The problem is we've created a catch22 with this. I was reading something a while back describing how certain parts of our education system are in shambles because of how much money the "drug war" eats up.

Since Reagans "Just say no" prison population has exploded. So some money that 30-40 yrs ago was marked for eductaion goes to enhancing our prison system now. There are folks who got caught with a particular amount of pot or cocaine. The law requires people caught with these amounts to receive mandatory sentences with no chance of parole.

The catch22 comes into play when you discuss law-makers who might want to rectify the situation. Even those who feel the current situation should be changed do not speak up for fear of being branded a soft on crime politician.


>For all my conservative rantings, I agree that the "war on drugs" is totally misguided. It seems we didn't learn a lesson from Prohibition. I don't know what liquor and tobacco taxes bring in a year, but it seems we could do something similar with marijuana. Limit personal production to a set amount (I think home-brewed beer is untaxed to fifty gallons in Texas, anything over that you cross into a commercial product), slap a tax on the rest.
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>Coke, heroin, and some of the other hard stuff I have mixed feelings about. We've made a mess of our southern-hemispheric neighbors trying to get them to eradicate cocoa production, and Bolivia just elected a president who ran on a platform of allowing cocoa growing. So maybe that's allowed too, but it has some bad long-term effects. Meth - that stuff's just plain evil, but having to sign for a box of Psuedafed in the drug store is pretty silly. I don't know what the right answer for those types of drugs are, but the "war on drugs" is definitely not working; it's time we looked at alternatives.