Non-IT News Thread
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@NattNatt said in Non-IT News Thread:
@DustinB3403 It's helped in various countries in the rest of the world...and various states that have legalised it from what I've seen from over here?
If they can legalise it, reduce the costs and tax it...it's a win:win - get rid of the dodgy stuff surrounding it/crime it funds/stigma etc...and you get more tax to spend on healthcare/childcare etc..?
Yup, it reduces the need for healthcare while generating money to cover healthcare. Everyone wins.
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@scottalanmiller and reduces funding for other more sinister stuff.
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@NattNatt said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller and reduces funding for other more sinister stuff.
Reduces crime, reduces the need for police and military.... all things that the government hates reducing, unfortunately.
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@scottalanmiller Not necessarily reduces policing, but in some countries it free's up the police's time/resources to deal with more important things - less time spent chasing kids selling bags of weed = more time/resources to catch murdereds/rapists/child abusers etc
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@NattNatt said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller Not necessarily reduces policing, but in some countries it free's up the police's time/resources to deal with more important things - less time spent chasing kids selling bags of weed = more time/resources to catch murdereds/rapists/child abusers etc
Or you know, just being helpful like they are in most countries.
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@scottalanmiller Hah, I have no experience with Police in the States (outside of what I see on social media/news sites etc) - but yeah, in most of the world they are an asset (granted, I'm biased...but shhh
)...and it's scary to see/hear about the US police force... -
@NattNatt said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller Hah, I have no experience with Police in the States (outside of what I see on social media/news sites etc) - but yeah, in most of the world they are an asset (granted, I'm biased...but shhh
)...and it's scary to see/hear about the US police force...Well, for example, in any other country I see them doing things to protect people or just provide assistance whenever they have free time. In the US, police with free time are normally patrolling roads to see if they can find any excuse to ticket and fine you. They don't spend most of their time trying to protect, but time trying to "catch". it's not about the good of the public, it's about making money off of a populace that is "always guilty".
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@NattNatt said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller Not necessarily reduces policing, but in some countries it free's up the police's time/resources to deal with more important things - less time spent chasing kids selling bags of weed = more time/resources to catch murdereds/rapists/child abusers etc
Or you know, just being helpful like they are in most countries.
Uck, we're gonna have to break out another thread if I get started on police in 'merica.
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@scottalanmiller yeah, sadly I've worked with a few like that too...but the majority are just chilled and give you "words of advice" about minor things like that
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@travisdh1 said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@NattNatt said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller Not necessarily reduces policing, but in some countries it free's up the police's time/resources to deal with more important things - less time spent chasing kids selling bags of weed = more time/resources to catch murdereds/rapists/child abusers etc
Or you know, just being helpful like they are in most countries.
Uck, we're gonna have to break out another thread if I get started on police in 'merica.
All I will say on the matter of police in the US:
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@RojoLoco I was once on patrol at 3am...to keep me awake I had my mp3 player (sony walkman) playing loudly to keep me awake...that song came on and I burst out laughing, had to stop and calm down :')
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Europe has managed to completely eliminate drug cartels AND lower drug usage all in a single sweep. Make drugs dirt cheap and decriminalized and suddenly it is not "cool" to do them, there is no one making a lot of money to encourage pushing them and no money to support a cartel. The problem, quite literally, just doesn't exist when you don't use the government to make it exist. Switzerland went so far as to make heroin free and almost totally eliminated heroin usage almost overnight and eliminated all heroin related crime quite literally overnight.
Not only that but they offer free drug rehabilitation to the few people who do become addicts. This has been shown to be far more effective then our jail them till they quit policy. Resulting in far fewer relapses.
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@coliver said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Europe has managed to completely eliminate drug cartels AND lower drug usage all in a single sweep. Make drugs dirt cheap and decriminalized and suddenly it is not "cool" to do them, there is no one making a lot of money to encourage pushing them and no money to support a cartel. The problem, quite literally, just doesn't exist when you don't use the government to make it exist. Switzerland went so far as to make heroin free and almost totally eliminated heroin usage almost overnight and eliminated all heroin related crime quite literally overnight.
Not only that but they offer free drug rehabilitation to the few people who do become addicts. This has been shown to be far more effective then our jail them till they quit policy. Resulting in far fewer relapses.
This I can believe.... I have several relatives who are "dabbling" and several more who are full blown addicts, be it alcohol or drugs.... They go in, get clean, get out, and then go back to the same folks that got them to use in the first place...
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@coliver said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Europe has managed to completely eliminate drug cartels AND lower drug usage all in a single sweep. Make drugs dirt cheap and decriminalized and suddenly it is not "cool" to do them, there is no one making a lot of money to encourage pushing them and no money to support a cartel. The problem, quite literally, just doesn't exist when you don't use the government to make it exist. Switzerland went so far as to make heroin free and almost totally eliminated heroin usage almost overnight and eliminated all heroin related crime quite literally overnight.
Not only that but they offer free drug rehabilitation to the few people who do become addicts. This has been shown to be far more effective then our jail them till they quit policy. Resulting in far fewer relapses.
Sure recreational usage will spike for a short period of time, and some people will die as a result.. but in the long run, thing could only be better as, like you said, the coolness/rebellion factor would be gone.
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@coliver said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Europe has managed to completely eliminate drug cartels AND lower drug usage all in a single sweep. Make drugs dirt cheap and decriminalized and suddenly it is not "cool" to do them, there is no one making a lot of money to encourage pushing them and no money to support a cartel. The problem, quite literally, just doesn't exist when you don't use the government to make it exist. Switzerland went so far as to make heroin free and almost totally eliminated heroin usage almost overnight and eliminated all heroin related crime quite literally overnight.
Not only that but they offer free drug rehabilitation to the few people who do become addicts. This has been shown to be far more effective then our jail them till they quit policy. Resulting in far fewer relapses.
Yup, Switzerland is rocking this.
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@dafyre said in Non-IT News Thread:
@coliver said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Europe has managed to completely eliminate drug cartels AND lower drug usage all in a single sweep. Make drugs dirt cheap and decriminalized and suddenly it is not "cool" to do them, there is no one making a lot of money to encourage pushing them and no money to support a cartel. The problem, quite literally, just doesn't exist when you don't use the government to make it exist. Switzerland went so far as to make heroin free and almost totally eliminated heroin usage almost overnight and eliminated all heroin related crime quite literally overnight.
Not only that but they offer free drug rehabilitation to the few people who do become addicts. This has been shown to be far more effective then our jail them till they quit policy. Resulting in far fewer relapses.
This I can believe.... I have several relatives who are "dabbling" and several more who are full blown addicts, be it alcohol or drugs.... They go in, get clean, get out, and then go back to the same folks that got them to use in the first place...
Yeah, protecting against that stuff is a major focus in the Euro nations typically.
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@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@coliver said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Europe has managed to completely eliminate drug cartels AND lower drug usage all in a single sweep. Make drugs dirt cheap and decriminalized and suddenly it is not "cool" to do them, there is no one making a lot of money to encourage pushing them and no money to support a cartel. The problem, quite literally, just doesn't exist when you don't use the government to make it exist. Switzerland went so far as to make heroin free and almost totally eliminated heroin usage almost overnight and eliminated all heroin related crime quite literally overnight.
Not only that but they offer free drug rehabilitation to the few people who do become addicts. This has been shown to be far more effective then our jail them till they quit policy. Resulting in far fewer relapses.
Sure recreational usage will spike for a short period of time, and some people will die as a result.. but in the long run, thing could only be better as, like you said, the coolness/rebellion factor would be gone.
That period has been super short. In sub-year long trials, they have seen positive results, dramatic ones, without those spikes. there might be spikes in days or weeks, but not in months.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
@coliver said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Europe has managed to completely eliminate drug cartels AND lower drug usage all in a single sweep. Make drugs dirt cheap and decriminalized and suddenly it is not "cool" to do them, there is no one making a lot of money to encourage pushing them and no money to support a cartel. The problem, quite literally, just doesn't exist when you don't use the government to make it exist. Switzerland went so far as to make heroin free and almost totally eliminated heroin usage almost overnight and eliminated all heroin related crime quite literally overnight.
Not only that but they offer free drug rehabilitation to the few people who do become addicts. This has been shown to be far more effective then our jail them till they quit policy. Resulting in far fewer relapses.
Sure recreational usage will spike for a short period of time, and some people will die as a result.. but in the long run, thing could only be better as, like you said, the coolness/rebellion factor would be gone.
That period has been super short. In sub-year long trials, they have seen positive results, dramatic ones, without those spikes. there might be spikes in days or weeks, but not in months.
We can even look at Colorado. Not that you can really abuse marijuana but they saw only a few days were sales went crazy then they settled to the current levels. @Nic may know more about it I think he is in Colorado now.
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My Denver based friends have told me that the illegal marijuana trade in Denver lowered for a while, but then spiked back up because taxes and normal business expenses on legal sales have driven the price to high, as in much higher than it was when it was simply illegal.
Kinda funny.
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@Dashrender said in Non-IT News Thread:
My Denver based friends have told me that the illegal marijuana trade in Denver lowered for a while, but then spiked back up because taxes and normal business expenses on legal sales have driven the price to high, as in much higher than it was when it was simply illegal.
Kinda funny.
Yes, that doesn't work. The European model is to make it free. Or nearly so. Growing at home is free. Lots of stuff comes from the government to make sure that there is zero value in selling dangerous drugs.
