Okay... Thank you for sharing your expertise in this department. I did look them up on the NET and could not find anything favorable about consuming or encouraging others to become addicted to these drugs. But, I bow to your personal experience there is no difference. Having said that, I still would not want any of my family taking these substances. So I am glad a user is available to tell me that Crack, Cocaine, and marijuana are the same and implying they are harmless.

Again thank you for your personal insight into these drugs. Being a person who does not drink or take anything stronger than aspirin, I have no background to call on in these matters.

I also assume by your support, that people on these drugs are productive members of society. It would be a shame to turn these people back into neighborhoods that are already at or below poverty level to add to the problems. Being that they are outstanding members of the community, I will assume that they will not burden the hospitals in those regions with overdoses, heart attacks, respiratory failure, strokes, seizures and babies born prematurely or addicted. It would be a shame if these people became a burden and unable to hold a fulltime job. But, with you assurance, we can now rest easy that the welfare roles will not grow and violence will not be a side affect of using these chemicals. I leave it to you and boy wonder..... who would know better than those who are users?

Wow, took your smart ass pill for the day!

Like yourself I am not a drug user, and by no means a heavy drinker. I actually like the taste of beer. It normally takes me the summer to finish a "twelve".

The drug war has been largely unsuccessful. Because it ignores two key factors about human behavior. Addiction and the thrill of getting away with something. No matter the substance, we in fact will find a way to abuse something, including food. Do you think it is far that NYC made anything larger than a 16 Oz drink impossible to buy? It's good for us not to drink those types of beverages, but it hardly fair for the government to tell me what I can or can't do, right?

Countries like Portugal have proven, that essentially "opening the flood gates" of quasi legal drug consumption has resulted in reducing drug use. And by legalizing it, the quality is far more consistent and therefore safe. It ended the careers of drug dealers and reduced the stigma of getting help, if you so choose to want to quit using drugs.

...so you're right, let's spend mountains of money to keep drug dealers off our streets, by all means because thus far, it has worked so well!

Wow, took your smart ass pill for the day!

Like yourself I am not a drug user, and by no means a heavy drinker. I actually like the taste of beer. It normally takes me the summer to finish a "twelve".

The drug war has been largely unsuccessful. Because it ignores two key factors about human behavior. Addiction and the thrill of getting away with something. No matter the substance, we in fact will find a way to abuse something, including food. Do you think it is far that NYC made anything larger than a 16 Oz drink impossible to buy? It's good for us not to drink those types of beverages, but it hardly fair for the government to tell me what I can or can't do, right?

Countries like Portugal have proven, that essentially "opening the flood gates" of quasi legal drug consumption has resulted in reducing drug use. And by legalizing it, the quality is far more consistent and therefore safe. It ended the careers of drug dealers and reduced the stigma of getting help, if you so choose to want to quit using drugs.

...so you're right, let's spend mountains of money to keep drug dealers off our streets, by all means because thus far, it has worked so well!

Wow, took your smart ass pill for the day!

Like yourself I am not a drug user, and by no means a heavy drinker. I actually like the taste of beer. It normally takes me the summer to finish a "twelve".

The drug war has been largely unsuccessful. Because it ignores two key factors about human behavior. Addiction and the thrill of getting away with something. No matter the substance, we in fact will find a way to abuse something, including food. Do you think it is far that NYC made anything larger than a 16 Oz drink impossible to buy? It's good for us not to drink those types of beverages, but it hardly fair for the government to tell me what I can or can't do, right?

Countries like Portugal have proven, that essentially "opening the flood gates" of quasi legal drug consumption has resulted in reducing drug use. And by legalizing it, the quality is far more consistent and therefore safe. It ended the careers of drug dealers and reduced the stigma of getting help, if you so choose to want to quit using drugs.

...so you're right, let's spend mountains of money to keep drug dealers off our streets, by all means because thus far, it has worked so well!

First, I agree that the war on drugs has been unsuccessful. Whether this is because of our failing to address the root issue or the need of a few to escape reality, I am unqualified to answer. I do think that some personality types are more predisposed to addiction. And I think that personality trait has been selected for survival in some cultures. The problem is not just in personality disorders, but is also an economic byproduct. Many places that legalized hard substance abuse did not necessarily do it for the health of the country's inhabitants, but for the revenue that they could gain by taxing the substances. That is just my opinions, but again I am totally out of my element and do not have a personal familiarity to base a conclusion.

And knowing that I will not do the necessary research to form an unbiased opinion, I will leave this to the more experienced and interested crowd to hash out.

Portugal did it for the health of their citizens...and the unintended results:

1. Drug dealers were put out of business.
2. Prisons were emptied.
3. Money was spent to help people to stop using drugs.
4. ...who were able to talk about the risks of drug use instead of hiding their problem and not getting help.

I am sponsor for narcotic anonymous, I started last year.

I have always had doubts about law enforcement motives and challenge them. We don't need more cops....we need more counselors, volunteers and honesty.

Yes, free the drug dealers, they are just entrepreneurs.

Washington (CNN)—President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences of 46 drug offenders, saying in a video posted online Monday that the men and women were not "hardened criminals" and their punishments didn't match the crimes they committed.

Obama said the move was part of his larger attempt to reform the criminal justice system, including reviewing sentencing laws and reducing punishments for non-violent crimes. With Monday's announcement, Obama has commuted more sentences than any president since Lyndon B. Johnson.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/13/politics/obama-commutes-sentences-drug-offenders/