ohiobucks1;1542831 wrote:Your belief is un-american .

But seriously, that is how/why laws should/are supposed to be made.


Does doing drugs effect another person? No, but it's still criminalized. Why? Because it goes against our societal norms.

Heretic;1542843 wrote:Societal norms or norms of specific interest groups that happen to have loud and powerful voices?

justincredible;1542844 wrote:Yep. Like GoChiefs said, $$$$$$$$$.

ohiobucks1;1542822 wrote: Anything that makes society "cringe" has statutes made to criminalize it. Incest is one of those offenses.

justincredible;1542850 wrote:There will ALWAYS be a market for drugs. Always. No matter their legal status and what punishment you dish out. Our prisons are overcrowded, we've spent (wasted) a buttload of money on it, and addiction rates have remained at the same level since before the drug war started. The drug war is a dismal failure, it's racist by nature, and it needs to end. How much money do you think we could save if we spent it on treatment (for the small percentage of drug users that actually need the help) and education instead of incarceration?

DeyDurkie5;1542853 wrote:This thread is about incest..please take your drug talk to the appropriate thread.

justincredible;1542850 wrote:There will ALWAYS be a market for drugs. Always. No matter their legal status and what punishment you dish out. Our prisons are overcrowded, we've spent (wasted) a buttload of money on it, and addiction rates have remained at the same level since before the drug war started. The drug war is a dismal failure, it's racist by nature, and it needs to end. How much money do you think we could save if we spent it on treatment (for the small percentage of drug users that actually need the help) and education instead of incarceration?

Wally;1542851 wrote:Gay sex makes me cringe.

Con_Alma;1542859 wrote:I disagree. It's hardly a failure. It's not about deterrence nor money spent. It's a punishment. We have always legislated towards a behavioral, societal goal. It may be a goal that's never reached but the laws are a reflection of the society we seek to become.

There may be a day that marijuana is legal. We are certainly closer to it than a decade ago...but that day isn't today.

Con_Alma;1542864 wrote:Why would anyone have to pretend? It was a reflection of the desire at the time it was put into place. It's not uncommon for a mass majority to be required to change such laws.

Con_Alma;1542859 wrote:It's hardly a failure.

Con_Alma;1542868 wrote:The majority???? Maybe, maybe not. They are a reflection of the representatives of the people at the time they are legislated.

I Wear Pants;1542873 wrote:So what is an unjust law in your mind?

Con_Alma;1542876 wrote:Those that violate unalienable, civil rights.

Con_Alma;1542875 wrote:???? It punished those who broke the law. That is it's purpose.

Con_Alma;1542888 wrote:It's the individual who is making decisions that are impacting their lives....not the law.

The use of marijuana is hardly a civil right. I am interested in reading any such ruling from a court.

ernest_t_bass;1542894 wrote:It's a fucking plant that grows from the ground. If I want to eat dirt, I can freaking eat dirt. They should make poison ivy illegal, since it causes allergic reactions that suck.

Con_Alma;1542875 wrote:???? It punished those who broke the law. That is it's purpose. It seems to be continuing to succeed in my view. Increased expenditures based on increased illegal activity.

I think you would have a better argument claiming the people don't want it to be illegal anymore.

queencitybuckeye;1542889 wrote:The purpose of law is supposed to go beyond that. There is supposed to be a reason for some action to be illegal beyond "because we want it to be".

I Wear Pants;1542900 wrote:False, you'll not find many people (perhaps not any) who created or advocate for the law saying that the reason for it is that we just, really need to punish people that do drugs. They're bad and they need to pay for doing drugs by being arrested, with deadly force if needed, and locked in a cage for decades.

No, the law was and is intended to protect the public health from the effects of addiction and the violence that comes with the drug trade. The problem is that the law has not reduced addiction or use and has increased the violence while at the same time spending massive sums of money. You cannot spin that as a success. It is a complete failure.