How I would combat the drug problem if I were President

[John Connor]

So, I was thinking. I've been a member of a number of forums and have always argued about the drug problem that plagues the United States. The United States is the number one ranking country in the world that consumes illicit drugs. Something needs to be done. My stance is a hard stance, and it is as follows:

If you are a pusher and convicted in a court of law, you will serve a mandatory minimum twenty five years to life in a federal prison.

If you are a user and convicted in a court of law, you will serve a mandatory minimum of 5 years in a federal prison with the option of taking drug rehabilitation. If that offender decides to take drug rehabilitation, and upon completion, their sentence will be reduced by three years with time served added for rehabilitation.

I would also allow free government payed rehabilitation to anyone that wants it up to three times in their life.

Combined with a "Great Southern Border Wall," FLIR looking over head drones on the border and actually enforcing Customs laws I think the drug problem could be dealt a significant blow. No one wants to serve 25 to life for selling drugs.

So I'm open to constructive criticism and ideas. Lets say you?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Eliminate drug laws, no more problem.

 

[Mai72]

How do they handle drugs in SE Asia? Oh that's right. The death penalty. Get caught with drugs in places like Thailand, and you could easily be looking at death or 100 years in prison. And prison in Thailand makes America's prisons look like spas. Just a few years aga, authorities in Thailand were rounding up dope peddlers, taking them to the woods, and shooting them in their backs.

That's how you deal with drugs and drug pushers. No mercy.

 

[dawp]

good thing you'll never be president.

and our legal system is headed in the opposite direction

 

[John Connor]

How do they handle drugs in SE Asia? Oh that's right. The death penalty. Get caught with drugs in places like Thailand, and you could easily be looking at death or 100 years in prison. And prison in Thailand makes America's prisons look like spas. Just a few years aga, authorities in Thailand were rounding up dope peddlers, taking them to the woods, and shooting them in their backs.

That's how you deal with drugs and drug pushers. No mercy.

Yeah, I know about what Thailand does and wanted to make a civilized approach. I did think that a mandatory life time sentence would be given to pushers, but I figured people incarcerated for twenty five years in what amounts to a closet would get the point that selling drugs isn't for me. Think about it. If they were to do it again, that's fifty years off their life. Kiss your freedom loving, lady fucking, better food eating life good bye.

 

[Gryz]

Sure. No mercy. Kill em. Put them in jail for the rest of their lives.

Those are brilliant ideas ! Totally different from what the US have been doing for the last 35 years. It's guaranteed to work.


Magnus has a better idea. Get rid of drugs laws. No laws, no breaking the law, no criminals, no problem.

You might think that is a joke. It might be. But it'll work a lot better than harder punishments. Imnsho governments should just allow any recreational drugs. Maybe put a requirment to be 18-years old, just like alcohol. Then start stores where you can buy most drugs legally. Cheap marijuana for everyone. Maybe even cheap cocaine for everyone. Both are made from natural ingredients, why would they be unhealthy ? Hell, sell heroine and xtc legally too. As long as people don't take crystal meth (a lot less healthy) or sniff glue.

My country has kinda legalized marijuana 50 years ago or so. Well, not totally legal, because other countries (Germany and the US mainly) keep pushing us in the wrong direction. But for the last 50 years you can buy marijuana for cheap prices in any city or small town. By percentage we have lower soft-drugs and hard-drugs usage than most other countries. What's the problem when a few dumb low-iq lazy douchebag kids blow their lives to smithereens ? What's the different with kids drinking themselves into alcoholism ? Nothing.

Really, the "drugs problem" is a problem created by politicians. Once drugs are illegal, everything around is becomes illegal too. Sales, transport, manufacturing. The laws are causing the problem. They are not solving anything. It's not only that they are ineffective, they are *causing* all the problems.

FYI, I never done drugs myself. Never smoked a cigarette. I even hardly ever drank alcohol in my life. (And believe me, alcohol is a society-wide cult here, you can't avoid it). And I'm telling you: let anyone use any drugs they want.

 

[Thump553]

You have a totally misguided view of what the powers of the US President are. Congress passes the laws, not the President.

Good luck convincing the do-nothing party to pass anything besides naming post offices.

 

[fskimospy]

How do they handle drugs in SE Asia? Oh that's right. The death penalty. Get caught with drugs in places like Thailand, and you could easily be looking at death or 100 years in prison. And prison in Thailand makes America's prisons look like spas. Just a few years aga, authorities in Thailand were rounding up dope peddlers, taking them to the woods, and shooting them in their backs.

That's how you deal with drugs and drug pushers. No mercy.

There are still lots and lots of drug addicts in Thailand and getting drugs there is incredibly easy. How can that be 'how you deal with drugs' when it's pretty clearly been a total failure?

I like how people have looked at our ever-increasing penalties for drug users and dealers and how much of a total failure it's been and then say to themselves 'maybe if we just increase the penalties a LITTLE MORE'.

The real answer is to legalize all drugs.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I'd legalize minor drugs then in my second term I'd turn asshole and start arresting drug buyers in huge numbers. Cut down on demand thus remove some of the profits.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

"It's not a war on drugs. It's a war on personal freedom. Keep that in mind at all times." -- Bill Hicks

 

[master_shake_]

so your idea is more nanny state bullshit.

here's an interesting fact.

you have more control over what you do to your car than you do your own body.

yep, nanny state works.

ROLLEYES!

strangely you say nothing about alcohol... odd.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

"Small government conservatives"

What a joke.

 

[Subyman]

The type of people that use and sell drugs have major issues with understanding consequences. Increasing the penalties will do nothing to stop them. A lot of "pushers" are young, dumb kids and they are a dime a dozen. Loading the prisons with teens and early 20-somethings for 25-life is the last thing we need to do. The major distributors will never see jail time and the flow will never stop.

Drug users should not be labeled as criminals. They have an addiction that they need help with, not hard-time looking at a wall. I've had family members with drug issues. The drugs do a number on them, but it is nothing like what the government does to them during their time of need and then the stigma of being labeled an addict. We pound those that use drugs into the dirt and then expect them to rise up on their own while still dealing with the issues that brought them to drugs in the first place.

This isn't a war won by force. It is providing help for those addicted.

 

[Genx87]

I nearly spit my drink out on the screen reading that OP. Thank you for the comedy.

 

[blankslate]

I nearly spit my drink out on the screen reading that OP. Thank you for the comedy.

nominated for best response so far.


...

 

[thraashman]

Seeing the OP I immediately thought of this.
All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased
And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences

 

[John Connor]

The type of people that use and sell drugs have major issues with understanding consequences. Increasing the penalties will do nothing to stop them. A lot of "pushers" are young, dumb kids and they are a dime a dozen. Loading the prisons with teens and early 20-somethings for 25-life is the last thing we need to do. The major distributors will never see jail time and the flow will never stop.

Drug users should not be labeled as criminals. They have an addiction that they need help with, not hard-time looking at a wall. I've had family members with drug issues. The drugs do a number on them, but it is nothing like what the government does to them during their time of need and then the stigma of being labeled an addict. We pound those that use drugs into the dirt and then expect them to rise up on their own while still dealing with the issues that brought them to drugs in the first place.

This isn't a war won by force. It is providing help for those addicted.

Did you not read this part in my first post?

I would also allow free government payed rehabilitation to anyone that wants it up to three times in their life.

I understand that drugs devastate families and peoples lives. That is why I'm a staunch supporter of combating this epidemic we face in this country.

Why is it that the U.S. is the number one user of illicit drugs? Something ain't right.

 

[soundforbjt]

Did you not read this part in my first post?



I understand that drugs devastate families and peoples lives. That is why I'm a staunch supporter of combating this epidemic we face in this country.

Why is it that the U.S. is the number one user of illicit drugs? Something ain't right.

What about alcohol? Not a problem since it's legal?

 

[Mai72]

There are still lots and lots of drug addicts in Thailand and getting drugs there is incredibly easy. How can that be 'how you deal with drugs' when it's pretty clearly been a total failure?

I like how people have looked at our ever-increasing penalties for drug users and dealers and how much of a total failure it's been and then say to themselves 'maybe if we just increase the penalties a LITTLE MORE'.

The real answer is to legalize all drugs.

All drugs? Even heroin, cocaine and pcp?

What about ludes?

 

[Phanuel]

"Payed" eh?

 

[dank69]

...

Why is it that the U.S. is the number one user of illicit drugs? Something ain't right.

Because the USA is awesome and drugs are awesome so it only makes sense. Awesome people like doing awesome things.

 

[Jaskalas]

Newt Gingrich wanted death penalty for drug sellers. Congress wanted nothing to do with that proposal.

 

[fskimospy]

All drugs? Even heroin, cocaine and pcp?

What about ludes?

All drugs. Why not heroin, cocaine, ludes, and PCP? I don't mean totally unregulated, just regulated like alcohol consumption, etc.

The 'cure' of the drug war is way worse than the disease.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Why should what someone chooses to put in their own body be a criminal act at all? If they can do that without infringing on other's rights or putting others at high risk of their rights being infringed on (as an example, drunk driving) why do I or the government care?

 

[soundforbjt]

http://mic.com/articles/110344/14-y...riminalized-all-drugs-here-s-what-s-happening