Should Methamphetamine be Legalized?

A very, very interesting article. Before commenting on this article, please read it in its entirety -

Article LINK

 

Please read the article, ftr. This country is currently overrun with kneejerk reactions on important issues.

 

"Liberals want the government to be your Mommy. Conservatives want government to be your Daddy." - Andre Marrou

 

From the article:

"The freedom argument is much bigger than the question of whether meth should be legal. It certainly resolves the question, but it raises larger questions about the very nature of government. Any legitimate role of government is confined to protecting rights. Indeed, unless you disagree with the principles upon which this country was founded and believe government is the source of rights which may be distributed to us or taken away, you must agree that government can have no rights other than the ones we individually delegate to it. Because you have no right to be my daddy, you have no such right to delegate to government. Further, because no person individually has any such right, even the majority of people added together collectively have no such right. Therefore, when the government acts as my daddy, it acts wrongfully; even if it acts pursuant to an accurately counted democratic vote.[9] Although it is perfectly fine for me to act as a daddy to my kids, the government has no right to act as a daddy for us."

 

From the article:

"In case you are unaware, the government decided in 1919 to amend the United States Constitution to grant power to Congress to prohibit the manufacture, sale and distribution of alcohol. Their drug war played out just like ours; a complete and total disaster. However, it was the best thing that ever happened to organized crime. The manufacture, sale and distribution of alcohol were conducted entirely in illegal and violent markets. Criminals prospered and criminal organizations grew. A major crime wave began in the 1920s and continually increased until the end of prohibition in 1933 when it immediately started to reverse. Prohibition did nothing to curb the desire of people to use alcohol. Indeed, both the per capita consumption of alcohol as well as the rate of alcoholism increased during prohibition. Illegal clandestine stills manufactured alcohol of inconsistent and unpredictable quality. Law enforcement was overwhelmed chasing after people involved in alcohol-related crimes. Does any of this seem familiar to you?"

 

From the article:

"We know certain things for sure. If meth was no longer illegal:

1. All dangerous clandestine meth labs in residential neighborhoods would close;

2. All dangerous street gangs would be out of the meth business;

3. Every dime currently spent on meth prohibition could be spent on real crime;

4. Meth addicts would have no legal disincentive to seek help;

5. The manufacture of meth would be safe and produce a consistent product; and

6. Toxic waste from meth production would be safely disposed."

 

From the article:

"If you support maintaining the war on drugs, you must necessarily conclude that either I am wrong about the above six assertions or that the benefits of the drug war outweigh the obvious benefits contained in the six assertions. It is difficult for me to imagine one could rationally and honestly dispute any of the six assertions. They are obvious and virtually guaranteed to flow from legalization. Therefore, a drug war supporter is left with the argument that the drug war’s benefits outweigh the benefits contained in the six assertions. If this is your position, I challenge you to honestly reweigh the costs and benefits of each scenario. Unless you put your finger on the scale because you personally benefit from the drug war, you must conclude legalization wins."

 

From the article:

"Fortunately, people are slowly waking up to the fact that this war on drugs is the entirely wrong approach. I am encouraged by a courageous group of law enforcement and former law enforcement members who have joined together to form a group entitled Law Enforcement Against Prohibition or LEAP. A visit to their website at http://leap.cc/ is well worth the time invested. The over 2,000 law enforcement members of LEAP state the following, “The membership of LEAP believe to save lives and lower the rates of disease, crime and addiction, as well as to conserve tax dollars, we must end drug prohibition.” The members of LEAP are willing and eager to debate their views with anyone willing to try to defend the drug war. Also, judges are finally starting to speak out. See www.judgesagainstthedrugwar.org which contains judicial opinions critical of the drug war."

 

Where is the constitutional amendment in the federal constitution that makes the "war on drugs" a legal activity for the federal government?

It is also clear that the federal government cannot win the "war on drugs" or even make a dent in drug use through the "war on drugs".

It is a total waste of taxpayers' money. It violates the federal constitution. It is anti-the principles of individual liberty on which our nation was founded.

 

No one said to do so is right. We don't have laws on the books, nor should we, that criminalize every action that is wrong.

Just wondering, ftr, if you are consistent and advocate that sexual relations between teenagers should be outlawed and that any transgressors should be executed or at least locked up in prison?