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Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

edition.cnn.com

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Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#31

Post by rayiner »

tlongren wrote: post #2

Easy to say, but it'll never happen, especially in the US (at least not in my lifetime, hopefully my daughters). Too many jobs would be unnecessary if the "war on drugs" was over.

We had far more invested in prohibition, with far more outright corruption (politicians on the take from bootleggers), but managed to end that somehow. The difference was that alcohol consumption was mainstream so ordinary voters cared about the impact of prohibition. Drug consumption is not mainstream and enforcement largely affects minorities, so ordinary voters don't care.

Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#32

Post by netcan »

dman wrote: post #13
oh_sigh wrote: post #10

I love how whenever a major world leader comes out against the war on drugs, it is always after they are out of office and generally retired from political life.

Do you risk your career and your livelihood for your innate principles often?

I don't think that's fair .. at least not in most cases. Politician is not just a job. It's a leadership role, moral leadership among other things. Being principled is a major component of the job they've undertaken. If a doctor found a discrepancy between his career and the welfare of his patients or a judge between his career and justice, I really do think they are morally obligated to choose selflessly.

Maybe it's naive, but I think it's possible to have a society where most judges are genuinely obsessed with being just.

Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#33

Post by dreamdu5t »

mildtrepidation wrote: post #18
dman wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you risk your career and your livelihood for your innate principles often?

While I agree with this, it's exactly the reason many governments right now get almost nothing done (and what they do get done is awful): People in power who care more about their job security than their -- or anyone else's -- principles. A politician's career should be based on reconciling principle with reality. Their livelihood should be linked directly to their ability to do this successfully. That comes with a c…

I would suggest you do concede to reality: We give control to other people at the behest of rhetoric about "getting things done" or "everything would crumble without me."

We shouldn't put people "in power" in the first place.

Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#34

Post by bambax »

dreamdu5t wrote: post #20

Kofi Annan does not have any prerogative to tell me or others what to do with their own bodies. Fuck the UN and Kofi Annan.

The article isn't about "your body" (about which I'd rather know as little as possible); it's about the so-called "war on drugs" (which is actually a war on the poor).

Did you read the article before commenting?

Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#35

Post by sigzero »

balabaster wrote: post #23
antidaily wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Baby steps: plenty of politicians are in favor of decriminalizing marijuana.

Yes, but if you decriminalize all drugs then the whole industry surrounding incarceration of all those 'criminals' that are only inside because of drugs falls to pieces. There are plenty of lobbyists on the hill that are paid to do everything they can to prevent that from happening.

There is zero chance that drugs like crack are going to ever be decriminalized.

Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#36

Post by MichaelGG »

nicholassmith wrote: post #11
tlongren wrote: post #2

Easy to say, but it'll never happen, especially in the US (at least not in my lifetime, hopefully my daughters). Too many jobs would be unnecessary if the "war on drugs" was over.

Not really, whilst you'd lose some in enforcement you'd still need to police for blackmarket knock off product. You'd also create jobs in administrating the sales, production and supply chain etc.

The DEA has a budget of nearly $3BN. I doubt that money would go to the same types of jobs or companies if Bayer and Pfizer and others were licensed to sell Morphine and Amphetamines to the public. Seems like the FDA might get some more work, there'd be a bit larger need for customs inspections. But enforcement would go way down, especially without diversion control.

How much money and weapons are used in protecting bootlegged alcohol these days?

Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#37

Post by wavefunction »

grault wrote: post #16

My idea would be: make them legal, tax them high (or make them accessible only after certain educational exams), from that money educate people, help them recovering. Teach them basic game theory and the term what trap is, what is it like to be the frog in the boiling water, etc. I'm confident I missed many aspects here, although really interested in: What are the problems with this model?

My problem with your model is the apparent preconception that I (as an adult) shouldn't be able to take whatever drugs I feel like. Your regulatory scheme seems more appropriate for a substance like heroin rather than cannabis, as well.

Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#38

Post by fela »

grault wrote: post #16

My idea would be: make them legal, tax them high (or make them accessible only after certain educational exams), from that money educate people, help them recovering. Teach them basic game theory and the term what trap is, what is it like to be the frog in the boiling water, etc. I'm confident I missed many aspects here, although really interested in: What are the problems with this model?

One problem with making them too inaccessible and too expensive is that it might make the illegal market attractive again, with the risk of bringing us back to the current situation. So I think the idea is viable but can only be pushed up to a certain point.

Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#39

Post by MichaelGG »

sigzero wrote: post #35
balabaster wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but if you decriminalize all drugs then the whole industry surrounding incarceration of all those 'criminals' that are only inside because of drugs falls to pieces. There are plenty of lobbyists on the hill that are paid to do everything they can to prevent that from happening.

There is zero chance that drugs like crack are going to ever be decriminalized.

Would it need to be decriminalized if cocaine was properly sold, like it used to be? One can quite easily cook cocaine into crack if they so desire.

Re: Kofi Annan: Stop 'war on drugs'

#40

Post by Nursie »

dman wrote: post #13
oh_sigh wrote: post #10

I love how whenever a major world leader comes out against the war on drugs, it is always after they are out of office and generally retired from political life.

Do you risk your career and your livelihood for your innate principles often?

That's exactly what politicians ought to do and exactly why politics should not be a career.

Granted, Kofi Annan was not a politician in the same way as the folks I'm really aiming this comment at, but still.

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