question is, why did we wait until when the economy was in the gutter to address these problems the way they ought to be addressing?

Lisa: The Chinese have the same word for "Crisis" and "Opportunity".
Homer: Yeah, "Crisitunity".

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: ragekage: My question is, why did we wait until when the economy was in the gutter to address these problems the way they ought to be addressing?

Lisa: The Chinese have the same word for "Crisis" and "Opportunity".
Homer: Yeah, "Crisitunity".

I ain't saying we shouldn't address 'em now, far from it. I'm just pissed we had to wait until now to do it.

filth: hubiestubert: I'm glad to hear that he considers drug abuse to be more than just an enforcement problem. It's a bit away from recognizing that drug abuse is a symptom of larger problems--and that addressing some of the larger societal issues will curb drug abuse better than just looking to cut down supply and demand.

But that's something that can be addressed perhaps when our economy isn't getting a swirly.

I don't think we're going to go broke from treatment programs especially if we're saving money on incarceration.

Treatment is a small part of the issue.

Drug abuse and the incarceration addiction of the prison industry is a systemic and wide spread problem all around, and it's one that needs to be addressed not just by treatment and enforcement, but giving reasons for people to NOT turn to drugs, period.

Decent education, housing, and jobs fight drugs far more effectively than knocking down doors and jailing folks and seizing their property.

We have fed a prison industry--and that is exactly what it is--with a whole banquet of "solutions" that increases funding for programs that simply don't work. We have allowed our police and law enforcement to be bird dogs on real estate issues, and to grow fat on seizures, so a good number of less than clean cops and officials who have their hands out to be greased are going to support a system that limps along.

Education and better housing, and jobs are going to address our drug problems a lot more than clean needle programs.

We have a system that is dependent on the problem NOT being solved, but managed. Those who support the prison industry have grown fat on the increased incarceration of Americans, and the drug war has ballooned our prison population by a fair degree, tied up our police chasing down marijuana smuggling and seizures account for big business. With these kinds of profits at stake, folks are going to dig their heels into anything that is going to cut that back.

Our hope, is that police are going to realize that while they may lose funding for drug related programs, they are going to be safer with less drug related offenses to chase down, and can concentrate on real crimes. But, I'm not betting on it.

We still have a Drug Czar?

Can we do something about that?

We don't have a Grand Poobah of Healthcare. "Czar" is a little overinflated, don't you think?

madmann: We don't have a Grand Poobah of Healthcare. "Czar" is a little overinflated, don't you think?

It's because "Drug Caesar" sounds bad when said aloud.

madmann: We don't have a Grand Poobah of Healthcare.

actually, we might end up with a healthcare czar.

/i can't remember if that position got scrapped or not

They need renewed emphasis on decriminalization.

So many things, so screwed up.

Wow.

I'm proud of you America. This might work out after all.

People who choose to smoke marijuana don't deserve any rights and should be locked up.

/I'm going for simple, yet elegant.
//taking rights away for an arbitrary reason seems like a good opinion to have.
///adding to the prison population, too.
////seems sound... I'll go with it.

He wants to reduce demand? Good luck, pal. Not in this lifetime. Take a little advice from a former addict. People quit when they want to. Not one minute sooner.

Biden's totally thinking about his cokehead daughter in this pic.

/hot
//like biden's cokehead daughter

I would rather have the right to a firearm than the right to do drugs. Would you rather be convicted of a drug crime or a gun crime?

Legalize drugs pot and leave guns alone. I guarantee gun crime goes down. Less gang and cartel shootings, and some of the violent drunks will turn into mellow stoners.

Wendy's Chili: /hot
//like biden's cokehead daughter

*chortle* *snort*

Code_Archeologist: Good, maybe we can spend our money in places where it is actually needed now.

yea, like better gifts for foreign dignitaries.

News that he cheated on or failed to pay his taxes in 5.... 4.... 3.....

/yes, I'm that cynical

Actually he should be in good shape, it's not like Rush is going to say anything.

Accolade: People who choose to smoke marijuana don't deserve any rights and should be locked up.

/I'm going for simple, yet elegant.
//taking rights away for an arbitrary reason seems like a good opinion to have.
///adding to the prison population, too.
////seems sound... I'll go with it.

Like the road we are going with tobacco smokers?

There should be no jail for minor, non-violent, non felonious offenders. Make it like alcohol...minus the lobbyists

Is "Treatment" a euphanism for "Shoot in the back of the head and throw into a mass grave"?

hubiestubert: We have a system that is dependent on the problem NOT being solved, but managed.

Same with welfare. Same with countries that "treat" addicts instead of punishing them.

I agree witht his guy on shifting some of the focus to treating rather than punishing, but it will still have some system that will grow "dependent" on the problem.

Accolade: People who choose to smoke marijuana don't deserve any rights and should be locked up.

/I'm going for simple, yet elegant.
//taking rights away for an arbitrary reason seems like a good opinion to have.
///adding to the prison population, too.
////seems sound... I'll go with it.

0/10

Way too obvious

BobtheFascist: Take a little advice from a former addict. People quit when they want to. Not one minute sooner.

Have you ever considered the environment that got you there in the first place?

Wendy's Chili: Biden's totally thinking about his cokehead daughter in this pic.

/hot
//like biden's cokehead daughter

Apparently, the person who took the cokehead video is looking for a payout like the Michael Phelps bong photo guy.

I would say "what's the matter with kids today," but I think there have always been opportunistic douchebags around. Technology just makes it easier.

So they plan to waste tax payer money "treating" potheads instead of locking them up in jail...still shiatty.

liam76: Same with countries that "treat" addicts instead of punishing them.

Treating drug addicts is a hell of a lot cheaper then locking them up.

filth: Good first step. Combined with Holder's policy of salutary neglect of federal marijuana enforcement, we might be on to something.

That's more Obama's policy. Holder is anti-dope, he just said he'd do what the President said.

That's probably as good as we will ever get, it becoming official policy to ignore marijuana. There are probably treaties that prevent us from actually making it legal. Of course, we can do everything but that, like the Netherlands, and basically make it so the cops can technically arrest you, but they are limited by guidelines set down by the legislature. Nonenforcement, not legalization, but it amounts to the same thing within limits.

generaltimmy: Make it like alcohol...minus the lobbyists

You go to jail for drunk driving.

The biggest logistical problem I see with de-criminalizing it is keeping up the ability to prosecute people who are driving under the influence.

Talk to this woman to see how your future career will go when you talk honestly and openly about sensitive issues:



/hot

//sad.

Rapmaster2000:
Apparently, the person who took the cokehead video is looking for a payout like the Michael Phelps bong photo guy.

I would say "what's the matter with kids today," but I think there have always been opportunistic douchebags around. Technology just makes it easier.

if you were broke, and you had the opportunity to net something like 150 grand off a 90 second video, wouldn't you? Not say it's admirable, just saying it's not just douchebags who would do it.

ragekage: My question is, why did we wait until when the economy was in the gutter to address these problems the way they ought to be addressing? Along with my Senator, Jim Webb, trying to reform the prison system... sigh. Farking politicans. There isn't half a nut amongst the whole lot of 'em.

Because Clinton was dealing with a full blown conservative backlash and that would have added a ton of fuel to the fire. Plus he was more conservative than he let on. Bush, well, Bush was a "law and order" guy, no way with him. Obama probably won't legalize or decriminalize it, but I think if he has federal agents stop raiding medical marijuana facilities in states that allow it, that is a good first step.

liam76: generaltimmy: Make it like alcohol...minus the lobbyists

You go to jail for drunk driving.

The biggest logistical problem I see with de-criminalizing it is keeping up the ability to prosecute people who are driving under the influence.

Heh?

Driving high is already criminal, isn't it? Last time I checked, you don't need to be operating a motor vehicle to get stoned.

liam76: generaltimmy: Make it like alcohol...minus the lobbyists

You go to jail for drunk driving.

The biggest logistical problem I see with de-criminalizing it is keeping up the ability to prosecute people who are driving under the influence.

Maybe it will start a movie back to sobriety tests instead of breathalyzers. That would be a good thing. There are people who are actually competent to drive above the legal limit, and there are people incompetent at lower than the legal limit.

you know, as an avid cannabis smoker, i find it hard to believe that me sitting here watching The Jeffersons whilst burning a fat one and doing my work on ebay is as grand of a crime as murder, rape, or even grand larceny [yes, were looking at you CEO-man].

but, somehow, me smoking a plant and laughing when Sherman Helmsley and the maid yell at each other is the same, if not an equal offense when you consider time served per-capita offense here.

its ridiculous, is it not?

//btw, don't do meth, smack, crack, or pills. they're the devil. trust a former hard-core drug addict on this one. it will ruin your life.

whereisian: liam76: generaltimmy: Make it like alcohol...minus the lobbyists

You go to jail for drunk driving.

The biggest logistical problem I see with de-criminalizing it is keeping up the ability to prosecute people who are driving under the influence.

Heh?

Driving high is already criminal, isn't it? Last time I checked, you don't need to be operating a motor vehicle to get stoned.

There is no breathalyzer for pot, so a cop might actually have to make the person go through some sobriety tests, watch carefully, and exercise good judgement. God forbid, huh?

RemyDuron: so a cop might actually have to make the person go through some sobriety tests, watch carefully, and exercise good judgement. God forbid, huh?

My god. The oppression is unfathomable.

liam76: hubiestubert: We have a system that is dependent on the problem NOT being solved, but managed.

Same with welfare. Same with countries that "treat" addicts instead of punishing them.

I agree witht his guy on shifting some of the focus to treating rather than punishing, but it will still have some system that will grow "dependent" on the problem.

Very much so. It's a step in the right direction, but until we won't see major inroads against our problems with drugs until we address issues of education, employment, and this prison industry that we are so invested in.

Get rid of the reasons that people turn to drugs in the first place, and you cut down demand. In much the same way, we'll see a drop in violent crime.

It's not a gun issue, it's a crime issue. People who are employed and feel safe don't turn to crime as often as a matter of survival. Education, health care reform, and job creation are going to much more to address our nation's crime problems than ramping up enforcement and punishment.

And right now, our drug issues are primarily crime issues.

JimmyCarter'sSecondTerm: I would rather have the right to a firearm than the right to do drugs.

What good is your right to bear arms if you're willing to just sit back and let the government tell you what you're allowed to do with your own body?

whereisian: BobtheFascist: Take a little advice from a former addict. People quit when they want to. Not one minute sooner.

Have you ever considered the environment that got you there in the first place?

The environment was fine. I had a good job, a nice car & a nice apartment. It was the whole "Hey, this cocaine stuff is pretty cool" thing that got me in trouble.

thedeadshallwalktheearth666: you know, as an avid cannabis smoker, i find it hard to believe that me sitting here watching The Jeffersons whilst burning a fat one and doing my work on ebay is as grand of a crime as murder, rape, or even grand larceny [yes, were looking at you CEO-man].

Depends, are you a minority?

/kidding
//trying to prove a point.

whereisian: liam76: Same with countries that "treat" addicts instead of punishing them.

Treating drug addicts is a hell of a lot cheaper then locking them up.


If the treatment works. If we are only talking about treatment, not the schools, houses and jobs required that the poster I commented on mentioned.

I am all for giving it a try, I just don't pretend that an industry/beuracracy won't grow out of it.

Komplex: Actually he should be in good shape, it's not like Rush is going to say anything.

This isn't something innocent like Oxycontin! This is the DEVILS WEED! They wouldn't call it that it if weren't evil!

I'm part owner of a technology company. Tomorrow night I plan on getting wasted on a particular substance because it's fun. Next week I'll go back and continue to make my company profitable.

Am I a criminal? Am I a detriment to society? If you have to qualify your opinion with, "Depends on what substance you're talking about", then you've lost the game.

Ya, right. Like the police and dea are going to give up their biggest source of income.

BobtheFascist: whereisian: BobtheFascist: Take a little advice from a former addict. People quit when they want to. Not one minute sooner.

Have you ever considered the environment that got you there in the first place?

The environment was fine. I had a good job, a nice car & a nice apartment. It was the whole "Hey, this cocaine stuff is pretty cool" thing that got me in trouble.

And, believe or not, in terms of physical addiction cocaine is not that addictive. Opiates are, of course, worse, but I believe nicotine and caffeine are too (quicker to get you addicted), not sure about meth.

IMO cocaine should be legalized. It's psychologically addictive like a biatch, but so's gambling and chocolate.

Britney Spear's Speculum: trying to prove a point.

What would that point be?

5h4wn: Rapmaster2000:
Apparently, the person who took the cokehead video is looking for a payout like the Michael Phelps bong photo guy.

I would say "what's the matter with kids today," but I think there have always been opportunistic douchebags around. Technology just makes it easier.

if you were broke, and you had the opportunity to net something like 150 grand off a 90 second video, wouldn't you? Not say it's admirable, just saying it's not just douchebags who would do it.

It is no less admirable than paparazzi's.

It isn't like he found some private pictures of her doing something completely legal but questionable to tarnish her image.

The biatch was doing lines of coke and complainingt hey weren't big enough. She was doing shiat that would get most people tossed in jail, but hey she is Biden's daughter so it must have been a set up, poor her...


hubiestubert: Get rid of the reasons that people turn to drugs in the first place, and you cut down demand. In much the same way, we'll see a drop in violent crime.

Rich people use drugs too.

No fairy land you will ever create will provide high paying jobs for people who don't want to work their ass off getting an education.