Border agent hit, killed by suspect's car

[HAL 9000 96]

Bolding it doesn't make it somehow a major crime epidemic. It's very rare for a liquor store to be robbed for the liquor for alcoholics. As I pointed out, most alcoholics can procure alcohol perfectly legally, it's extremely cheap. I would imagine that even in cases where the alcohol is indeed the target of the criminals, it's still sold off to pay for...illegal drugs perhaps? Alcohol related crime is very rarely related to theft. Illegal drug related crime often is.

i wasn't aware you had a background in crime statistics. i didn't say it was a major crime epidemic, now did i?

the fact remains that it (robberies of alcohol stores for alcohol) occurs. and, as you say, if alcohol is cheap so why do people rob the store for alcohol then? you know, the snatch and run game seen on cops?.

now do you really believe that drugs being legalized will result in no criminal activity by drug users to obtain the money needed to buy drugs?

PH is making another argument. The focus is on creating an availability of law enforcement man hours to combat illegal behavior. On a side by side comparison, alcohol-driven crime is much less prevalent than drug-driven crime.

so that must explain the weekend sobriety checkpoints we so often see around here. and that must also explain why about half the yoyos on cops happen to be hopped up on drugs or alcohol.

Yes, and killing the illegality of the smuggling factor will increase the availablity of more officers to enforce the law against criminal offenses. See?

[Nessa 23]

Legalize it. Typical argument my college coleagues would have while smoking pot

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The wall socket argument is also facile. I am not suggesting we condone and support addictive behaviour, I am suggesting we control the manufacture, distribution and sale of these substances with appropriate warnings and support groups for addicts. We need to drive the illegal traffickers out of business because that's where the majority of criminal behaviour related to drug use stems from.

Blah, blah, blah. I'm tired of all this tolerance #######.

We're a sick country. Drug use is a disease. We need to kill it.

How might we achieve this?

Certainly not by tolerance, which will only encourage more drug use.

That's not really answering the question. Haven't the authorities been trying to stamp this thing out for many years now? Isn't it reasonable to ask why it doesn't appear to be working?

[HAL 9000 96]

the fact remains that it (robberies of alcohol stores for alcohol) occurs.

and, as you say, if alcohol is cheap so why do people rob the store for alcohol then? you know, the snatch and run game seen on cops?.

Petty theft, shop lifting, possibly but that's not one of the major crime problems that face society today now is it?

now do you really believe that drugs being legalized will result in no criminal activity by drug users to obtain the money needed to buy drugs?

I never suggested that crime would be reduced to zero, I suggested that most criminal activity that is related to the procurement of illegal drugs would be severely cut down and drug trafficking crimes would be eliminated almost entirely. However, if you refuse to see that, that's it.

i don't see how legalizing it will result in this great utopia. i believe that in time, should this pass, people will rue the day it became legal.

People already rue the day that officers are taken down during illegal drug smuggling operations as well as... the CBP officers that died in the line of duty n post #1.

Now utopia... you should know better than to put words in other people's posts...

[Peikko 1,575]

Utopia?

Legalising it brings the problem out of the shadows, sheds some light on it and eliminates the worst of the criminal activity related to procuring illegal drugs. It doesn't change the fact that people will become addicted to substances, illegal or legal. The % can't change until we have some way of com batting addictive behavior. However, the fact that it's now illegal means that there are hundreds of man hours of police time dedicated to trying to manage this problem. It's a waste of money that could be better and more effectively used elsewhere.

[HAL 9000 96]

Legalize it. Typical argument my college coleagues would have while smoking pot

Well, they probably did not have to worry about getting the cash to smoke. Hence, not much notice is given to the more privileged that can afford their drug habits. And yeah... they can smoke more!

[Peikko 1,575]

Just so you know, I don't abuse any substances, legal or otherwise. I don't have an axe to grind with this subject in terms of personal gain I have never smoked, I have never taken illegal drugs. It's not relevant to the argument, but there you are, take it or leave it.

Edited January 22, 2008 by Purple_Hibiscus

[SMOKE 1,426]

Legalize it. Typical argument my college coleagues would have while smoking pot

marijauna chemicals HELL NO!

now gimme some twinkies

[HAL 9000 96]

Just so you know, I don't abuse any substances, legal or otherwise. I don't have an axe to grind with this subject in terms of personal gain I have never smoked, I have never taken illegal drugs. It's not relevant to the argument, but there you are, take it or leave it.

But we all know people that have.

[Peikko 1,575]

Yes, sadly I do know people who have. I know people who work with addicts. I know that addiction to anything, be it a legal/illegal substance, gambling or a compulsive behavior is not something I would wish on anyone. It is extremely destructive. Take the crime out of addiction and the people that suffer most are the addicts, not people in ordinary neighbourhoods going about their daily business. I realise that the legalisation argument is one where those who are hotheads for the power of 'evil' and 'sin' will never allow the rationale of the argument to come to the fore, but I will keep arguing for people to see reason. You never know, someday...

[HAL 9000 96]

I did forget the sad face in my last post, too. Here it is

It is indeed unfortunate that we allow a lack of logic to cloud our political will, but when has that been any different in how we allow our country to be run in the first place?

[Peikko 1,575]

That's the thing, a non addict can have a perfectly fun time on alcohol or marjuana or whatever mind altering substance you care to name. An addict doesn't know what fun is.

Personally, I am not a great fan of mind altering experiences beyond a bit of fuzz from small amounts of alcohol, but I am content to allow that people who aren't me can and do.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

There's an overpass in my area with graffiti that says "Read Books, Do Drugs".

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Drunk Drivers Against Mad Mothers

[natty bumppo 297]

Legalize it. Typical argument my college coleagues would have while smoking pot

Well, they probably did not have to worry about getting the cash to smoke. Hence, not much notice is given to the more privileged that can afford their drug habits. And yeah... they can smoke more!

Not all college kids are born with a silver spoon. Some actually work hard to afford the education with very little funds to spare and/or incur debt to finance their education.