Ron Paul: Why do we need federal laws to protect us from drugs?

[Durango 95]

Very well then, federal drug laws do work - they perpetuate the penal-industrial complex and allow politicians to pander to the baser instincts of a vindictive and frustrated voter base.

Which is precisely what they were designed to do.

Yes, they are indeed a success.....for all the wrong reasons.

[Durango 95]

Regardless of what anyone thinks of RP's position on the issues, one  would be hard pressed to find a more sincere and earnest man. I admire his consistency and resolve to uphold the written words of our founding fathers.

[Chief Joseph]

If you want to fight and win the war on drugs, THAT is where it needs to be fought. Not just in the 'hoods. You have to attack from where the flow starts. And that's Mexico.

Right sentiment, wrong conclusion. The flow starts in the fact that there is a demand for drugs. Until that problem is addressed, none of your short-sighted tactics will ever be anything other than temporarily effective. In fact, they tend to have the reverse effect; by limiting the supply, you simply drive the price up and make it more profitable to supply the product.

[cyberdude558]

My point is that if you arrest the drug users, how is that winning the war on drugs?

You need to go after the traffickers, cartels, and dealers. Arresting a pothead solves nothing. The person who sold him the pot will simply find another buyer. You arnt hurting the demand nor the supply. All you are doing is spending billions of dollars putting users in jail who will go back to the drugs as soon as you let them out.

[spartan]

If the 'you can do drugs as long as you don't interfere with my rights and property" was coupled with "I can shoot you dead if you do", I would be 100% on board.

I have seen what Marijuana does, and yes it is a gateway drug. Not all the time, may be not 50% of the time, but enough to create a problem. I have seen young kids go from marijuana, to lsd and amphetamines, to heroine/cocaine to crack. When they do, the break into 10-20 cars and/or 1-2 houses per day, just to feed the habit.

i believe in a whole bunch of what RP preaches, but there are times, i.e his foreign policy and his thoughts on drugs, when his ideological thoughts outweigh his common sense. That and the fact he looks like somebody dropped out of Roswell!

[ufojoe]

Joe, tell me which liberals in congress want less government... name one. They are all Obama yes-men.

Tell me which Rs agree with what Ron Paul says about drugs, gay marriage. non-intervention, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Opposition of TSA and DHS, abolishing the IRS and federal reserve, etc...

Rs will spend just as much as Ds but maybe they'll spend it in different areas.

There are very few of our representatives who truly want less government.

[ufojoe]

If the 'you can do drugs as long as you don't interfere with my rights and property" was coupled with "I can shoot you dead if you do", I would be 100% on board.

There are already laws on the books that allow for self defense. It doesn't matter if the person is on drugs or not.

I have seen what Marijuana does, and yes it is a gateway drug. Not all the time, may be not 50% of the time, but enough to create a problem.

From what I have read and seen from friends that have used it, it is not a gateway drug. But even if it IS, if people want to use it, who are you or the government to tell them they can't? The other pot users can chime in with their experiences since I've never tried it.

I have seen young kids go from marijuana, to lsd and amphetamines, to heroine/cocaine to crack. When they do, the break into 10-20 cars and/or 1-2 houses per day, just to feed the habit.

It should be legal for people over the age of 18. And if they commit a crime, they have to pay for that crime. Doesn't matter if it's drug related or not. In Vegas, you seee gamblers stealing stuff in order to feed their addiction. Do you want to ban gambling, too?

i believe in a whole bunch of what RP preaches, but there are times, i.e his foreign policy and his thoughts on drugs, when his ideological thoughts outweigh his common sense. That and the fact he looks like somebody dropped out of Roswell!

He has a ton of common sense. And he IS from Roswell. 

BTW, a lot of Rs and Ds would probably agree with what Spartan has said in this post. But thankfully, that's changing.

[cyberdude558]

If the 'you can do drugs as long as you don't interfere with my rights and property" was coupled with "I can shoot you dead if you do", I would be 100% on board.

I have seen what Marijuana does, and yes it is a gateway drug. Not all the time, may be not 50% of the time, but enough to create a problem. I have seen young kids go from marijuana, to lsd and amphetamines, to heroine/cocaine to crack. When they do, the break into 10-20 cars and/or 1-2 houses per day, just to feed the habit.

i believe in a whole bunch of what RP preaches, but there are times, i.e his foreign policy and his thoughts on drugs, when his ideological thoughts outweigh his common sense. That and the fact he looks like somebody dropped out of Roswell!

I dont have the stats since im too lazy to look them up right now, but I am quite sure alcohol has led to many, many more deaths than marijuana has. Yet alcohol is legal.

And Im not advocating drug use here. Drinking, smoking (tobacco, pot, crack, etc), or doing any kind of drug use is dangerous to your health. Im not arguing that. But what we are talking about here is what role does the government play in all this and how efficient can it be with the enforcement. We've been fighting the drug war for 2 decades now and gotten nowhere. It's not working. It's time for the country to start looking at other ways (cost-effective ways) of dealing with this issue. Simply putting people in jail is not going to work. You cannot break a drug addiction that way.

[Skull and Bones]

Joe, tell me which liberals in congress want less government... name one. They are all Obama yes-men.

Tell me which Rs agree with what Ron Paul says about drugs, gay marriage. non-intervention, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Opposition of TSA and DHS, abolishing the IRS and federal reserve, etc...

Rs will spend just as much as Ds but maybe they'll spend it in different areas.

There are very few of our representatives who truly want less government.

POST OF THE DAY!!!

[cyberdude558]

Joe, tell me which liberals in congress want less government... name one. They are all Obama yes-men.

Tell me which Rs agree with what Ron Paul says about drugs, gay marriage. non-intervention, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Opposition of TSA and DHS, abolishing the IRS and federal reserve, etc...

Rs will spend just as much as Ds but maybe they'll spend it in different areas.

There are very few of our representatives who truly want less government.

I didnt say the R's are good. But I think a lot of R voters are finally starting to see the big picture as far as freedom and wanting smaller government. The D's are still in the complete opposite direction and think more and more government is the answer to all our problems.

[JDog]

Joe, tell me which liberals in congress want less government... name one. They are all Obama yes-men.

Tell me which Rs agree with what Ron Paul says about drugs, gay marriage. non-intervention, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Opposition of TSA and DHS, abolishing the IRS and federal reserve, etc...

Rs will spend just as much as Ds but maybe they'll spend it in different areas.

There are very few of our representatives who truly want less government.

I didnt say the R's are good. But I think a lot of R voters are finally starting to see the big picture as far as freedom and wanting smaller government. The D's are still in the complete opposite direction and think more and more government is the answer to all our problems.

POST OF THE DAY!!!

[ONEBIGDADDY]

He's a loon/whackjob. People wonder why he has a big "youth" following. He boasted today on Fox News about collecting $1 mil In campaign donations in one night - probably after questioning why heroin is illegal during his debate last night.

He's making three points that obviously went over your head...
1. It should be the states that decide what is legal and we dont need the government to hold our hands and control us.
2. We shouldnt have laws that dictate these things. Because the next law will try to control what we eat or drink.
3. He's mocking the war on drugs.

He's right. There are liberals that want extra taxes placed on foods that are high in sugar or fat. The left-wing is constantly attacking fast-food. It's just one tax after another with these people. They never want to cut the government. Liberals ALWAYS want to take more of YOUR money and then expand their power and control over YOUR life.

And I agree with him 100% on the drugs and prostitution. We won't stop prostitution. It's the oldest profession in human civilization. It will always be around no matter what you do. And putting people in jail for those offenses are a waste of time. They will get out and repeat. The United States has by far the largest prison population in the entire world. We are spending billions of dollars on a system that is not reforming anybody.

Why do you give a damn what two CONSENTING ADULTS are doing in the privacy of their bedrooms? Why is it the government's business?

Because some of the consenting Adults aren't Adults...They affect the moral fiber of their own families. Prostitution now is equated with drug abuse and self destruction and we have to pick up the pieces as the taxpayer. Who will stop diseases that come with it as well as a high crime associate with drugs and assaults and thefts. The taxpayer of course!!! But I am not going to stop asking for those who throw their life in the gutter to pay for their fair share of helping offset the cost of them wanting to "play around" at the cost of me helping cover the police, health and welfare of others around who they don't give a rats ... about.  Most only care about the prostitute and how they can play god with only certain facts about prostitution these days and not the residual affects. Grow up and quit trying to be a little god....see a bigger picture...JMVHO...OBD

[Morgan]

Agree, OBD. I can't see how Ron Paul's ideas to legalize heroin, cocaine, and the currently illegal drugs will make our American society better.

[BucNative]

Joe, tell me which liberals in congress want less government... name one. They are all Obama yes-men.

Tell me which Rs agree with what Ron Paul says about drugs, gay marriage. non-intervention, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Opposition of TSA and DHS, abolishing the IRS and federal reserve, etc...

Rs will spend just as much as Ds but maybe they'll spend it in different areas.

There are very few of our representatives who truly want less government.

I didnt say the R's are good. But I think a lot of R voters are finally starting to see the big picture as far as freedom and wanting smaller government. The D's are still in the complete opposite direction and think more and more government is the answer to all our problems.

Thats because they don't hold the executive office period.  Its all just bull**CENSORED** to make you think they care about that stuff, until they hold the executive office and then its business as usual.  They act like they care about small govt and spending for no other reason than to set themselves up as an opposition party, so they get the votes of the frustrated.  Then they do the same thing when they get in office. 

[ufojoe]

Because some of the consenting Adults aren't Adults...They affect the moral fiber of their own families. Prostitution now is equated with drug abuse and self destruction and we have to pick up the pieces as the taxpayer. Who will stop diseases that come with it as well as a high crime associate with drugs and assaults and thefts. The taxpayer of course!!! But I am not going to stop asking for those who throw their life in the gutter to pay for their fair share of helping offset the cost of them wanting to "play around" at the cost of me helping cover the police, health and welfare of others around who they don't give a rats ... about.  Most only care about the prostitute and how they can play god with only certain facts about prostitution these days and not the residual affects. Grow up and quit trying to be a little god....see a bigger picture...JMVHO...OBD

Here in Nevada, where prostitution is legalized in certain counties, there is little disease transmission because these places are regulated and monitored. Condoms
are mandatory.

On the other hand, when a man or woman cheats on their spouse or partner, may times, they do not use protection and disease is spread. You want to make that kind of behavior illegal?

US has the toughest anti-drug laws and the highest use of illegal substances.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/01/health/webmd/main4222322.shtml