Guatemala to Legalize Drugs?

#1
n_huffhines

n_huffhines

What's it gonna cost?
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Mar 11, 2009
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#1
Good for them:

"We are not doing what the United States says, we are doing what we have to do," said Perez, who was elected on promises of an "iron-fist" approach to rampant crime and surprised observers by proposing drug legalization.

Guatemala needs "to find alternate ways of fighting drug trafficking. In the last 30 years with a traditional combat with arms and deaths, it can't be done, and we have to be open to viable alternatives."
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Guatemala's President Says He Wants to Legalize Drugs, U.S. Imperialism Be Damned - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine
 
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#7
#7
While a good argument can be made against the way the US combats the drug trade, the last thing that we should do is make drugs more accessible to people.
 
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#8
#8
distrovol said:
While a good argument can be made against the way the US combats the drug trade, the last thing that we should do is make drugs more accessible to people.
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You can get drugs in prison. It's easier for HS kids to get pot than alcohol. Prescription drug deaths are up like 400% according to a stat I just made up. In what way are drugs inaccessible?

Drugs aren't much of a problem in countries where they are legal (Portugal and Holland).
 
#9
#9
You could never get rid of them or peoples desire to use them. The genie can't be put back in the bottle. But to legalize them and tax it (as a good many proponents clamor for) will not result in fewer addicts and wrecked families. It would simply shift who makes money off of it. It would also mean better quality, I suppose.
 
#10
#10
distrovol said:
You could never get rid of them or peoples desire to use them. The genie can't be put back in the bottle. But to legalize them and tax it (as a good many proponents clamor for) will not result in fewer addicts and wrecked families. It would simply shift who makes money off of it. It would also mean better quality, I suppose.
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Of course it would result in fewer wrecked families, since a large portion, if not most, of the family wrecking is the result of the illegality of drugs and not the drug use itself.
 
#11
#11
distrovol said:
You could never get rid of them or peoples desire to use them. The genie can't be put back in the bottle. But to legalize them and tax it (as a good many proponents clamor for) will not result in fewer addicts and wrecked families. It would simply shift who makes money off of it. It would also mean better quality, I suppose.
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Jk, right? Portugal's drug use has significantly dropped since the legalization of all drugs.
 
#12
#12
I fail to see how a country with a fraction of the population and vastly different culture is comparable to this country's drug problem.

To RT: So people use drugs simply because they're illegal and not because it feels good to get high or makes perceived problems go away? I concede there is a certain allure to the forbidden fruit, but the fact is drugs are used because it feels good. Making them easier to get is not the solution. This is a moral problem, not an economic problem.
 
#13
#13
nbakerld said:
You can get drugs in prison. It's easier for HS kids to get pot than alcohol. Prescription drug deaths are up like 400% according to a stat I just made up. In what way are drugs inaccessible?

Drugs aren't much of a problem in countries where they are legal (Portugal and Holland).
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Hang on, you cant get drugs in prison?
 
#14
#14
distrovol said:
I fail to see how a country with a fraction of the population and vastly different culture is comparable to this country's drug problem.
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With that one statement you concede that it is impossible to ever compare any situation from one country to another. I disagree.
To RT: So people use drugs simply because they're illegal and not because it feels good to get high or makes perceived problems go away? I concede there is a certain allure to the forbidden fruit, but the fact is drugs are used because it feels good. Making them easier to get is not the solution. This is a moral problem, not an economic problem.
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That is not what I said. Although it does contain a core of truth.

I said that the majority of drug problems are caused because it is illegal. I did not say that the majority of drug users use because it is illegal.

Consequences of illegality:
  • dirty drugs that kill or maim
  • families ripped apart by dad going to jail for possession
  • innocent people killed or maimed in crossfire
  • innocent people killed or maimed by erroneous swat teams
  • kids finding it easier to buy drugs
  • unsafe buying/selling conditions
  • money wasted that hurts all taxpayers
  • erosion of civil liberties
  • destabilization of central america
  • communities held hostage by gangs
  • girls defiled because it is the only way they can get their fix
  • etc etc etc
 
#16
#16
Oh, I agree there is collateral damage e.g. the illigality of drugs, but that is true with other goods or services driven to the black market. As long as people want drugs someone will try to fulfill that desire for profit. Where do we stop? It is unwise to try and assume a sort of "supply and demand" posture where the more drugs that are available the lower the demand for them will be.
 
#17
#17
milohimself said:
Don't forget America having one of the largest prison populations in the industrialized world
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Too true. I don't agree with the mandatory sentences and the heavy handed punishments that are handed down either. But there has to be a deterrant factor because rarely do people not do things simply because it's the right thing to do.
 
#18
#18
RespectTradition said:
Of course it would result in fewer wrecked families, since a large portion, if not most, of the family wrecking is the result of the illegality of drugs and not the drug use itself.
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I respectfully disagree.
It's the addiction to drugs and/or alcohol that ruins lives and wrecks homes.
The addiction is going to be there, legal or not.
 
#19
#19
Back on topic, these things might work in a banana republic or other small(ish) country. But the thought of legalizing all drugs in the the biggest drug-consumer nation? With our industrial might?

Seems this attempt at having legal but controlled access to prescription pills isn't working out so well. How would a US model for all drug legalization work anyway?
 
#21
#21
distrovol said:
Back on topic, these things might work in a banana republic or other small(ish) country. But the thought of legalizing all drugs in the the biggest drug-consumer nation? With our industrial might?

Seems this attempt at having legal but controlled access to prescription pills isn't working out so well. How would a US model for all drug legalization work anyway?
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The same as a country like Portugal. I think, one thing you've failed to realize or know, is that Portugal had a MASSIVE drug problem before drugs were legalized.
 
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