Usa compared to amsterdam crime rates

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Diode-Man, Apr 12, 2012.

  1. Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    23,049
    Then why the hell do you keep talking about it? You could not only lose your own job, career and go to jail but you could end up doing the same to your doctor who was trying to help you. You really think the internet is anonymous? You should know better concidering you worked in the DPPs office
     
  2. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  3. Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    23,049
    There is something else I find fascinating, People such as yourself believe they have the right to circumvent the law even to treat your pain yet the majority of drug addicts are mentally ill and trying to self medicate to treat that illness and yet they are just "evil drug addicts"
     
  4. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  5. Bells Staff Member

    Messages:
    24,270
    With the exception of my children, everyone knew. I have yet to hear the police arresting cancer patients for smoking cannabis in minute quantities because it helped with the nausea and pain. So less panic next time? Okay?
     
  6. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  7. Bells Staff Member

    Messages:
    24,270
    Where did I call mentally ill drug addicts "evil drug addicts"?

    I didn't have "the right" to circumvent the law. I did what I felt was best for myself and my health. It was not a right. It was pure dumb luck. At no time did I ever impose what I was ingesting on anyone. Quite the contrary. While people knew, they also understood and helped (like my friends who used to pick me up and carry me to the bottom of the yard and walk away so that I could take a few puffs which then allowed me to keep down the tablets and some food).

    Just as they understand that drug addicts need help. I have lost a lot of people very close to me, and whom I loved, to drugs. At no time did I consider them "evil drug addicts". What I considered them were victims of circumstance who needed help.

    So before you judge based on what is going on in your head instead of reality, ask first.
     
  8. adoucette Caca Occurs Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    7,829
    And so if your partner had cancer and the Chemo she needed to save her from the Cancer was killing her because she couldn't eat, and when she did, she couldn't keep it down, and the very expensive prescription anti-nausea pills didn't work, instead of taking a slight risk by breaking the law to get her something which DOES work, instead you'd tell her, "tough luck, I guess you're going to die because I'm not going to break a drug law to help you"?

    Really?

    I HOPE you (or your partner) never have to face this dilemma
     
  9. Balerion Banned Banned

    Messages:
    8,596
    Honestly, it was a rhetorical device meant to put you in a difficult position--either agreeing that alcohol should be doctor-prescribed and appearing crazy, or disagreeing and appearing inconsistent.

    I'm...sorry.

    Yeah, but we're talking about a small minority of people here, aren't we? And again, kids are going to find ways to smoke this stuff whether it's legal or not, so arguing the potential health risks is useless, in my opinion. The only salient point is that prohibition does not work, and is too costly to sustain.

    Due to its popularity--as well as the general ignorance of what marijuana actually does (ie the perception that it's dangerous to drive when high, for example)--I can't imagine a scenario in which there wouldn't be an age restriction. But I really don't see the need. If teenagers want to smoke, they'll find a way. I know I did!

    I suppose it depends on what you mean by "dangerous." Alcohol leads to about 75,000 deaths in the US every year. Do we know how many deaths weed-related psychosis cause? I know that causing death is not the only measure of danger, but let's be real here: there is no possible way that marijuana damages lives the way alcohol does, by any measure.

    Is it the THC that's causing the heath problems? I didn't see that in the link you provided. Anyway, I guess I wouldn't have a problem with that, so long as the drug itself is decriminalized.

    But that's just pot. I would personally decriminalize them all.
     
  10. Aqueous Id flat Earth skeptic Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    6,152
    Would that we could, any of us would do the same for you. May you kick your illness right in its nuclear DNA. And may the wonder treatment that resolves it come from the work of some budding genius who one day came upon one of your posts and got inspired.

    I think legalization of medical marijuana is justified by your experience, and it probably helps that cause when you openly oppose its recreational use, since it shows sincerity and helps bring focus back to the central issue for voters, which is whether it actually has therapeutic benefits.
     
  11. Aqueous Id flat Earth skeptic Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    6,152
    I got to wondering how much the issue with pot really has to do with the crime rate in Holland. Certainly the drug policy there reflects a larger attitude towards the role of government in private lives. But is it all negative, I wondered. Does it boil down to measuring the degree of prohibition? I went off looking for something else that could refect Dutch positivity and something broader than the drug issue. I came across this. The writer is an American in Holland, speaking of the Dutch welfare contributions to the needy:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03european-t.html?pagewanted=all

    To me that last sentence epitomizes the attitude that might actually reduce crime. When a society reaches to the root causes of disturbances in the well-being of individuals, and seeks to offset them proactively, doesn't this have a deterrent or rehabilitative effect on potential criminals? If anything, it's an appeal to reason, something rare in the polemic of public policy, at least in my native USA.

    Welfare is very costly to Dutch taxpayers who probably average about 50% higher taxes than the upper bracket in the US. Now go figure the cost of incarcerating 2 million Americans, and the insidious effect this has, to brutalize people who are already demonstrating disturbed behavior.

    Perhaps the decline of crime in Holland is a windfall of their proactive attitude. Anyone can complain about cost. But who is willing to stand up and demand that human costs be better accounted for? Are the Dutch simply seeing return on their investment? Is their decline in crime just the consequence of modeling cost more broadly than countries like the US?

    Maybe the big picture has been blurred for so long by the strident right wing that average Americans have completely lost their sense of center. How is the American experience not just a reflection of a persistent denial of that bit of advice that says "it is better to be penny-wise than pound-foolish"?
     
  12. Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    23,049
    What a surprise, you missed the point.
     
  13. Diode-Man Awesome User Title Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,372
    This world is more sour than pure lemon juice.
     
  14. Bells Staff Member

    Messages:
    24,270
    Didn't turn out too well for you, did it?

    How many teenagers smoke weed or ingest it? The research points to their being an increased risk to teenagers and young adults. Even more so if there is a history of mental illness in the family. While the symptoms may not appear quickly, they can appear later on in their lives. Time will tell.. Is it a risk you'd be willing to take with your kids?

    I agree that prohibition does not work and instead, fuels the desire for it, especially amongst teenagers who wish to rebel. But it isn't just a matter of going 'here, have weed'. I personally feel, based on what I have seen an experienced professionally and personally, that it should be a controlled substance, much like alcohol and tobacco is controlled.

    Yes they will. However, having it sold like tobacco will lessen the social impact that teenagers feel they are having by breaking the rules of society and smoking it.. In Australia, there is a push to educate people about not just the dangers of drugs, but also what people do not think about - ie, driving while high..

    While you and I may say that teenagers will smoke it if they want to anyway, you still wouldn't just hand it to them. I know I wouldn't.

    And more people die because they speed in their cars.

    How many people, in the midst of a psychotic episode either kill themselves or do something that leads to their deaths?

    You either consider the fact that continued use of cannabis can increase one's chance of developing a mental illness like schizophrenia and even more so if there is a history of mental illness in one's family, and even more so if one ingests it while one's brain is still developing as being dangerous or you do not. Throwing in 'more people die from alchohol' is kind of beside the point. It does not lessen the very real risk to teenagers and young adults.

    I do not disagree that it should be decriminalised. But in saying that, I wouldn't be handing it out to all and sundry because they feel like it either. Addicts should be able to get a prescription from their doctor to allow them to function normally and be treated for their addiction in the meantime.
     
  15. Balerion Banned Banned

    Messages:
    8,596
     
  16. Bells Staff Member

    Messages:
    24,270
    And how many teenagers now pick up that same habit? In Australia, there has been a general drop, due to a fairly rabid campaign and regulations in place which makes it a crime to sell tobacco to minors, but one thing they have found is that teenage girls are picking up the habit more.

    I think once you find those triggers that entice teenagers, then you can help treat addiction.

    The answer isn't to remove all regulations either.

    It should be controlled because it (cigarettes) has the potential to be a deadly substance as it leads to cancers and increased risk factors for things like heart attacks and strokes. I don't see as many teenagers smoking now, as I did 10 years ago. So here at least, something seems to be working. It is no longer deemed 'cool' or adult to smoke. Quite the contrary.

    I am not disagreeing ith you.

    I think if we want to ensure people's safety, the best way to go about it is to strike it at its source and that would be the dealers and the best way to do that is to decriminalise it. Remember, on that score, we agree.

    It needs to have some form of regulation. Even Denmark has that.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Yes, but they also had a system in place a few years ago where addicts could go to their doctors for a script and their drug addiction was treated as an illness which was controlled by taking their daily doses of the drugs they needed to function and it was safe, clean and controlled. And it worked, as you can see yourself with the decline of usage. The long term goal is always to wean people off the drugs, but they did it in a safe manner and it was treated as a disease. So it was regulated, very much so because it was deemed a moral responsibility to care for those who were addicted.
     
  17. Balerion Banned Banned

    Messages:
    8,596
    In America, high school smoking rates dropped considerably in the late-90s and early 2000s, but the rate of decline has leveled off. I'm sure certain things, such as tougher penalties for vendors who sell to minors, and increased educational campaigns helped, but even with the elimination of billboards and magazine ads, and long, long since the removal of tobacco commercials, something like 16 percent of high schoolers smoke.

    This tells me that there are other factors at play. I mean, they run gross anti-smoking commercials all the time over here, so people are being shown graphic depictions of what cigarettes can do. To me, this says that there's still a "cool" factor that comes from the pseudorebellious nature of doing something illegal.

    I agree. We just differ on what it is that entices them.

    I certainly don't think it's the only answer, but I think it would a long way toward getting American kids off of cigarettes. Even if it took a little while, I think in the long run we'd see positive results.

    The most recent and relevant article I found on the subject (from Australia) stated that teen smoking was on the rise. Here they only listed statistics for kids between 12-15 years old, and didn't give any percentages, but it seems to contradict what you're saying.

    The educational push over there seems to be having a positive overall effect, but since underage smokers are the ones most likely to remain smokers, it's sort of self-defeating if that number is rising.


    Okay.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!




    Yes, but Portugal doesn't, so far as I can tell. And Denmark really hasn't decriminalized anything, they're just not interested in enforcing their laws about weed shops.

    Ah, but that isn't regulation. All of those measures were entirely optional to the addict, and there were no legal ramifications if they declined treatment. But many people do accept the treatment (I believe it's free, but don't quote me on that) and as a result, their rehabilitation programs actually work, whereas ours do not.
     
  18. Diode-Man Awesome User Title Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,372
    I agree with your statements, those Europeans you speak of seem to have great care for their people...
     
  19. Diode-Man Awesome User Title Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,372
    Sometimes when one buys marijuana through illegal means it comes with fungicides and pesticides. What will the chemicals in fungicides and pesticides do to the brain when smoked alongside marijuana?

    If marijuana is as unhealthy as cigarettes it's because its provided by people who aren't doing it for healthy reasons in the first place. They're doing it to make money outside the law.

    On the other hand, if marijuana is grown professionally indoors it won't need fungicides and pesticides!

    Additionally, marijuana could be taxed to provide more money for state operations. How much money is wasted on police investigations involving marijuana?

    As I say: "Marijuana, at least it isn't crack!"

    Let's look at drug lords and governments that practice prohibition of drugs. The governments that are anti-drug conduct raids that increase the price of the drugs by cutting down on the supply. The really smart/cautious/evil drug lords that don't get caught love to see their competition taken out by drug raids...

    If illegal drugs were made legal the price would drop and drug addicts would stop robbing and plundering their neighbors just to get money to pay for their drugs, instead they would be able to cultivate their own supply without causing problems for other people. If drugs were legal, addiction would only hurt those doing the drugs...

    Education on what drugs will do to a person is good, never take that away, but prohibition just doesn't help!
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2012

Share This Page