RE: Drug Legalization -- Reduces use!

[Greg Peisert <gpeisert@jamesgregory.com>]

Hi Rick;

  A few quick responses:

On Sunday, January 24, 1999 1:14 PM, Rick At Work 
[SMTP:strongr@child.cpmc.columbia.edu] wrote:
> Based on nothing whatsoever besides my own personal opinions,
> I've always been against criminalization of drugs. When we outlawed
> alcohol, we promoted a whole new generation of organized crime.

Indeed. It very much paralleled what we see with drugs today.

>
> I -am- concerned about a few issues, though. Assuming that all the
> controls on drugs come off:
>
> - How do we keep airline pilots, brain surgeons, etc. from doing a few
>   lines and smoking a joint or two before going to work? Eek! I wouldn't
>   want someone like literally holding my life in their hands.

The same way you do it now with alcohol. Most people in such positions are 
not willing to risk life, career and reputation for a drink. The same would 
be true with respect to any drug.

>
> - How do we control drug use by underage people whose personalities are
>   still in development? If drugs are readily available, and even if they 
are
>   semi-controlled, like alcohol, how do you keep little kids away from 
the
>   stuff until they are grown up enough to make informed decisions, 
especially
>   if older kids are doing it in school, beyond your supervision.

The Netherlands example is a good one and I think answers this question. It 
is out of control NOW. One of the things I advocate for in this list is new 
ideas, new approaches. There is a tendency to want to stick with what we 
are doing, no matter now miserable the policy is failing, simply because 
that is what we are doing. I don't think the drug situation in our schools 
could get much worse. Indications are that it would get a lot better. We 
should try a new approach.

>
> The trouble is that you'll never find GOP/Dem candidate to back total
> legalization. The GOP is too conservative, and the Democrats will NOT
> jeopardize themselves by allowing themselves to be painted as 
drug-libertines
> at this point.

Yup. It's another "third rail" in part because this time it's the 
Republicans who will demagogue (and politically electrocute) any Democrat 
with the courage to touch it. It's the same kind of thing the Democrats did 
with the Republicans and Social Security. I don't know what it will take in 
this country to get our politicians to address some of these blatantly 
obvious problems. Jesse Ventura got close to the issue of legalization. 
He's so unconventional, he may actually try to do something along those 
lines in Minnesota. I'd love it if he did, but he'd probably get eaten 
alive by what must be his many enemies on both sides of the aisle.

  So, it IS a shame. What is required is a national debate on it that would 
convince a majority of people that it is better to legalize it. But I don't 
see any way for that to happen. The next national debate will, it appears, 
be on how and how much to privatize social security.

--Greg