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The positive side of prohibition?

Discussion in 'Cannabis Legalization & Law Updates' started by allthehype21, Mar 10, 2010.

  1. #1 allthehype21, Mar 10, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2010
    Has prohibition ever worked? EVER? We all know the prohibition of alcohol gave rise to mobsters and increased rates of alcoholism. The current prohibition of drugs in America is an epic fail; I don't even need to get into it. In Singapore, you can get the death penalty for possession of cannabis (I don't care what their drug use numbers are over the years. I would not consider the the decline of drug use, because you kill off drug users, a successful policy!). I just read that article on the NORML site about the prohibition of Tobacco in Canadian prisons which is an utter failure.

    I know there are blades from all over the world. Some are old enough to maybe see a positive change over time SOMEWHERE in the world (?).

    Edit: If I remember correctly, we didn't see the rise of the Mexican drug cartels until Mexico criminalized cannabis.

    I understand we need to define "success" from prohibition. I understand this is hinging on the COMPLETELY arbitrary assertion that drug use is in fact a bad thing. Use your best judgment when considering this.

    Edit: The topic of the first reply suggests I was being a bit too ambiguous (as is the thread title). I was referring to.... the Government getting what it wants by enacting prohibition (some people would argue that the current war on drugs is EXACTLY what the US govt wants, despite what the fed's tell the American people).
     
  2. #2 Eduard0, Mar 10, 2010
    Well, without an industry prevailing the whole time and possibly monopolizing and standardizing production, we've had incentives to grow high-quality stuff, decentralized and underground breeders and community, and a lot of amazing advances in terms of creating strains and stuff... We might not have all the lovely types of dank we have today if it weren't for the crazy prohibition culture of cannabis that exists today.
     
  3. #3 sbtim, Mar 10, 2010
    Can't say that it ever has done any good. There's certainly no evidence to show that it has ever been effective when it comes to any drug.

    I know people will disagree with me, but I honestly believe that even the hard drugs should be taxed, regulated, and legalized.

    Mostly for the same reasons as weed, and for the added reason that as long as we treat drug users as criminals, we can not help them. How do you expect that heroin addict to kick his habit by sending him to jail? The jails themselves have so much drugs that they can easily support their habit even in jail. If we had the tax money from drug sales, we could fund rehab centers that addicts could go to. So, basically, every time they buy drugs, they're paying for their own rehab.

    Back when cocaine, heroin, etc were purchasable at the corner drug store, we had less abuse of them than we do today. Nor did we have people getting HIV and Hep-C from dirty needles, or dying from an overdose because they didn't know the potency of the drug being sold, or dying because the drug was laced with some other unwanted substance. Oh, and we didn't waste billions of dollars per year trying to eliminate them from society.

    Nor do I really think that telling someone they can't do something because it could harm them is an ethically correct thing to do. A lot of people engage in dangerous activities because it gives them a rush (a high). Take for example, sky-diving, racing cars/boats/whatever, riding motorcycles. Some people even eat themselves to death on fast food. And yet nobody tries to stop them. So as long as they aren't harming anyone else, it's their right to do as they please.

    And then there's the whole "black markets are bad" thing that I'm sure everybody here knows about. The same applies to all drugs, not just marijuana.

    So, those are my reasons. I'm sure many will disagree, but it is what it is.
     
  4. #4 dickens cider, Mar 10, 2010
    The positive side of prohibition is that I don't have to get a job.
     
  5. #5 allthehype21, Mar 11, 2010
    bumpity
     
  6. #6 420Spartans, Mar 12, 2010
    Prohibition gives lots of jobs.

    Alcohol companies, tobacco companies, judges, police officers, and lawyers are all benefiting from cannabis illegality.

    It's one of the only positive sides of prohibition, but for all of the wrong reasons considering how many jobs would open up if cannabis were to be legal.
     
  7. #7 amsterdamage, Mar 14, 2010
    7,000 people were murdered by the Mexican drug cartels last year because we in the US kept marijuana illegal, many of the victims were children, police officers and politicians. This year the cartels are on track to kill at least 9,000 more. Who supports keeping marijuana illegal?
     
  8. #8 PhunkyOleTimer, Mar 14, 2010
    Well. this is what is gonna help me pay through college. i kno that much.
     
  9. #9 Eduard0, Mar 15, 2010
    Don't forget Big Pharma! They buy up A LOT of the adspace on the evening news, if you haven't noticed (which would be good cause it's generally crap). They have lobbyists, they have representatives doing "lunches" with doctors to promote their new pills EVERY DAY. When a patent expires, they patent and market an analogue. They also fund a lot of the research that decides whether or not the drugs are safe enough to go to market.

    We spend a lot on healthcare, ya know. More than on tobacco or alcohol, I'd wager.
     

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