W
Wraith
Guest
The first American anti-drug law was an 1875 San Francisco ordinance which outlawed the smoking of opium in opium dens. It was passed because of the fear that Chinese men were luring white women to their "ruin" in opium dens. "Ruin" was defined as associating with Chinese men. It was followed by other similar laws, including Federal laws in which trafficking in opium was forbidden to anyone of Chinese origin, and restrictions on the importation of smoking opium. The laws did not have anything really to do with the importation of opium as a drug, because the importation and use of opium in other forms -- such as in the common medication laudunum -- were not affected. The laws were directed at smoking opium because it was perceived that the smoking of opium was a peculiarly Chinese custom. In short, it was a way of legally targeting the Chinese.
Cocaine was outlawed because of fears that superhuman "Negro Cocaine Fiends" or "Cocainized ******s" (actual terms used by newspapers in the early 1900's) take large amounts of cocaine which would make them go on a violent sexual rampage and rape white women. There is little evidence that any black men actually did this, if only because it would have been certain death. The United States set a record in 1905 with 105 recorded lynchings of black men. At the same time, police nationwide switched from .32 caliber pistols to .38 caliber pistols because it was believed that the superhuman "Negro Cocaine Fiend" could not be killed with the smaller gun.
Dr. Hamilton Wright is sometimes referred to as the "Father of American Drug Laws". Dr. Wright was the Opium Commissioner at the time and had previously become famous because he had "scientifically proved" that beri-beri was a communicable disease. Beri-beri is a vitamin deficiency.
The Harrison Act which "outlawed" these drugs was, on its face, a simple licensing law which simply required sellers to get a license if they were going to handle the opiates and cocaine. As the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs has said, it is doubtful that very many members of Congress would have thought that they were passing what would later be regarded as a general drug prohibition. The law even contained a provision that nothing in the law would prohibit doctors from prescribing these drugs in the legitimate practice of medicine.
In fact, even the people who wrote the Harrison Act and the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 agreed that a general prohibition on what people could put into their own bodies was plainly an unconstitutional infringement on personal liberties.
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Tobacco kills about 390,000.
Alcohol kills about 80,000.
Sidestream smoke from tobacco kills about 50,000.
Cocaine kills about 2,200.
Heroin kills about 2,000.
Aspirin kills about 2,000.
Marijuana kills 0. There has never been a recorded death due to marijuana at any time in US history.
All illegal drugs combined kill about 4,500 people per year, or about one percent of the number killed by alcohol and tobacco. Tobacco kills more people each year than all of the people killed by all of the illegal drugs in the last century.
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Reagan's 8 years: $1.860 Trillion Bush's 4 years: $1.378 Trillion
Notes
Value of goods stolen. These goods are later replaced at additional cost by owner or insurance.
Total for additional police, judges, courtrooms, prosecutors, court costs, maintenance of jails, guards, probation personnel, and the entire police, justice and prison system required to deal with the WoD.
Income taxes associated with perpetrators' lost wages.
Construction of new jail and other facilities to deal with burgeoning case load.
Federal WoD consists of arming and paying interdiction forces along with international efforts to stem flow of drugs.
Extra welfare needed to support families of drug offenders while they are in prison.
Developed from information supplied by "Save Our Liberties" of Sunnyvale CA (415) 964-3655. 1994 figures are projections.
Ohter costs: Cost of lives lost to drug associated crime, plus productivity and taxes associated with those lives. Does "lost taxes" include lost sales taxes from supposed legal prices of drugs?
(all of this information is from http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/basicfax.htm, as far as i know it is an unbiased source)
these are some facts ^^ this is my opinion:
i believe drugs should be legalized. it costs america a lot of money to get rid of the drugs, and a lot more to house all the drug offenders in prison, for something they decided to do to themselves. the gangs and columbian cartels that smuggle these drugs will become useless once you can buy the drugs at the grocery store. this will lower gang activity, deaths, and the money that they are taking from the american economy. the only drawback is that some people will die from the drugs, but it is your decision and like anything its fine in moderation. people are allowed to order pizza but once you start eating 2 pizzas a day your heart explodes.
please take a look at this link for information on what my party believes http://www.lp.org/issues/relegalize.html
here is an excerpt:
"It's time to re-legalize drugs and let people take responsibility for themselves. Drug abuse is a tragedy and a sickness. Criminal laws only drive the problem underground and put money in the pockets of the criminal class. With drugs legal, compassionate people could do more to educate and rehabilitate drug users who seek help. Drugs should be legal. Individuals have the right to decide for themselves what to put in their bodies, so long as they take responsibility for their actions."
thanks and i would like to hear your opinions
Cocaine was outlawed because of fears that superhuman "Negro Cocaine Fiends" or "Cocainized ******s" (actual terms used by newspapers in the early 1900's) take large amounts of cocaine which would make them go on a violent sexual rampage and rape white women. There is little evidence that any black men actually did this, if only because it would have been certain death. The United States set a record in 1905 with 105 recorded lynchings of black men. At the same time, police nationwide switched from .32 caliber pistols to .38 caliber pistols because it was believed that the superhuman "Negro Cocaine Fiend" could not be killed with the smaller gun.
Dr. Hamilton Wright is sometimes referred to as the "Father of American Drug Laws". Dr. Wright was the Opium Commissioner at the time and had previously become famous because he had "scientifically proved" that beri-beri was a communicable disease. Beri-beri is a vitamin deficiency.
The Harrison Act which "outlawed" these drugs was, on its face, a simple licensing law which simply required sellers to get a license if they were going to handle the opiates and cocaine. As the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs has said, it is doubtful that very many members of Congress would have thought that they were passing what would later be regarded as a general drug prohibition. The law even contained a provision that nothing in the law would prohibit doctors from prescribing these drugs in the legitimate practice of medicine.
In fact, even the people who wrote the Harrison Act and the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 agreed that a general prohibition on what people could put into their own bodies was plainly an unconstitutional infringement on personal liberties.
================================
Tobacco kills about 390,000.
Alcohol kills about 80,000.
Sidestream smoke from tobacco kills about 50,000.
Cocaine kills about 2,200.
Heroin kills about 2,000.
Aspirin kills about 2,000.
Marijuana kills 0. There has never been a recorded death due to marijuana at any time in US history.
All illegal drugs combined kill about 4,500 people per year, or about one percent of the number killed by alcohol and tobacco. Tobacco kills more people each year than all of the people killed by all of the illegal drugs in the last century.
=================================
Code:
Year `89 `90 `91 `92 `93 `94
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Stolen 148 154 160 168 176 184
2 Incarceration 73 80 88 96 104 112
3 Lost taxes 41 43 45 47 49 51
4 Construction 20 21 23 25 25 25
5 Federal War 7 10 12 13 20 25
6 Extra Welfare 13 14 15 16 17 18
7 Harrassment 10 11 12 13 14 15
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 312 333 355 378 405 430Reagan's 8 years: $1.860 Trillion Bush's 4 years: $1.378 Trillion
Notes
Value of goods stolen. These goods are later replaced at additional cost by owner or insurance.
Total for additional police, judges, courtrooms, prosecutors, court costs, maintenance of jails, guards, probation personnel, and the entire police, justice and prison system required to deal with the WoD.
Income taxes associated with perpetrators' lost wages.
Construction of new jail and other facilities to deal with burgeoning case load.
Federal WoD consists of arming and paying interdiction forces along with international efforts to stem flow of drugs.
Extra welfare needed to support families of drug offenders while they are in prison.
Developed from information supplied by "Save Our Liberties" of Sunnyvale CA (415) 964-3655. 1994 figures are projections.
Ohter costs: Cost of lives lost to drug associated crime, plus productivity and taxes associated with those lives. Does "lost taxes" include lost sales taxes from supposed legal prices of drugs?
(all of this information is from http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/basicfax.htm, as far as i know it is an unbiased source)
these are some facts ^^ this is my opinion:
i believe drugs should be legalized. it costs america a lot of money to get rid of the drugs, and a lot more to house all the drug offenders in prison, for something they decided to do to themselves. the gangs and columbian cartels that smuggle these drugs will become useless once you can buy the drugs at the grocery store. this will lower gang activity, deaths, and the money that they are taking from the american economy. the only drawback is that some people will die from the drugs, but it is your decision and like anything its fine in moderation. people are allowed to order pizza but once you start eating 2 pizzas a day your heart explodes.
please take a look at this link for information on what my party believes http://www.lp.org/issues/relegalize.html
here is an excerpt:
"It's time to re-legalize drugs and let people take responsibility for themselves. Drug abuse is a tragedy and a sickness. Criminal laws only drive the problem underground and put money in the pockets of the criminal class. With drugs legal, compassionate people could do more to educate and rehabilitate drug users who seek help. Drugs should be legal. Individuals have the right to decide for themselves what to put in their bodies, so long as they take responsibility for their actions."
thanks and i would like to hear your opinions
But you know what I meant.
