The Raw Story wrote:Supporters of drug legalization on Wednesday faced their opponents in a thoughtful debate hosted by Intelligence Squared.
Nick Gillespie, the editor in chief of the libertarian Reason magazine and Professor Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor, argued in favor of legalizing marijuana and other recreational drugs. Asa Hutchinson, former administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Theodore Dalrymple, a writer and retired prison doctor, argued against the motion. The debate was moderated by John Donvan.
The issue has gained national attention in recent weeks thanks to Colorado and Washington state, which will both be implementing laws to allow for the limited recreational use of marijuana.
Butler described himself as a “soldier in the war on drugs” and argued it was counterproductive to lock-up young non-violent drug offenders. Not only is the practice costly, Butler argued, but it also practically ensures the young convict will be trapped in a criminal lifestyle.
Hutchinson agreed that the United States needed to reduce incarceration rates for drug offenders. However, he insisted the country should not give up the war on drugs altogether, saying that illegal drug use had been cut in half over the last 30 years.
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No matter which side you find yourself on in this debate, watching this debate is interesting. Both points of view are represented well, and the debate is thought-provoking.
"Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes."
- William Gibson
Josh wrote:What? There's nothing weird about having a pet housefly. He smuggles cigarettes for me.
I really do prefer the idea of sending drug users to mandatory rehab instead of jail. Drug dealers are a different story. Course that said, it also depends on the drug. I'd be lot milder on a kid selling weed then I would be on someone selling crack or meth.
"it takes two sides to end a war but only one to start one. And those who do not have swords may still die upon them." Tolken
We've cut drug use in half? Why has the price for just about every major drug out there dropped from its value in the seventies?
The greatest issue that generally doesn't get brought up in these debates is the effects of drugs on the law enforcement apparatus. The drug war encouraged a pseudo-militarization process in law enforcement that totally inverts the defensive/protective role of the police, perverting it into an attack mission to 'go after the drug trade.' Hence we get no-knock searches and all sorts of other civil liberty intrusions in the pursuit of preventing people's self-destructive behavior.
I don't like hard drugs, don't like their use and abuse, but a government that takes enforcement off the chain to go after drugs is a greater threat by far in the long run than the crackhead down the street.
