If you take the value out of the product it become's a normal item. Empty your prison, no more (soft) drug trafficing and use the money you are saving on eduction. Using it is no more a crime. Same thing happend with alcohol not so long ago!
200184
Ive done a few research papers on this subject. It would clear out a lot of prison cells yes. Also, it would reduce some crime, regulate it making it safer. You could also tax it and make profits off of it that way. Just for short.
494638
Money!  Thats it.  Plain and simple.  The federal government aquires and distributes insane amounts of money for and from this so called "war on drugs"   What i mean is, the vast majority of prison inmates are booked due to drug related offences.  For each inmate booked the prison is alotted a certain amount of revenue.  Prisons are run by the state, therefore the state ultimatly ends up with this money.  Polititians find numerous ways to skim off the top as well as the high end execs.  Prisons are only one major source of benifiting from this mass amount of revenue.  In short a crime filled, chaotic country makes more cash than one such as amsterdam.
16607
No, we aren't winning.  For every ton of drugs they stop 10 more tons get it.  For every dealer they take off the street there are 10 more willing to take his place.  There is too much money to be made in the drug trade for it to ever be gone.  It's a waste of money and resources that could be better used elsewhere and figure out a better way to deal with it.
367671
Stop listening to politicians promising to "get tough on crimes."   They get elected, then enact mandatory minimums, which take away the power from the judges to rule on individual cases.   If you get caught with a joint in some states, you get five years.   You lose your wife, kids, house, car, job.   And the taxpayers get to support that person.   Drug laws are the worst in this country.   Check out the November Coalition's web site to see thousands of people busted for stupid drug laws, thousands we support, thousands of lives wasted.\nThere will soon be legislation to release elderly prisoners (non-violent), as they are the most expensive to house because of their medical problems.   I hope that people will support this.\n\nMy 65 year old husband was screwed over by the parole board four years ago, and we are still trying to get it straightened out.   Meanwhile, your tax dollars have paid for his shoulder surgery, knee replacements and dental.    I know of many other older prisoners who just want to go home and chill.   They are worn out and are no threat to anyone.      Most of them got into trouble for crimes back in the 1970's, which is nothing compared to the gangbanger drive-by street punks today.    They just want some peace and quiet and fresh air, and to die where someone cares about them.  \n\nIf these older guys were released, it would help the financial burden immensely.    The families would then be responsible, but trust me, we don't mind.
610324
In those days, the British would not use opium.   At that time, it is said that the Chinese already knew what opium was and their culture did ban its use because of an illegal drug abuse problem.   The British had no such rule, and simply that that it would be OK at the time.  \n\nIn the USA, drugs only became illegal when drug abuse started to get noticeable.  \n\nToday, it seems OK to buy really cheap used laptop computers.  But did you know that it was stolen?   Did you know that this will support someone's drug habit?   You should not buy stolen merchandise; even though it seems harmless.
480697
That is OK, as long as it is not heroin, morphine,  or medicinal marijuana. You will, of course, need to declare the contents.
632769
No and no, 99.9% of drug fund organized crime. So the money people spend on drugs can go towards people smuggling, prostitution and other crimes which take advantage of vulnerable people.\n\nAnother worry with drugs is that very few drugs bought are 100% pure and are cut with other compounds. These can be anything your dealer wants or finds lying around. With horror stories such as Ajax (bleach in powder form) being used to cut cocaine, I really wouldn't want to put that up my nose!\n\nAfter briefly studying the effects of drugs during my chemistry degree. What I saw about the effects of drugs on various parts of the body put me off even thinking about taking any type of drug in my lifetime. Even 'harmless' weed has been shown to cause long term effect on the brain. Although weed has less tar in it than tobacco it still has tar in it which is not good for you at all.
20195
The fact is, however, that MOST drugs come from natural plants. While 'shrooms might seem innocent enough, keep in mind that heroin, cocaine, and a bunch of stuff that will just straight up KILL you if ingested also come from plants.\n\nIt only becomes a "crime" when a plant, or derrivitive is commodized. Since not everyone has cow patties in their back yard, they guy that does now has something that is wanted by others, and thus adds some intrinsic value to that plant. It comes from the earth, sure, but not EVERYWHERE on the earth. It's the transportation and rarity that adds value to the product; and in essence, what makes it valuable to begin with.\n\nFor example, let's say your standard bread mold got you really, really high. There's no way they could regulate mold, but they could make the ingestion of that mold illigal. But it has no value, and thus, no  marketplace, and no eventuall fallout of that marketplace would ever occur, outside of personal use. Same reason you can buy paint, but it's illigal to sniff it.
99251
people, read the whole question before you answer & make yourselves look like idiots. see what is, not what you want things to be.\nmass producing alcohol descreatly is nearly impossibly so its easy to tax. pot grows anywhere & the yield is so high that the only way to cash in on it is legality. look at who gets paid; growers, transporters, wholesalers & retailers. thats alot of jobs created & the money made is good for the economy. but wait, theres more! who also gets paid; lawyers, courts, county, federal subsidies(taxes)(goes to cops, survailance, cop cars, ect.), all the court ordered programs, jails & prisons. its the greatest cash crop ever (besides war). along with the revenue it generates, being illegal forces the crime stats up. cops get more tax money. there wouldnt be ANY pot related crimes if it were legal. the violence is over territory or robbery, gone if legalized. the sales, gone if legalized.\ncourt ordered programs: all government offices are alotted money for the year. if they use it all, they get more next year & so on. as long as they can stuff warm bodies into these programs, theyll get more money. taxes will never dry up as long as they can steal it outa your check before you get it.\nprisons: the unit i was in is an agriculture unit. we grew okra, cabbage, peas, & corn. orange unit down the way was a packaging unit. styles unit is steel fabrication that makes the buildings we (inmates) are stored in. fregison was a textile unit. we are a self preservation society. get it. look up TCI on the stock market. stands for 'texas correctional industries. we are a workforce that houses, feeds, clothes & maintains ourselves while producing free world goods. NEVER believe that bullsht that it costs tens of thousands per inmate per year. prisons are money makers.\nfor the story on the industries threatened by hemp http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0SO7Ch.jC1EA.IAgidXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2b2gzdDdtBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZAM-/SIG=11q02c7lp/EXP=1143922174/**http%3a//www.parascope.com/mx/hemp01.htm
568751
if you see someone stealing from another person you wouldn't ask this question. You are simply asking it because the government is such a financial titan that such "appropriation" won,t harm it. Still it is stealing. Do what is right and talk to you superiors about it immediately. GL
4722
No. Honestly... its more "is this product worth $X to me." As for the whole sweat shop idea.. i think its alot of misinformation. The third world already has enough trouble attracting investment and exporting its goods we shouldnt boycott them when they can make something we find useful.
477891
Sorry about your luck.\n\nThey need to legalize the stuff.  It's a lot less dangerous than alcohol!
299060
No idea.  But most run of the mill drug offenses can be prosecuted federally--esp with manufactured drugs like LSD--something crossed state lines somewhere.  So you need to check federal, state and municipal laws.  Manufacture and sale are two separate crimes, as well.  Prison time/fine is going to vary based on the amount involved.  If it's a lot, the individual might also have committed a distribution offense.
270460
Having worked in a half-way house for ex-offenders, I learned that long sentences don't always discourage illegal behavior.  Especially in drug dealing.  Many of them consider it just a "cost of doing business."  Also, the "King Pins" quiet often use young children to do the dirty work while I DON'T justify dealers, just the opposite, many times the authorities will make a plea agreement with the lower echelons to get further up the ladder.  The real solution is EDUCATING the public so as to eliminate the demand for the drugs in the first place.  How many questions come through here seeking ways to obtain, use or get out from under charges of drug use?  As long as people are unwilling to face life, as is, then there will be dealers and "King Pins."  There are always predators seeking to take advantage of the weak.
482214
No, this is not how it is. The problem of our justice system is quite the opposite. The majority of today's prison population consists of the offenders who have been convicted of drug charges. If only about 20 years ago, if you go to a maximum security prison, you will mostly see murderers or robbers there. Today, however, most people there are drug dealers and drug users. For the drug users, I believe is where the system fails: they need to be treated, not sent into a maximum security prison.
116658
No. I like a national sales tax. You can exclude the necessities (food, clothing, etc.). The wealthier people would then be paying more (higher %) in taxes, while the poorer will pay less. If you don't have the money, you won't be out spending it on luxury items. Also, people that make their money through illegal means (i.e.: drug dealers) don't currently pay taxes on it. This would make sure they do. On top of all this, it gets rid of those complicated forms that nobody can understand except a CPA.
602898
Absolutely! You are 100% right on. You think that's all our government does? Check out www.givemeliberty.org There is so much more to it than drugs. But our gov is all about the money.  People don't realize that they will never become rich or successful because our gov suppresses everything. When's the last time you saw a school with a class on being successful or becoming wealthy? It's not that hard but they don't want us to know. They manipulate us to be their worker bees and give them all our money.