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Do You Think Drug Addicts Are Criminals?

Do You Think Drug Addicts Are Criminals?

  • Yes

    Votes: 13 26.5%

  • No

    Votes: 22 44.9%

  • Other

    Votes: 14 28.6%
  • Total voters
    49
Tucker Case said:
No, I'm asserting that the vast majority of people over 18 do things that are illegal.
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such as these big stumbling blocks for I and my fellow Floridians:

798.01 Living in open adultery.--Whoever lives in an open state of adultery shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree
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798.02 Lewd and lascivious behavior.--If any man and woman, not being married to each other, lewdly and lasciviously associate and cohabit together, or if any man or woman, married or unmarried, engages in open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior, they shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree
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Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes :->2009->Chapter 798 : flsenate.gov

So many criminals, myself included. :shock:

We need a follow up thread now asking:

"Are non-monogamous sexually active adults criminals?"

or for the sake of singling out a portion of the whole we could follow the example of this thread:

"Are sex addicts criminals?"

I think I just proved that a multitude of them are.. at least in Florida, and by the conditions outlined in the law and this thread.
 
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marduc said:
such as these big stumbling blocks for I and my fellow Floridians:





Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes :->2009->Chapter 798 : flsenate.gov

So many criminals, myself included. :shock:

We need a follow up thread now asking:

"Are non-monogamous sexually active adults criminals?"

or for the sake of singling out a portion of the whole we could follow the example of this thread:

"Are sex addicts criminals?"
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I'd be surprised to find someone in any state who doesn't perform some illegal act on a weekly or even daily basis.
 
marduc said:
I second guessed my word choice after I posted, forced is an overstatement, this would be more accurate:

"Drug addicts are driven into their criminality to feed their addiction"

If you talk to an addict, I am sure they would be more in agreement with the usage of the word force, since addiction can be all consuming, and many an addict feels as if they have no control if whether or not they use.

It is this mindset that needs to be overcame to break the addiction, and convuluting the mental and physical problems of addiction with a criminal problem does not help to break the addicts mindset of "forced" feeding of their addiction.

It is easy to brush off the realities of addiction when you are on the outside looking in.
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been on both sides...treated both sides...and I agree...driven would be a better choice.

Addiction isnt the problem for the addict...its a SYMPTOM of the problem. Unfortunately we spend LOTS of money treating the symptom. Cant hardly blame the addict for feeling they have no control...thats the message the psych and med community have been feeding them for 30 years. Thats also why we have a +70% recidivism rate.
 
I am assuming you meant users of illegal drugs. Anally speaking, they break the criminal law when possessing and using, so yes they are criminals.

However, I answered NO. The reason is that I took your question to be a moral/ethical question and not a legal question. What exactly is criminal about being addicted to, possessing and using illicit drugs? I am ignoring crimes committed to get the next fix for many hardcore addicts of meth, heroin, crack. How in hell did they become illegal? Scare tactics? Racially motivated?

There is no criminal act. A drug user is not harming anyone by his behavior. Life and limb is not taken, damaged or threatened. Property is not taken or destroyed. A drug user is not a criminal. A drug user has a health problem.

Some of these health problems are benign, like with users of marijuana and LSD and psilocybin. Others are more serious, like with meth, heroin and crack. Those benign health risks should have possession and use of the drugs made legal, taxed and regulated. Those more serious health risks should be decriminalized and treated.
 
marduc said:
such as these big stumbling blocks for I and my fellow Floridians:
The real criminals are those lawmakers who allow such silly rules to stay on the books. They are paid and paid well to do a job.





Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes :->2009->Chapter 798 : flsenate.gov

So many criminals, myself included. :shock:

We need a follow up thread now asking:

"Are non-monogamous sexually active adults criminals?"

or for the sake of singling out a portion of the whole we could follow the example of this thread:

"Are sex addicts criminals?"

I think I just proved that a multitude of them are.. at least in Florida, and by the conditions outlined in the law and this thread.
Click to expand...

The real criminals are those lawmakers who allow such silly rules to stay on the books. They are paid and paid well to do a job.
 
reefedjib said:
I am assuming you meant users of illegal drugs. Anally speaking, they break the criminal law when possessing and using, so yes they are criminals.

However, I answered NO. The reason is that I took your question to be a moral/ethical question and not a legal question. What exactly is criminal about being addicted to, possessing and using illicit drugs? I am ignoring crimes committed to get the next fix for many hardcore addicts of meth, heroin, crack. How in hell did they become illegal? Scare tactics? Racially motivated?

There is no criminal act. A drug user is not harming anyone by his behavior. Life and limb is not taken, damaged or threatened. Property is not taken or destroyed. A drug user is not a criminal. A drug user has a health problem.

Some of these health problems are benign, like with users of marijuana and LSD and psilocybin. Others are more serious, like with meth, heroin and crack. Those benign health risks should have possession and use of the drugs made legal, taxed and regulated. Those more serious health risks should be decriminalized and treated.
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Totally agree..
The problem is, how do we do this?
Decriminalize the drug use, tax and control it.....old hat..
Why do these people use drugs in the first place?
Are they unhappy?
Depressed?
Angry?
We are unable to get our lawmakers to do anything it seems....
 
Tucker Case said:
No, I'm asserting that the vast majority of people over 18 do things that are illegal.
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Then yes, the vast majority of people over 18 are criminals. You had a point?
 
You can be a legal drug addict and an illegal drug addict. I know people who have dependencies on aspirins. That is fully legal. I also know people who have dependencies on cocaine. That drug is illegal. So it depends on the drug I guess.
 
Tucker Case said:
It was actually a question about the standard presented. The term "criminal" loses it's impact when it applies to everyone.
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It doesn't need to have impact, it only has to have application. Someone who breaks the law, by definition, is a criminal. Doesn't matter if that's everyone or no one, the definition still applies.
 
Cephus said:
It doesn't need to have impact, it only has to have application. Someone who breaks the law, by definition, is a criminal. Doesn't matter if that's everyone or no one, the definition still applies.
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Works for me.

The problem comes in that we have so many restrictive laws regarding "victimless crimes" that essentially the government has made it so that everyone's a criminal.

That fact devalues the reason for laws.
 
jr602az said:
:) Hello everybody

Do you think that drug addicts are criminals & why?
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Other. They're not criminals for simply doing the drugs or possessing them. They're criminals if they sell them or commit some other illegal act in order to obtain them (other than simply buying).

Note: I'm referring to how I believe the show SHOULD be, not how it is.
 
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I believe that addictive behaviors come from two main sources: biology and psychology. Those who are addicts because of biology are so because of their brain chemistry, and so can't really be helped, and so require treatment and therapy to manage their addictive behavior. Those who are addicts because of psychology lack healthy coping skills for the stress they feel in life, and so require therapy to learn better coping skills. Considering the kind of fast-paced culture of instant gratification the United States engenders, it's no wonder that we have so many drug addicts.
 
samsmart said:
I believe that addictive behaviors come from two main sources: biology and psychology. Those who are addicts because of biology are so because of their brain chemistry, and so can't really be helped, and so require treatment and therapy to manage their addictive behavior. Those who are addicts because of psychology lack healthy coping skills for the stress they feel in life, and so require therapy to learn better coping skills. Considering the kind of fast-paced culture of instant gratification the United States engenders, it's no wonder that we have so many drug addicts.
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Plus, people just like to get high.
 
Tucker Case said:
The problem comes in that we have so many restrictive laws regarding "victimless crimes" that essentially the government has made it so that everyone's a criminal.
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I don't buy for a second that these crimes are victimless, they do have victims but that victim is society itself. There are activities which inherently cause harm to society as a whole, the idea that individuality means more than collective society strikes me as inherently ridiculous.

The fact that lots of people break minor laws on a daily basis doesn't do away with a reason for the laws.
 
Luna Tick said:
Other. They're not criminals for simply doing the drugs or possessing them. They're criminals if they sell them or commit some other illegal act in order to obtain them (other than simply buying).
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Sure they are. If possessing drugs is illegal, than anyone who possesses drugs is a criminal, by definition. Nobody said anything about you *LIKING* that fact, just that it's true.
 
Cephus said:
Sure they are. If possessing drugs is illegal, than anyone who possesses drugs is a criminal, by definition. Nobody said anything about you *LIKING* that fact, just that it's true.
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There was a typo in my post. I meant to say at the end:

Note: I'm referring to how I believe the [law] SHOULD be, not how it is.
 
reefedjib said:
If what they are taking is addictive.
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A person can become psychologically addicted to anything. However, the chemically addictive substances like heroin are by far the most addictive.
 
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