♦ nivek ♦ Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 USA Number OneLiberty & Power by Keith Halderman "Ever since the Progressive Era the United States government has pursued a policy relying primarily on punishment to curb drug abuse, with abuse and use being considered largely synonymous. While the program has always been a mixture of state coercion and drug treatment, the bulk of the funding has gone into maintaining prohibition. As a result, this country has a racially biased overcrowded prison system on the verge of collapse. We have a law enforcement system employing often very brutal tactics which accomplish very little in way of ending drug use. Our medical system is denying people in pain the medication they need to ease their suffering. And, the nation's economic system must come up with billions of dollars each year to pay for this activity." (07/09/08) http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/52152.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ nivek ♦ Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 Government-funded science is inherently politicized: Chineseherbal remedy edition The Liberty Papers by tarran "If the NIH wastes money on quackery, its officers do not suffer a loss. They don't have to justify their spending to donors or shareholders. The money extracted at gunpoint from the citizenry will continue to flow in regardless of the junk science the NIH produces. In fact, inconclusive junk science can benefit NIH officials -- larger staff and larger budgets will lead inevitably to higher salaries for managers - with no end in sight to the enterprise. Furthermore, by having the government license medical treatments and practitioners, the medical industry has fatally undermined the ability of people to have reliable mechanisms to root out quackery. Again, publicly funded licensure boards will continue to be funded regardless of how bad a job they do. Their presence will inhibit the formation of private enterprises that are dependent on donor perceptions of effectiveness to continue operations -- just as the creation of the FDA ended the drug testing research of Consumer Union." (07/10/08) http://tinyurl.com/6lhdfa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Net Eng Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 USA Number OneLiberty & Power by Keith Halderman "Ever since the Progressive Era the United States government has pursued a policy relying primarily on punishment to curb drug abuse, with abuse and use being considered largely synonymous. While the program has always been a mixture of state coercion and drug treatment, the bulk of the funding has gone into maintaining prohibition. As a result, this country has a racially biased overcrowded prison system on the verge of collapse... http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/52152.html Perhaps it's time to legalize such drugs. Why not regulate the manufacture of such drugs ensuring quality and consistency of the product. Tax the sale of the drugs and regulate where you can buy them (much like alcohol and tobacco). Society gets benefits from this (reduced prison populations, lowering drug related violence, fewer smuggling issues etc...). Granted in a given population some people will abuse these drugs (much like alcohol and tobacco) and this will have to be dealt with. But given the other social benefits I believe this is a reasonable trade off. Ok. I have my abestos undies on, flame away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuaiDan Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Ok. I have my abestos undies on, flame away Why? Seems you're preaching to the choir. I say legalize everything and let darwinism take effect. It is one's own business what one puts in his or her body, but it is one's responsibility to know what the stuff is and what it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Captain Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Yup, at the moment I'm gonna go with legalize but punish irresponsible use (more or less the way alcohol is regulated). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Net Eng Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Ok. I have my abestos undies on, flame away Why? Seems you're preaching to the choir. This topic came up at work a couple of weeks back. I was (forgive the reference) crucified by several co-workers. "What about the addicts?", "My <son, daughter etc...> life was destroyed by drugs!". I was surprised by the overwhelming emotional arguments that were presented. My counter-arguments did nothing to persuade these folks. The thing that bothered me the most was realizing that these people could vote... <sigh> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Captain Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 Ok. I have my abestos undies on, flame away Why? Seems you're preaching to the choir. This topic came up at work a couple of weeks back. I was (forgive the reference) crucified by several co-workers. "What about the addicts?", "My <son, daughter etc...> life was destroyed by drugs!". I was surprised by the overwhelming emotional arguments that were presented. My counter-arguments did nothing to persuade these folks. The thing that bothered me the most was realizing that these people could vote... <sigh> Somewhere along the way authoritarian government became the solution in a lot of peoples minds, not really sure why Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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