Walter Cronkite & America's Disastrous Drug War Pt 4 of 6

Screw the government, they are our true threats. They have destroyed our economy, put us in debt, and destroyed our personal lives, for what, for their own bank accounts? Americans have turned from our freedom and given it to others that can not be trusted. Screw their morales, the government, won't be satisfied till we are all Kenn and Barbies. Screw the people that want to tell me how to run my life. Drugs aren't the problem, the very structure of society is the problem.

hopefully, they get to do the program again then go to SOBER LIVING for another year

Libertarian nonsense? If you know a libertarian then you know they sure as heck won't be paying for a roof over anyone's head but their own. So I am not sure what you are getting at.. The better question here, is who is going to pay the healthcare and support these people need.. Cheaper to keep them locked up perhaps? It's a health issue... So.. I think spending a bit more will help in the long run.

Don't try to argue "greater societal cost" because the numbers are just not on your side. Some of the people who use drugs, or use just about anything to excess,are going to take it too far and ruin their lives and minds with it. Behaving this way is its own deterrent. The best we can do is reach out to those ill,provide treatment and shelter to get through it.

How does throwing a nonviolent drug offender in jail do anyone any bit of good? Maybe they are in control of their recreational habit?

I'm sorry but in your comment you seemed to be suggesting that society as a whole should not act in favor of detering drugs and the costs they inflict. I agree that incarceration and criminalization have not worked and are probably immoral and ultimately counter-productive. But that doesn't mean our eventual goal shouldn't be a society free of recreational poisoning. Humanity has such great potential, it would be a shame to squander it in mindless self-indulgence.

I would like to see all drugs legalized so that they can be created in a safe environment by companies that can be sued and be subject to the rule of law. A fraction of the money previously spent on incarcerating these crimes should be put into educational campaigns similar to what caused cigarette smoking to decline so sharply. The Libertarian philosophy is not "fuck them", but the idea government is generally the least efficient and motivated group to provide help and housing.

That's hilarious considering current pharmaceutical companies peddling so called legal drugs and vaccines have no liability, nor can they be sued..

The Drug War is a farce.. You want to know what a criminal is? Try the board of directors for company's that push Ritalin and other drugs on children.

They can't be sued? How? Why?

I understand if the label says "May cause sudden coma", and somebody takes the drug and goes into a coma... however, if a drug's only warning is "May cause ass-burn" and somebody takes the recommended dose and dies... why couldn't the family sue? Even when it IS on the warning label, I've heard of plenty of recent class action lawsuits against drug companies. Usually they end in a fat payout.

when you toss all those drug users in jail, you can pretend that everything in this "great nation" is perfect.

basically, turning a blind eye and playing "make-believe"