Dr. Leospace
Alpiniste Kundalini
- Inscrit
- 28 Oct 2005
- Messages
- 686
The illegal drug trade in Western New York has turned many of our inner-city streets into war zones. The simple act of sitting on one's porch to converse with a neighbor or watch the kids play ball in the street is to risk one's life. Turf wars or retaliation for a drug deal gone bad have filled our morgues and cemeteries with both intended and unintended casualties. Yet the game plan stays the same, the strategy of reducing drug use and peddling goes unchanged, despite the same devastating results.
When I spoke out and asked for a discussion on the legalization and regulation of illegal drugs, I was called crazy by law enforcement officials. The topic was deemed so outlandish that it did not deserve a second response.
However, despite the public opinion of those whose job it is to protect our citizens, there are others who feel it's time for a change. Former Tonawanda Police Capt. Peter Christ is one of those individuals. Christ is a spokesman for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP www.leap.cc. LEAP has more than 2,000 current and former police officers, judges and private citizens who do not feel it's crazy to change the strategy in combating drugs.
Prohibition did not work in the 20th century to curtail alcohol use. It funded an underworld that preyed on the public's desire for a drink and killed anyone who stood in its way. Today the prohibition on drugs has taken the violence to an even greater level. It's not just the drug pushers who are being gunned down by their rivals, but anyone who is unfortunate enough to be within range.
My stance on legalizing drugs does not mean that I am in favor of drug use. On the contrary, I believe legalizing drugs gives us a fighting chance to control the indiscriminate killing and violence and treat those who crave the substance. Those who are proclaimed criminals because of drug usage are not inclined to seek help. Those who die from a "hot shot" because of unregulated substances flowing through their veins also cannot come forward.
One argument against legalization is what kind of message it may send to our children. Legalized drugs would be, in my opinion, more stringently regulated than alcohol or cigarettes among minors. Drug usage would no more be condoned among teens than drinking or smoking. The current system makes it easier to score an illegal drug in our high schools than a can of beer. Does that make sense?
I believe that regulating the drug trade would be more civilized than allowing it to be unregulated and controlled by killers and thugs. I believe that allowing experts to discuss and create proper distribution strategies is not crazy. I believe that by regulating and taxing drug use, we create revenue streams to properly educate our youth and treat the drug user.
Teen use of cigarettes is going down because of years of education. Taking drug use out of the closet and dealing with it, as opposed to fooling ourselves that the war is being won, is not crazy. What is crazy is dealing with this problem as we have been for the past 70 years and thinking we are winning.
When I spoke out and asked for a discussion on the legalization and regulation of illegal drugs, I was called crazy by law enforcement officials. The topic was deemed so outlandish that it did not deserve a second response.
However, despite the public opinion of those whose job it is to protect our citizens, there are others who feel it's time for a change. Former Tonawanda Police Capt. Peter Christ is one of those individuals. Christ is a spokesman for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP www.leap.cc. LEAP has more than 2,000 current and former police officers, judges and private citizens who do not feel it's crazy to change the strategy in combating drugs.
Prohibition did not work in the 20th century to curtail alcohol use. It funded an underworld that preyed on the public's desire for a drink and killed anyone who stood in its way. Today the prohibition on drugs has taken the violence to an even greater level. It's not just the drug pushers who are being gunned down by their rivals, but anyone who is unfortunate enough to be within range.
My stance on legalizing drugs does not mean that I am in favor of drug use. On the contrary, I believe legalizing drugs gives us a fighting chance to control the indiscriminate killing and violence and treat those who crave the substance. Those who are proclaimed criminals because of drug usage are not inclined to seek help. Those who die from a "hot shot" because of unregulated substances flowing through their veins also cannot come forward.
One argument against legalization is what kind of message it may send to our children. Legalized drugs would be, in my opinion, more stringently regulated than alcohol or cigarettes among minors. Drug usage would no more be condoned among teens than drinking or smoking. The current system makes it easier to score an illegal drug in our high schools than a can of beer. Does that make sense?
I believe that regulating the drug trade would be more civilized than allowing it to be unregulated and controlled by killers and thugs. I believe that allowing experts to discuss and create proper distribution strategies is not crazy. I believe that by regulating and taxing drug use, we create revenue streams to properly educate our youth and treat the drug user.
Teen use of cigarettes is going down because of years of education. Taking drug use out of the closet and dealing with it, as opposed to fooling ourselves that the war is being won, is not crazy. What is crazy is dealing with this problem as we have been for the past 70 years and thinking we are winning.