How come so many people believe this kind of stuff?

dude I
#1. September 24th, 2009, at 12:18 AM.

You need to visit a PSYCH ward in a hospital. It is full of young people who have experimented with drugs, “it only hurts them”. Wrong,seldom do these people have insurance, the tax payers or the Hospital has to “eat” the expenses of treatment.

The other side of this argument, many times these same young people destroy their mind for being able to function normally in later life.

The Criminologist
#2. September 24th, 2009, at 5:56 PM.

This probably isn’t the best area to post this kind of question because you’re asking a group of people who enforce (or believe in the enforcing of) laws–not writing them or debating their ethics. You probably won’t get the kind of response you want from people who actually know what they’re talking about, so I think it best you repost this under the “law” section or “philosophy.”

But, to stoke your fire a little…

Sweden (Amsterdam, especially) believes in a law called, or rather pronounced “ho-dolch-um”, which means “what is tolerated.” Marijuana is illegal there. This is very true. “But, wait!” you say, “They SELL weed in bars there!” This is also very true. Under these laws and licensing codes, bars can, in fact, sell marijuana as long as they only sell to each person an upward limit of what can be consumed in one day.

As long as the average person does not possess any more than what can be consumed in one day, the police will generally ignore that person. In fact, one can be high in public as long as they aren’t causing a fuss. The same goes for alcohol. As long as you’re not disruptive or loud or too terribly under the influence, the police will let you be under these laws. If, however, you show signs of intoxication or have too much marijuana (or alcohol) on your person, that is grounds for arrest to the highest degree. Basically, if you’re not hurting anyone but yourself, keep on keeping on.

The Swedes also believe that drug addiction is a health problem and not a criminal one. It is common for police officers to trade out used heroine needles for clean ones to known users so as not to spread HIV. On the needles are printed addresses and phone numbers of local rehabilitation clinics.

The US believes that drugs fund gang activity and even some terrorist activity. It is widely known that the Taliban manufactures marijuana, ships it to Mexico, and uses their Mexican cohorts to sell the stuff to gain a profit for funding their Jihads against Americans. (Buy domestic, not foreign!) Gangs control the market of drugs and make billions each year doing so…they also claim the lives of many people and insist users buy their products over others. They use their profits to buy weaponry to fight off their competitors. Legalization, some fear, will only inspire an all-out war against the Federal Government by major gangs wanting to keep their monopolies.

Abdul
#3. September 27th, 2009, at 2:31 AM.

Any politician who opposes these archaic laws will be labeled as “pro-drugs” and “soft on crime”. Laws are rarely made according to facts and research, such as European counties with liberal drug policies have really low addiction and crime rates. Most laws (like the energy bill just passed) are warped and neutered by special interests and ideology, not what is proven or demonstrated to be best for society.

Mr. Goodhi
#4. September 29th, 2009, at 9:11 PM.

They’ve been brainwashed.

“Sweden (Amsterdam, especially)”- BTW, Amsterdam is in Holland, not Sweden.