[Gunnair]

Curtman Curtman:

It makes no difference whose fault it is. Get the addicts into treatment instead of prison, and take the power away from the gangsters there, and the gangsters here.

Agreed.

If all the people indulging in their self absorbed little desire just stopped buying illegal drugs, wouldn't that shut down gang activity?

Why does the country have to change in order to satisfy the selfish desire of the individual?

[Freakinoldguy]

Curtman Curtman:

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

So I guess when prohibition ended all organized crime in the US did to?

Sorry but like the 30's these guys will just find other avenues of income which are as distasteful and destructive to society as rampant drug abuse.

Prohibition hasn't ended. All crime wont end when prohibition does, but the resources that are wasted on it can be diverted to real crime. Other avenues as lucrative as drugs don't exist.

Just to keep it clear, I was talking about alchohol, not drugs and what I said stands. They didn't stop their criminal activities when bootlegging stopped criminals just diversified much like organized crime is doing today, which is what'll likely happen if they legalize drugs.

Criminals don't dissapear at the stroke of a pen they're much more resilient than that. So to say it'll stop gangs is rhetoric and a misnomer.

All legalizing every drug will do is stop guys, maybe like you, from getting criminal records because you were growing a thousand plants, or brewing up some Meth in your basement for, personal consumption, which, when you think about it is really what this legalize drug campaign is all about.

I don't have a problem with legalizing marijuana but lets stop the bullshit of saying "all drugs" should be legalized, because most people have figured out that pretty much every chemical concotion that is brewed in basements, abandonded buildings, or foreign countres is to some extent extemely habit forming and likely lethal for long term users.

[Curtman]

Gunnair Gunnair:

Curtman Curtman:

It makes no difference whose fault it is. Get the addicts into treatment instead of prison, and take the power away from the gangsters there, and the gangsters here.

Agreed.

If all the people indulging in their self absorbed little desire just stopped buying illegal drugs, wouldn't that shut down gang activity?

Why does the country have to change in order to satisfy the selfis desire of the individual?

If it was possible to do that, it would have been done in the U.S. where they sunk much more time and money into the effort. Your average Joe makes no connection between their "buddy" and the gangsters, but they have no idea who their buddy works for. If they could satisfy their selfish desire at the same place they pick up their lucky lager, instead of from their buddy they would.

I saw this at The Forks today outside an ice cream shop. It's funny because its true.

[Gunnair]

Curtman Curtman:

Gunnair Gunnair:

Curtman Curtman:

It makes no difference whose fault it is. Get the addicts into treatment instead of prison, and take the power away from the gangsters there, and the gangsters here.

Agreed.

If all the people indulging in their self absorbed little desire just stopped buying illegal drugs, wouldn't that shut down gang activity?

Why does the country have to change in order to satisfy the selfis desire of the individual?

If it was possible to do that, it would have been done in the U.S. where they sunk much more time and money into the effort. Your average Joe makes no connection between their "buddy" and the gangsters, but they have no idea who their buddy works for. If they could satisfy their selfish desire at the same place they pick up their lucky lager, instead of from their buddy they would.

I saw this at The Forks today outside an ice cream shop. It's funny because its true.

That's beside the point. Irrespective of whether they know who the gangster is or not, the fact is that the average Joe knows what they are doing is illegal and morally wrong and that what they do has consequences on others.

[Curtman]

Gunnair Gunnair:

That's beside the point. Irrespective of whether they know who the gangster is or not, the fact is that the average Joe knows what they are doing is illegal and morally wrong and that what they do has consequences on others.

$1:

According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, in 1999 an estimated 14.8 million Americans (see the chart) were current illicit drug users

That's a lot of convincing. Why should we tell them they can't take drugs, but they can harm their bodies with McDonalds cheeseburgers? The treatment is worse than the disease.

[Gunnair]

Curtman Curtman:

Gunnair Gunnair:

That's beside the point. Irrespective of whether they know who the gangster is or not, the fact is that the average Joe knows what they are doing is illegal and morally wrong and that what they do has consequences on others.

$1:

According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, in 1999 an estimated 14.8 million Americans (see the chart) were current illicit drug users

That's a lot of convincing. Why should we tell them they can't take drugs, but they can harm their bodies with McDonalds cheeseburgers? The treatment is worse than the disease.

You can erect every strawman argument you wish to cloud the fact that people take drugs to satisfy a selfish desire irrespective of the harm it does to not only themselves but to society around them. They know this. Full stop.

What you are advocating is that society change so that the average narcissistic drug user that could care less that the handful of cash they hand out to the local dealer (who might be pushing on their kids) which will make its way through the chain to the organized gang and possibly into the hands of terrorists targeting innocent people, can enjoy their joint, line, spoon over a lighter without legal consequence (but still with all of the other unfortunate baggage)

Back to the point, the average drug user is making a conscious decision to flout the law of the land irrespective of the harm they do to society so they can fill a selfish want.

We're not talking about some dude stealing bread, or money for rent. We're talking about someone handing cash to a dealer for drugs because they want to get high.

Greed and selfishness.

Nothing more to see here.

[Curtman]

Gunnair Gunnair:

We're not talking about some dude stealing bread, or money for rent. We're talking about someone handing cash to a dealer for drugs because they want to get high.

Greed and selfishness.

You think the guy who didn't steal anything is worse than the guy who did? It's all selfish. There is no way anybody has to steal bread or money for rent. There's no reason you have to get high on alcohol, you do it for the same selfish reasons the drug users do. They should be granted the same freedom to do dumb things you are.

[Gunnair]

Curtman Curtman:

Gunnair Gunnair:

We're not talking about some dude stealing bread, or money for rent. We're talking about someone handing cash to a dealer for drugs because they want to get high.

Greed and selfishness.

You think the guy who didn't steal anything is worse than the guy who did? It's all selfish. There is no way anybody has to steal bread or money for rent. There's no reason you have to get high on alcohol, you do it for the same selfish reasons the drug users do. They should be granted the same freedom to do dumb things you are.

Not really. Alcohol is legal. I can go to the local microbrewery, head held high, and buy a six pack of IPA knowing I'm contributing to the local industry in my community. Selfish? No more than if I go out to dinner, buy produce from the local market, or drop a twoonie in the hat of a busker on the causeway.

Now the guy buying some pot from a shady dealer on the street? The guy dropping a few bucks into the organized crime industry - the same one carrying out gangland killings, extortion, and quite possibly down the line, planning terrorist attacks?

Sorry, ain't the same in any way shape or form.

Breaking the law of the land to feed the selfish desire irrespective of the harm that ocurrs is not the same as me buying that six pack from the local microbrewery.

[mentalfloss]

Curtman Curtman:

The U.S. should end prohibition because its in everyone's best interest to end the gangsters gravy train.

Gangster gravy train.

Thank you so much for that.

[Curtman]

Gunnair Gunnair:

Not really. Alcohol is legal. I can go to the local microbrewery, head held high, and buy a six pack of IPA knowing I'm contributing to the local industry in my community. Selfish? No more than if I go out to dinner, buy produce from the local market, or drop a twoonie in the hat of a busker on the causeway.

Now the guy buying some pot from a shady dealer on the street? The guy dropping a few bucks into the organized crime industry - the same one carrying out gangland killings, extortion, and quite possibly down the line, planning terrorist attacks?

Sorry, ain't the same in any way shape or form.

Breaking the law of the land to feed the selfish desire irrespective of the harm that ocurrs is not the same as me buying that six pack from the local microbrewery.

Very few people see it that way. You're supporting an industry that kills more people than all other drugs combined. During alcohol prohibition the law was broken by regular folks all the time because it was an unjust law. The same thing is happening now. You can try to change millions of minds, and blame them for the problems caused by the law itself (not the drugs) but you must realize how foolish that is when we could choose regulation over prohibition and actually do something about it.

[2Cdo]

We get it Curtman. You want your job legalized so that you aren't looked at as a social pariah.

[martin14]

Curtman Curtman:

You're supporting an industry that kills more people than all other drugs combined.

No, Curtman, YOU are the one supporting the industry.

[andyt]

Curtman Curtman:

Very few people see it that way. You're supporting an industry that kills more people than all other drugs combined. During alcohol prohibition the law was broken by regular folks all the time because it was an unjust law. The same thing is happening now. You can try to change millions of minds, and blame them for the problems caused by the law itself (not the drugs) but you must realize how foolish that is when we could choose regulation over prohibition and actually do something about it.

[Lemmy]

Drug dealers (and I'm not calling Curtman one) are the last people who want narcotics legalized. The price would fall like Wyle E. Coyote from a cliff. And for those of us who grow our own, we're not adding a dime to gansters' coffers. Sure, we're flouting the law for our own selfish interests, but we're not causing any collateral harm. Plus, the money I spend on Miracle-Gro absolutely helps out the owner of my local Home Hardware, just like Gunny's purchases help out his favourite microbrewery.

[Curtman]

martin14 martin14:

Curtman Curtman:

You're supporting an industry that kills more people than all other drugs combined.

No, Curtman, YOU are the one supporting the industry.

Please tell me how I'm doing that. I haven't bought any drugs in this decade or the last one. You think trying to shut them down is supporting their industry? You guys are nuts.