I am a big joke to my old friends.

[BackUpOrGetStng]

It's not a stereotype, it's in their job description. Enforce the law, no matter how unjust or inappropriate.

[Sonrisa]

i've never had an issue with cops. there were always there for me when I needed them. always polite and pleasant.

[doppelgaenger]

you know what else ruins lives? alcohol.

And kids.

10char

[asdfg789]

Right, drug dealers should die, women using drugs should die, what about other people who use drugs should they die as well? I think what backup was trying to say is that you can kill one million drug dealers and there will be another one million more selling drugs on the street within days to fill the void because there are tens of millions waiting for their fix. You can take away the supplier, but you can't take away the demand. As long as drugs remain illegal, driving up the price of the product making them an expensive commodity and a person can become a millionaire within weeks because of so many opportunities this problem will not be going away any time soon. So what are you going to do, kill everybody?

Why do you think there is demand Mish ? For the sake of clarity, I'm talking about hard drugs here (cocaine, heroin, amphetamines).
Demand is often created by the drug dealers. By making highly addictive drugs available to get people hooked, they ensure recurring income.
If you place severe penalties on dealers/traffickers, you starve off the supply and the opportunity for more people to be hooked, hence reducing demand.

Of course there are other factors that need to be addressed - education, poverty etc. But expecting the drug problem to go away by legalizing it is wishful thinking, IMHO.

you know what else ruins lives? alcohol.
so should we throw those grocery store check out people in prison too?

I'm surprised by your comments in this thread.
How you do even starting comparing drug dealers with cops and grocery store check out people ?
Back to an earlier question : if you consider some drug dealers you know to be good people, would you want them to be role models for your kid ? Including their profession ?

[BackUpOrGetStng]

"If you place severe penalties on dealers/traffickers, you starve off the supply and the opportunity for more people to be hooked, hence reducing demand."

Severe penalties have been placed on dealers/traffickers, and the demand hasn't been reduced, not significantly compared to the money spent and people locked up, at least. I don't think anyone expects the drug problem to go away by legalizing them; expecting it to go away is wishful thinking. Legalizing it takes the money out of it for illicit dealers and curbs/stops the violence associated with it. I'm not saying all drugs should be legal, I'm just saying you're not very sharp. People like to get ****ed up, always have, stop punishing people for it.

"How you do even starting comparing drug dealers with cops and grocery store check out people ?"

Grocery store check out people are being equated to drug dealers here, because they sell people alcohol, which is responsible for more deaths and social problems than any other drug, by far. The grocery store clerk is not really to blame, since they're not benefiting from the sale/manufacture of the alcohol but the poster was using them as a metaphor, since they are the ones physically giving it to people. Again, you're not very sharp.

[VincenzoG91]

It's not a stereotype, it's in their job description. Enforce the law, no matter how unjust or inappropriate.

Since you live in a democracy, you could participate in the creation and interpretation of the laws. Vote, donate funds, work for campaigns by candidates that share your views, possibly even run for office yourself. What good is freedom if you just sit around smoking pot instead of taking an active role in the society that you live in?

[misombra]

oh everyone knows that's a crock of shit. you can only change the laws if you have a lot of money.

in this country, people BUY their legislation and the cops get away with murder.

[BackUpOrGetStng]

Vincenzo, you're changing the subject. You were accusing me of stereotyping originally, and now you're flipping to me becoming a political activist? At least we agree, I'm not stereotyping.


I don't "just sit around and smoke pot" either. I smoke pot, then go snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking, soccer, lacrosse, the list goes on. This is during my freetime when I'm not managing the databases or programming for the largest international union in the world, not to mention a premier political power broker(is it a stretch to call that political involvement, lol?). You are the one who is stereotyping, now.

[VincenzoG91]

Your terrible attitude towards law enforcement seems rooted in your desire to smoke pot without harassment. There is a legalization movement going on, and you could take part in that effort instead of passively hating police officers. Without police, the alternatives are either martial law or anarchy, and either one of those would be much more unpleasant than coping with the police.

[VincenzoG91]

oh everyone knows that's a crock of shit. you can only change the laws if you have a lot of money.

in this country, people BUY their legislation and the cops get away with murder.

You should turn off your television and get outside more often. And vote next Tuesday.

[BackUpOrGetStng]

I do smoke pot without harassment, and have donated to NORML in the past. Go back and read what I said earlier about them being corrupt and brutal etc., it said nothing about smoking pot, I don't recall mentioning pot until you showed up, haven't checked through the thread though. I agree that martial law and anarchy would be more unpleasant than coping with police, and don't recall ever saying we shouldn't have them. Doesn't mean I have to like or support them. I hate those that abuse authority, and in my experience, most do...power corrupts.

[Mish]

Whoops, you forgot all about China, where 25% of the people on our planet live. Go do some homework.

Huh?

..........

[Mish]

Why do you think there is demand Mish ?

Friends, relatives, friends of friends, movies, music, culture, bad lives, depression, genetic predispositions, wanting to get high...

There are millions of reasons why people demand drugs

How you do even starting comparing drug dealers and grocery store check out people ?

Hint:

They both sell hard drugs... only one sells it legally and the other illegally

[misombra]

Why do you think there is demand Mish ? For the sake of clarity, I'm talking about hard drugs here (cocaine, heroin, amphetamines).
Demand is often created by the drug dealers. By making highly addictive drugs available to get people hooked, they ensure recurring income.
If you place severe penalties on dealers/traffickers, you starve off the supply and the opportunity for more people to be hooked, hence reducing demand.

Of course there are other factors that need to be addressed - education, poverty etc. But expecting the drug problem to go away by legalizing it is wishful thinking, IMHO.



I'm surprised by your comments in this thread.
How you do even starting comparing drug dealers with cops and grocery store check out people ?
Back to an earlier question : if you consider some drug dealers you know to be good people, would you want them to be role models for your kid ? Including their profession ?

Jello makes the argument that drugs ruin peoples lives therefore those who sell them should be incarcerated. My argument is that alcohol has ruined many lives (for example, many people have lost a loved one to an alcoholic or a drunk driver, an enormous impact.) So, why should her argument not apply to those who sell alcohol?

[misombra]

To answer your question about role models for my child, I would like good, intelligent role models for her. Not all cops are good and intelligent, not all drug dealers are bad and dumb.