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Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

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Re: Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

#11

Post by some_guy_there »

johnchristopher wrote: post #8
kynikos wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a resident and commnications director/volunteer for a couple of campaigns, I've learned a Republican in Vermont is almost always like a Democrat in any other state.

Living in Europe, never having set a foot in the US, I take the bait: what is a Democrat like in Vermont then ?

Someone like Bernie Sander[1], who is a self described socialist.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

Re: Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

#12

Post by zem »

praneshp wrote: post #6

I really wish it wasn't called "War on drugs". One of the things I dislike about America, as an outsider, is their tendency to call everything "War on X", which essentially makes everything us vs them.

the foremen had a great song about that: http://www.royzimmerman.com/lyrics/best_peace.html

here it is on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luMdJAia-bw

Re: Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

#13

Post by thrownaway2424 »

djur wrote: post #7
praneshp wrote: post #6

I really wish it wasn't called "War on drugs". One of the things I dislike about America, as an outsider, is their tendency to call everything "War on X", which essentially makes everything us vs them.

"War On Drugs" is a term mostly used by critics of US drug policy these days.

It has a lot of baggage. "War on drugs" was I believe first uttered in public by Nixon and I don't think anyone used the phrase after Bush (the Elder).

Re: Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

#14

Post by mwfunk »

praneshp wrote: post #6

I really wish it wasn't called "War on drugs". One of the things I dislike about America, as an outsider, is their tendency to call everything "War on X", which essentially makes everything us vs them.

I agree about disliking the terminology, although (as far as I know) the phrasing dates back to Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty" initiative in 1964. The aspiration that was being reflected there was that the US government could apply the same fervor, resources, and ingenuity to uplifting the poor that it had applied to WW1, WW2, and was then still applying to the Cold War. Because of that, I always felt like the phrase was a swords-into-plowshares type of saying rather than a militant one.

Of course, that was 50 years ago- as the phrase has gotten recycled for initiatives like the War on Drugs, it has lost that nuance and context, and sounds more like some zero-tolerance, overly militant government program (which parts of it were). Many or most Americans would agree with you that "War on X" needs to go, including me.

Re: Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

#15

Post by thrownaway2424 »

par wrote: post #3

What a wonderful world it will be when we help our sick instead of imprison them. I am looking forward to the rest of the world following suit. I'd also like to add this is a great time for US democracy to shine, as it is through statehood that things like this can be tested on a small scale, before rolling out to 'prod'.

That's about the stupidest thing I've heard in a while, so stupid I have to assume it's sarcasm. Of course the great state experiment is how we got here in the first place. Reagan, as governor, defunded mental health care and just said fuckit, throw all the addicts in prison. Then he took his ideas "to prod" by doubling down on Nixon's "war", with the helpful (to his party) side-effect of throwing millions of black people in prisons.

Re: Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

#16

Post by dasmithii »

praneshp wrote: post #6

I really wish it wasn't called "War on drugs". One of the things I dislike about America, as an outsider, is their tendency to call everything "War on X", which essentially makes everything us vs them.

The term is harsh, and I've heard numerous complaints over "War on X" phrases, as you say, but I think this one is justified/beneficial. It indicates that drugs are the "them", and "us" encompasses legislators, regular people, and users the like.

Re: Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

#17

Post by baddox »

kynikos wrote: post #5
omegaworks wrote: post #2

>Representative Thomas Burditt: “As everybody knows, the war on drugs is lost, pretty much. It’s time to go down a new road.” There is a sane Republican! Hurrah!

As a resident and commnications director/volunteer for a couple of campaigns, I've learned a Republican in Vermont is almost always like a Democrat in any other state.

Are Democrats more likely to oppose the war on drugs?

Re: Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

#19

Post by dasmithii »

scoofy wrote: post #9
johnchristopher wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Living in Europe, never having set a foot in the US, I take the bait: what is a Democrat like in Vermont then ?

Bernie Sanders (Independent - VT) is the nation's only socialist Senator.

*he's the only self-proclaimed socialist. Surely there are more who possess similar ideologies, but aren't outwardly socialist.

Re: Vermont Quits War on Drugs to Treat Heroin Abuse as Health Issue

#20

Post by DanBC »

BorisMelnik wrote: post #18

why not set up more suboxone clinics? I know it is just substituting one addiction for another, but it will reduce crime and stop deaths.

> Addicts, including some prisoners, will have greater access to synthetic heroin substitutes to help them reduce their dependency on illegal narcotics or kick the habit.
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