War on drugs is over. What's next?

[delusionsofNORMALity]

why do i get the feeling that this thread will be closed at any minute?

The reason why I made the distinction between marijuana, and "chemicals", is that marijuana is a naturally occurring plant, and for all intent, harmless.

Chemicals, on the other hand are highly addictive, and contrary to popular belief, do have victims... with long term effects, or have you never run across crack, meth, and heroin addicts?? or seen folks OD on crack, meth or heroin??

Have you ever heard of somebody die from weed?? or OD on weed?? or commit crimes to support a weed addiction?? I haven't.

i'm not saying that there are no down sides to chemicals or that weed has only positive effects. there are many naturally occurring substances that are far more deadly than those you named and few of those have been outlawed by the nanny state. we have nearly anthropomorphized these drugs, allowing ourselves to believe that we may become victims of inanimate objects, when we are only victimizing ourselves. we have created an entire culture of victims, blaming a substance or an idea or calling it a disease. it is our own shortcomings that are to blame and it is not government's place to protect the individual from himself.

you aren't the only one who has been affected by addiction, but that is no excuse for government stepping in to baby those who cannot control themselves and penalize the rest of us at the same time. i have known folks that have wasted their lives, living only for another bowl, just as i have met those who have taken pleasure in those deadly chemicals and never crossed the line, never allowed the substance to take control of them. what is a deadly choice to some may be harmless to others and by passing laws based on the worst case scenario we allow an authoritarian society to take shape for the sake of the illusion of safety. self-destruction takes many forms and no amount of legislation can ever dispose of it. such legislation only makes it a bit more difficult and denies the people control over their own fates, handing it over to a self-serving bureaucracy.

[killerweed420]

I agree. This is the bigger issue. Its none of the governments business what you want to do to your own body. There certainly nothing in the constitution or the bill of rights that gives them this authority.