The War on Drugs - Part 2
- Thread starter tango35
- Start date
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vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
I have to hand it to them, that's pretty ingenious.
Vassili Zaitzev
Master Sergeant
Pretty crafty.
RabidAlien
1st Lieutenant
With the money the drug cartels can throw at the problem, I'm sure there's someone out there willing to take on the design/construction aspect and not ask too many questions.
Admiral Beez
Captain
In June 1971, Nixon officially declared a "War on Drugs," stating that drug abuse was "public enemy number one." This ignited a huge public policy and government expenditure across the USA and much of the Western world on addressing the supply of drugs, putting tens of thousands into prisons and causing huge political interference in Latin America (and elsewhere) contributing to the migrant crisis of today.
But what if the US, instead of supply side management, had instead focused on addressing the demand for drugs, dealing with and reducing the reasons people procure and use drugs? This would presumably require government policy and expenditure on the the mental health, homelessness, medical/physical, emotional, cultural, abusive, purposelessness, despairing, and familial issues that drive someone to seek oblivion through drugs over reality.
How would the US be different today? And can we realistically tack to a course today to address the above?
But what if the US, instead of supply side management, had instead focused on addressing the demand for drugs, dealing with and reducing the reasons people procure and use drugs? This would presumably require government policy and expenditure on the the mental health, homelessness, medical/physical, emotional, cultural, abusive, purposelessness, despairing, and familial issues that drive someone to seek oblivion through drugs over reality.
How would the US be different today? And can we realistically tack to a course today to address the above?
swampyankee
Chief Master Sergeant
- 3,954
- Jun 25, 2013
Probably far lower incarceration rates. Fewer prisons.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Legalize it and tax it. The losers take themselves out of the gene pool.
Admiral Beez
Captain
Legalizing illicit drugs does not address the demand side, as I'm positing above.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
I'm just spouting off my 2 cents like the cranky old fart that I am.
swampyankee
Chief Master Sergeant
- 3,954
- Jun 25, 2013
Demand-side management requires serious social work programs, something significant parts of the political class oppose vehemently. Of course, demand wasn't and isn't limited to poor, urban neighborhoods, although those seem to be the primary targets of enforcement, possibly because small-town police forces may be much more part of the community than big-city ones and arresting the Little League coach's nephew or the school board president's brother will likely have significant social downsides.
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ARTESH
Chief Master Sergeant
They just erased the question, instead of solving it!!!
Actually it has shown to have an impact on both crime, usage, and addiction.
Case studies have in fact shown that places where it is decriminalized, and done so in conjunction with medical help, and social programs (Gasp, there goes that evil word) drug use has in fact declined.
Switzerland for example started a Heroin Assisted Treatment program. Since then, the number of new heroin users in Switzerland has declined. Drug overdose deaths dropped by 64 percent. HIV infections dropped by 84 percent. Home thefts dropped by 98 percent. And the Swiss prosecute 75 percent fewer opioid-related drug cases each year.
Switzerland fights heroin with heroin
This is the second in our series exploring how France and Switzerland have dealt with opioid addiction, cutting overdose deaths & related infections.
www.northcarolinahealthnews.org
Admiral Beez
Captain
I would expect the Swiss to do it well. Here in Canada we have decriminalized possession of fentanyl and other drugs for personal use. But that doesn't stop to crime to procure them nor the deaths from drug poisoning. IMO, the only way to win the war on drugs is to address and counter the reasons people take them.
Snautzer01
Honourably banned
- 38,141
- Mar 26, 2007
It the same with booz. Make it illegale, now that is the best advertisement ever. Yes there will be drop outs when legal. But nothing, nothing nothing like when its illigal. Look up why the mob cemented themselves in the us and everywhere.
In Rotterdam and more Antwerpen there is so much comming in, its laughable.
No, kill the market. There will be deaths. But when it is free available it is a choice.
Same arguments why not are more or less the same as in the roary 1920's
Headbutting an ak47 bullet from a punk that think he is Pacino in real, is not remotely funny but getting more and more reality.
In Rotterdam and more Antwerpen there is so much comming in, its laughable.
No, kill the market. There will be deaths. But when it is free available it is a choice.
Same arguments why not are more or less the same as in the roary 1920's
Headbutting an ak47 bullet from a punk that think he is Pacino in real, is not remotely funny but getting more and more reality.
You just hit the nail on the head right there (the part I bolded).
Switzerland did it correctly by implement healthcare and social programs to help the addicts. They also addressed the poverty and don't turn a blind eye to it. I saw a good documentary on it, where they discussed the program.
Just for the actual drug portion, they had dedicated "clinics" where addicts could go and get a clean needle, and clean medical grade heroin. Doctors and nurses were on site to distribute the dosage and the clinic provided a safe place to get their fix. In conjunction, however, counseling and therapy was provided to help get them off the drugs.
The statistics I provided above show it was successful.
As you said, though, if you don't tackle the conditions that lead people to the life of being a junkie no amount of reform will be successful. The world is not black and white, and most people do not choose a life of poverty, crime, and drugs because of laziness or no desire to be productive citizens.
*Notice I said most people. There are always some…
Admiral Beez
Captain
I read somewhere that in the USA there was huge resistance to providing people with pandemic financial assistance because then people wouldn't be desperate enough to take sh#t jobs. As if we must be kept scared and desperate in order for the economy to function. I think the same goes for healthcare and social programs to help the addicts, if we provided access to secure housing, food, etc., who'd want to work in my dangerous, filthy factory? As for the war on drugs, so much of our tax dollars go to drug enforcement.
I would love to discuss your post, but there is no way for me to not…
- Not break the forum's no politics rule.
- Piss off a certain segment of people.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Before I worked for the Railroad, I worked in factories. I loved manufacturing. They were not filthy and the fatalities were minimal.
