In the face of a growing number of deaths and cases of HIV linked to drug abuse, the Portuguese government in 2001 tried a new tack to get a handle on the problem—it decriminalized the use and possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD and other illicit street drugs. The theory: focusing on treatment and prevention instead of jailing users would decrease the number of deaths and infections.
Five years later, the number of deaths from street drug overdoses dropped from around 400 to 290 annually, and the number of new HIV cases caused by using dirty needles to inject heroin, cocaine and other illegal substances plummeted from nearly 1,400 in 2000 to about 400 in 2006, according to a report released recently by the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C, libertarian think tank.
Hey U.S. Government… check this out.
Found by ECA on Cage Match.
Hey U.S. Government… check this out.
http://onebigtorrent.org/torrents/4563/american-drug-war
The right-wing Christian alliance wont allow this in the US. Besides the Government makes too much money in the drug trade.
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia dealt with their hard core drug addiction epidemic in quite a different way – some say it has been even more successful.
But the drug war is big business. Cops get to play commando and keep drug money and confiscate property. Politicians get to tax us more and demogogue the issue. ICE gets to buy more gadgets and drug-sniffing dogs. Coast Guard and military get to do interdiction in the US and abroad. Treasury gets to snoop in peoples banking habits to find “drug money”.
We can’t stop this anymore than we can stop the sun from rising in the east, or stop any other of the many expansions of federal control.
It’s called tyranny. Learn to love it.
#2,
Hate to disappoint ya, the “War on Drugs” is not a partisan issue. Why do you think OBAMA mocked the issue in his so called “Open for Questions” Online campaign? Hmmm? He’s o0n the take too ya goon.
#3 – sargasso – Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia dealt with their hard core drug addiction epidemic in quite a different way – some say it has been even more successful.
And it’s cheaper than a revolving door rehab system.
#2 How is this big a big money maker for the states as it is right now?
All I can see is spending.
I aint for doing drugs, but I am not for telling other people they arrant allowed to do drugs.
While deaths related to drug use may have gone down in portugal my concern is more along the lines of how has the other aspects of criminal activities have fluctuated since the change of drug laws.
I have no problem with that as long as employers can do drug testing and fire for it without lawsuits.
Anyone giving to minors gets 30 years hard labor, cause damage, steal, attack while on drugs, 20 years hard labor. Also, no taxpayer $ to addicts.
Knock yourself out.
Here we have a study that claims a drop in HIV occurred after they decriminalized drugs. To accept this as fact ignores that there is no test anywhere in the world that actually finds HIV.
The “war” on drug will never cease and we all know it. It gives the feds additional powers that they will not want to give up. All the studies in the world will not change anyone’s mind. We’re saddled with this for the long hall unless you want to move to TX and form your own country. The thing is TX is filled with right wing nutters so your stuck no matter what you do.
#6 Jagermeister- Tough take for someone who’s screen name is a brand of drug!
#11 – Dave W
http://ego4u.com/en/dictionary
[Please drop the WWW from URLs as WordPress doesn't display it properly... plus it's unnecessary. - ed.]
It doesn’t matter if legalizing small quantities of drugs works, just like we legalized alcohol in the face of the utter failure of prohibition on that. We CAN’T legal (more) drugs here because of the puritanical tight ass American culture. Drugs can give you pleasure, and are therefore bad. Feeling good (sex, drugs, dancing) are bad. We must punish ourselves and try to rid ourselves of these desires (to feel good) says our puritanical voice. Our country has always been in a tug-of-war between the religious Puritans and the democratic Franklin/Jefferson types. It causes ODD behavior. Bottom line we should TRY it (5-10 years) since our current policy doesn’t work. I’m an old fashioned Iowa boy. Try something, if it doesn’t work try something else.
#13,
…
The reasons “We CAN’T” are #1 Politicians being purchased by the Drug Cartels and #2 Politicians who are drunk with money and power granted by drug laws.
It’s got nothing to do with “American People” those are the sheep to be purchased and slaughtered.
You can read the Cato Institute report online.
Also check SALON’s Glenn Greenwald and his article.
J/P=?
#10, TX is filled with right-wing nutters? Good luck.
Helloooo, Lyndon Baines Johnson and “The Great Society.”
#16 OK it’s a bit of an exaggeration but it’s not exactly like living in Berkley or parts of the North East. Did you happen to catch the “tea party” at the Alamo?
Yes, the far right are and far left are crazy. The libertarians are just as nuts in many ways. But where you have some libertarians agreeing with thinking liberals that are far left, you actually have an intelligent consensus. And while Obama and most in government aren’t actually on the take, it is very tough effecting a sea change in culture that started with Nixon’s deliberately divisive culture-war Southern Strategy (and before since he did the same thing to win the Cal. Governorship).
Legalization of many drugs will help this country greatly, there is no doubt. And it will hurt the drug cartels and save both Mexico and the U.S. lots of money at a time when we desperately need that. But there are many people with intrenched interest in keeping it going, mostly because of the power it gives them and because they are socially conservative and therefore can’t think clearly on this issue anyway.
#8 I’m assuming, because this is not just some bone-headed right-wing reactionary statement from you Paddy-O, that you recommend we do the same for alcohol.
Well they have reduced drug use.