we should support this guy
 

I can't get behind decriminalizing heroin to fight the war on terror, I don't see anything good coming from that. The military could eradicate the opium crops in Afghanistan pretty quickly if they were so inclined, they're not because the objective is "winning hearts and minds", and the main source of income for most of the peasant population is opium production. Russia actually wanted to start spraying Afghanistan's opium crops, but the idea was shot down by NATO for fear it would alienate the local people. NATO's answer is to pay the farmers not to grow opium, which doesn't work because they take the money and grow the fucking crops anyway.


There is no better example of how much of a clusterfuck the war in Afghanistan really is than the opium trade. Afghanistan accounts for 90% of the worlds heroin. Annual deaths from heroin overdoses in the more 40 than countries contributing to the NATO mission in Afghanistan are 50 times higher than their total military losses. Heroin is one of the most effective tools the terrorist organizations have against the west, it provides funds for the weapons and training they need; at the same time it destroys hundreds of thousands of lives in the countries of their enemies, yet we turn a blind eye to it so we don't alienate some poor farmers who most likely hate us anyway. It sure as hell shows that we're not fighting this war to win. if we were the first step would be to raze every fucking poppy field in Afghanistan.


The rest of what this guy is saying makes sense though.

destroy all the opium in the world and people will find another drug. People need addictions.

Legalizing all drugs would solve many of the social problems in the US

Exactly. There's plenty of other drugs out there for people to get addicted to, if people want a high similar to heroin they can go get some synthetic opiates from a crooked doctor.

I highly doubt that, if anything it would make them worse because we are a nation of over excessive consumers. I think addiction rates would skyrocket if hard drugs like cocaine and heroin were to be decriminalized. I'm all in favor of legalizing marijuana, just not the harder shit.

I think there's more to the story than simply not wanting to offend poor farmers.

Government corruption over there plays a big part in it as well, very often Afghani government officials double as drug traffickers. Opium production plays a huge part in Afghanistan's economy, a variety of warlords, local chiefs, insurgents, and government elites play their part in taxing, trading, and protecting the country's opium industry.

I disagree. I used to think this way but here is why I have changed my mind.

Sure, we would likely see an uptick (at least at first) in users and potential addicts. However, since we are no longer wasting billions jailing people and fighting a war on drugs that we can't win we can use a fraction of that money to get these people help and educate people about the dangers of drugs. Look to smoking as an example. 50 years ago damn near everyone smoked. It was just part of life. Now smoking rates are at all time lows and dropping.

Also, the free market will curb drug use naturally through drug testing at work. My brother works of a construction company that randomly tests. In addition to random tests if there is an accident on the job everyone on that site has to test. If you come back dirty and were not directly involved with the accident you still get a 30 day suspension without pay. The second offense is 90 days the third you are fired. If you come back dirty and were involved in accident you have to go before a board that will either suspend you for 90 days without pay of fire you. If you get the suspension that is your one and only warning if it happens again you are fired.

So my brother is not about to throw his career away because he wants to smoke a little weed or do some drug. There are a ton of companies out there just like that.

I think a combination of education, treatment and testing on the job would keep the numbers about where they are now and we would free up billions and billions of dollars every year.

when its legalized, efforts can be put in education and awareness. For example in Holland drug use is below average on weed.

3% of the DEA budget goes to education about drugs. Image if that was reversed and all the schools had programs like music and art and sports that are shown to keep kids off drugs?

Legal drugs would mean
No unpure product which is the cause of most ODs
Cut revenue for gangs and terrorists
More money for American farmers
No troops fighting a fairly secret war in Columbia
Less crime in Mexico that trickles into our border states

I should have the choice to take drugs if I want. Educate me about the effects and let me make my own decisions. Drop the DARE scare tactics that don't work.

6 you say 6 as in 6?