RE: New Survey Shows Cannabis Legalization Doesn't Spike Underage Usage
The Dutch approach shows similar results. I should add that when a marihuana selling point, commonly referred to as "coffee shop" here, is caught selling to the under 18, or even having somebody under 18 on the premises, or selling any other substance including alcohol, it is closed without discussion.
This has also shown that the stepping-stone theory doesn't hold; it seems that moving to another drug isn't related to the drug itself, but to an environment where all kinds of drugs are sold and used by the same people. Vigorously separating the selling of marihuana from other drugs has stopped this "moving to another drug" almost completely.
The Dutch are liberal about drugs, and treat hard-drug addicts as patients rather than criminals, but the enforcement and punishment for marihuana sellers who also sell other drugs is fierce, and has no exceptions.
there are really some human beings serving life sentences in jail because of trying to sell $20 of cannabis (for ex).
The war over it is completely outrageous
It's more like a war on drug users than a war on drugs.
The USA prison system has become an industry in itself, with all the capitalist interests that go with it, even providing cheap and semi-forced labour to the government. The prison population in the USA is larger than anywhere else. You might suspect there are other reasons for this than having a high crime rate, but I couldn't possibly comment any further 8-).
absolutely!
There is nothing wrong with capitalism. It's CRONY capitalism in the USA today presently which is causing so many issues and the nonsense victimless crimes.
There are perfectly good definitions of capitalism in dictionaries and economic text books; I prefer not to define the inherent problems of capitalism away by distinguishing between "good" and "bad" capitalism. I like private property and voluntary trade, but that does not define capitalism, it is called capitalism for a reason, and I think there is a lot wrong with capitalism.
But I am not willing to discuss this until I come up with something better, in the anarchic, voluntary, distributed, semi-socialist, workers owning means of production individually or in self-chosen groups, freely trading and having private property direction (vague enough 8-), so let's agree to disagree here. It'off-topic anyway.
i see no issue with private property + voluntary exchange (capitalism free market). Where i see problem is when a centralization of force and coercion tries to get involved in those exchanges and prevent human beings from doing better in life. Not cool :p
That's just free market, and doesn't cover the core of what capitalism is. Accumulation of capital (that owns all means of production), which is what capitalism is about, in the textbook definitions, will always lead to "centralization of force and coercion" and localised poverty. Oh shit, now I am discussing it after all. Sorry, it won't happen again 8-). I'm off taking photos anyway.