Good or bad...let the debate begin.

[Lunk1]

Holder calls for scaled-back use of mandatory minimum drug sentences | Fox News

[Sfla80]

Holder calls for scaled-back use of mandatory minimum drug sentences | Fox News

I didnt read the article. But have been watching on the news. I think it should all be dependt on drug, how much of it, and intended use.

Im a fan if prisons and punishment. But if u ever watch these cnbc inside prisons shows. They r so over crowded it is almost inhuman and alsi very dangerous for the first prison guards/employees

[Times Roman]

I'm a Libertarian and feel that as long as you don't hurt the community around you....

...then why the hell should it be illegal?

[Hazard]

I'm a Libertarian and feel that as long as you don't hurt the community around you....

...then why the hell should it be illegal?

^^^^ this

People goto jail/prison for drug offenses and leave with a masters degree in smuggling, money laundering, etc.

[Sgt. Hartman]

Imo until someone commits a crime through drug use/sales that directly infringes on someone else's rights I don't think it should be a punishable offense.

If people want to sit at home and shoot smack or do lower level rec drugs I could care less. I believe that's their right if they're only hurting themselves and no one else due to drugs wheter it be direct or indirect. Harsh sounding but it survival of the fittest. These people who simply choose to partake in a scheduled substance are by far the vast majority of where our tax money goes for prisons. Off hand I remember it being ^50% federally. 50% of our federal prison population and 50% of our resources go toword these vicious criminals who got caught selling pot twice.

Give ma a fvcking break the war against drugs is a joke and all but over. Time to move on.

[austinite]

Way too many harmless people in jail. Doesn't makes sense.

[Times Roman]

we are of the same mind. Minimal government, maximum freedom. This is the spirit of the Libertarian party. If you are not a registered Libertarian, then go here to register:

Register to Vote | Libertarian Party

Imo until someone commits a crime through drug use/sales that directly infringes on someone else's rights I don't think it should be a punishable offense.

If people want to sit at home and shoot smack or do lower level rec drugs I could care less. I believe that's their right if they're only hurting themselves and no one else due to drugs wheter it be direct or indirect. Harsh sounding but it survival of the fittest. These people who simply choose to partake in a scheduled substance are by far the vast majority of where our tax money goes for prisons. Off hand I remember it being ^50% federally. 50% of our federal prison population and 50% of our resources go toword these vicious criminals who got caught selling pot twice.

Give ma a fvcking break the war against drugs is a joke and all but over. Time to move on.

[Sgt. Hartman]

we are of the same mind. Minimal government, maximum freedom. This is the spirit of the Libertarian party. If you are not a registered Libertarian, then go here to register:

Register to Vote | Libertarian Party

lmao i've taken those tests and they all say die hard libritarian but i don't tell anybody lol.

[Times Roman]

lmao i've taken those tests and they all say die hard libritarian but i don't tell anybody lol.

it was one of those silly tests I took ten years or so ago that finally got me thinking enough to change parties.

I've always had philosophical issues with both Dems and Reps, and the Libertarian party seems to fit me nicely

[Sgt. Hartman]

I agree there's so much corruption and deceit in the two big parties it;s nauseating.

If having to pick the lesser of the two evils I'll take number 3 damn near every time.

Be careful though, nothing worse then being labeled a "tea partyist"

[Gaspari1255]

"African-Americans and Hispanics likely would benefit the most from a change. African-Americans account for about 30 percent of federal drug convictions each year and Hispanics account for 40 percent, according to Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project, a non-profit group involved in research and policy reform of the criminal justice system."

That above statement from the article is aggravating. Who cares? Every race that engages in recreational drug use will benefit. It seems like Holder is pulling a "Sharpton" here and just trying to justify/benefit his race.

[likelifting]

I agree there's so much corruption and deceit in the two big parties it;s nauseating.

If having to pick the lesser of the two evils I'll take number 3 damn near every time.

Be careful though, nothing worse then being labeled a "tea partyist"

Why is that?

Lower taxes. Less Gov't.

[Xzandr]

Be like Amsterdam, legalize everything.



More than 330,000 were doing prison time for drugs in the US at the end of 2011. (supremecourt.gov)

Of those 1.6 million prisoners, some 330,000 were doing time for drug offenses, including nearly 95,000 doing federal time.

Legalize it and relieve 1/3 of inmates from overcrowded prisons, make billions in tax revenue, save billions on drug war, get rid of drug lords, get rid of the thugs on the corner husstling, make drugs pharma grade.
Seriously, what would gang bangers have to fight about if I can go to CVS and get my fix?
The junkies are going to OD and die regardless if it is legal or not.

AlQuad*a would go broke, nobody would want their dope, so maybe NO/lower rates of terrorism?

CLN Editor’s Commentary: Shocking statistics released in the Bureau of Justice report discussed below reveal that the U.S. incarcerates 330,000 drug offenders, though this does, thankfully, represent a slight decline of .09% since the previous year. According to the VERA Institute for Justice, the national standardized average per-inmate annual cost of incarceration is $31,286. This represents an annual cost to US taxpayers of $10,324,380,000 per year, or about $103 billion over a decade. According to The Wall Street Journal, if you add in drug-related spending on police and the court personnel used to try drug users and traffickers, the annual cost of America’s drug war to taxpayers soars to about $40 billion, or $400 billion per decade.

To put this figure in perspective, the estimated cost of ending world hunger over the same ten year time frame is $300 billion.

[likelifting]

Imo until someone commits a crime through drug use/sales that directly infringes on someone else's rights I don't think it should be a punishable offense.

If people want to sit at home and shoot smack or do lower level rec drugs I could care less. I believe that's their right if they're only hurting themselves and no one else due to drugs wheter it be direct or indirect. Harsh sounding but it survival of the fittest. These people who simply choose to partake in a scheduled substance are by far the vast majority of where our tax money goes for prisons. Off hand I remember it being ^50% federally. 50% of our federal prison population and 50% of our resources go toword these vicious criminals who got caught selling pot twice.

Give ma a fvcking break the war against drugs is a joke and all but over. Time to move on.

Except if they shoot smack, as an example you gave, they will more than likely become dependant on health care. I don't want to pay for them.

But in general, I agree. If people want to grow and consume? Have at it. Its ridiculous to spend taxpayer money to cart those people off to jail. Bogs our court systems down, jails, etc.

[likelifting]

I'm not totally expeienced with crank and shlt like that, but I don't want people doing crank, coke (other white powders) and have to work with them.

[evander87]

Except if they shoot smack, as an example you gave, they will more than likely become dependant on health care. I don't want to pay for them.

But you're okay with putting them in jail and paying for them?

[Hazard]

I'm not totally expeienced with crank and shlt like that, but I don't want people doing crank, coke (other white powders) and have to work with them.

Lol you probably do work with them and don't know it. I worked for a company where almost everyone used some kind of drugs. A select group of 5 guys in the company used a certain white powdery drug everyday at work. No one ever issued any drug tests...... None of the clients ever knew either.

Hell..... My boss (the owner) disappeared from a "walk through" with a client. When he came back he had powder under his nose......

[Sgt. Hartman]

Why is that?

Lower taxes. Less Gov't.

I was making a joke about how they're portrayed by the liberal news media.

[Sgt. Hartman]

Lol you probably do work with them and don't know it. I worked for a company where almost everyone used some kind of drugs. A select group of 5 guys in the company used a certain white powdery drug everyday at work. No one ever issued any drug tests...... None of the clients ever knew either.

Hell..... My boss (the owner) disappeared from a "walk through" with a client. When he came back he had powder under his nose......

I agree especially when you consider prescription drugs that are abused too. Blows my mind how judge mental people are of those who use powders lol but they eat Adderall all day. Because if it comes in a prescription bottle from a pharmacy that makes it so much better.

[joshv]

Very good topic and do agree with most of the guys here ....if you’re not harming or committing a crime let men/women live the life they please... I had an uncle who was addicted to meth never bothered, stole or hurt n e one. one day he was walking down the street (late at night I might add) got stopped (because they know he was a user) an found that he had some meth so to this day he has been locked up for it was his second time getting stopped with the same item on him)..But really wasn’t worth the space in prison when that space could be used for those who commit a more serious crime... just my opinion

[bass]

we are of the same mind. Minimal government, maximum freedom. This is the spirit of the Libertarian party. If you are not a registered Libertarian, then go here to register:

Register to Vote | Libertarian Party

wasn't that used to be called Republican Party?! LOL, these days I can't even tell the difference between democrats and republicans!

I don't care for too many laws anyways, laws don't stop people from committing the crime, and they don't save people's lives either. it just makes it hard for the law abiding citizens, like stupid gun laws. wait, what are we talking about?!

[GettingReal]

Except if they shoot..., as an example you gave, they will more than likely become dependant on health care. I don't want to pay for them.

But in general, I agree. If people want to grow and consume? Have at it. Its ridiculous to spend taxpayer money to cart those people off to jail. Bogs our court systems down, jails, etc.

The problem lies in the fact that we shouldn't be taking care of everyone indefinitely. I'm all for charity programs funded by individuals to help people overcome addiction. But I agree that the war on drgs needs to end! It has been a complete failure. If people perform crimes while on drgs, then let them be judged for the crimes they committed, not what is in their blood. Hurting others? lock them up. It boggles my mind that we passed seat belt laws for adults.

[thegodfather]

One thing that's really crucial for you guys to understand is that the violence, crime, and other deleterious effects are a RESULT of select chemicals being prohibited. A drug dealer cannot call the police/government to enforce his contracts, therefore he must employ his own form of police to enforce his contracts when they're broken. Quality control is non-existent, and its anyone's guess as to what the dosage unit is in an unknown powder/liquid, and this is how many overdoses occur, as there is no consistency from one product to the next. With regards to crime related to drug use such as petty theft, B&E, robbery, home invasion, etc, these people are motivated by the fact that MINIMALLY REFINED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS (which should costs pennies per dose) have an incredibly inflated cost, due to the substances being prohibited.

We know through experience since the 1970s, and even the 1920s-30s, that prohibiting substances with a demand does NOT WORK. As evidenced by the fact that with regards to the prohibited street drugs, in tandem with the DEA's increasing budget (now at $20 BILLION per FY), that drug prices have steadily decreased since the 70s, while QUANTITY and PURITY have increased EXPONENTIALLY! We also know through evidenced based studies/modalities, that treatment is FAR more effective in reducing recidivism and drug use/relapse, than punishment/incarceration.

The best model for which to look towards is Portugal's which is in its 8th or 9th year of decriminalization. They have completely eliminated shooting galleries in their public parks, and their BIGGEST problem right now is ALCOHOL! That accounts for the majority of their assault&batteries, disorderly conducts, etc.

Then we can move on to the cost savings in the prison system. Besides the fact that prohibiting substances is an attempt to legislate morality (of which the State has no vested interest in doing, or should not have), it is morally wrong to imprison people for non-violent crimes which largely only hurt themselves. We need to hold people responsible for their BEHAVIORS, if they decide to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of mind/mood altering chemicals, or commit burglaries, robberies, etc, and not for the simple act of putting what they desire into their bodies, that is their choice, and if they accept the consequences it should remain their choice.

I identify as a Conservative Republican, but I feel as though I represent the true nature of Conservatism (Not Neo-conservatism which hijacked the party/movement), which is to always err on the side of MORE LIBERTY, LESS GOVERNMENT. We live in an age where the lines are so blurred between the movements, to the point of being almost indistinguishable. I'm pleased to see that the Tea Party, as well as Ron Paul's movement, has been responsible for moving the Republican party further to the Right, and further towards true Conservatism (which as Ronald Raegan said, Libertarianism is Conservatism at its heart).

[wmaousley]

PORTUGALS DRUG POLICY SHOULD BE THE MODEL FOR ALL TO FOLLOW. Our government needs to stop prosecuting users and instead help them.