4 ms·

There is no legal justification for criminalizing the use of any substance. We can put people in jail for armed robbery, why should a non-violent drug user be p

by yboris 7y ago

There is no legal justification for criminalizing the use of any substance. We can put people in jail for armed robbery, why should a non-violent drug user be put in jail?

koolba 7y ago
It’s deterrent. All else being equal people will do less of an act if there’s a consequence. Why does it even have to be armed? Why not jail petty theft that furthers a drug habit?
- TremendousJudge 7y ago
  I thought that Freedom was the most important tenet of the USA? If something doesn't harm anyone, should it be deterred just because it has associated behaviors that do? Should going to the shooting range be illegal because it makes people better marksmen therefore increasing fatalities in mass shootings?
  - koolba 7y ago
    > I thought that Freedom was the most important tenet of the USA? Freedom being a core tenet of rights in the USA does not me individual freedom above all else. It’s a balancing act where individual freedoms need a justification for restriction. Not that it cannot be done. I see it like freedom of speech allowing you to speak your mind but society deciding that yelling “Fire!” in a theater is not allowed. > If something doesn't harm anyone, should it be deterred just because it has associated behaviors that do? Of course it can. That’s what society and laws are for, namely guiding overall behavior in complex systems. The what and how matter though. > Should going to the shooting range be illegal because it makes people better marksmen therefore increasing fatalities in mass shootings? The vast majority of people going a firing range for target practice are law abiding people, not criminals planning a mass shooting. Infringing their rights would not, IMHO, be a fair or constitutional trade off. This is a good example of where the specifics matter. The vast majority of marijuana users do not commit crimes to buy marijuana. No honest debate on this subject could say the same about heroin or meth. Both of those drugs do nothing but destroy people’s lives and drive them to a life of dependence and crime.
  - rXoX 7y ago
    Define "harm".

by yboris 7y ago

There is no legal justification for criminalizing the use of any substance. We can put people in jail for armed robbery, why should a non-violent drug user be put in jail?

koolba 7y ago

It’s deterrent. All else being equal people will do less of an act if there’s a consequence. Why does it even have to be armed? Why not jail petty theft that furthers a drug habit?

TremendousJudge 7y ago
I thought that Freedom was the most important tenet of the USA? If something doesn't harm anyone, should it be deterred just because it has associated behaviors that do? Should going to the shooting range be illegal because it makes people better marksmen therefore increasing fatalities in mass shootings?
- koolba 7y ago
  > I thought that Freedom was the most important tenet of the USA? Freedom being a core tenet of rights in the USA does not me individual freedom above all else. It’s a balancing act where individual freedoms need a justification for restriction. Not that it cannot be done. I see it like freedom of speech allowing you to speak your mind but society deciding that yelling “Fire!” in a theater is not allowed. > If something doesn't harm anyone, should it be deterred just because it has associated behaviors that do? Of course it can. That’s what society and laws are for, namely guiding overall behavior in complex systems. The what and how matter though. > Should going to the shooting range be illegal because it makes people better marksmen therefore increasing fatalities in mass shootings? The vast majority of people going a firing range for target practice are law abiding people, not criminals planning a mass shooting. Infringing their rights would not, IMHO, be a fair or constitutional trade off. This is a good example of where the specifics matter. The vast majority of marijuana users do not commit crimes to buy marijuana. No honest debate on this subject could say the same about heroin or meth. Both of those drugs do nothing but destroy people’s lives and drive them to a life of dependence and crime.
- rXoX 7y ago
  Define "harm".