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Make small-government Republicans end the drug war

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http://www.salon.com/2013/03/05/beating_gop_at_its_own_small_government_game/

Let’s assume that the New York Times was right this week when it asserted that in 2013, “the only issue that truly unites Republicans is a commitment to shrinking the federal government.” Even though there’s ample evidence that the GOP doesn’t actually want to shrink the government, let’s nonetheless assume that Republicans are trying to rhetorically brand themselves to the concept of small government, past votes be damned. And let’s assume that gerrymandering means the GOP will control at least one house of congress for the remainder of the Obama presidency.

Does that, then, mean the next four years will automatically be mired in stalemate? Not necessarily, if Democrats call Republicans’ bluff and use the GOP’s small government argument for progressive ends. Indeed, with House Speaker John Boehner showing a penchant for violating the so-called Hastert Rule and allowing transpartisan bills to pass, the “small government” argument could be a perfect instrument for congressional Democrats to pick off just enough Republican votes to pass meaningful legislation in five key areas:

1. Ending – or at least limiting – the Drug War: To know the Drug War has been a disastrous failure at the policy level, take 10 seconds and look at this animated graph. And it hasn’t just been any run-of-the-mill policy failure involving unjust incarcerations, negative health consequences and little success in combating drug addiction – it’s also been an extremely expensive Huge Government boondoggle. Yes, depending on how you count it, government has spent somewhere between $1 trillion and $1.5 trillion on the Drug War over the last 40 years. According to the conservative Reason magazine, the Drug War now costs about $120 billion a year in direct expenditures. With Republicans showing a willingness to at least entertain questions about America’s existing drug policy, the “small government” argument could be the key to ending America’s longest war.

cont. http://www.salon.com/2013/03/05/beating_gop_at_its_own_small_government_game/
 
People need to realize that the war on drugs is a WAR ON PEOPLE! They will never make marijuana legal until their sales of diacetylmorphine and cocaine can make up for the profit from marijuana..Hopefully the people will urge the gov't that Marijuana is NOT a drug and can actually heal and be good for your body unlike H and coke..
 
Marijuana is NOT a drug.

What's THC? Oh yeah a drug... Marijuana isn't some miracle, all other drugs no matter how bad can be considered medicine as well. Don't be so ignorant.

OT: I hope we can do away with the WoD for good in the near future.
 
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What's a THC? Oh yeah a drug... Marijuana isn't some miracle, all other drugs no matter how bad can be considered medicine as well. Don't be so ignorant.

OT: I hope we can do away with the WoD for good in the near future.

Marijuana is a plant. Which happens to have NATURAL occurring THC in it. There is a synthetic version of THC which I consider a drug because it's not natural and I hear there are unpleasant side effects. Does this mean you consider plants such as cacti drugs? Seeing how a lot of drugs are synthesized from them
 
Marijuana is a plant. Which happens to have NATURAL occurring THC in it. There is a synthetic version of THC which I consider a drug because it's not natural and I hear there are unpleasant side effects. Does this mean you consider plants such as cacti drugs? Seeing how a lot of drugs are synthesized from them

By your logic, nicotine in cigarettes isn't a drug, caffeine isn't a drug, alcohol in wine isn't a drug, magic mushrooms aren't a drug, and sometimes methamphetamine isn't a drug. This is clearly ridiculous. Whether a compound is naturally-occurring or not has absolutely no bearing on whether it is a drug or not. Also, a synthetic drug (e.g. synthetic THC) does not have any different effects from its naturally-occurring counterpart. If purified sufficiently, they are for all intents and purposes indistinguishable.
 
By your logic, nicotine in cigarettes isn't a drug, caffeine isn't a drug, alcohol in wine isn't a drug, magic mushrooms aren't a drug, and sometimes methamphetamine isn't a drug. This is clearly ridiculous. Whether a compound is naturally-occurring or not has absolutely no bearing on whether it is a drug or not. Also, a synthetic drug (e.g. synthetic THC) does not have any different effects from its naturally-occurring counterpart. If purified sufficiently, they are for all intents and purposes indistinguishable.


The way I see it, if a "drug" naturally occurs in the plant it shouldn't be treated like that's all it is, a drug. It's still a plant with other substances in it that could possibly be beneficial, but because someone came along and labeled it a drug only a select few people will get to do research on it(we know how those work).

My main point is I believe if it occurs naturally it shouldn't be treated like a drug. If it's man made i consider it a drug. But this is just my opinion
 
^ morphine is naturally occuring as well as so many other drugs, poisons and medicines. humans are part of nature so what they create is nature too.
 
^ morphine is naturally occuring as well as so many other drugs, poisons and medicines. humans are part of nature so what they create is nature too.

What humans create is natural? This I do not agree with. So your saying a plastic bag that
Takes the earth 500-1000 years to breakdown(which it doesn't completely do, it just breaks it into tiny pieces) is natural? Nukes are natural? Sure at one point the stuff they used to make them was nature but it doesn't mean the finished product is natural.

Humans are part of nature, yes, but we're also destroying it. Humans are nature's super virus.

Sorry got a bit off topic..
 
Hopefully the people will urge the gov't that Marijuana is NOT a drug

Marijuana is a plant full of drugs, by default it becomes a drug much like mushrooms containing psilocybin/psilocin, or peyote containing mescaline.
 
SDforever:
1. i agree that its stupid to ban a plant just because it contains chemicals that get you high
2. your argument that natural=not a drug is ridiculous and doesnt follow from point 1. why does the distinction matter? should shrooms/mescaline become legal but not lsd because its an it happens to be synthed by people in a lab?
but more importantly, is opium not a drug?
 
Marijuana is a plant. Which happens to have NATURAL occurring THC in it. There is a synthetic version of THC which I consider a drug because it's not natural and I hear there are unpleasant side effects. Does this mean you consider plants such as cacti drugs? Seeing how a lot of drugs are synthesized from them

I think you need to take some rudimentary courses in chemistry before you comment on this stuff. Usually, naturally occurring simply means that the plant provides enzymes that help to construct the drug in question instead of humans synthesizing it. THC is THC no matter how it was formed.

Read some basic literature and then comment on this stuff. People like you tend to make the entire community look bad. I am not trying to be overly critical, but this type of shit will keep us forever pegged as a burned out generation.
 
Drug just like "natural" (or rather, not) is a human distinction. Just to be clear.

TV is a drug (or potentially drug like), as is music, dance, exercise. If we could see, we could see all of the vital interactions taking place, of chemicals. Definitions might bleed together. Yes "marijuana" when used by people is a drug.

Sugar in the natural diet might not be a drug, but when one consumes it like a drug (high carb/fat "comfort food"), it is. It is used as a drug, to achieve some desired state, so it is... A "drug".

Marijuana, being a plant, should NOT be regulated as it is. I do understand why there are regulations on chemical synthesis and compounds made/possessed. I personally have had hopes that the NBOMes would become regulated. I tend to go against my own views though. We all say we should be able to do what we want blah blah blah but the truth is... I really don't know. And frankly, if nothing was wrong with us, we wouldn't "need" "drugs". If everything was completely balanced...

But outright banning things is admission by those that are attempting to govern that they are failures. They really have no idea what message is being sent. Proper education is really the ONLY deterrent of bad things when it comes to drugs (or anything).
 
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if nothing was wrong with us, we wouldn't "need" "drugs". If everything was completely balanced...
Don't projected onto me I don't need drugs. To feel balanced is not the only reason people use.
 
Maybe balanced is not the best way to say it? But that too depends on how you look at it.

Why then do you use drugs? If you want to alter your consciousness, something obviously is inadequate with how it is. Not that that is unexpected, or that there is really anything wrong with it. By some idea if everything was always balanced and right, it might as well quit. So have at it.

I just find the idea that everyone should have access to any mind altering substance they want, to be about as short-sighted as a child having access to firearms. To draw something from this more, a child can be educated. So perhaps with the right education, and with responsibility, anything should potentially be available to everyone. That being said... NBOMes as a recent example should not be made by irresponsible lab people and distributed to just anyone. I stand by this. I changed my mind about drugs in general after my experience with it. A lot more respect. I guess one can say I was lucky to live, and learn.
 
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