<html>  While I agree the "bad effects" of drugs are detrimental to some peoples lives I do not see how criminalizing that behaviour "helps" them. Drugs are available to anyone who wants them, their legal status has almost nothing to do with their availability. I am not certain what position you are putting forward here. That because meth is illegal meth addicts are better off than they would be if meth were legal? I'm not trying to be a prick, I just don't understand your position. John Thornton <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Gees. Some of you all act like it's only state power and not ferocious biochemistry, interpersonal dynamics, and probably some genetic predispositions that make drugs that happen to be illegal also dangerous. Then you want to pretend that the only people hurt by people's drug indulgences are the users themselves. I wish I could agree. For the record, I am white. I have trailer park Republican relatives. There is NOTHING more trailer park than a good meth habit, though to be fair I know plenty of other people messed up the same way. I DO NOT think it's only minorities affected. I think minorities pop out disproportionately in criminal justice statistics because of racism in and out of the criminal justice system. Glib white folk just BS their way around better than others, but they make spectacular crankheads! In many cases it's the bad effects of drug use that wreck lives, often innocent lives who have NOTHING to do with the drug use, long before any legal consequences hit. As for Alcohol and Prohibition, yeah sure, today alcohol is legal and people can even point to positive effects in certain circumstances, but it's Still ILLEGAL TO DRIVE DRUNK and alcohol use is prohibited in lots of other situations for very good reason, like alcohol can make people stupid and cause them to do things that are dangerous to others around them! Does this mean I want to surrender all civil liberties or legal protections and to unleash jackbooted goons on everyone who ever experiments? NO, but I freely admit this topic gets me riled. DoreneC In a message dated 1/24/2003 7:26:58 PM Pacific Standard Time, entheogens@yahoo.com writes: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Subj:Re: Decriminalization of Drugs Date:1/24/2003 7:26:58 PM Pacific Standard Time From:<a href="mailto:entheogens@yahoo.com">entheogens@yahoo.com</a> Reply-to:<a href="mailto:lbo-talk@lists.panix.com">lbo-talk@lists.panix.com</a> To:<a href="mailto:lbo-talk@lists.panix.com">lbo-talk@lists.panix.com</a> Sent from the Internet Yes, Dorene, but the Prohibition of drugs, all drugs has led to the current situation.  I will openly admit that I take certain drugs myself: marijuana, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and, if I could get it, DMT. Personally, I think these drugs cannot only be used recreationally but can actually open up new perspectives for users. I would never take heroin, crack or any addictive drugs, YET, I dont think they should be illegal. First of all, I dont think the State has a right to tell me what I can or cannot put into my body. Secondly, we get all of the results of the current "War on Drugs":  bad stuff being put out on the street, proliferation of mafioso types controlling the drug trade, people resorting to other types of crime because they cant afford the jacked-up prices of their drug, attacks against (mostly) minority members, individuals whose lives are ruined by having the stigma of a blemished legal record, families broken up. I cannot see one good thing that results from having drugs illegal.  It doesn't stop drug use and just creates more social problems.  We know what happened during the Prohibition of alcohol (a  DRUG that has ruined more lives than Heroin) and people continue not to learn the lesson. -Thomas</blockquote></blockquote></html>