war on drugs,represents big overgrown government at its worst.

[orphanedhawk]

Cory Booker Slams Drug War

Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker took to Reddit Sunday to criticize the war on drugs, saying it was ineffective and "represents big overgrown government at its worst."

"The so called War on Drugs has not succeeded in making significant reductions in drug use, drug arrests or violence," the Democrat wrote during the Reddit "ask me anything" chat. "We are pouring huge amounts of our public resources into this current effort that are bleeding our public treasury and unnecessarily undermining human potential."

Booker then called drug arrests a "game."

"My police in Newark are involved in an almost ridiculous game of arresting the same people over and over again and when you talk to these men they have little belief that there is help or hope for them to break out of this cycle," he wrote.

Booker has said he supports medical marijuana, tweeting in May that "NJ should do more to make it real for those who need it."

Booker also used the Reddit discussion to outline programs he has implemented to lower drug arrests: reentry, court reform, jobs, treatment and legal aid.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/cory-booker-drug-war_n_1676008.html

[R Glass]

LOL That was supposed to go to another forum and somehow I posted it here. I usually type everything in Word then copy/paste apparently I copied/pasted the wrong thing. The people on the other forum is probably even more confused.

[Barb135]

Thanks for taking the thread back to topic.  As usual, you did an awesome job -- thanks and welcome back to the group.

RGlass -- chocolate and banana pudding?  

[orphanedhawk]

I agree with rivil. Great post.
Thanks, glad to see you back:)

[rivll]

Awesome post.Thank you.

[adgal]

I love this topic because this is one topic where I actually know what I am talking about..lol.  Yep, truly do.  Keeping drugs illegal is doing absolutely nothing to stop the problem.  And it never will.  All it is doing is driving the cost up (as anything blackmarket will) and making it a profitable business for dealers.  Decriminalize drugs use, go after the "black market" dealers, and make addiction the medical issue it truly is so that addicts can more easily seek help (like alcoholics).  I'm not saying legalize the sale, just the usage.  Then tax the poop out of it (like alcohol) and regulate it.  I know, you all think I'm a liberal, but you have to trust that I deal with this issue every single day.  All keeping in illegal is doing is taxing police resources and costing taxpayers a fortune to keep sick people in jail.  Not working.  Go after the dealers, leave the users alone.  

And again I ask..why is everything political.  Can't it just be about people?  I think there are addicts on both the right and left, no?

[rivll]

Geez Vance,I was feeling almost sympathetic to you in the beginning of this thread. I was thinking about how I am such a mix of things -you might consider me a liberal, OH might consider me right wing. I share the views of many conflicting groups and I saw your point at times. But then towards the end, all these people were so cool with you and you were definitely offered an olive branch and I am think lovely people can  negotiate dialogue another for better understanding and then you turn around and lash out at OH. You sound furious and you lost whatever case you were trying to make. Whether Mike is superior or OH is a liberal, whatever...you just lost your credibility with me.