Do you agree with the war on drugs?

[baigh]

Russ Jones, who has spent more than 30 years fighting the War On Drugs, has something to say about his life's work: it is a complete failure that should be ended.

"The U.S. over the last four decades has spent $1 trillion of our tax dollars, made 38 million nonviolent drug arrests and quadrupled our prison population," Jones said, reports columnist Tom Barnidge of the Contra Costa Times. "And the rate of addiction today, 1.3 percent, is the same as it was in 1970, when we started."

Jones said he began to question the War On Drugs while working undercover on setting up major drug busts. He still has copies of the front-page newspaper headlines.
"The district attorney would announce that a major blow had been dealt to the drug network," Jones said. "Then what would follow is some new drug dealer would take the old dealer's place."
The same pattern was repeated so often that narcotics officers winced whenever the district attorney claimed a "victory" over drugs, according to Jones.
"When I arrested a rapist or robber, the community was safer," Jones said. "When I arrested a drug dealer, all I did was create a job opening."

Jones reminds everyone that you can be against drugs and still favor drug law reform. He wants addicts to receive professional treatment and education, recognizing abuse as a health concern, not a matter for law enforcement.

"Doctors should be allowed to prescribe drugs to addicts, who can take their prescription to a clinic where they can get a pharmaceutical-grade dose administered by a health clinician," Jones said. "When habitual users start going to clinics, you put violent drug dealers out of business, and addicts don't commit crimes to support their habit."
He cited as an example clinics in Switzerland, where heroin is dispensed to addicts. Deaths by overdose have been reduced by 50 percent, drug crimes by 60 percent.
To those who doubt the effectiveness of public education, Jones pointed to cigarette smoking. "With education, we reduced the use of tobacco in this country from 42 percent to 17 percent, and we did that without firing one shot or kicking in any doors," he said.
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Do you still agree? why or why not?

[zacchaeus21]

All drugs should be legal and all people need to be educated about short and long term effects of drugs.

By banning drugs what the government is essentially saying is "There are certain mental states we don't want you to experience". If that's the case, then why not outlaw the expression of certain ideas because the government may deem them to be potentially 'dangerous' to our 'moral fabric'?

Sounds like a road down to the 1984 dystopia.

Government is here to serve the citizens not to take away their personal rights. What one puts in their own body is not the business of the government.

The drug ban encourages more crime and gives more power to the mafia, street gangs and drug cartels.

And if you think that if drugs became legal all of a sudden everybody will become drug junkies then you are wrong. Right now it's easier to buy pot from a local street dealer then it is to buy alcohol from 7/11 if you are under 21.

[elkanah1]

Heroin and other hard drug should be prescribed to addicts for sure but I think the legalisation of any intoxicant shouldn't be considered.

The legal intoxicant of our society, Alcohol causes enough trouble without adding other drugs.

[norwyn]

The 'war on drugs' is a ridiculous concept... so USian.

1. It's losing... lost... the potsmokeres won.
2. Prohibition doesn't work... only education works.
3. How can what I do with my body be any one elses business?
~

[regenweald]

Hello,

So long as I see your average Joes getting horrific jail sentences whilst celebrities go to drug rehab for the 10th time or more, I think the governments are sending out the wrong messages and barking up a dead dog's a rse.

Cheers,

Michael Kelly

[sceley]

The War on Drugs has failed, according to the Vienna Declaration.

[sebastiano53]

I think some drugs should be legal like marijuana. It's up to the person to decide whether or not they want to take drugs. The really bad drugs that cause major addiction and suffering for the user should be still illegal though.

[syvwkh]

War on drugs is a catch phrase. The war is in people. No one can legislate what people want. It won't happen.

[aldric13]

I agree with a war on BAD drugs.

[tiernan]

Yes