http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080409/..._food_protests



http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pag...Y&pageId=1.1.1

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I'm not sure I understand the coupling of the two articles.
Haiti is a third world, corrupt country, who’s long been incapable of feeding its citizens even without a crackdown on drug imports.
The U.S. is a modern, advanced country who has no trouble feeding its citizens. In fact, some would argue that our citizens are overfed.
Are you suggesting that legalizing drugs would be a good move for Haiti? How so? Would citizens be more productive? Would making it a recreational drug vacation paradise be a positive move? Would that make the country less corrupt?

I’m very curious to find out what you’re getting at.

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The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1

I'm implying that the failed drug war is continuing to wwreak havoc in all corners of the globe. We not only have enough to eat, but we have more drugs at our disposal than ever before. BTW, the US doesn't feed its citizens, they allow us to feed ourselves. Perhaps that's the crucial difference.

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I do agree that the laws our country tries to demand on other countries is absurd.


Back when Anslinger was bullshitting to the U.N to try and make Pot illegal across the world, he was also banning all scientific studies of the product.

Anslinger's direct policy's have influenced this modern "war on drugs" to be a complete failure. The fact that our country forces customs that cause starving just to prevent drug shipments is crazy. History has proven that the supply really never can be controlled (prohibition anyone?). I am sure that cocaine bust last week made the DEA very happy, but I doubt anyone is having problems finding anything this weekend.


Since Anslinger, the U.N has laughed at the misinformation about drugs our country has spewed. Hence why almost all of the EU has decriminalized pot, yet our country is still stuck in the 1940's when it comes to government understanding. There is no excues for U.N food to be rotting in docks in a country that is starving because "some drugs might get by"

Yeah but the "War on Drugs" is great for 1 of the few industries we have left in this country...

Report: 1 in 100 Americans Incarcerated

One in every 100 adults in the U.S. is serving time in prison or jail, according to a report from the Pew Center on the States. Some key findings from the Pew Public Safety Performance Project report, titled "One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008":

• One in 100 U.S. adults are in prison or jail;
• One in 30 men aged 20-34 are incarcerated;
• One in 53 people in their 20's is incarcerated;
• Men are 10 times as likely to be incarcerated, compared to women.

The New York Times reports that in 2007, "states spent $44 billion in tax dollars on corrections, up from $10.6 billion in 1987," and that in 2005 it cost an average of about $23,876 dollars per year to keep an inmate in jail or prison.

• "Behind Bars in America 2008" [PDF file]
• N.Y. Times: 1 in 100 U.S. Adults Behind Bars, New Study Says
• Prisoners' Rights (FindLaw)
• Locate an Inmate (FindLaw)

Excerpt:

"Perhaps the single greatest force behind the growth of the prison population has been the national "war on drugs." The number of incarcerated drug offenders has increased twelvefold since 1980. In 2000, 22 percent of those in federal and state prisons were convicted on drug charges."

Full Article:

http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/incarceration/

Yea, I get your sarcasim!!

But in reality, our laws are hurting our country.

I got my application to the military rejected right after 9/11 and I would probably have a tough time finding a job with most companies/government jobs because I was only ever arrested once when I was 19 for smoking a bowl behind the movies.

My IT contracting job is doing well, but its sad that someone like myself with skills is eliminated from competition for something as trivial as doing something a lot of people did when 19.

I am still scracthing my head wondering how I could be labled a "criminal"

Anyway, don't forget to mention how much money law enforcement agency's get for the "war on drugs." You know, Lower Merion really needs that monstrous 4 wheel drive SUV that patrols the high schools looking for pot smokers.


Notice how everytime the high courts bring up decriminlizing, law enforcement lobbies whine and cry because they are going to lose funds to arrest otherwise lawfull citizens.

Mars-Make that two industries, where would all the DEA agents work? Obviously Police could be redeployed against other crimes but DEA agents would have no purpose. Still, now that we have the war on terror, the government has less need for the war on drugs as a means to infringe on citizens' rights.
The problem with viewing it that way is the cost of the war on drugs is one more cost that must be borne by legal businesses. I've seen estimates that this is more than $25 bn/yr in direct spending.

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I don't understand why we can't use the money from the "War on Drugs" and the DEA for more homeland security. Put them and the money on the public transit system. Transit system becomes much safer. Everyone wins.... Well except where would we replace the money from fines? Taxes?

I think we may lose out big time with that idea. Good public transportation would mean less profit for the oil companies. Which could mean the oil companies and their cronies in washington might start getting creative again...say with iran and the war on terrorism. Plus if they're busy being creative that might mean the universal healthcare idea gets put on the backburner.