There’s no shortage of drugs anywhere in America. The war on drugs is strictly moral and I don’t think the juice is anywhere near the squeeze.
I do wonder if you could bring a Roe Vs Wade type argument against the law and have it struck down as unconstitutional. "My body" and all. I imagine if it was doable or probable, it would have been attempted in the last 50 years.
It’s unconstitutional as all get out. The federal government has no business in either and should be a state issue. At least with prohibition on booze they did it legally.
Cocaine/crack is not even on a level with alcohol. Do alcoholics do that, I'm sure they do but I would bet the rate of crack heads busting into house it much much higher. Legalize it and you probably have more people trying it and getting hooked then we do now.
I’m fine with drug users getting harsher penalties for crimes committed on drugs. But buying and using isn’t a crime in of itself, unless you want to coincide that the state owns your body. If that’s the case, we should have a national Heath care system.
Would the number of crack heads go up significantly if it were made legal? I have no idea, of course, but I cannot believe it would double or triple. I have never taken any drugs, but I wager if I wanted some, I could find some in short order, so availability is really not the thing keeping people from abusing it.
How much easier would it be to track the crime if you can follow the dollars? The addict who walks in with a wad of cash to buy from someone who has to, by law, generate a paper trail, vs the same one who spends money anywhere, and no paper trail. You will definitely create more addicts, but at least now the offenders are the users, because they broke into your home, rather than the seller, who definitely did not.
Sure most people can find drugs now but their moral compass tells them it is wrong to buy something illegal. Take that away and people you thought would never try cocaine probably try it at some point and if you have ever known a person that did cocaine I would ask them just how addicting it is. I have no idea if users would double or triple but I would think the number would jump for sure.
Unless you believe 100% of drug users commit crimes other than strictly drug consumption, I don't know how you would assume jails would become more full by eliminating a sizable portion of current offenders' crimes in drug distribution/consumption.
Part of addiction is mental though. Yes there is the chemical aspect, but in some ways I think the shame involved in abusing hard drugs, the disconnect with society, exacerbates the addiction condition. Once you've been shamed as an addict is becomes progressively easier to be overcome by your addiction. When it becomes your best friend it becomes much easier to withdraw from society. The key to recovery is a strong support group. The more purpose a recovering addict has in their life the easier it is to minimize relapse.
Has anyone ever met a casual cocaine or heroin user? More familiar with cocaine users, but the ones I've knows have been anything but casual.
I think the vast majority of currently imprisoned folk are on the distribution side, rather than the "feeding addiction" side, so I'd bet the number would actually shrink. We tend to have to kick the feeding addition folk back to the streets because there isn't enough room... because the rooms are filled with those who were selling. But if they weren't occupying those rooms anymore, we'd have more space.
Like I said it was just my opinion. Never stated it as fact. All the hard core addicts I have known have been arrested a lot and not just for possession. Once again it's jmo.