World is Falling Apart Thread (Locked forever)

[ElkinFencer10]

On the inverse, Portugal legalized most if not all drugs, and their addiction rate dropped 50%. Take away the stigma, and people aren't afraid to seek help.

[J T]

As a psychologist who has worked with opiate addicted people, I can tell you that punishment is not going to work. That's basically the bottom line of an addiction problem: people keep using the drug despite negative consequences. The war on drugs didn't work, largely for this reason. It's time to stop pretending that jailing people is going to solve the drug problem. We've lost so much money and destroyed so many lives. It's time to really focus on federal legislation that changes the war on drugs to a public health problem. That means putting a much higher focus on prevention, treatment, and harm-reduction than we presently do. We should be spending our tax dollars on getting these people treatment rather than on keeping them in prison. It means allowing scientists access to illegal drugs so they can actually be studied, rather than forcing them to always do their research under uncontrolled conditions that muddy their results. It means making our metric for drug-policy success a count of how many fewer drug-related health issues and crimes we find, rather than our metric being a count of how many drug users and dealers we have thrown behind bars.

[Tanooki]

Wow I think Monsters is on netflix. I forgot to watch that and removed the favorite I put on it, thanks for the reminder.

And the stuff said about the wall since my last post -- again I refer to Adam Ruins Everything episode on immigration as it's all in there. The good way to do it, get Reagans old california braracero(sp) program or of it's type back in action. And then for the felons, no more ignore and coddle -- lock em up or get them out. As far as incentives, enforce the laws we have as I believe as it stands, if you hire an illegal it's a felony or at least a very stiff fine and an juicy IRS audit to go with it.

[jp1]

As a psychologist who has worked with opiate addicted people, I can tell you that punishment is not going to work. That's basically the bottom line of an addiction problem: people keep using the drug despite negative consequences. The war on drugs didn't work, largely for this reason. It's time to stop pretending that jailing people is going to solve the drug problem. We've lost so much money and destroyed so many lives. It's time to really focus on federal legislation that changes the war on drugs to a public health problem. That means putting a much higher focus on prevention, treatment, and harm-reduction than we presently do. We should be spending our tax dollars on getting these people treatment rather than on keeping them in prison. It means allowing scientists access to illegal drugs so they can actually be studied, rather than forcing them to always do their research under uncontrolled conditions that muddy their results. It means making our metric for drug-policy success a count of how many fewer drug-related health issues and crimes we find, rather than our metric being a count of how many drug users and dealers we have thrown behind bars.

Yes, this is the only way that makes sense to me. Great post.

[darsparx]

I have to admit, there's a lot of truth in this video. This is why Trump won despite not winning the popular vote. It's blunt and crude but there's a lot of truth in it...



I don't endorse Trump but I just saw Hillary as more of the same of what we've seen for past several years and decades. Trump was probably not the change we need but he at least showed there might be change, Hillary I just don't even know... Yes I know he has his faults but at the same time libs didn't exactly run the election in their favor, and the email scandal didn't help her either especially being reopened right before most people would vote.

[Ivo]

On the inverse, Portugal legalized most if not all drugs, and their addiction rate dropped 50%. Take away the stigma, and people aren't afraid to seek help.

I was going to post about that. To be more correct, Portugal de-criminalized the drugs, not legalize them. So possession isn't illegal. Having large amounts / being a dealer is illegal.

Part of the objective is that it does encourage people to seek help, which can get at least some of them out of it.

Given that it was put in practice already and it worked in Portugal, it is not theory any more, it is tested in real situations. Compare the various methods that were tested in real situations and their consequences, and pick the one that works best given your objectives.

[Ivo]

Also, for those actually interested in the problem, some links to read about it:

https://mic.com/articles/110344/14-year ... .InX6EzUlv

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal

https://news.vice.com/article/ungass-po ... -to-heroin

Or google it yourself.

It should be noted also that public health care is generally free in Portugal (kind of like in the U.K. but with some differences). The method would not be directly transferable to the U.S. for that reason alone. But I think the general point stands despite that major difference.

Also, if anyone saw the brilliant TV serie "The Wire", there is a season where a similar kind of experiment is done - which eventually gets dubbed "Hamsterdam" - but that is a work of fiction, granted.

[CRTGAMER]

I have to admit, there's a lot of truth in this video. This is why Trump won despite not winning the popular vote. It's blunt and crude but there's a lot of truth in it...



I don't endorse Trump but I just saw Hillary as more of the same of what we've seen for past several years and decades. Trump was probably not the change we need but he at least showed there might be change, Hillary I just don't even know... Yes I know he has his faults but at the same time libs didn't exactly run the election in their favor, and the email scandal didn't help her either especially being reopened right before most people would vote.

Clinton was fast tracked when there were so many better choices, none that appeared in the primaries. I think Trump is on the level; he has wealth and fame already so why become President? At what 70 years old, maybe wants to leave a mark in history by the "America Great" again. I see good things coming if he does not get slogged down by the political machine.

A buddy of mine showed me that on his cell phone last week, so funny and yet so true! The Facebook link now requires a login (not joining), here is a direct YouTube link:

This is who is to blame for Trump - Jonathan Pie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLG9g7BcjKs

[ElkinFencer10]

On the inverse, Portugal legalized most if not all drugs, and their addiction rate dropped 50%. Take away the stigma, and people aren't afraid to seek help.

I was going to post about that. To be more correct, Portugal de-criminalized the drugs, not legalize them. So possession isn't illegal. Having large amounts / being a dealer is illegal.

Part of the objective is that it does encourage people to seek help, which can get at least some of them out of it.

Given that it was put in practice already and it worked in Portugal, it is not theory any more, it is tested in real situations. Compare the various methods that were tested in real situations and their consequences, and pick the one that works best given your objectives.

Ah, thanks for correcting me there. I was unaware that Portugal had made that kind of distinction, but that definitely makes their plan seem much more moderate and reasonable.

[Exhuminator]

Thank you so much for that link. Everyone, especially far left voters, should watch it. Twas a beautiful tirade of unadulterated truth. The man reiterated some of the things I've said myself earlier in this thread. Change is about compromise, not condemnation.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
― Stephen R. Covey