Nice surprise to hear my email get mentioned. Though I didn't feel my argument was fully represented. For anyone who's interested here it is in it's entirety:
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by my email regarding episode 839: Master Debater
Hello Keith and Chemda,
I'm 42:09 in and I had to rewind the last half-minute or so a few times just to make sure I heard right. I can't believe you honestly think all drugs should be illegal. As you know, I personally, don't really do any drugs (except for coffee, allergy medication, the occasional Advil and antibiotics when I get sick) and yet I feel that all drugs should be legal. I mean you love to drink alcohol on a regular basis, right?
I'm not a master debater by any means and maybe the points I'm about to bring up aren't as eloquent or as strong as I would like to relay them; however, it is the illegalizing of drugs that helps to perpetuate, the drug trade, this silly drug on wars that erodes or (POST EDIT FOR FORUMS: This is actually suppose to be the word "our" but silly me didn't proofread before hitting send) civil rights and liberties and makes small corporate interests rich. Just look back to the 1920's. Prior to the Prohibition Period bars were the norm. Once PP took full effect and bars were closed down, bootlegging became a booming industry and citizens went from beer to stronger forms of alcohol. Prohibition actually made us more alcoholic.
There are also scientific studies, you have read some of them on your show, that states how cigarettes is more addictive than most illegal drugs. We all see the evidence of what long-term cigarette smoking can do you to your body. And making drugs illegal hasn't stop the drug-trade from going strong today. It also is used as an excuse to illegal search people's homes, cars etc. In CA, an 83 yr old couple had their life-savings and their medicinal marijuana taken from them, because some deputies forced a confession out of one of their grandchildren to falsely claim that her grandparents was actually selling her their marijuana instead of using it themselves for the medicinal purposes that they were in fact using it for. This court case is pending (if you would like to see a link to this I'll gladly look it up and forward it to you). This was done under this "war on crime" agenda that their local sheriff and deputies were purporting on doing when in fact they're just finding weak excuses to expand their coffers.
In short, legalizing drugs destroys the drug trade and lessens drug-related crimes. It also opens the economy to a more free-market paradigm which can only help the economy. Lastly, in general, taking away rights from people only reaps negative results (just look at the abstinence-now programs, or Sarah Palin's daughter) and in general people will abuse anything for any purpose. We can't stop abusers from doing that (hell even I have a slight eating non-exercising problem). And isn't that the point of this country? To live for life and liberty? To live our life how we see fit as long as we're not harming another individual by our actions?
|
And as mentioned, I know I probably didn't make the strongest or most eloquent argument but these are my thoughts on the subject nonetheless. Feel free to critique, ignore or otherwise
