the failed war on drugs just turned 40

Wasn't a failure for the people profiting from the prison system here.

there must be a lot of money in keeping drugs illegal - more than there is in legalisation. if it were the other way around of course drugs would be legal. it's all about the money, simple as.

  On 6/16/2011 at 3:01 PM, BCM said:

there must be a lot of money in keeping drugs illegal - more than there is in legalisation. if it were the other way around of course drugs would be legal. it's all about the money, simple as.

Exactly. There is profiteering on both sides of the law with drugs being illegal and there is little reason to change the status quo. Wasn't it Wachovia bank that got fined for laundering $400m of cartel money and I am sure a lot of the assets these banks have are from drug cartels.

Can only hope that drug use will someday be seen as a social and health issue instead of as a criminal issue.

  On 6/16/2011 at 4:44 PM, azatoth said:

  On 6/16/2011 at 3:01 PM, BCM said:

there must be a lot of money in keeping drugs illegal - more than there is in legalisation. if it were the other way around of course drugs would be legal. it's all about the money, simple as.

 

Can only hope that drug use will someday be seen as a social and health issue instead of as a criminal issue.

  On 6/16/2011 at 3:01 PM, BCM said:

there must be a lot of money in keeping drugs illegal - more than there is in legalisation. if it were the other way around of course drugs would be legal. it's all about the money, simple as.

Yep. Think about American prohibition. The mob was trying to keep it going for as long as possible since they were making a killing [pun only slightly intended] off of it.

With that said, I've never done any drug except alcohol, but I don't see why cannabis shouldn't be legal.

In b4 Bill Hicks quote

  On 6/16/2011 at 4:51 PM, joshuatxuk said:

  On 6/16/2011 at 4:44 PM, azatoth said:

  On 6/16/2011 at 3:01 PM, BCM said:

there must be a lot of money in keeping drugs illegal - more than there is in legalisation. if it were the other way around of course drugs would be legal. it's all about the money, simple as.

 

Can only hope that drug use will someday be seen as a social and health issue instead of as a criminal issue.

from the article:

Nowhere is the contrast between President Obama’s spoken words and policy toward drugs clearer than in the comparison between spending for punishment and interdiction (supply reduction) and spending for prevention, treatment and other health approaches (demand reduction). Despite President Obama’s clear -- and politically popular -- statement that “we have to think more about drugs as a public-health problem,” his administration’s budgets request funding for punishment at a much higher level than for treatment and prevention.