The insanity of the drug war and the tough on crime goons

F

FUCK THE POLICE

911 EVERY DAY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Paey

He had extreme back pain and was taking high concentrations of Oxycontin - and so the police arrest him, although there was no evidence at all that he was trafficking drugs. He's now serving a 25 year mandatory minimum (another human rights offense of the tough on crime goons) sentence, which he will probably die during. And get this - the state of Florida taxpayers now pay for his continous morphine drip, and the amount of morphine they put into his bloodstream is the exact morphine equivalent of the amount of Oxy he was buying before he was arrested.

The jurors were bullied into giving him a conviction, and told that he probably wouldn't get any jail time. Our criminal justice system doesn't usually allow jurors to know how long their putting people in jail, probably because most states would have their convictions cut in half because their sentences are so ridiculous. They're only ramping them up to get more and more votes, and cash in on the "tough on crime" legacy of George Wallace. Well, I hope your happy with your votes, politicians, yet another life ruined by your senseless policies and PR stunts.
 
Crazy, huh, but that is the useless "war" on drugs...

When I hear the USA ever declare war on anything, I know we are going to be in for a long haul and a lot of tax dollars!%^$#@
 
The real crime is that he was cutting down on profit in the medical system by bypassing them.
If we had universal medical coverage, the guy would have had a prescription.
 
America has 5% of the world's population and 25% of it's prisoners .. far outpacing Russia, China, and every other place in the world we like to look down our noses at.

Pretty much says it all.

The "war on drugs" has put tons of dollars into the prison/industrial complex, but has not helped or protected the American people. It's analogous to prohibition.
 
If a drug is a signifigant public health risk and people aren't able to use it responsibly, I can see reason in banning it. Things like crack and meth, which usually don't even provide very good highs and are extremely addictive. But they should be treated as just that - a public health threat, not a crime. Users especially shouldn't be put in jail, they should only be sent to rehab. Drug dealers on the streets often make very little and are just trying to get by in life, while the men at the top who pull all the strings and profit tremendously never get punished. I think enforcing such things should be mostly limited to downplaying the "high" of the drug, and just convincing people the only reason it's so addictive is because after you take it your life will be such shit that it will be your only relief. Which is pretty much the case. What I say in schools is really the oppositte - they tell you how great the drug is, for god's sake. Who the hell are they working for?
 
Watermark said:
If a drug is a signifigant public health risk and people aren't able to use it responsibly, I can see reason in banning it. Things like crack and meth, which usually don't even provide very good highs and are extremely addictive. But they should be treated as just that - a public health threat, not a crime. Users especially shouldn't be put in jail, they should only be sent to rehab. Drug dealers on the streets often make very little and are just trying to get by in life, while the men at the top who pull all the strings and profit tremendously never get punished. I think enforcing such things should be mostly limited to downplaying the "high" of the drug, and just convincing people the only reason it's so addictive is because after you take it your life will be such shit that it will be your only relief. Which is pretty much the case. What I say in schools is really the oppositte - they tell you how great the drug is, for god's sake. Who the hell are they working for?
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The CIA and state deparment, like all of us.
 
uscitizen said:
The real crime is that he was cutting down on profit in the medical system by bypassing them.
If we had universal medical coverage, the guy would have had a prescription.
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US, he had a prescription. There is a law in Florida, however, that allows the police to prosecute just because they believe someone is getting more of the drug than the police thought they needed. There is no possibility of this man ever seeing the day of light again, unless he receives a pardon. While pardoning was common in the past, in the modern days anyone who even makes a very rational pardon will be attacked as "soft on crime" in the next campaign.
 
Watermark said:
If a drug is a signifigant public health risk and people aren't able to use it responsibly, I can see reason in banning it. Things like crack and meth, which usually don't even provide very good highs and are extremely addictive. But they should be treated as just that - a public health threat, not a crime. Users especially shouldn't be put in jail, they should only be sent to rehab. Drug dealers on the streets often make very little and are just trying to get by in life, while the men at the top who pull all the strings and profit tremendously never get punished. I think enforcing such things should be mostly limited to downplaying the "high" of the drug, and just convincing people the only reason it's so addictive is because after you take it your life will be such shit that it will be your only relief. Which is pretty much the case. What I say in schools is really the oppositte - they tell you how great the drug is, for god's sake. Who the hell are they working for?
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WM, I agree with you that the sanest approach is at the user (demand) level, but I think you're a bit misled about some of the details. First, in addiction research, addiction is defined behaviorally; i.e. by the amount of time, effort, and resources the individual puts into seeking and taking the drug, relative to the rest of his/her life.

Second, you're right, jail isn't the answer for users. Unless a user is ready for it, though, and this includes admitting sincerely that it's a problem and honestly desiring a change, to get the drug out of his life, then rehab won't do any good.

Third, many street dealers (or perhaps even most) are users themselves, so they're mostly working to fuel their own habits.

You can't downplay the "high" of the drug to people who have taken it. They'll simply tell you you're full of shit. The important part of drugs like crack and meth is their route of administration, which produces an immediate high and is in itself so gratifying that the normal pleasures in life pale greatly in comparison. The reason for this is that these drugs act on those very same brain systems that function to process pleasurable sensations; this simply is amplified manyfold by the drugs. Subsequent highs after the first or first few times are not nearly as good, but users keep trying to find that initial "high". That's also why you see so much polydrug use (speedballs, eg.); that's also an effort to recapture that intense high that has become elusive. Unfortunately when people reach this point the really have to hit whatever for them is rock bottom before they're ready and willing to try to stop, and perhaps get some help. This is so far beyond the casual use we started talking about, though.

Again, most of us seem to agree, prison simply isn't the answer to this. Neither, though, is forced treatment.
 
"Third, many street dealers (or perhaps even most) are users themselves, so they're mostly working to fuel their own habits."

I know about five different drug dealers, honestly. You'd be surprised by how many people at Popeye's use it as a supplemental income. They aren't bad people, they aren't greedy as portrayed by the media. Really, I feel just as bad for them caught in this cycle as I do for anybody else.

"You can't downplay the "high" of the drug to people who have taken it. They'll simply tell you you're full of shit."

Of course they will. They really won't remember what it was like before.

"The important part of drugs like crack and meth is their route of administration, which produces an immediate high and is in itself so gratifying that the normal pleasures in life pale greatly in comparison."

It's really a far more complex chemical reaction than that. Really, the thing that gets people is the crash. The drug overloads the chemical receptors in the brain and actually reduces the intensity of emotions someones can feel by damaging them. Things can be repaired, of course, but that would take withdrawal, which few would be willing to go through. A drug can be very very strong, however, without being necessarily addictive, because it does not follow this pattern. Warren, for instance, will tell you that Salvia is stronger than heroine (he's taken both). But salvia simply doesn't follow that pattern that extreme addiction bringing drugs do.
 
CaptBillyTheKid said:
So what are ya'll doing to fight the war on drugs? I'm doing my part by boot legging.
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How are you doing?

You sound like you have high spirits!

My nephew is in Baghdad.

My other friend can not tell me where he is, but he has been diagnosed with
PTSD after his second tour and will be coming stateside, soon! I am greatful, and I thank the goddess that he had my husband to help him get help!

The emails from Baghdad are coming few and far between since Albert has been in Iraq. My nephew is a great kid and I hate to see him changed, but he will be. He was promoted and feels like crap because he does intel and desk work now instead of being on the street with his men. He is a West Point grad, but one who came to Iraq and listened to his more experienced men. I bet his men were very sorry to see him go. He respected them and always looked out for them. I mailed them cigars. Do you like cigars? He said they couldn't drink, so after a suscessful mission they would smoke cigars. Let me know and a care package will be on its way, and even if you don't like cigars, what else would you like? Books, movies? Magazines, but no Playboy, right?
 
We're gettin ready for the change over so actually I dont need any packages, thank you though. Work here is shitty, which is usual in the Corps these days. PTSD is pretty easy to get, I plan on getting a PTSD card myself (its like the monopoly get out o jail free card). It's good to see officers that actually listen to their men and look out for them, mine sure as hell dont. It's a rarity these days. The Corps is changing too much, in too many bad ways, thats why I'm getting out.
 
Thank the goddess?

All this, "women are superior" shit is just that. All wars take place so men have resources to woo women, who ruthlessly choose the one with most cheese.
 
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