finallyout

Good morning, everyone. This is just my vent for today. I heard a very disturbing news story on the radio this morning. One morning last week, there was a group of cars chasing each other, they ended their chase by pulling into a playground (this is in a town 5 mins from where I live), they then proceeded to have a GUN fight with shotgus and semi automatics on the playground with children there!!! The police say it was two rival gangs having a drug related fued. IMAGINE THAT!!! I am SOOO tired of all this crap, the violence and drugs down here have become so bad, now I can't even take my kids to the playground! When will the police, congress and the military wake up and realize that they are NOT winning the war on drugs, they are LOSING miserably!!! They are not getting the dealers off the streets, all they are doing is making our prisons revolving doors for addicts. And of course, most of our county prisons don't offer any kind of rehabilitation, so they just lock em up and then put them back on the street expecting them to choose a different way of life when no one has helped them learn a different way! How dumb is that! And our military thinks they are keeping drugs out of this country! HA! What a joke! Note to my DAD (who works for the Dept of Defenses Counter Drug program - You aren't HELPING!!!!, so get off your high horse already!) Anyone know of a country where drugs are not a problem? I would seriously consider moving my children there. I have had it. I can not raise my children here. Today I look for a better paying job somewhere else and MOVE out of here! Any suggestions for a better location? Ok I'm done rambling. Sorry guys. Hope everyone has a great day!

teke

keeping you and your in my prayers, i'm so sick of drugs too, if you find a place where there is none, i'd sure like to know. not that i could up and move there but i'd sure like to know. sorry to hear about the news in your area, and the playground of all places, i'm so sorry.

they even found out that it was two crack addicts that killed those two teens in my area, kids were just going to the store, 14 and 16 yro honor students who went to school with my kids. so sad. i just heard though, if they get convicted, they are expected to get the death penality, thats 4 wasted lives due to crack.

HKAngel24

I have relentless anger towards drugs and their addictive capabilities. How can something so incredibly non-human cause such horror.

tropikgal2

Wake up FinallyOut. The war on drugs is a farce perpetuated by the government. They make way to much $$ off the drug pipeline, from the top drug cartel CEOs to the addict on the street. There's money in it for every level of law enforcement. They just didn't think it would get this out of hand....they thought they could control it.....just like an addict.
If they really wanted to control drugs they would declare martial law and kill anyone whoever was caught with illegal drugs.

Cupicake

I totally understand your vent. I hate drugs, drug dealers, suppliers with the deepest passion I have. I truly have visions, as unrealistic this is, of walking through the street and taking a machine gun to the the whole lot of them. I agree with tropik...there is money to be had even by our own government. Then you also have to think about the fact that they would have to catch each person smuggling drugs into the US. This breaks my heart everytime I think about it - - do you remember the story about the puppies and how they cut them open, put drugs into them and sewed them back up. I am so glad they caught this but honestly...who would've thought. I can't even imagine such a thing. I never would've thought to check puppies! The drug world is such a disgusting place.

**martial law....how's that for a bottom?

Noah812

This thread could raise many diffrent opinions, feelings and ideas. Well my opinion is it seems many or most addicts don't, can't or will not quit even after aggressive rehab. I aggree addicts are sick BUT many addicts are criminals and criminals do not get a get out of jail free card because they like getting high more than squares like me. They do the crime they should do the time. It would be hipocridicule to tell me ( a law biding citizen) if I do X crime I go to jail and to tell an addict, don't worry you will go to rehab again cause your sick. The fact of the matter is I dont want the US government to pay for addcits in jail and I dont want my government wasting money on rehab for addcits that will not work. Until and only then when the addict is ready, will he ever rehabilitate. The US does not have the responsiblity to take care of your A or mine. China has a no tollerance for addicts, dealers and trafficers. Usually it seems they are found guilty and soon after beheaded or disappear in some forgotten prison. China does not have a big drug issue and I think you can see why. You make the price too high and the desire vrs risk will be, for most addicts, too much of a risk or you run out of drug related felons. I wish they were all ok...that just is not the case and even if thier were some addicts would be bad people anyway just sober BAD people. There are things our country can do but as the above pointed out there is too much money in it and secondly the countries with low or no drug issues do things that the average US citizen can't let themselves justify doing. So unfortunatley I have a feeling that drugs are here to stay until more is done to punish those. including law inforcement, who make a living off of other peoples losts lives. Just my humble opinion.

finallyout

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. I agree martial law would probably be the only way. While I believe the police depts may find a way to profit from this how do you see the military or congress profiting? There is a unit of the military called the Counter Drug Program. Its goal is to develop technologies (for planes, ships etc)to detect and keep drugs out of our country. Billions are spent on these contracts each year, I know, my dad is a senior project manager for this group. Why are we spending billions to keep them out if the military is profiting??? Any insight?

Cupicake

I can't imagine. There is too much corruption.
Everything I come up with I am able to shoot down on my own.
Except for the martial law thing. But that would never happen in a country built on democracy. Believe me there will be people fighting for the rights of drug dealers and suppliers. People will say it's inhumane. Oh well...guess I shot down that idea too.

tropikgal2

Ok, well I'll make this as short as I can. The illegal drug trade is profitable to all concerned the same way that the legal drug trade is in the sales pipeline:
1) the growers, most of which are poor farmers who can make far more money selling a crop like opium or coca for $100.00 USD an acre that feeds their children and sends them to school (which isn't free in most developing countries), provides medicines for their sick family members and purchases livestock, instead of, say, wheat or barley, that only fetches $10.00 USD an acre. You do the math.
2) the warlords including the Taliban, FARC, al-Queda, and the US gov't (Iran/contra anyone?) who sell it to the smugglers
3) the smugglers who sell it to the dealers (we are talking many many different levels here)
And then we have the "justice" or "legal" side of it:
1) The gov't officials who get elected based on their platform pounding their respective pulpits "Say no to drugs" "We need to raise taxes to fight the war on drugs" (where do those tax dollars go anyway? Maybe to fund more international wars and obviously not here), Alot of their gig has to do with power and perks and less about money in their pockets. And a cause like that which touches so many lives unites people. A united people means more votes for someone devoted to their cause.
2) The legal pundits: police officers, lawyers, judges and their ilk. Where would their jobs go if there was no more drug problem
3) Construction companies that build jails. Lots of 'em too, It's a very lucrative business.
4) All the side businesses connected with the law enforcement side of it: from uniform manufacturers to food services. They number in the hundreds.
5) and last, but not least: the rehab biz. Have ya noticed how many of those have sprung up over the years? Lots and lots. Same goes for the "non-profit" organizations Non-profit just means no profit...it does not mean that no one gets a paycheck.

Just think what would happen if all of a sudden POOF! there were no more illegal drugs or drug problem?? Al those jobs would vanish...and where woudl our economy be? Obviously it wouldn't be in manufacturing, all those jobs have gone overseas.
Think about it folks, just THINK............

calabash

Neither dealers, growers, or suppliers are the problem. As a drug addict I am the problem. Where I live alcohol is the biggest killer (injury on duty, drunk driving, domestic violence 75% of people committing violernt crime have consumed booze).
Yet liquor is sold freely.

Where I live there is a level of empathy for alcoholics. It is understood as a disease.

As a junky, (recovering) I am often judged, unlike the alcoholic with a disease.

I think we must allow drugs poor developing countries like mine to make a fair profit for the drugs. Fair Trade Marijuana or Cocaine maybe. So we can know the peasant farmer is getting his/her fair share.

And then with any disease, like cancer, hiv, diabetes, put support in place.

It seesm the developing world is killing itself with overearting and poor eating. But its legal. Who is to blame. Macdonalds, or those that overeat?

Noah812

calabash I agree in the supply vrs. demand. Junkys demand for drugs fuel the drug industries need for more. The more demand the more supply is needed to meet that demand. If no one wanted drugs, no one would grow, make or sell them. If you take away the supply you drive the price of what few drugs can be found through the roof and there is little or no affordable drugs to sell....in other words...OUT OF BUSINESS!!! Interestingly enough you say your the problem as a drug addict and then immediatley blame alcohol for crimes and alcoholics for buying a legally sold substance. You express you are not shown the same empathy as say an alcoholic and yet you want to have fair trade with drugs? Your interest in your developing country is to grow and sell drugs so that farmers get thier fare share??? I think your speaking about making drugs legal as alcohol is legal now? You want to explode the problem of drugs by making them legal and then put support in place? Who is going to pay for the support of the new addcits. Thats sorta like putting out a camp fire with gasoline. Drug and alcohol addiction is a disease or genetic predisposition that some are born with but it is not like the diseases you listed above. Also you state 75% of violent crime is commited by someone on alcohol. Are your saying only people who drink are violent less 25% of the population. I question your statistical accuracy, 75% of how many violent crimes? In fact the continant of Africa is an extremely violent place over all and I doubt most are drunk as many are barely able to eat. If your country wants to pay farmers to grow poison to sale to your own countryman, I am all for your right to kill yourselfs but in my country, god forbid we ever surrender to evils you speak of. BTW over eating is a form of killing ourselves, so is smoking. At my work I no longer can smoke anywhere on my employers property BUT they have said nothing about over weight people shoveling down cheeseburgers on campus. We do agree in this aspect, the over eater is guilty not Macdonalds but Macdonalds does not sell cocaine either.

parentrecovers

very interesting thread. thanks for sharing, everyone. k

calabash

NOah, my stats are general, not exact. The point I was making is we accept alcohols destructive nature. We do not accept drugs destructive nature in our society.( Wasr against drugs?? WTF) I am simply suggesting as a people we get honest and remove the distinction between the two.
I was writing a bit tongue in cheek.

I see no true solution, other than us adressing our human conciousness, our spirirtual selves. Once we understand our interconnectedness as people on the earth, we may make some progress.

The solution to drugs of any form does not lie in a political solution, or in shooting the dealers.

As is the case with individual addicts who suffer from the disease of addiction, a large part of recovery lies in a spiritual programme. I believe our self loathing and alienation from HP is what makes us ( me) feed the void with mind altering behaviours or substances.

I do like the idea of Fair Trade drugs though!

rozied

Very interesting thread. I don't think there is a solution to the problem. Sad but true, it must be up to the individual as Calabash has said.
Diane

Noah812

calabash - I agree there is no visable end or answer to our drug problem. I do not agree that there is not a diffrence between alcoholics and drug addicts. Having said that I am not condoning either over the other. What I see is the comparison between a tornado, the alcoholic and a hurricane, the drug user. In both cases there is destruction left in thier wake though a hurricane has a more wide spread damage on communities than a tornado. There are exceptions in both cases in which there are drug addicts who do not destroy other peoples lives and alcoholics who do. I have had the unfortunate task of witnessing both sides as being highly destructive entities. I do agree that a spiritual approach is good start on a personal and global level, one I might add we will most likely never witness that on a global level. Therefore it is left up to the individual to make the hard choice, to surrender themselves to thier HP and say no to addiction. If it was that easy my friend, I get the feeling none of us would be here on SR today. I also believe that the issue is not one that should be left in the hands of our politicians. As to drug dealers I can't say there are many dealers that if they were shot that I would shed a tear for but some could say the same about politicians. So my answer is accountability for ones actions on a personal and a community level. As for free trade on drugs, it would only encourage the less experimental or law abiding citizen to try the high of a legal substance. Like fences around your yard, a lock on your home they only keep out honest people or those people who are not criminals due to fear, lack of opportunity or someone who has yet to chose a life of crime. If you open the door there are many not so willing people now, who will walk through it. Besides we already have legalised drugs, prescriptions drugs are sold legally and illegally to users for various reason. Look where legal prescription drugs has put so many people. Of those afflicted by addcition to LEGAL prescription drugs, some of thier families are here on SR too and I am sure they would have a strong opinion on the legallization of illegal narcotics. In the end legalised drugs would only add another means to a bad end. Lets stop serving addicts the drugs they are on before putting more of them on the menu to choose from.