>>>
>>>It makes sense and it's proven that it works.
>>>Dutch rates of drug use are lower than U.S. rates in EVERY category and all drugs are legal there. http://www.drugpolicy.org/global/drugpolicyby/westerneurop/thenetherlan/
>>>
>>>Imagine the benefits to the American people if all these wasted resources spent on an impossible to win war on drugs was spent on public health and education. Picture our jails full of criminals that actually steal something or hurt someone. Nearly 5.1 million adults were on probation or parole at yearend 2008—the equivalent of about 1 in every 45 adults in the United States, and most of them for drugs!!! That, my fellow foxpro'ers, is NUTS!
>>>
>>>John Harvey's belief that drug usage will go up if drugs were legalized is simply unfounded - and as matter of FACT the opposite has been PROVEN. Frankly I tend to think the only reason anyone would argue is because their job involves keeping an eye on those 1 in 45 Americans that were nailed for these victimless offenses.
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>>I thought I had seen differing opinions on drug use in the Netherlands. This from Readers Digest:
>>The article says there have been significant increases in heroin drug addiction (that drug that killed my son's friend) and now teenagers are smoking dope at a much higher rate than in the past, because the liberal laws tell them it's okay. I don't think we want to be like the Dutch. They are devolving too.
>>
>>
>>http://www.readersdigest.ca/debate.html?a=v&di=96
>>What are the consequences of the legalization of the so-called risk-free drugs?
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>I remember reading this article over 10 years ago when it came out.
>First of all - it's 10 years old.
>With the exception of Dr Ashton there is no scientific study or documentation of where these statistics came from and as I recall when the article came out there was an uproar and huge debate about the accuracy of the article. As far as the heroin thing goes there was no system of counting addicts prior to making it legal so these numbers are questionable as well.
>And even with all this taken into account - drug usage there is still lower than it is here. That being said, using someone's opinionated article from a reader's digest to bolster your point of view that's not based on any, let alone current, scientific data really doesn't sway my view.
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As though anything could dissuade your thinking.... lol