Cops Admit Drug War Failure. Advocate Legalization with Tight Regulations.

No matter what statistic it is that's examined, be it the kidnapping ranking of Phoenix, shootings in El Paso, marijuana arrests in Brownsville or the number of new gang members in San Diego, the reality of today's America is that drug violence has become a pervasive and pressing threat to most citizens. "We have got to fix this problem, or else it's going to get a lot worse for us here at home," explained Terry Nelson. But what does this mean for American citizens? In short: the drug cartels have won, but it doesn't have to be this way.

Nelson, a life-long Republican, said that he believes many conservative lawmakers are beginning to come around to their view of drug policy as counter-productive to the overall goals of the drug war. "They're just waiting for when it becomes politically viable to take action," he said. "I hope that happens. It needs to."

Green Man: As usual, politicians know what that legalization would reduce crime, violence and adolescent drug use but they are too cowardly to lead because they care more about their jobs than Americans. We can look to Portugal for guidance. They decriminalized all drugs 11 years ago in response a failed drug war--not unlike the failed drug war in America. Decriminalization means it's still technically illegal but instead of going to prison, which won't solve the drug addiction, users are sent to treatment facilities.

Upon decriminalization, the crime dried up, violence was reduced and adolescent use has decreased. HIV/AIDS infections related to dirty syringe use dropped by a staggering 75% and the number of drug users held steady. American cities are slowly but surely increasing drug treatment programs instead of prison time where drugs are just as accessible as on the streets. The drug courts are showing promising signs of hope. "Between 4 and 29 percent of drug court participants in the United States will get caught using drugs again, compared with 48 percent of those who go through traditional courts" (link).

The other problem with sending drug addicts to prison is that they mingle with violent offenders and other criminals where they learn to be real criminals. Plus, it increases the prison population, which costs the tax payer more than if they were treated in the drug programs since the recidivism rates from drugs courts are so much lower than with straight imprisonment. I do think, however, that marijuana should be treated as a separate case from the hard drugs like crack, meth and heroin. Marijuana should legalized, taxed and regulated since it isn't physically addictive, doesn't cause overdoses and causes less societal problems than alcohol.

The bottom line is that the war on drugs isn't just failing, it's doing so exponentially and now the violence that we've seen in Mexico is coming here to America. We'll never stop those who want to use drugs but we can take away the criminal element by decriminalization of the hard drugs and legalization of marijuana. We can also ameliorate the health issues surrounding drug use. Plus, we can drastically reduce adolescent rates because they would have to provide identification to buy marijuana. Whereas, right now, they can go to a shady drug dealer who won't ask for identification. A growing number of Americans on the left and right understand the path ahead, but unfortunately America doesn't have "leaders" courageous enough to lead!!!

Stand up and be counted--email your leaders and tell them you want a more progressive drug policy because this current "war on drugs" has been a failure. If the politicians won't lead, then we the people must take charge.

~The Green Man has Spoken~

Colorado Politician: "A lot" of Lawmakers Want Drug Law Reforms.

Support for legalizing marijuana at the federal level is steadily increasing in Congress, according to a Democratic representative from Colorado. "I find that a lot of members of Congress privately agree that we need to change our drug policy, they’re just still too timid or scared to come public with it," Rep. Jared Polis said in an interview with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "We really have a growing group that support decriminalization at the federal level and changing the schedule of marijuana," he added. "It’s not a majority yet, but it’s growing rather than shrinking."

Green Man: The people are always ahead of the government. It's sadly ironic that politicians are scared to go public with their support for reforming drug laws because it is they who are elected to make those very decisions!! A politician's constitutional duty is to make the big decisions that are beyond the power of average citizens, so to see them cower from that role is disappointing. However, it is nice that people like Rep. Polis are out there carrying the banner in Washington D.C. and to hear that support is growing rather than shrinking--the momentum is on our side. And, I am particularly proud that Rep. Polis is a fellow Coloradan.

Still, these politicians know the truth about marijuana and they are manipulating the issue to enable re-election from the people who are still in the dark about the true nature of marijuana. They are taking advantage of people who've been lied to for years about a fairly harmless plant. These are the older folks who were shown pure propaganda films claiming smoking marijuana will make you rape and murder people!! Seriously, rent the old movie, "Reefer Madness." It's a black and white movie made years ago to scare people into seeing marijuana as bad and corrupting.

It's time that the truth set us free. Shamans have benefited and lauded marijuana's properties for eons and we're foolish to ignore their expertise in regards to this miracle plant of healing and spiritual enlightenment. Demand freedom to partake in an herb that isn't just a "drug" but very much a spiritual key and giver of knowledge. Perhaps, that is the real reason that some politicians oppose marijuana reform--they are afraid of an educated populace that will challenge their authority and corrupt policies. This is the prohibition fight of our generation and we will prevail!!

~The Green Man has Spoken~

Former Surgeon General: Legalize Marijuana.

Former US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders told CNN's Don Lemon Sunday that she supports the legalization of marijuana. "Marijuana is not addictive -- not physically addictive anyway," Elders added. "Nobody says that marijuana causes violence. As we know alcohol can cause much more aggressiveness.

You aren't as likely to hurt someone from using marijuana as you are from using alcohol." "I think we consume far more dangerous drugs that are legal: cigarette smoking, nicotine and alcohol," Elders told the New York Times on Friday. "I feel they cause much more devastating effects physically. We need to lift the prohibition on marijuana."

Green Man: If Surgeon Generals (along with numerous doctors who prescribe it medicinally) bolster the claims that marijuana is a relatively benign drug then why are we letting politicians and police officers decided the fate of marijuana? I much more value the opinions of doctors when it comes to things that one ingests into the body. I don't trust a politician to give me a straight answer any more than a criminal. Anyone who has tried marijuana knows that it's not a substance that's going to drive you insane, cause you to die from an overdose or make you want to go on a drug using spree to try every other drug out there. That's the "gateway drug" propaganda--that once you use marijuana you wanna try heroin and the other hard drugs.

There are a couple of ways to answer this distortion: 1). Have you seen how kids react to sugar? If we're going to label something a gateway drug then it would have to be sugar. It's a chemical that gives you a "buzz" and yet we don't outlaw it. The same goes for caffeine, which can cause headaches, irritability and drowsiness due to caffeine withdrawal. If you drink enough of it you might as well be doing cocaine!! It has that same "speedy buzz" effect. And why don't we say tobacco is the gateway drug? It's ridiculously addictive and bad for your health. Then there's everyone's favorite drug--alcohol.

Funny how no one says drinking a few beers after work leads to wanting to try harder stuff like heroin or crack. Why? Because the "gateway effect" is something that applies to people who already have an "addictive personality." This means that they are already predisposed to addiction whether it's an classical "drug" or shopping, sex, porn, eating, exercise, work, etc.

Another aspect to the marijuana legalization debate that gets me frustrated is when people who have never used it claim to know all about it. And looking it up on WebMD isn't the same because a lot of doctors simply don't have experience with it. Also, WebMD is a company (like a lot of companies) that seems too cautious to list anything positive about the drug--Just like politicians. A lot of corporations take the non-controversial route of towing the prohibition line because they cowardly don't want to get criticism for "rocking the boat" of the status quo. Other doctors fear that their support of marijuana would jeopardize their practice as a trusted doctor.

It's time to stop listening to politicians about medical and bodily issues--not the least reason being that they have special interests to promote such as the alcohol and tobacco lobbies that don't want to compete with marijuana. It's interesting how everyone is for personal freedom and the free market until it comes to something they personally disagree with. I'm tired of listening to hypocrites, the self-righteous, and personally appointed "morality police" about what we should and shouldn't do with our lives. What ever happened to America: land of the free???

~The Green Man has Spoken~