#1
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: ~

War on drugs 'not working,' Harper says

News conferences with Canada's Prime Minister don't happen every day — which, of course, increases the likelihood that, when he does hold one, he'll make news.

But it's even rarer that you'll hear Stephen Harper concede that the war on drugs is a failure.

It happened, though, after two days of listening to Latin American leaders explaining just how costly, and bloody, the war is.

Harper met Canadian journalists and readily admitted differences over the exclusion of Cuba from the Latin summit. He admitted, too, to a disagreement over British rule in the Falkland Islands.

But he was not ready to agree that the division over drug policy is so clear-cut. Rather, he insisted that there is much agreement. Then came the most interesting quote of the day.

"What I think everybody believes," Harper said, "is that the current approach is not working. But it is not clear what we should do."

This would be intriguing from any prime minister. From Stephen Harper, whose government's crime bill ratchets up the penalties for drug possession, it was startling.

Lest anyone think he'd undergone a conversion in Cartagena, Harper quickly added the other side of the story.

Drugs, he said, "are illegal because they quickly and totally — with many of the drugs — destroy people's lives."

Was marijuana the exception he had in mind? We never got to ask. But perhaps that was enough eyebrow-raising for one day.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/04/15/pol-milewski-harper-war-on-drugs.html

So our current policy isn't working but hey let's up the ante with minimum sentences. What a guy, what a guy.

#2
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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i believe that i, like most Americans, was under the impression that weed was already legal in Canada. way to not live up to the chilldude stereotype, neighbs
#3
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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cant we just compromise and agree that weed should be legal if everyone just promises not to smoke so much of it?
#4
penitent
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weed is the most damaging and destructive drug out there, its awful
#5
penitent
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like right now im drinking a shitload and doing a fair amount of coke and some downers + psychadelics..... and im basically fine, but when i was smoking weed the whole time it completely fucked up my life. shoot all stoners on sight
#6
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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its definitely the most annoying
#7
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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although im pretty sure cocaine takes the crown as far as being responsible for bad things is concerned. everything else is either too fringe to matter, or used only by poors (who also dont matter)
#8
Mike Nelson here.
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well since canada tends towards the most liberal dumb solution, they were going to decriminalize it and just have big fines for possession. but like weedbros were like umm right now police don't tend to bother us much (*"if white" implied) and now instead they'll write big tickets, this is even worse. anyway now the conservative are in power and they scrapped all that and are even moving towards mandatory minimums because they are full of lose.
#9
penitent
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i met a bunch of dutch students and they smoke weed only very rarely... maybe it should be legalised just so people will stop using it and turn instead to harder, better drugs
#10
penitent
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Superabound posted:
although im pretty sure cocaine takes the crown as far as being responsible for bad things is concerned. everything else is either too fringe to matter, or used only by poors (who also dont matter)



nah thats alcohol, which is also an excellent drug. good things make bad things happen sometimes, the only drugs that don't leave a few bodies are boring insipid drugs like weed

#11
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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when you really think about it its pretty weird how much the high-level political decision-making of first-world 21st century nations is predicated upon some fucking plant

fucking opium, rubber, cotton, tobacco, weed im sick of these goddamn plants running our goddamn lives. leave us a lone
#12
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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deadken posted:

Superabound posted:
although im pretty sure cocaine takes the crown as far as being responsible for bad things is concerned. everything else is either too fringe to matter, or used only by poors (who also dont matter)

nah thats alcohol, which is also an excellent drug. good things make bad things happen sometimes, the only drugs that don't leave a few bodies are boring insipid drugs like weed



the reason i hate weed is because it makes things boring and insipid

alcohol, while bad, really is an exception though. its a weird drug in the sense that not everyone who uses it on a regular basis becomes an addict. a large portion of humanity has literally genetically adapted to it

#13
penitent
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human society has always been a vast network parasiting itself off Some Fucking plant, why do you think anything would have changed
#14
penitent
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does oil count as a plant *hurriedly leafs through cyclonopedia*
#15
Mike Nelson here.
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one of my many weird things is that i've never had alcohol or weed.
#16
penitent
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addiction is mostly socially rather than chemically determined.... i heard this kewl thing about how hassidic jews who smoke two packs a day won't smoke on the sabbath and dont get cravings.... the law against kindling a fire is more powerful than any piddling chemical dependence
#17
penitent
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getfiscal posted:
one of my many weird things is that i've never had alcohol or weed.



drink some alcohol its good. do some coke. talk to some girls, and so on

#18
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deadken posted:
like right now im drinking a shitload and doing a fair amount of coke and some downers + psychadelics..... and im basically fine, but when i was smoking weed the whole time it completely fucked up my life. shoot all stoners on sight



the one drug with the least effect on your personality and behavior fucked you up most severely, peculiar that. you must be intolerable when sober.

#19
penitent
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uh weed has a lot more effect on my personality and behaviour than any drug i do regularly
#20
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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getfiscal posted:
one of my many weird things is that i've never had alcohol or weed.



previously i would have found that weird or slightly surprising but now its no different than someone telling me they never tried a specific type of candy

drugs are a childish indulgence that you should really have grown out of by your mid to late 20s. otherwise youre just going to end up being that weird insecure old guy who lets his teenage children throw wild parties at his house because he wants them to think hes cool

#21
penitent
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but yes, i'm intolerable in pretty much any state
#22
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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deadken posted:
addiction is mostly socially rather than chemically determined.... i heard this kewl thing about how hassidic jews who smoke two packs a day won't smoke on the sabbath and dont get cravings.... the law against kindling a fire is more powerful than any piddling chemical dependence



well that much is obvious simply by the fact that people can get addicted to facebook or gambling. electronic devices dont secrete too many mind altering chemicals that i know of (besides lead and mercury fumes)

#23
penitent
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endorphins
#24
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deadken posted:
addiction is mostly socially rather than chemically determined.... i heard this kewl thing about how hassidic jews who smoke two packs a day won't smoke on the sabbath and dont get cravings.... the law against kindling a fire is more powerful than any piddling chemical dependence



yeah man i knew a jew once in college who was always high on smack.
one sunday we were drinking beer and asked if he wanted one. He was all like, "nah man I'm good." crazy

#25
penitent
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fuckin jews amirite
#26
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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i smoked cigarettes for 16 years, but i always had my specific schedules. i never denied myself a cigarette when i wanted one, never really got any cravings other than what was immediately indulged, but when i finally decided to quit it was one of the easiest things ive ever done in my entire life. the one time it was hard was during one night out drinking and doing karaoke, and only because it was a behavior that i so strongly and specifically associated with that action

i cant even be bothered to drink coffee on a regular enough basis to prevent the inevitable caffeine-withdrawal headaches i inevitably get from inconsistent use, unless of course im around other people who are drinking it. drug use is inherently an imitative social behavior
#27
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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deadken posted:
endorphins



well yeah thats the point. everything you could ever need to become a complete junkie fuckup is pretty much already existent in your shitty brain since birth.

drugs are just chemical keys that unlock the worst preexisting aspects of our personalities

#28
penitent
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thats a strange way to frame getting mad fucked + having fun
#29
Mike Nelson here.
Post rating: +
the dalai lama was asked if he ever fantasizes about women and he said that sometimes he'll have a dream where he sees a woman in front of him and then he's like no, no thanks. isn't that the gayest lie ever.
#30
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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deadken posted:
thats a strange way to frame getting mad fucked + having fun



maybe the fun you are having isnt the fun you wanted to have. maybe the fun youre having is the fun the drug wantd to have. did u ever think about that??

#31
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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maybe when you fcuk a girl on weed youre just doing weeds bidding and making a weedbaby, and then that weedbaby grows up and stars in 12 judd apatow movies which foster Zionist attitudes
#32
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There was also a split between north and south over the drug trade. Many leaders have called for a new, open discussion about new solutions to drug related violence — possibly including legalization of illicit drugs.

Mr. Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama have said they cannot support anything but the prohibition of those substances.

Mr. Harper came to the Summit of the Americas with the hope of bolstering valuable ties with the region.

He announced Sunday more funding to help Central American countries combat the crippling violence caused by drug cartels that has wreaked havoc in the region.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-splits-with-latin-america-on-cuba-war-on-drugs/article2402984/

Make no mistake: when Harper says "the war on drugs is not working," he means that we have not thrown enough money and bodies at the perceived problem.

#33
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getfiscal posted:
well since canada tends towards the most liberal dumb solution, they were going to decriminalize it and just have big fines for possession. but like weedbros were like umm right now police don't tend to bother us much (*"if white" implied) and now instead they'll write big tickets, this is even worse. anyway now the conservative are in power and they scrapped all that and are even moving towards mandatory minimums because they are full of lose.



they're still not prosecuting simple possession afaik

#34
The Future is Here
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Superabound posted:

deadken posted:

Superabound posted:
although im pretty sure cocaine takes the crown as far as being responsible for bad things is concerned. everything else is either too fringe to matter, or used only by poors (who also dont matter)

nah thats alcohol, which is also an excellent drug. good things make bad things happen sometimes, the only drugs that don't leave a few bodies are boring insipid drugs like weed

the reason i hate weed is because it makes things boring and insipid

alcohol, while bad, really is an exception though. its a weird drug in the sense that not everyone who uses it on a regular basis becomes an addict. a large portion of humanity has literally genetically adapted to it



Do you agree with the plan I developed for the CIA to get all of china addicted to alcohol and cigarettes so that their decreased productivity can be the buried mound of bones that white america climbs to get back on top

#35
Not Your S.H.I.E.L.D.
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Myfanwy posted:
Do you agree with the plan I developed for the CIA to get all of china addicted to alcohol and cigarettes so that their decreased productivity can be the buried mound of bones that white america climbs to get back on top



in general theory its a good plan but i think due to their genetic inability to process lactose it might be more effective to get them all addicted to milkshakes instead. that way we can just steamroll over them while theyre on the pot instead of having to fight a billion+ invincible Zui Quan masters

#36
The Future is Here
Post rating: ~

Superabound posted:

Myfanwy posted:
Do you agree with the plan I developed for the CIA to get all of china addicted to alcohol and cigarettes so that their decreased productivity can be the buried mound of bones that white america climbs to get back on top

in general theory its a good plan but i think due to their genetic inability to process lactose it might be more effective to get them all addicted to milkshakes instead. that way we can just steamroll over them while theyre on the pot instead of having to fight a billion+ invincible Zui Quan masters

Hmm that's a good idea, we can set up a milk pipeline from south korea and get to it immediately

#37
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keep drugs illegal and cuba out of the americas imho

change u can believe in
#38
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ken's opinions on drugs are making me irl mad. if it were just that he didn't like pot or that he did like shitty overrated drugs it'd be one thing but both? both!?!?
#39
Post rating: ~
legalize drugs and murder
#40
Post rating: +
neo otacon's posting formed the only compelling argument for the legalization of marijuana