Quote Originally Posted by carl View Post
Since mere possession and use is such a minor offense, in most places, as to be no offense at all; we have in effect legitimatized the market for drugs. So our drug policy states the market is legitimate but serving that market is not. Which is a little screwy. It can't work. And that leads to foreign cops and soldiers dying in large numbers trying to stop their countrymen from selling us something we really really want. Which is not only screwy but dishonorable.

A small point but one of the reasons for drug prohibition is to make sure the potential economic contribution of users isn't lost. From observation I believe most of those people will never contribute in any event so we are trying to preserve something that isn't there in the first place.
Unfortunately, that simply is not true. Prisons are filled with individuals who’s crime is “simple possession”. In fact, due to the mandatory sentencing laws for drug offenses, when overcrowding occurs, it is thieves, burglars, and assault convicted criminals that will be released first. Simply being associated with a dealer or even a user is now a felony in most states. The point about the contribution of the individuals is erroneous as well and plays on the stereotype of the typical drug user being nearly homeless and stealing car stereos to feed there addiction. The actual majority of drug abusers maintain fairly steady work and manage to meet there basic needs. Many of the individuals that fall into the stereotype were already at an economic disadvantage or have MH issues. Remember super addictive crack? It wasn’t, not any more then cocaine. Crack was cheaper and more available in area’s were people were already socially on the edge. Most “common sense” knowledge about drugs is simply not true.
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