Drug Abuse
The war on drugs has failed. There are many drugs (such as oxycontin) that the FDA has approved which are more addictive and toxic than marijuana or even cocaine. Local law enforcement should not be required by the Federal Government to enforce a "victimless crime" law whenever there is no Biblical precedent for that particular law. Federal laws regulating or banning drugs or the selling thereof within this country are unconstitutional by the 10th Amendment. States should be permitted to have or not have whatever laws against harmful drugs they choose.
I do think that it should be illegal to sell addictive or otherwise harmful drugs to minors. Anyone who commits a crime while under the influence of a drug which they took of their own volition should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law just as if they were completely sober and in their right mind when they committed the crime.
As long as some drugs are illegal:
The Federal Government should exercise its right to ban the importation of drugs which are currently listed as controlled substances. I support efforts to stop the flow of illegal drugs into this country by beefing up border security. However, I am against violations of the Constitutional and civil rights of American citizens. Searches without probable cause and seizures without due process must be prohibited, and the presumption of innocence must be preserved.
Judges should at times, when the law allows and under certain conditions, have the discretion of allowing certain criminals, particularly illicit drug users, to be turned over to private treatment facilities not funded by taxpayer dollars, instead of prison. There are some excellent examples of such treatment programs, such as Teen Challenge, which changes lives both physically and spiritually. These programs should always be an option for nonviolent possession-related offenders. Programs that are funded by taxpayers are not as effective, as they will always have strings attached about what can and can’t be said to the recovering drug addict.
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About Me
- Matt
- I am born again Christian with a strong interest in politics, doctrine, science, and how these relate to one another.
2 comments:
People abuse substances such as drugs, alcohol, and tobacco for varied and complicated reasons, but it is clear that our society pays a significant cost. The toll for this abuse can be seen in our hospitals and emergency departments through direct damage to health by substance abuse and its link to physical trauma. Jails and prisons tally daily the strong connection between crime and drug dependence and abuse. Although use of some drugs such as cocaine has declined, use of other drugs such as heroin and "club drugs" has increased.
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vanessa
Suffering from an addiction. This website has a lot of great resources and treatment centers.
http://www.treatmentcenters.org
I agree that illicit drug use is very dangerous and does take a toll on society. However, the main focus of the gov't should be on harshly punishing violent crimes. Just because there is a correlation of something with a crime, doesn't mean that it should be banned. Treatment programs are best left to religious and private organizations. I favor laws which give judges the discretion of requiring a non-violent offender to complete a treatment program.
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