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Monday, November 05, 2007
Addiction should Never be Treated as a Crime
"Addiction should never be treated as a crime. It has to be treated as a health problem. We do not send alcoholics to jail in this country. Over 500,000 people are in our jails who are nonviolent drug users."
Well criminalizing drugs was probably one of the stupidest things this country has ever done. Instead of making money off of taxing marijuana we spend $20,000 to keep them locked up. That's just what it costs to keep em in a pen, not including the money spent on catching them. Which right now overall is toward the tune of $20 Billion a year last time I checked.
And many marijuana users are tax paying citizens. But once locked up they don't pay any taxes.
It never ceases to amaze me how addiction and drugs are so demonized. How we ever got to a place where putting a substance in your body, or providing such a substance to another carries more severe legal penalties than ending another person's life is beyond me.
Well criminalizing drugs was probably one of the stupidest things this country has ever done. Instead of making money off of taxing marijuana we spend $20,000 to keep them locked up. That's just what it costs to keep em in a pen, not including the money spent on catching them. Which right now overall is toward the tune of $20 Billion a year last time I checked.
ReplyDeleteAnd many marijuana users are tax paying citizens. But once locked up they don't pay any taxes.
Unfortunately, Webs, there is a powerful lobby in favor of keeping the current drug laws. Nothing like a lobby to perpetuate a stupidity.
ReplyDeleteIt never ceases to amaze me how addiction and drugs are so demonized. How we ever got to a place where putting a substance in your body, or providing such a substance to another carries more severe legal penalties than ending another person's life is beyond me.
ReplyDelete