Ten Years After Decriminalization, Drug Abuse Down by Half in Portugal

[SandEagle]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkai...lization-drug-abuse-down-by-half-in-portugal/

Drug warriors often contend that drug use would skyrocket if we were to legalize or decriminalize drugs in the United States. Fortunately, we have a real-world example of the actual effects of ending the violent, expensive War on Drugs and replacing it with a system of treatment for problem users and addicts.

This is what we need to do here. decriminalize drugs and stop wasting billions on the 'war on drugs'. :thumbsup: to Portugal.

 

[Rifter]

I agree.

 

[Incorruptible]

The war on drugs is a massive waste of money and violation of liberty and must be ended. Ron Paul wants to end it but too many idiots here disagree with him

 

[Jaskalas]

This is what we need to do here. decriminalize drugs and stop wasting billions on the 'war on drugs'. :thumbsup: to Portugal.

Agreed, but we've got a government industry here... people just can't say no to more government. Think of all the jobs that'll be lost. We employ people in this 'war' on Americans. Gotta keep up the good fight and bring home those paychecks.

Don't forget the need to bust down the wrong doors and shoot innocent people.

 

[Mxylplyx]

You mean if you simply disengage from a war that you started, the war ceases to exist? What kind of silly nonsense is this?

 

[MooseNSquirrel]

IN this case yes, because its not really a war.

 

[Infohawk]

Their use of "decriminalized" could possibly mislead some people. They definitely have not made drug use "legal." Some of the penalties are serious although there was a shift from harsher penalties to an emphasis on treatment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal

 

[Pr0d1gy]

While I would never hold up Portugal as the shining example of drug reform, it is clear that the War on Drugs needs to end. As does every other war against a baseless "enemy" that truly cannot be defined by a centralized government and national borders.

It's hard to imagine that such a facist "War" started by possibly the greatest American embarrasment ever, Richard Nixon, is still propped up and supported with billions of state and federal dollars.

 

[ichy]

As I've said many times before the so-called War on Drugs is probably the ultimate example of failed "big government." It's a pity that most conservatives don't have the balls to say that.

 

[Linux23]

So what let drugs flood our communities without any checks and balances?

 

[ichy]

So what let drugs flood our communities without any checks and balances?

What you're describing is already happening.

 

[jackstar7]

Agreed, but we've got a government industry here... people just can't say no to more government. Think of all the jobs that'll be lost. We employ people in this 'war' on Americans. Gotta keep up the good fight and bring home those paychecks.

Don't forget the need to bust down the wrong doors and shoot innocent people.

Also, don't overlook Big Pharma who has a very vested interest in preventing people from using drugs that don't come from their factories.

 

[rstove02]

So what let drugs flood our communities without any checks and balances?

Don't bring prescription drugs into this.

 

[fskimospy]

The war on drugs is one of the worst government policies ever to have been created. Not only has it been a catastrophe inside of the US, it has horrible destabilizing spillover effects to other countries. (Afghanistan, Mexico, Colombia, etc)

What's strange about this is that we have a nearly perfect historical comparison in Prohibition. An intoxicant was made illegal, it spawned a vast criminal enterprise, and enforcement was both destructive and ineffective. What did we do with that information? We decided to repeat it x10.

All drugs should be legalized and regulated. All of them. When we survey kids and find it's easier for them to buy schedule 1 drugs than it is to buy a beer... and the whole purpose of criminalizing drugs is to stop people from getting and using them, we have a huge problem.

 

[Atreus21]

The war on drugs is one of the worst government policies ever to have been created. Not only has it been a catastrophe inside of the US, it has horrible destabilizing spillover effects to other countries. (Afghanistan, Mexico, Colombia, etc)

What's strange about this is that we have a nearly perfect historical comparison in Prohibition. An intoxicant was made illegal, it spawned a vast criminal enterprise, and enforcement was both destructive and ineffective. What did we do with that information? We decided to repeat it x10.

All drugs should be legalized and regulated. All of them. When we survey kids and find it's easier for them to buy schedule 1 drugs than it is to buy a beer... and the whole purpose of criminalizing drugs is to stop people from getting and using them, we have a huge problem.

This.

 

[ShawnD1]

The war on drugs is a massive waste of money and violation of liberty and must be ended. Ron Paul wants to end it but too many idiots here disagree with him

We can win this war. We just need to throw a few hundred billion dollars at it and build bigger prisons.

Don't bring prescription drugs into this.

A lot of the time, prescription drugs and street drugs are literally the same thing. You can buy Dexedrine on the street. It's not an immitation; it has the company stamp on it and everything.
Of course, there's a difference between legalizing something and decriminalizing something. Decriminalizing means drug offences are treated more like driving offences.

I'm 100% decriminalizing anything in the US would be a complete failure. Instead of getting 20 years in jail for selling crack, the fine would be $10,000. Of course the person likely doesn't have 10k sitting around, so they get thrown in jail for missing payments. That's just how the US works.

 

[bfdd]

The war on drugs is one of the worst government policies ever to have been created. Not only has it been a catastrophe inside of the US, it has horrible destabilizing spillover effects to other countries. (Afghanistan, Mexico, Colombia, etc)

What's strange about this is that we have a nearly perfect historical comparison in Prohibition. An intoxicant was made illegal, it spawned a vast criminal enterprise, and enforcement was both destructive and ineffective. What did we do with that information? We decided to repeat it x10.

All drugs should be legalized and regulated. All of them. When we survey kids and find it's easier for them to buy schedule 1 drugs than it is to buy a beer... and the whole purpose of criminalizing drugs is to stop people from getting and using them, we have a huge problem.

Amen. One of the main reasons Gary Johnson has secured my vote.

 

[Incorruptible]

The war on drugs is one of the worst government policies ever to have been created. Not only has it been a catastrophe inside of the US, it has horrible destabilizing spillover effects to other countries. (Afghanistan, Mexico, Colombia, etc)

What's strange about this is that we have a nearly perfect historical comparison in Prohibition. An intoxicant was made illegal, it spawned a vast criminal enterprise, and enforcement was both destructive and ineffective. What did we do with that information? We decided to repeat it x10.

All drugs should be legalized and regulated. All of them. When we survey kids and find it's easier for them to buy schedule 1 drugs than it is to buy a beer... and the whole purpose of criminalizing drugs is to stop people from getting and using them, we have a huge problem.

So you realize big government fails here but not in other areas

 

[fskimospy]

So you realize big government fails here but not in other areas

Government is good for some things and bad for other things. To think that government was always good or always bad would be incredibly stupid. The fact that you are confused about such a thought tells me a lot.

 

[Incorruptible]

Government is good for some things and bad for other things. To think that government was always good or always bad would be incredibly stupid. The fact that you are confused about such a thought tells me a lot.

Government is good for some things, I never denied that.

BIG GOVERNMENT IS NEVER GOOD

 

[JTsyo]

I still think the answer is to flood the market with poisoned drugs that kill the users.

 

[fskimospy]

Government is good for some things, I never denied that.

BIG GOVERNMENT IS NEVER GOOD

Big government is good for some things and bad for other things. To think that big government was always good or always bad would be incredibly stupid. The fact that you are confused about such a thought tells me a lot.

 

[hal2kilo]

It's hard to imagine that such a facist "War" started by possibly the greatest American embarrasment ever, Richard Nixon, is still propped up and supported with billions of state and federal dollars.

And put on steroids by Ronnie Raygun. That's not to say that subsequent Dem administrations have not been complicit in sustaining this bullshit.

The parties (political) will only step out and get some huevos on this issue when the majority of the populace let them know that we're tired of this shit. I don't think that's really happened until the last few years.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Obviously WAY too many people in our Government are making money off of "war on drugs"

 

[bfdd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdpcggfIt0U

Gary Johnson will get rid of the War on Drugs