5/20/2011 2:21:11 PM

The reasons just keep adding up dont they

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/world/americas/09mexico.html

Thousands march on Mexico City

5/20/2011 2:28:19 PM

No, officer, you may not search my vehicle.

V, is it time for the 'don't talk to cops' video?

[Edited on May 20, 2011 at 2:37 PM. Reason : V]

5/20/2011 2:32:22 PM

Am I free to go?

[Edited on May 20, 2011 at 2:33 PM. Reason : (don't forget to lock the car if you get out)]

5/20/2011 2:32:55 PM

my sister doesn't agree that denying a search of your car makes sense. it always makes sense. first of all, unless you pat down every occupant of your car and no one else has ever had sole ownership of your car for any amount of time, you don't actually know that there is nothing in it. secondly, you are trusting the honesty of whoever is searching your vehicle. i do think most cops are honest, but why take an unnecessary risk.

i never consent and lock my car after exiting, which has caused me a lot of problems on a couple stops but who cares. (both times were suspicion of DUI in college when I was not driving drunk)

5/20/2011 2:44:29 PM

I am nowhere near versed enough in state and federal law to know whether I'm breaking a law at any given time. No way am I answering questions beyond identifying myself and proving that I am registered to drive that car.

5/20/2011 2:50:05 PM

Quote :

"V, is it time for the 'don't talk to cops' video?"

If it's the one that was posted here in the Lounge a looong time ago by a (he was either a former cop and/or detective) then it was very very good and should certainly be reposted. I, too, think the war on drugs is completely fucking stupid and a solid waste of money. If someone commits a crime or causes an accident while under the influence, then punish them for that, severely, but limiting personal freedom of choice is simply unAmerican.

5/20/2011 3:19:26 PM

If you have nothing to hide, then you won't mind having your rights trampled.

5/20/2011 3:20:12 PM

Quote :

"'don't talk to cops' video?"

Are we talking about the "Never Get Busted Again" video made by a former drug interdiction officer?

5/25/2011 8:54:02 PM

another reason is RachelMarie amirite

5/25/2011 9:31:24 PM

I feel like cops have been getting pretty out of control, lately...or perhaps it's just the proliferation of camera phones and the like have made bad cops harder to hide.

5/26/2011 3:20:59 PM

It's not new behavior, it's new technology exposing existing behavior.

5/26/2011 4:54:45 PM

are there any reasons for continuing the war on drugs?

5/26/2011 5:30:45 PM

There's a massive bureaucracy in place devoted towards capturing and imprisoning drug offenders. It's not going down without a fight; people's careers are at stake.

5/26/2011 5:41:12 PM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43248071/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Quote :

"The global war on drugs has failed and governments should explore legalizing marijuana and other controlled substances, according to a commission that includes former heads of state, a former U.N. secretary-general and a business mogul."

Quote :

"the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won"

Quote :

"Apparent victories in eliminating one source or trafficking organization are negated almost instantly by the emergence of other sources and traffickers"

6/2/2011 10:56:30 AM

Quote :

"I, too, think the war on drugs is completely fucking stupid and a solid waste of money."

It's ridiculous how much money the state collects in drug seizures as well as the taxes they impose on convicted drug criminals. IIRC, it's close to $100k/year cash from drug raids alone for Wake Co. and neighboring counties. Quite a money making operation funding system there. The downside is these drug seizure operations cost a lot of money and time. If they legalized drugs, well, you could put a helluva sales tax on it. You'd make the same amount, if not MORE revenue and not have to SPEND/INVEST money into organizing anti-drug operations/equipment. Prison systems would be less crowded, more manpower could be spent for other emergency calls, etc...

Quote :

"If you have nothing to hide, then you won't mind having your rights trampled."

I do have something to hide. It's my personal business. If you don't have a warrant or a legitimate reason to suspect me of illegal activity, I'll be on my way. You may be a police officer/state trooper, however, you're still a stranger to me.

[Edited on June 2, 2011 at 11:19 AM. Reason : .]

6/2/2011 11:17:31 AM

an extremely small step in the right direction?



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303745304576359151139005180.html

Quote :

"Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that new reduced penalties for federal crack-cocaine offenses should be applied retroactively, setting up a clash over the potential release of thousands of drug offenders currently in prison "

6/2/2011 3:17:58 PM

Quote :

"Mr. Holder said that as a prosecutor he had seen the "devastating effects of illegal drugs" on families and communities. He sentenced offenders to lengthy sentences to protect the public, he said, but saw over time that "our federal crack sentencing laws did not achieve that result." "

6/2/2011 3:42:56 PM

Quote :

"It's ridiculous how much money the state collects in drug seizures as well as the taxes they impose on convicted drug criminals."

Quote :

"you could put a helluva sales tax on it"

The majority of cash/property seizures go to the fed; a small percentage goes to individual agencies. All controlled substances (cocaine, marijuana, etc) are already taxed in North Carolina; there is an entire law enforcement agency dedicated to collecting unpaid taxes on controlled substances.

Quote :

"the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won"

I agree that it might not be won, but it still has to be fought until there is a viable solution in place. If drugs are legalized, they would have to highly regulated and sold like cigarettes; to just legalize pot would not curtail street level violence that is fueled by the distribution of narcotics.

Drugs are commodity and people will/do kill to control the trade, legal or not.

6/2/2011 5:26:18 PM

Quote :

"Drugs are commodity and people will/do kill to control the trade, legal or not."

Right...like cigarettes and alcohol?

6/2/2011 5:40:07 PM

Not what I was trying to convey; if you just make something like weed legal, with no real regulations/controls, people (on the street level) will still attempt to control its distribution by using violence.

6/2/2011 5:43:42 PM

Except they'll quickly fail at controlling it, because anyone can go to the store and buy the drug without having to deal with a sketchy drug dealer. Is anyone trying to control the egg trade through violence? No, because there's no need for a black market.

[Edited on June 2, 2011 at 5:52 PM. Reason : ]

6/2/2011 5:52:34 PM

Essentially that is what I'm saying; you control the product (legit companies selling drugs) therefore eliminating the black market need. But if you just legalize it, without any control (anyone can buy/sell), you still will have a market that will produce violence.

For example, you live in a housing project...weed is now legal but not controlled; you buy from your neighborhood dealer who is selling and operating a legit business. Dealer B comes into the block and wants business, he is going to muscle his way into the market or Dealer B is going to do a home invasion and take your product. Its hood economics; this aren't CEO's who deal drugs. The legitimacy of the product is not going to curtail violence, the control of it will.

All I'm saying is that there needs to be a viable alternative before you can stop the war on drugs.
.



[Edited on June 2, 2011 at 7:30 PM. Reason : ....]

6/2/2011 7:29:03 PM

If marijuana is legalized, you won't be buying pot from the neighborhood dealer. You'll be buying Phillip Morris Marlboro Greens at Walmart.

Sure, there'll be local boutiques, bodegas, and what-not. But, hood or not, people will go elsewhere to avoid bullshit.

6/2/2011 8:23:56 PM

Slavery/Jim Crow is America's greatest blunder.
The "War on Drugs" is a close 2nd.

6/12/2011 1:36:48 PM

[Edited on June 16, 2011 at 10:42 AM. Reason : buh.]

6/16/2011 10:39:54 AM

^^ yea and you forgot that the weed would be half the price of what the local dealer could get it at and the poor people in the projects are poor so they will go for the lower price.

6/16/2011 11:13:51 AM

Quote :

"All I'm saying is that there needs to be a viable alternative before you can stop the war on drugs."

Yeah it's called "Legalization"

6/16/2011 12:29:24 PM

Quote :

"Former Seattle US attorney pushes pot legalization"

http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/9761220/

6/22/2011 8:55:30 AM

If we didn't have the war on drugs the undesirables would take over. You think theft and violence is bad now? The war on drugs gives us a reason to eliminate a portion of society BEFORE they commit serious crimes. It's like fictional "thought police", only more brilliant. Of course it's class warfare, and that benefits anyone rich enough to have a computer and be discussing this in this thread. That white college students can't get high without being pestered and hiring a lawyer to get them off is an acceptable side effect.

6/22/2011 1:49:44 PM