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**RussellPG** · 04-21-2010, 08:43 PM

i wasn't talking about just pot, but all drugs. if i'd meant just pot, i would have said so. you have the whole war on drugs thing going on. have you heard about portugal? every drug is legal to use (although not to sell), which is about the most liberal place on the planet wrt drugs i think.

I don't believe that for one second. If it were real, people would be smoking and snorting in the streets and restaurants. If anything, it's a legal gimmick. The 'war on drugs' exists in Europe as much as it does the US. Spare me the BS legal gimmick exception to Europe's persecution of drug users. What's next, you claim that Europe doesn't subsidize farmers?

and it's not just what you mention either, you have to look at the numbers of prisoners in gaol too. the US has the highest number of prisoners per capita of any country (753 per 100,000), the highest european union countries are latvia and estonia (339 per 100,000) and the highest western eurpean country is spain (144 per 100,000). england and wales have 142 per 100,000 and we lock up far too many people.
These numbers mean little to nothing. With 12,000,000 illegal immigrants and better law enforcement, much of those numbers are meaningless. Your argument here is akin to making a life-span argument without noting descrepencies in parameters of child mortality.

i think you need to learn what social policy is to be honest. almost everything a government does has an economic effect, but that doesn't change the fact that things like maternity leave or unemployment benefit are essentially social in nature.
Trying to mix economic and social issues, at a sophomoric level, does not help to clarify the argument or arrive at any meaningful conclusions. Economically you assume what is best for people, and force it on them - no different than social conservatives.

Do you really think I want to sit around listening to the fundie inverse of "anti-drug policy is not a social issue, it is about keeping us all rich" BS? And I suppose being anti-gay rights is actually being pro-economic development... right? :rollie eyes:

04-21-2010, 08:43 PM	#15
RussellPG Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 473 Senior Member	i wasn't talking about just pot, but all drugs. if i'd meant just pot, i would have said so. you have the whole war on drugs thing going on. have you heard about portugal? every drug is legal to use (although not to sell), which is about the most liberal place on the planet wrt drugs i think. I don't believe that for one second. If it were real, people would be smoking and snorting in the streets and restaurants. If anything, it's a legal gimmick. The 'war on drugs' exists in Europe as much as it does the US. Spare me the BS legal gimmick exception to Europe's persecution of drug users. What's next, you claim that Europe doesn't subsidize farmers? and it's not just what you mention either, you have to look at the numbers of prisoners in gaol too. the US has the highest number of prisoners per capita of any country (753 per 100,000), the highest european union countries are latvia and estonia (339 per 100,000) and the highest western eurpean country is spain (144 per 100,000). england and wales have 142 per 100,000 and we lock up far too many people. These numbers mean little to nothing. With 12,000,000 illegal immigrants and better law enforcement, much of those numbers are meaningless. Your argument here is akin to making a life-span argument without noting descrepencies in parameters of child mortality. i think you need to learn what social policy is to be honest. almost everything a government does has an economic effect, but that doesn't change the fact that things like maternity leave or unemployment benefit are essentially social in nature. Trying to mix economic and social issues, at a sophomoric level, does not help to clarify the argument or arrive at any meaningful conclusions. Economically you assume what is best for people, and force it on them - no different than social conservatives. Do you really think I want to sit around listening to the fundie inverse of "anti-drug policy is not a social issue, it is about keeping us all rich" BS? And I suppose being anti-gay rights is actually being pro-economic development... right? :rollie eyes:
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