Ex president of Poland joins up with the Global Commision on Drug Policy

http://www.nytimes.c...-laws.html?_r=3

WARSAW — In the year 2000, as the president of Poland, I signed one of Europe’s most conservative laws on drug possession. Any amount of illicit substances a person possessed meant they were eligible for up to three years in prison. Our hope was that this would help to liberate Poland, and especially its youths, from drugs that not only have a potential to ruin the lives of the people who abuse them but also have been propelling the spread of H.I.V. among people who inject them.

We assumed that giving the criminal justice system the power to arrest, prosecute and jail people caught with even minuscule amounts of drugs, including marijuana, would improve police effectiveness in bringing to justice persons responsible for supplying illicit drugs. We also expected that the prospect of being put behind bars would deter people from abusing illegal drugs, and thus dampen demand.


We were mistaken on both of our assumptions. Jail sentences for the possession of illicit drugs — in any amount and for any purpose — did not lead to the jailing of drug traffickers. Nor did it prove to be a deterrent to drug abuse.

Edited by Labido, 26 May 2012 - 01:53 AM.
lol, I obviously meant Poland in the title. Deep down in the bong and the Norwegian word became a bit similar to the American

Not going to lie, I only clicked this because I had never heard of a country called "Polen".

Not going to lie, I only clicked this because I had never heard of a country called "Polen".

Haha me too. Then loled in a break room full of people when I realized that's how he spells 'Poland"

come on guys read the edit!

your sig is freaking hilarious

come on guys read the edit!

Title still says Polen.

Title still says Polen.

lmao, didn't notice before now that you actually can edit the title

your sig is freaking hilarious

whats even more funny is the truth why black people started "saggin".

in prison, they would wear their pants below their ass to let others know they were available for buttsex

whats even more funny is the truth why black people started "saggin".

in prison, they would wear their pants below their ass to let others know they were available for buttsex

I was hoping that was true so I could make fun of people..so I did some research. Sadly it is not true:/ snopes.com: Sagging Pants

This global commission is bullshit, I'm sorry to say. Every bannana republic is lining up to be a "host country" in the new legal landscape. Look at the GDP of these countries who are on board all of a sudden.

And I ask people this:
Why are we to believe these people who signed these horribly injurious laws into effect? Do we think for a moment that highly educated people with inside information from government and industry had no idea what the outcomes of their laws would be, but we're able to see it doing some basic reasoning and reading?

This commission is meant to push drugs to the "CORRECT" people. Bank on it.

This global commission is bullshit, I'm sorry to say. Every bannana republic is lining up to be a "host country" in the new legal landscape. Look at the GDP of these countries who are on board all of a sudden.

And I ask people this:
Why are we to believe these people who signed these horribly injurious laws into effect? Do we think for a moment that highly educated people with inside information from government and industry had no idea what the outcomes of their laws would be, but we're able to see it doing some basic reasoning and reading?

This commission is meant to push drugs to the "CORRECT" people. Bank on it.

It doesn't really matter to me. They are delivering the correct message from sources with high credibility, no matter how you view it the commission is still a push in the right direction.

It doesn't really matter to me. They are delivering the correct message from sources with high credibility, no matter how you view it the commission is still a push in the right direction.

Ummm....I'm viewing it from a perspective where bankers, industrialists, and other special interests have financially benefitted, passed laws to their benefit, hijacked the political process, and have been responsible for the proliferation of prohibition on a global scale. The very people who make up this commission.

Now, you tell me, -how on EARTH could this be anything but the WRONG direction? These same people benefit on BOTH sides of prohibition. Don't forget that. They are telling you what you want to hear.

I was hoping that was true so I could make fun of people..so I did some research. Sadly it is not true:/ snopes.com: Sagging Pants

Ok sure because of snopes ill put some doubt into my statement, but im not going to take it back. If pants sag that much and that bad, they will eventually fall below the thighs and fall completely down.

If i was in prison and my pants kept falling down, i would refuse to wear them. As the prisoners should have done.

and i would have gotten new fitting pants. Everything else is spent by tax payer money, whats wrong with wrong fitting prisoner pants?

Death Penalty : The High Cost of the Death Penalty

these same people benefit on BOTH sides of prohibition. Don't forget that.

Yes, but we suffer more one side than on the other. If one course of action benefits us sightly more than the other, it'd be foolish to not take that route - regardless of who profits (especially since they'd profit either way).

If i was in prison and my pants kept falling down, i would refuse to wear them. As the prisoners should have done.

> implying that prisoners have the luxury of demanding better service

That isn't how it works in prison, mon amis. =/

Yes, but we suffer more one side than on the other. If one course of action benefits us sightly more than the other, it'd be foolish to not take that route - regardless of who profits (especially since they'd profit either way).

This is the same double bind we have with two party politics as well. "One isn't as bad as the other" leads us down a very bad path. (Look where we are now; pretty rosy?)

When those who have made it their livelihoods to fully endorse prohibition for many years are the "friends" whose arms you are made to run to, do so at your own peril. They won't play nice with it in their control, as it already is in their control.

Floating_by, you know that I agree with you more often than not, but this situation is different. It was the United States that started the drug war, who threatened other countries with sanctions and threatened to end trade with them if they didn't go along with us on the drug war. Back then, the U.S. was considered the most powerful nation in the world. That's no longer the case, and now other countries that have gained power over the years are finally deciding to turn on the U.S. policy, and create new policies of their own. They see a new window of opportunity by ending the drug war. I, for one, am intrigued and excited about watching to see where this goes. It's one of those glass half empty/half full situations. I guess it depends on how you look at it.

Floating_by, you know that I agree with you more often than not, but this situation is different. It was the United States that started the drug war, who threatened other countries with sanctions and threatened to end trade with them if they didn't go along with us on the drug war. Back then, the U.S. was considered the most powerful nation in the world. That's no longer the case, and now other countries that have gained power over the years are finally deciding to turn on the U.S. policy, and create new policies of their own. They see a new window of opportunity by ending the drug war. I, for one, am intrigued and excited about watching to see where this goes. It's one of those glass half empty/half full situations. I guess it depends on how you look at it.

But listen to the ex Polish Pres.... "We didn't realize that prohibition has negative effects."
Are you really going to take that lying down and think this same person (a highly educated person) just didn't know enough to look to history and what prohibitions do? It's absolutely offensive for such a person to insult our intelligence like that. They know the outcomes of the laws they pass. If we can figure it out, they surely knew what they were doing. Again, this commission is made up of those who passed and benefited from these laws. They have NO credibility whatsoever based on their past actions.

I'd like to view the world through more rose-colored lenses, but I don't for a minute think world leaders suddenly are "coming to their senses" and have developed concern for everyday people. Too much of a track record saying otherwise. I'm a healthy cynic.