Bob Sykes makes this comment to Eric’s Who are the real criminals?
Opponents of the “War of Drugs” always talk about adults and marijuana. But the issue is children and heroin. There will always be some drug and purchaser that people will want outlawed, including people like our blogger and commenter who only smoke marijuana.
In fact, no jurisdiction in the US has legalized even marijuana. In places like Colorado, which pretends to have legalized it, the drug market is fenced about with all sorts of restrictions. And these restrictions themselves create a black market. Europe has pretended to legalize both prostitution and drugs and has black markets (including outright sex slavery) in both.
There are activities, like child prostitution, that society (except Islam) will not tolerate but that some people want, and a black market for these will always exist.
On the plus side, the War on Drugs gives us an excuse to imprison violent, stupid blacks.
My response was:
I was under the impression that the purpose of Prohibition was incarcerating violent Italians. You will note that that for some strange reason Italians became a lot less violent once Alcohol Prohibition ended.
Evidently Alcohol Prohibition cured the Italians of their violent tendencies. Once it ended.
Let me add this:
There are laws against unwarranted violence. Why not just enforce them? Why do we need to invent crimes in order to bring the force of law against those committing real crimes? And you know inventing crimes is one of the hall marks of a totalitarian state. A lot of Americans seem to prefer such a state – while braying “Land of the Free”. Most amusing.
At least in regards to Drug Prohibition the totalitarians are losing ground.
And BTW heroin is not an addictive drug. Fewer than 10% who try it continue it as a habit. Tobacco has a higher habituation rate (around 30%).
People in chronic pain chronically take pain relievers. You want to cure “addiction”? Cure the pain.
Trouble is the pain is mostly PTSD and at this point we know of no cure except time.
The idea that you can give “children” heroin to addict them to the drug (instant customers) is errant non-sense. On top of that Prohibition is a vector for SPREADING dug use not curbing it if the results of Portugal are any clue. Let me quote the headline of that link: Ten Years After Decriminalization, Drug Abuse Down by Half in Portugal.
We don’t have a drug problem. We have a Government problem. Fortunately America is a two party state and the parties oppose each other. One party wants big government for one purpose. The other party prefers using big government for another purpose. The fact that generally neither party rescinds the restrictions of the other party ought to give a clue.
Comments
7 responses to “Curing Italian Violence”
Just to be clear, the classical values crowd would not mind if the the government were to stick with just harassing Muslims. Thought it should be on the record that only certain groups should get that whole benefit of liberty and what not.
Actually, Prohibition was aimed at Germans as much as Italians. The beer crowd as well as the wine crowd. To some extent you can blame Prohibition on Kaiser Wilhelm II, whose military exploits drastically reduced the effectiveness of German-American “wet” lobbying organizations.
Oh, and Prohibition was aimed at blacks too–who supposedly couldn’t be trusted with strong drink, as well as the “white trash” up in the hollers. The Progressives were non-discriminatory with their narrow mindedness.
Great post! And thanks!
Good to see you back!
Well said, Simon!
To TheAJ–
Regardless of what anyone thinks about US policy in the ME, the barbarism exhibited by extremist Muslims shows them worthy of harassment.
Your second sentence isn’t worthy of comment.
Obviously whomever wrote the statement about heroin not being addictive has never been addicted to it.
No other drug that I know of comes with the kind of sickness and pain on withdrawal that heroin brings with it. A couple of weeks of daily usage and you will do just about anything to stop the pain and sickness, hence the attempts to keep it out of peoples hands.
frank,
It is my opinion that it is not heroin that causes relapses. It is unresolved pain.
BTW getting off alcohol is harder and more dangerous.
And what else do we know – “addicts” will switch between drugs depending on availability. They do of course have preferences.
Look up the work of Dr. John Marks in England. The majority of users were able to have a semblance of a normal life if the got regular supplies. The problem with “junkies” is prohibition.
A 60mins interview with Dr. John Marks:
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/misc/60minliv.htm
And note the results in Portugal – problematic use cut in half by their decriminalization regime. Prohibition is a vector for spreading use.