Drug War Has Failed And Governments Should Explore Legalizing Marijuana, Says Report

NEW YORK -- The global war on drugs has failed and governments should explore legalizing marijuana and other controlled substances, according to a commission that includes former heads of state, a former U.N. secretary-general and a business mogul.

A new report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy argues that the decades-old "global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world." The 24-page paper will be released Thursday.

Cont...

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_870096.html

[soil margin]

People saying the Drug War has failed is like people saying we've landed on the Moon. Thanks for the heads up mainstream media!

[JayTrinity]

perhaps this is the change we have all been waiting for,

Now when do the non violent offenders get out of jail?

[MIway]

They aren't doing their math right... see, the costs they will likely list for their study... the toll on society & human lives... those 'costs' are really benefits to certain portions of the society as a whole. Those few make millions on the jailing of people. The ones that have an interest in maintaining control, they are the ones that are also making money by the ways & means of our society... the laws that govern.

The UN often looks at things in a backwards manner... too many reasonable voices. Although IMF & WBank & WTO... not like they aren't the bad guys.

[trichrider]

another proposal the DEA will ignore.

thanx.
just the ticket for this roller coaster.

[DiscoBiscuit]

Originally Posted by JayTrinity

Now when do the non violent offenders get out of jail?

Until the big day, ask California how they're paroling 10k prisoners a year. I get the impression that non-violent crime gets no preference toward early parole. Based on what I've read it sounds like - how much is left on your sentence and how well you've behaved in prison.

For ANY non-violent offenders, locking them up with the rest means some of them will be institutionalized by the time they get out. Some non-violent offenders become violent personalities... behind bars.

One article I read cited statistics that show ~50% of parolees return to Cali prisons within their first 90 days for violating parole, ex: missing a meeting or failing a drug test. The article also stated that each prisoner costs Cali $53k per year.

The parolee that goes back costs half that for another 90 day stint.

I hope the national pic doesn't look like the micro, if we ever get there.

[trouble]

Originally Posted by Stoned Coder

Drug War Has Failed

UH.......NO SHIT!

No offense, however, that's old news.

The Government couldn't even control guns, I don't know why they thought they control drugs.

If they were to legalize drugs, there would be to many unemployed Police, DA's, Public Defenders, Empty Prison's, and starving lawyers.

And most the bastards making the laws in Washington D.C. are attorneys with law firms back in they're home states, which would close if drugs were legalized.

Today, There are 1000% more drugs on the streets, of higher quality, and half the price, since the war on drugs was initiated, that should give any thick-witted idiot in Washington a clue that it just might not be working to well.

Originally Posted by trouble

UH.......NO SHIT!

No offense, however, that's old news.

No offense taken bro. I didn't write the article. Just passing it on.

[itisme]

This just in.....The Stock Market and Hedge funds guys are a little shady

Cuchie stinks if you don't take the right precautions, The middle class is gone!

HEELL YEAH the drug was has failed!

[BudGood]

A great post from the comments section of that article, with some good quotes:

Originally Posted by A Huffington Post Commenter

"The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this."
- Albert Einstein

ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS CAUSED BY DRUGS

TOBACCO ******* 400,000
ALCOHOL ******* 100,000
ALL LEGAL DRUGS ………….20,000
ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS ……….15,000
CAFFEINE ********2,000
ASPIRIN *********500
MARIJUANA ******* 0

Source: United States government
National Institute on Drug Abuse,
Bureau of Mortality Statistics

“Some of my finest hours have been spent on my back veranda, smoking hemp and observing as far as my eye can see.” – Thomas Jefferson