Simple Man Politics

Hello all my friends, it’s time for Wednesdays post, and this one is going to be really controversial. Today’s post is going to be on illegal drugs, political policies, and the laws that deal with them. I hope the people that asked me to do this one enjoy it.

The war on drugs has been going on for a very long time now, and it has cost this country a great deal of money and resources, both here and abroad. We have fought this war in Columbia against the Cartels, who were responsible for the cocaine craze in the seventies, all the way up to today in the poppy fields of Afghanistan, whose opium is responsible for 90% of the world’s heroin. Right here in the good ole US of A as well the war's been fought, going after Marijuana farmers, methamphetamine, and cocaine labs.

I have to wonder after all this time if we are winning the war, losing the war, or if we are in a Mexican standoff with all these governments, and organizations who continually try to get it in the US. The government will tell you we are winning the war, supply is down, prices are up, and that many criminals have been locked up. The opposing side will tell you we are losing, and cite the rise of drug use, especially among younger Americans, and that every time we lock some bad guy drug dealer up there are ten more waiting to take their place. They counter that the money and resources could be used elsewhere to fight real crime, and offenders with no violent crimes attached to them should be treated not incarcerated. Then you have the guys who are actually in the drug trade telling us we aren’t winning or losing and neither are they. They say supply is at an all time high, as are prices because the quality is so much better, and every time we come up with a new piece of technology, or strategy to combat them they come up with something to neutralize it, and then we are all back to square one.

Then you have the medical marijuana war. One side says it should be legalized because it relieves pain for cancer, and glaucoma patients, and they have doctors who back them up. Then you have the anti medicinal marijuana crowd who say there is no evidence that it does any better a job than conventional drugs already being used, and it’s just a pathway to legalization of marijuana period, and that the medicinal part of the argument is just a hoax.

Then you have the politicians, and their candidate’s positions on marijuana legalization both medicinal and otherwise. There is even a side by side comparison of McCain and Obama on the subject. A thumbnail description on where they stand though is that McCain isn’t for the legalization of medicinal marijuana, and Obama isn’t opposed to it. However they both appear to be in agreement on doing what ever is necessary to combat the really bad stuff, like crack, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

I interviewed two individuals for this post to see where they stood on these issues. One was a teen, and the other was a twenty something conservative. They were both in agreement that all drugs should be outlawed with the possible exception of medicinal marijuana, and then, only if there were incontrovertible scientific evidence that there was a benefit to legalizing marijuana for medical use and that it increased the quality of life for the patient it was prescribed for. They both also agreed that alcohol was just as dangerous a drug as most of the others and probably more dangerous than marijuana. They didn’t both agree that drug offenders should be incarcerated, or treated. The younger interviewee was for treatment, while the older individual was for incarceration prior to treatment.

Now, for my two cents worth. I’ve had plenty of experience with both drugs, and alcohol, and I do believe that we have some major problems with illicit narcotics in our country and with the war on drugs. First off I believe that we should do what ever it takes to take hard drugs like crack-cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine off the streets of this nation simply because they kill. I also believe that alcohol is almost as dangerous as those drugs we should be fighting to remove it, especially when it is abused. As for marijuana, I don’t believe it is near as dangerous as alcohol, and don't believe that it leads to stronger stuff. I think it should be legalized, and not just at the state level, but the federal level too. As for incarceration of drug offenders, I believe that it can be an effective deterrent against the sale, and distribution of drugs, but that to a junkie or addict it really isn’t effective unless it’s a step towards treatment for the dependency.

There you go folks, everything I know about drugs, policy, and enforcement. All I can do is find the facts, and give them to you, but you still have to decide for yourselves. I’ll see you all on Friday for the last installment of the week. Have a wonderful day, CIAO4NOW!!!!!!