Who benefits/profits most from the War on Drugs

[daishi5]

Yup, I would also mention that no group lobbies harder against drug legalization than law enforcement. Look at who comes out to speak. It's usually some sherrif or police chief or cop. They are afraid that some of them will be out of work, and the police brass is afraid of losing budget appropriations. It's that simple.

- wolf

While this is true, I don't think it requires a selfish motive for their support. Law enforcement officers are a very biased group due to their exposure. They do not get called to arrest a pothead who is sitting in his home not harming anyone. They do get called to arrest the pothead who drove his car and spread someone over the pavement. So, they don't see the hundreds of thousands or millions of Americans who use drugs and don't harm someone, they do see the minority that do. They are also exposed to the violence that is caused by black market for the products, which they create through enforcement. But, I believe most of them don't admit to themselves that they are the reason it is so profitable. Most people are very self delusional and selectively blind to the results of their own work, and police are the same, they believe the work they do is good, and they unconciously ignore the indirect harm they cause. So, when they see a drug war, the bad parts of the drug war must be caused by the drugs, the money and the drug dealers.

I say this with a family member serving as an officer working to bust meth makers in a nearby town that has been suffering a near epidemic.

 

[Mursilis]

Religion.. who set the morals about drug use being such a "SIN" or crime etc..

You just can't NOT troll, can you?

 

[ShawnD1]

Big pharma sells cocaine already.. look at how addicted people are to their "depression drugs"

Pharma's depression drugs are far more effective than illegal drugs for numerous reasons.

Mainly, stimulant antidepressants like bupropion work better than cocaine because it has a much longer half life and its metabolites are drugs as well. A person treating depression with cocaine will be extremely sad before taking it, extremely happy after taking it, then extremely sad when it wears off. The change is too abrupt. Even though I agree that cocaine and meth are probably more fun than sex, they can't be used to treat depression because they are too unstable and it almost looks like bipolar disorder if a person missed a pill.
The depressant antidepressants (lol) like fluoxetine could be compared to maybe marijuana. Here, the pharma drug is better because it's not totally crippling. It's very easy to drive a car while taking fluoxetine. It's hard as fuck to drive a car while stoned (I've tried).

What if pot or other drugs were effective in treating these ailments.. no patents or copyrights etc on those... The Big Pharma needs people to be oppressed from finding other ways to cure their mind.

Pot and cocaine would still need to compete against other drugs that don't have patents - generic drugs. I would still prefer the generic brand of bupropion over cocaine for treating depression. For having fun on a Friday night, the cocaine is better.

Politicians benefit because they use it to make people fear and then show strength that they will get those bad guys for them...

That isn't really about drugs but crime in general. They don't say they'll get drugs off the streets. They say they'll get "tough on crime" which basically means the person caught stealing my car would be put to death. I like that idea.

Religion.. who set the morals about drug use being such a "SIN" or crime etc..

While this is theoretically true, I haven't heard it. I hear religious people rally against gays and atheists, but not drugs. Religious people don't like drugs, but it's not one of those issues that pulls them together and protest somewhere.

 

[ShawnD1]

I
Meth is a great example. EVERYBODY is effected by the war on drugs when it comes to meth. You have to show id to the pharmacist to get many over the counter cold medicines because they can be used to make meth... Good right?

lol the US is so fucked. I have sinus problems so I buy literally hundreds of dollars of ephedrine at a time and nobody cares. I live in Canada. I should put up a picture of these boxes of ephedrine I have

 

[airdata]

haha...

I was just trying to make a point. They took all that stuff off the shelf and inconvenience the average people here in the states... and in turn open up a huge drug trafficking opportunity for the mexican drug cartels.

 

[FTM0305]

I voted Pharmaceutical corporations due to the fact that drug use in general is also linked to abusing over the counter drugs. Because of ease of access and legally being able to purchase them makes them very desirable for those not willing to cross that definite legal edge.

Its free money and among all those listed in the poll, Pharmaceuticals are bringing in the most money. If politicians are making money its from endorsers and kick backs affiliated with the Pharmaceuticals.

 

[Carmen813]

Uh...honestly, probably private contractors with government contracts.

 

[JS80]

I say cops. They take the money/drugs or charge for protection. And take down a token dealer once in a blue moon.

 

[PricklyPete]

Does Drug Cartels fall under "Religious Institutions"...because I picked that one.

 

[Ns1]

So what about the junkies who are committing burglaries and other crimes so they can get their next fix? Should they not be punished?

I'm not talking about recreational drug users who don't really cause any harm to society. I'm talking about the junkies. Who will always need a fix and will do anything to get it, to include committing crimes. No amount of care or rehabilitation is going to help them. When they break into someone's house to steal jewelry, etc. and pawn it are you saying they should not be punished? Treatment is great but should not be used in lieu of punishment. People need to face consequences for their actions.

punish them for crime. Fund punishment with savings from war on drugs.

Net profit, don't fuck over responsible drug users, drop the hammer on criminals

 

[KlokWyze]

Poll fails.

Privately run prison system.
Local and federal law enforcement.
Polticians I suppose, but it's really just another topic for them to mouth off about.

BTW, I think most drugs should be illegal and only a few reasonably obtainable. The war on drugs is an absolute failure that puts power and money in the hands of the REALLY bad criminals as opposed to Joe the plumber, who's just trying to smoke a few bonghits after work.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

*I will add more options if requested

Please add:

• Drug Dealers and Drug Growers
• Law Enforcement Industry
• Privatized Prisons