From: alpinist@eskimo.celestial.com (David Butler)
Newsgroups: seattle.general
Subject: Re: Travelling armed
Keywords: Guns laws crime murder waiting periods
Date: 29 Jul 92 19:15:13 GMT
Organization: =>ESKIMO NORTH (206) 367-3837 SEATTLE, WA.<=

In article <1992Jul28.235329.425@apex.com> chuckh@apex.com (Chuck Huffington) writes:

>What drugs do you want to legalize?
>Will they all be tested for safety?
>Who will make them?
>Who will pay for product liability?
>How do you handle new drugs?
>What benefit to the user do they offer?

     The only drugs that seem to be a major source of revenue for a major
crime network is the recreatianal drugs.  Amphetamines, Marijuana, Cocaine,
Opiates, and hallucinogenics.  As for safety, production and liability that
should be handled the same as it is for alcohol.  The benifit for the user
is the safety of a pure product.  During prohibition, impure alcohol not
uncommonly made a person blind or dead.  (Though yes people also end up
dead with 'clean' alcohol)

>Don't we already have enough trouble with Alcohol without adding more
>choices?

   Yes.  But the point is that drug usage hasn't gone away by making it
illegal.  By taking away the large profits from an illegal drug trade you
eliminate pushers.  Without the huge economic incentives the pressures placed
on people who come in contact with the drug market to use them are gone.
If anything, drug usage as a whole will go down if drugs are legal.  Also, if
people can seek treatment for drug usage without fear of being fired from
their jobs or arrested (as they can with alcohol) they will be more
likely to do so.  By taking away drug profits, pushers are no longer a
role model for kids growing up in impoverished neighborhoods.  (And
aspiring to become a dealer is one reason why many people end up as
users)  By taking away the profits and the criminality of the drug
trade, you no longer get major dealers and crime organizations being
able to finance armies and buy up large quantities of guns including
automatic weapons.  Gang membership and gang violence is mostly
supported these days by illegal drug profits.  Drive by shootings are a
byproduct of the illegal drug trade (and were just as much of a problem
during prohibition).  Burlaries go down without the high prices and
pressure to use drugs that the illegal trade produces.
     By making drugs legal we save millions of taxpayer dollars
currently being spent on fighting drugs.  We also gain millions of
dollars in tax revenue which can be spend on law enforcement, drug
education, and drug treatment.
    Drug legalization will not eliminate people who use drugs
irresponsibly.  Those people are around even though drugs are illegal,
so legalization WILL NOT compound that problem.  There will always be
people who abuse drugs (including alcohol).  But if drugs are legal it
is easier to identify and treat those people.  And with legalization we
eliminate all the associated problems of crime, violence, role models,
gangs, and pushers that only exist because drugs are illegal.



-- 
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* Dave                          *               The Alpinist               *
* alpinist@eskimo.celestial.com *            DARE to be stoopid!           *
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Newsgroups: seattle.general