[Scape]

[CDN_PATRIOT]

What the hell are they thinking?



-J.

[Tricks]

CDN_PATRIOT CDN_PATRIOT:

8O

What the hell are they thinking?



-J.

That sending people to prison for simple possession is moronic and that the goal should be to get them help instead of punish them.

[Strutz]

$1:

Oregon became the first state in the United States to decriminalize the possession of all drugs on Nov. 3, 2020.

Measure 110, a ballot initiative funded by the Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group backed in part by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, passed with more than 58% of the vote. Possessing heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs for personal use is no longer a criminal offense in Oregon.

Those drugs are still against the law, as is selling them. But possession is now a civil – not criminal – violation that may result in a fine or court-ordered therapy, not jail. Marijuana, which Oregon legalized in 2014, remains fully legal.

Oregon’s move is radical for the United States, but several European countries have decriminalized drugs to some extent. There are three main arguments for this major drug policy reform.

https://theconversation.com/oregon-just ... orm-150806

[JaredMilne]

CDN_PATRIOT CDN_PATRIOT:

8O

What the hell are they thinking?



-J.

Probably the same thing the Liberals did when they legalized cannabis.

Why send Ricky, Julian and Bubbles to jail for growing dope where they have to be fed and housed at federal expense, when they can become taxpayers and contribute to the social safety net?

Keeping drug users out of prison lightens the load on the taxpayer both by saving the government the expense of keeping them locked up (while saving room for the Ted Bundys, Phillip Garridos and Jeffrey Dahmers of the world) and by keeping those same drug users paying taxes into the system and avoiding other social costs that might come up (e.g. family problems) that might come up while they're behind bars.

[CDN_PATRIOT]

JaredMilne JaredMilne:

Keeping drug users out of prison lightens the load on the taxpayer both by saving the government the expense of keeping them locked up (while saving room for the Ted Bundys, Phillip Garridos and Jeffrey Dahmers of the world) and by keeping those same drug users paying taxes into the system and avoiding other social costs that might come up (e.g. family problems) that might come up while they're behind bars.

I'll buy that, but shouldn't anyone be worried that decriminalizing might lead to other issues? The people that won't be arrested for 'simple possession' might up their game a little knowing that they can't go to jail now. You might see more people pushing more product now that the heat is off.

That was why I was confused at all of this.

-J.

[Tricks]

CDN_PATRIOT CDN_PATRIOT:

JaredMilne JaredMilne:

Keeping drug users out of prison lightens the load on the taxpayer both by saving the government the expense of keeping them locked up (while saving room for the Ted Bundys, Phillip Garridos and Jeffrey Dahmers of the world) and by keeping those same drug users paying taxes into the system and avoiding other social costs that might come up (e.g. family problems) that might come up while they're behind bars.

I'll buy that, but shouldn't anyone be worried that decriminalizing might lead to other issues? The people that won't be arrested for 'simple possession' might up their game a little knowing that they can't go to jail now. You might see more people pushing more product now that the heat is off.

That was why I was confused at all of this.

-J.

Selling is still illegal. Possession over a certain amount (basically any amount that would be needed to sell) is still illegal.

[fifeboy]

Tricks Tricks:

CDN_PATRIOT CDN_PATRIOT:

8O

What the hell are they thinking?



-J.

That sending people to prison for simple possession is moronic and that the goal should be to get them help instead of punish them.

And we have a BINGO from the man at table two!

[DrCaleb]

Tricks Tricks:

CDN_PATRIOT CDN_PATRIOT:

8O

What the hell are they thinking?



-J.

That sending people to prison for simple possession is moronic and that the goal should be to get them help instead of punish them.

If the we define that addiction is a health problem, then addiction should not become a crime.

[raydan]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Tricks Tricks:

CDN_PATRIOT CDN_PATRIOT:

8O

What the hell are they thinking?



-J.

That sending people to prison for simple possession is moronic and that the goal should be to get them help instead of punish them.

If the we define that addiction is a health problem, then addiction should not become a crime.

We don't lock people up for drinking alcohol.

[rickc]

raydan raydan:

We don't lock people up for drinking alcohol.

Sure we do. Open container in vehicle, drinking in public, drunk in public, possession of alcohol in dry county/ First Nation reservation, underage possession of alcohol,etc., are all crimes that millions of people get arrested for every day of the year.

[CDN_PATRIOT]

raydan raydan:

We don't lock people up for drinking alcohol.

Come visit my town. Rummies being busted for drinking in public (and not just beer!), drunk driving, seeling booze to minors, etc.

The law is the law.

-J.

[Tricks]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Tricks Tricks:

CDN_PATRIOT CDN_PATRIOT:

8O

What the hell are they thinking?



-J.

That sending people to prison for simple possession is moronic and that the goal should be to get them help instead of punish them.

If the we define that addiction is a health problem, then addiction should not become a crime.

Only the profoundly stupid consider addiction as anything but a health problem.

[Tricks]

rickc rickc:

raydan raydan:

We don't lock people up for drinking alcohol.

Sure we do. Open container in vehicle, drinking in public, drunk in public, possession of alcohol in dry county/ First Nation reservation, underage possession of alcohol,etc., are all crimes that millions of people get arrested for every day of the year.

None of those are for "drinking alcohol". They all have modifiers. It's like saying "they're locking people up for smoking!" when they smoked on a commercial airplane. It's not the smoking, but the place that made it a crime.

[DrCaleb]

CDN_PATRIOT CDN_PATRIOT:

raydan raydan:

We don't lock people up for drinking alcohol.

Come visit my town. Rummies being busted for drinking in public (and not just beer!), drunk driving, seeling booze to minors, etc.

The law is the law.

-J.

And the law says such crimes are not indictable. That means, there is no jail time if convicted. There is a monetary fine, only. Even impaired in Alberta is now just a fine, and a license suspension.

But possession of cocaine is indictable. Possession of alcohol is not.