It Was Just Pot, They Said

[FoxtArt]

Flesh out what ya want to discuss, maaaan.

PS Never is any fix of any kind a "cure all", there is always "someone left behind" an aspect most people fail to address - no worse offender than progressives though, who pat their back the hardest of anyone with all that virtue.

Partially why I advocate logic and "maths" based solutions, and strip out touchy feely. People are always going to die. Limiting burdens/costs to society, both financial, and suffering while considering the negative consequences of any action is vitally important. All this is irrelevant though, because we don't affect policy.

Virtue signaling white guys in gated white suburban neighborhoods, isolated from all of these problems, with millions of dollars in the bank, that's who is presently affecting policy. As I often say "There's over seven billion opinions on the planet, but their's is the only correct one".

So take your daym medicine Colorado, only they know what you really need!

[iego]

I think that there is a much larger conversation here. Kind of like changing the legal system so that felons that have done their time can vote when they get out. There are lots of things wrong with society, and any "fixes" shouldn't be viewed as cure alls because they clearly are not.

The larger conversation should be about how to reduce Government's impact in all aspects of society. Make Government smaller, and less intrusive. Make Government adhere to a balanced budget, etc.

In short, the conversation to be had, is not how government can do it better, but rather should government be doing it at all.

-John

[Irving]

Well personally when I see a bill that wants to put fewer people in jail, I'm generally for it. Skip is looking at a very broad picture of freedom where no small bill can really do anything in the scope of the broader picture.

[FoxtArt]

The U.S. does imprison as many people per capita as does North Korea. No question there is too many jailed.

On the flip side, did you see the "Seattle is Dying" documentary someone else posted? I don't normally watch things (normally too political and biased either direction), but that one does bring a lot of facts to the table and does show a result of the progressive policies now proposed in Colorado.

Status quo isn't right, for sure. Just curious where you think the best balance is, if anywhere. (accepting that no solution is perfect).

[Wulf202]

The U.S. does imprison as many people per capita as does North Korea. No question there is too many jailed.

On the flip side, did you see the "Seattle is Dying" documentary someone else posted? I don't normally watch things (normally too political and biased either direction), but that one does bring a lot of facts to the table and does show a result of the progressive policies now proposed in Colorado.

Status quo isn't right, for sure. Just curious where you think the best balance is, if anywhere. (accepting that no solution is perfect).

The Seattle is dying video is completely true

[Great-Kazoo]

Want to do drugs w/out repercussion? Here, sign this waiver that goes in a data base. You OD or seek treatment for substance abuse. TFB, you signed the waiver, you're on your own.

[FoxtArt]

It's more than a drug problem though. It's directly tied to the transient problem, which I'm sure we can all agree is exponentially worse now than a decade ago. So it's not like a persons drug use is confined to their home, it spills out and tent camps, burns fires, trashes, and shits right outside your business/restaurants/tourist places/ etc. on sidewalk, and then often spills into petty crime. Then, do we take the same libertarian approach to shitting in public? Do we imprison people at serious costs to the rest of us for repeated petty crimes? Do we decide not to imprison anyone essentially giving them free license to shoplift, shit, vandalize, etc, without reprocussion? (Seattle). It's not so easy as putting blinders on and saying "if people wanna do hard drugs, lets just let em, it's no skin off my back". One leads to the other, and they can go a looooong loooong time shitting on your sidewalk in a tent without OD'ing. Or at the park you would otherwise take your kids/grandkids. Or off the nature trail. Etc. etc. Or do you imprison them for life for shoplifting fifteen times. What's your solution for the whole kaboodle?

ETA as addressed in other places, I don't equate homelessness with a drug problem. The transients you see in the tent camps and on city streets are not "homeless" in the classic sense. People who are homeless due to non-drug issues don't typically tent camp with the addicts on a sidewalk. They sleep in cars, couch surf, find a family member/friend (cycle around), or make use of what services they can. The trashy, tent transients have an incredible proportion of drug problems, close to being "all of them". So yeah, there is causation.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Want to do drugs w/out repercussion? Here, sign this waiver that goes in a data base. You OD or seek treatment for substance abuse. TFB, you signed the waiver, you're on your own.

This is it pretty much.

You can't force somebody to want to live.

[Bailey Guns]

The Seattle is dying video is completely true

I just watched that. Powerful stuff. I was in Seattle for just a few hours a couple of months ago. Long enough to see it's a total shithole.

[kidicarus13]

The Seattle is dying video is completely true

Replace Seattle with Denver. We're not too far away.