Friedman on the legalization of drugs

-- Ken Decker (kcdecker@worldnet.att.net), April 18, 2000

Answers

This makes a lot of sense. When I watch "Cops" on TV, I am always disgusted by the gleeful battering down of home doors and the roughing up of "convicts" whose only "crime" has been a free enterprise transaction: trading drugs for cash. It should not be the function of any government to protect people from doing any sort of harm to themselves. It was tried during the 20s with alcohol and didn't work then either.

-- liu (lookitup@dictionary.com), April 18, 2000.

The most provactive statement Friedman made:

Friedman: That depends entirely upon what you and your fellow citizens do to our country. If you and your fellow citizens continue on moving more and more in the direction of socialism, not only inspired through your drug prohibition, but through your socialization of schools, the socialization of medicine, the regulation of industry, I see for my granddaughter the equivalent of Soviet communism three years ago

This scares me alot more than the legalisation of drugs. Most folks I know have more sense than to take these substances anyway, legal or not. I'll stick to a couple of brewskies as my pleasure pill.

-- Outta beer (East of the smoke stack@usa.here), April 18, 2000.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr (pic), near Monterey, California

HR1658 took care of federal asset forfeiture laws, but State and Local governments can still enact and invoke them.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), April 18, 2000.

Slowly, slowly, slowly the American public is waking up to the fact that the "War on Drugs" is a farce and a failure. It wastes billions of dollars, destroys civil liberties, and increases violent crime.

I think it was Winston Churchill who said something along the lines of: "The Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing, after they have exausted every other avenue."

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), April 18, 2000.

----consumer who is:

staying silent.

-- consumer (shh@aol.com), April 19, 2000.

Hi Ken,

Great interview. You know, it's so refreshing to see stuff like this. Thanks.

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), April 19, 2000.

Ahem, hate to spoil the party, the other side

Marijuana smoke contains more carbon monoxide and cancer-causing chemicals than regular tobacco smoke, which is bad enough. Marijuana also affects the brain and causes loss of concentration and motivation which, in some cases, can be permanent. The active ingredient in marijuana (THC) remains in the body for 30 days or longer after it's been smoked. It's not safe to drive a car or operate complex equipment within six or more hours after smoking the drug.

-- richard (richard.dale@onion.com), April 19, 2000.

richard,

If your implication is the protection of innocent parties from someone's drug use, then I agree with you. I would even implement controls against secondhand smoke. And I would absolutely want the government involved in preventing sales to minors.

But if an adult chooses to commit slow suicide from drug use, I'm all for practically any remedy short of the government using taxpayers' dollars to prevent it.

So, you didn't spoil my party -- not yet, anyway. :)

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), April 19, 2000.

Richard,

So what's your excuse?

-- capnfun (capnfun1@excite.com), April 19, 2000.