Most of US drug arrests involve a gram or less

[aociswundumho]

Most of the Drug Arrests in the US Involve a Gram or Less

I have studied the war on drugs for a number of years. Last December, my colleagues and I published a study on U.S. drug arrests, showing that roughly two out of every three arrests by state and local law enforcement target small-time offenders who are carrying less than a gram of illegal drugs.

Virtually all states treat as felonies the sale of any amount of illegal drugs. The thinking behind these laws is that you cannot catch the big fish without catching some minnows as well.

The drug war is a combination of mommie-dearest-statism and anti-market bias, both of which emanate from the political left.

Because possessing any amount of a hard drug and selling any illegal drug is a felony in virtually every state, the small size of these quantities matter. They suggest that very minor offenders face felony liability. Felony convictions make it difficult for ex-offenders to secure good jobs. They carry many other harmful collateral consequences.

What a travesty. The drug war is a huge government failure with no end in sight.

As far as I know, only people on the far right support legalization of all drugs: Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, Gary Johnson, hell, even William F. Buckley supported outright legalization.

Can anyone name one single prominent "progressive" who supports the legalization of all drugs, which is the only way to end this disaster?

 

[Jetboogieman]

You really think it's the left who is against legalization/decriminalization?

I know there can be a bit of a patchwork of people who are a bit nervous about total legalization of stuff like Meth, heroine and cocaine as an example but come on, you wanna pin the drug war on the left in America...

Gary Johnson... Far Right?

What?

 

[swing_voter]

Most any drug used in excess is bad for you.

I was thinking weed was pretty benign, then this doctor pointed out that weed has no hangover.

If you binge alcohol, you wake up in the morning promising God you'll never indulge again.

If you binge weed, nothing. You can stay high all your waking hours.

We all know someone who's life has been made shabby by using weed in excess. Its not as bad as an alcoholic, but still, it's not good for them.

So anti drug laws are to protect those who have no self restraint. Studies have shown that if you make a drug illegal, it will reduce its use.

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Lol, how incredibly nuts and detached from reality does one have to be to believe the Republicans don't and haven't supported the drug war? Both sides have been very bad for a long time, but at least some Democrats have come forward against the drug war and pro-legalization.

 

[Da Mole]

Lol, how incredibly nuts and detached from reality does one have to be to believe the Republicans don't and haven't supported the drug war? Both sides have been very bad for a long time, but at least some Democrats have come forward against the drug war and pro-legalization.

The same old tired argument. If you can't stop the use of drugs just make them legal and all will be well. BULL! How about using that same flawed logic, and we just legalize all bad behavior and criminal activity which is really out of control.

 

[RabidAlpaca]

The same old tired argument. If you can't stop the use of drugs just make them legal and all will be well. BULL! How about using that same flawed logic, and we just legalize all bad behavior and criminal activity which is really out of control.

Nope, the real question is why someone smoking a little weed should be illegal in the first place. People like you like big government control over the lives of Americans and want people who mind their own business and don't hurt anyone thrown in prison for years. Most Americans disagree with you, big government, nanny-state types.

 

[Mr Person]

The drug war is a combination of mommie-dearest-statism and anti-market bias, both of which emanate from the political left.

Thatiswundumlie



War on drugs - Wikipedia

Guess which party Nixon was in.


Just Say No - Wikipedia

Guess whose party Nancy Reagan was in.



Extra credit:During a 1994 interview, President Nixon’s domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichman, provided inside information suggesting that the War on Drugs campaign had ulterior motives, which mainly involved helping Nixon keep his job.In the interview, conducted by journalist Dan Baum and published in Harper magazine, Ehrlichman explained that the Nixon campaign had two enemies: “the antiwar left and black people.” His comments led many to question Nixon’s intentions in advocating for drug reform and whether racism played a role.


Ehrlichman was quoted as saying: “We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course, we did.”

War on Drugs - Timeline in America, Definition & Facts - HISTORY




So, no, it came from the right. And nothing about any individual people on the left who supported various aspects of this travesty of a policy changes that. Don't tell such stupid lies. K thx.

 

[Grand Mal]

Most of the Drug Arrests in the US Involve a Gram or Less



The drug war is a combination of mommie-dearest-statism and anti-market bias, both of which emanate from the political left.



What a travesty. The drug war is a huge government failure with no end in sight.

As far as I know, only people on the far right support legalization of all drugs: Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, Gary Johnson, hell, even William F. Buckley supported outright legalization.

Can anyone name one single prominent "progressive" who supports the legalization of all drugs, which is the only way to end this disaster?

Joke, right? Or troll. Either a joke/troll or abysmal ignorance.
I can't recall you showing a sense of humour before though, so...

 

[aociswundumho]

You really think it's the left who is against legalization/decriminalization?

Again, name some prominent progressives who support legalization.

I know there can be a bit of a patchwork of people who are a bit nervous about total legalization of stuff like Meth, heroine and cocaine as an example but come on, you wanna pin the drug war on the left in America.

Ok, name some prominent progressives who support full legalization of weed - including sales by private individuals.

 

[aociswundumho]

Guess which party Nixon was in.

He was a rotten Republican who also created the EPA.

Guess who writes the laws at the federal level? Guess which party had a majority in the House in 1970 when the Controlled Substances Act was passed? Guess which party had a majority in the Senate at that time as well?

I'll give you a hint, it wasn't Republicans.

Both Reagan and Nixon were Republican, but neither were far right.

So, no, it came from the right.

No it didn't. The drug war didn't start in 1970. It started with the Progressive movement which pushed for, and got, alcohol prohibition passed along with the Pure Food and Drug act. These kind of do-gooder laws are what gave the government the power to criminalize what people put into their own bodies - which is the basis of the drug war.

 

[marke]

Most of the Drug Arrests in the US Involve a Gram or Less



The drug war is a combination of mommie-dearest-statism and anti-market bias, both of which emanate from the political left.



What a travesty. The drug war is a huge government failure with no end in sight.

As far as I know, only people on the far right support legalization of all drugs: Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, Gary Johnson, hell, even William F. Buckley supported outright legalization.

Can anyone name one single prominent "progressive" who supports the legalization of all drugs, which is the only way to end this disaster?

Do drugs harm society and do damage to its citizens? If so, what the hell are bozos thinking by making them more available?

 

[EMNofSeattle]

Most of the Drug Arrests in the US Involve a Gram or Less



The drug war is a combination of mommie-dearest-statism and anti-market bias, both of which emanate from the political left.



What a travesty. The drug war is a huge government failure with no end in sight.

As far as I know, only people on the far right support legalization of all drugs: Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, Gary Johnson, hell, even William F. Buckley supported outright legalization.

Can anyone name one single prominent "progressive" who supports the legalization of all drugs, which is the only way to end this disaster?

You start with the false premise the war on drugs has been a failure. I view putting drug offenders in prison as a success. The failure is when you stop enforcing. I’m staying in LA right now and I am telling you, enabling drug use is not going to be a success, I saw a whacked out lady drop trou and pee on the sidewalk in broad daylight. Putting her in prison would be better for both her and society as a whole.

 

[Manc Skipper]

The "Drug war" supports the prisons for profit industry.

 

[aociswundumho]

Do drugs harm society and do damage to its citizens?

Drugs are inanimate, like guns. Neither are capable of harming anyone on their own.

 

[Da Mole]

Nope, the real question is why someone smoking a little weed should be illegal in the first place. People like you like big government control over the lives of Americans and want people who mind their own business and don't hurt anyone thrown in prison for years. Most Americans disagree with you, big government, nanny-state types.

Judging by your location description your opinion on what happens in American is irrelevant. You have apparently abandoned your country and I think we are better off for it.

 

[aociswundumho]

You start with the false premise the war on drugs has been a failure. I view putting drug offenders in prison as a success. The failure is when you stop enforcing. I’m staying in LA right now and I am telling you, enabling drug use is not going to be a success, I saw a whacked out lady drop trou and pee on the sidewalk in broad daylight. Putting her in prison would be better for both her and society as a whole.

No drug does more harm to people than alcohol. Excessive alcohol damages virtually every organ in the human body, especially the liver. Alcohol is also one of the very few drugs to induce aggression in some people, not to mention the societal costs of drinking and driving. So do you support putting alcoholics in prison as well?

 

[mike2810]

OP. Internet search is your friend.

Political Parties on Drug Use - DrugAbuse.com

2020 Dems back legal marijuana in political sea change | TheHill

"Booker has introduced a measure to legalize marijuana at the federal level and to expunge the records of those who have been charged with using or possessing small amounts of pot. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) all support his bill."

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Judging by your location description your opinion on what happens in American is irrelevant. You have apparently abandoned your country and I think we are better off for it.

I served my country in combat, you're a fascist that wants an all powerful government to control every aspect of our lives. I've got more American patriotism in my left nut sack than you do in your entire body.

 

[Da Mole]

I served my country in combat, you're a fascist that wants an all powerful government to control every aspect of our lives. I've got more American patriotism in my left nut sack than you do in your entire body.

Calm down.If I have your status wrong please explain what you are trying say by labeling yourself as a refugee in Europe.
Just to help you out the definition of Refugee is as follows----------- One who flees, especially to another country, seeking refuge from war, political oppression, religious persecution, or a natural disaster. If this does fit you I stand by my convictions.

 

[Da Mole]

I served my country in combat, you're a fascist that wants an all powerful government to control every aspect of our lives. I've got more American patriotism in my left nut sack than you do in your entire body.

Calm down.If I have your status wrong please explain what you are trying say by labeling yourself as a refugee in Europe.
Just to help you out the definition of Refugee is as follows----------- One who flees, especially to another country, seeking refuge from war, political oppression, religious persecution, or a natural disaster. If this does fit you I stand by my convictions.

 

[Da Mole]

No drug does more harm to people than alcohol. Excessive alcohol damages virtually every organ in the human body, especially the liver. Alcohol is also one of the very few drugs to induce aggression in some people, not to mention the societal costs of drinking and driving. So do you support putting alcoholics in prison as well?[/QUA

At the present time alcohol is not illegal so therefore imprisonment is not warranted.

 

[Moonglow]

Most of the Drug Arrests in the US Involve a Gram or Less



The drug war is a combination of mommie-dearest-statism and anti-market bias, both of which emanate from the political left.



What a travesty. The drug war is a huge government failure with no end in sight.

As far as I know, only people on the far right support legalization of all drugs: Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, Gary Johnson, hell, even William F. Buckley supported outright legalization.

Can anyone name one single prominent "progressive" who supports the legalization of all drugs, which is the only way to end this disaster?

Repub presidents are now leftist? What a load...

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Calm down.If I have your status wrong please explain what you are trying say by labeling yourself as a refugee in Europe.
Just to help you out the definition of Refugee is as follows----------- One who flees, especially to another country, seeking refuge from war, political oppression, religious persecution, or a natural disaster. If this does fit you I stand by my convictions.

If you try to attack aspects of me personally instead of trying to stay on topic and counter the points I've made, you're pathetic and have already lost.

Americans don't want to live under a nanny state that controls every aspect of their lives like you want. Maybe China would be a better country for someone like you.

 

[aociswundumho]

Repub presidents are now leftist? What a load...

For the bazillionth time, that doesn't mean anything. Trump was a Democrat for years, and Bloomberg was a Republican for years.

The drug war is predicated on mommy-statism and severe anti-market bias. Both are left wing, and as I previously stated, there are many on the far right who support full legalization, while I can't name a single prominent progressive who does. Can you?

 

[Da Mole]

If you try to attack aspects of me personally instead of trying to stay on topic and counter the points I've made, you're pathetic and have already lost.

Americans don't want to live under a nanny state that controls every aspect of their lives like you want. Maybe China would be a better country for someone like you.

Unlike yourself, I am staying here in the country that I both love and support. Obviously you prefer Europe over the USA.