Why is this still a problem? Is it that we are all afraid to call our representatives and give our names? I’m willing to forgo stuff for a year while we all make our voices heard. Is everyone else?

Yep. I look forward to the utopian future free of aspirin, acetaminophen, cough syrup, Prilosec, Alka Seltzer, coffee, Pepto Bismol, beer, vodka, sumatriptin, Zoloft, and cigarettes.

Yes I do vote, but who in this UN drug delegation represent us? Are they elected? How do I inform my UN representative that I agree or disagree with their position? To whom are they accountable?

perhaps the current financial crisis will enable a courageous leader* to balance the budget with the taxes on pot that are already on the books…

*u know who i mean;-) he’s already taken on the american taliban over stem cell research…i think taking on the bastards who profit from the w.o.s.d., rather than being over-reaching, puts them all on the same side as rush, hoping for failure…and i recall a time when that was considered treason…what’s good4the goose, eh?

That being said, the “war” on drugs is ridiculous and about as winnable a conflict as a war on fingernail biting.

I doubt that. I suggest that those “experts” undergo dental surgery without anesthesia, then ask them again.

Why is this still a problem? Is it that we are all afraid to call our representatives and give our names? I’m willing to forgo stuff for a year while we all make our voices heard. Is everyone else?”

Because when you vote, the people that vote contrary to your views win. Quirky thing, Democracy.

Sk

Exactly! The whole idea of giving the majority of the power to the States was a recognition of the fact that cultures split geographically, and that the States are SUPPOSED to have different sets of laws, based on what the population of that state deems prudent.

This is why I would argue that Federal laws should apply only in those States that haven’t passed legislation that contradicts them. That is, in the absence of a law that says, “In our state, marijuana shall be legal”, Federal law would fill the void.

One law to rule us all stifles progress – how are we supposed to find the solution that fits our State best if our hands are tied when it comes to conducting social experiments?

What does it say about our Government that a majority of voters in California wants medical cannabis legal, asserting that we are prepared to deal with the consequences of such a policy – and the Feds come and raid the growers?

The ONE good thing Obama has done so far is call of those dogs, but it isn’t good enough. In fact, there’s something inherently immoral about saying, “We’re keeping this law in effect, but don’t enforce it on these people because it makes us look like assholes”

If enforcing a law makes you look like assholes, perhaps the law is unjust, and ought to be repealed, didja ever think of that, Mr. President?

You’re off-topic.

Oops, you are contradicting yourself.

–

Plus, the world will always have a drug problem. The word drug means: “a substance other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body.” “Drugs” now implies illicit for some reason, and we think of how evil these substances and their users are. Until public perception and attitudes change, we will be at the mercy of policymakers and government that are in bed with those who profit from this “war” on drugs.

The “war” on drugs isn’t against drugs, its against the people. We are losing our lives to violence, losing our friends to addictions because they can’t get help, and wasting our hard earned money on bad government policies.

Nutbastard@31: Salient continuation / extension of a very good point. Let’s hope reason will prevail in good time.

I wish i could grab all those responsible for such things by the shoulders, shake them, and scream “STOP IT! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!? STOP IT!!”

Thousands of lives shattered because our leaders are unprincipled power-grubbing money-lovers who are too busy putting their hands into each others pockets (while lining theirs from our pockets) in the most deplorable circle jerk in all of human history.

Hey, a couple trillion to bail out those who ran monolithic companies into the ground by employing grossly unethical and irresponsible business practices fueled by greed? SURE!

But apparently it’s too much of a burden on society to let drugs be legal, because we’d have to spend money on addiction treatment centers. Yeah locking them up is a much better solution : \

I recall, a LONG time ago … I believe I was working one of my first jobs, so we’re talking 15-18 years ago? … WIRED magazine had a two-page ‘advertisement’ regarding the War on Drugs.

Everything on these two pages was written backwards, like …

“… like, backwards written was pages two these on Everything”

At the end of the ad, WIRED (or whomever produced the advertisement, I can’t recall exactly) stated that the War on Drugs has things backwards. How much money they spent fighting it, and how many people were jailed because of it.

It was fascinating. And when I tried to find it again, so many years ago, I couldn’t. Does anyone recollect this? Anybody happen to scan it? Does WIRED have it in their archives somewhere?

“Most experts agree that an ideal world would be a drug free world” was referring to the experts interviewed in this film- I’m not trying to speak for all experts around the globe.

I also consider myself to be an “expert” of sorts, and I full heartedly disagree

Where does THAT lead?

It leads to paint huffing and other extremely toxic methods of getting high.

People are going to get high. Make it safe for them to do so.

This was obviously a simple typo – the correct quote must be “Most experts agree that an ideal world would be a free drug world.”

http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php

THIS IS THEIR MISSION STATEMENT:

After nearly four decades of fueling the U.S. policy of a war on drugs with over a trillion tax dollars and 37 million arrests for nonviolent drug offenses, our confined population has quadrupled making building prisons the fastest growing industry in the United States. More than 2.2 million of our citizens are currently incarcerated and every year we arrest an additional 1.9 million more guaranteeing those prisons will be bursting at their seams. Every year we choose to continue this war will cost U.S. taxpayers another 69 billion dollars. Despite all the lives we have destroyed and all the money so ill spent, today illicit drugs are cheaper, more potent, and far easier to get than they were 35 years ago at the beginning of the war on drugs. Meanwhile, people continue dying in our streets while drug barons and terrorists continue to grow richer than ever before. We would suggest that this scenario must be the very definition of a failed public policy. This madness must cease

Is it overly cynical to suggest that there is really very little difference between Democrat and Republican? Fox News and MSNBC?

Ooh, controversial! Expect some contradictions on that one.

“Is it overly cynical to suggest that there is really very little difference between Democrat and Republican?”

Only if being overly cynical is a prerequisite for being a libertarian.

Ultimately both parties want the same basic thing – control over the details of peoples lives. Sure, they seek to control somewhat different aspects of our lives, but any amount of control, over our personal affairs, is too much.