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I don't buy it. Adult's are not allowed to emotionally hurt their kids. Various child abuse laws cover this and our laws do indeed say that it is the State's
by tsally 17y ago
I don't buy it. Adult's are not allowed to emotionally hurt their kids. Various child abuse laws cover this and our laws do indeed say that it is the State's business. You can't show me hard evidence that meth users usually act in emotionally (and financially) responsible ways; adults with dependents using meth is clearly wrong.
As for kids, well, kids simply don't have a developed enough brain to make proper decisions about a substance as addictive as meth. The argument here is purely biological and doesn't really need a defense. I'll preempt the usual counter argument by saying that if we could quantify decision making ability, I'd be all for using that instead of age. But age is the best we've got right now.
As I said before, if it doesn't affect anyone else I don't really care what you do. Parents can do whatever they want (drugs or otherwise) if it doesn't affect their kids or other dependents. In addition, anyone with a job needs to consider their responsibility to their company. But hey, if there's someone where none of these connections apply, s/he can do whatever they want. I certainly wont judge.
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- Devilboy 17y agoParents doing meth need help, not mandatory jail sentences.
- tsally 17y agoI never claimed that the punishment was right, only that it should be illegal. I'm in favor of whatever punishment helps the addict and society at large the most.
- rizzn 17y ago++1. Definitely agree. Judgment should stand. Sentencing should adapt.
- Devilboy 17y agoWould you then agree that alcohol (which destroys many families - way more than meth) should be illegal too?
- tsally 17y agoInteresting question. Alcohol shouldn't be illegal because it's a major part of our social fabric in America. Business deals, hacker meetups, weddings, reunions, all have alcohol at them. Hell, the writers of the constitution consumed a ton of alcohol to celebrate when they finished. All of these examples lead me to believe that in moderate amounts, alcohol serves a useful social function. I mean, when was the last time you were at a hacker meetup that didn't have booze at it? Another reason why alcohol shouldn't be illegal is that almost all users are functioning, contributing members of society. Meth isn't even close in that regard. I'd be surprised if more than 5% of regular meth users have a positive net effect. It's just too addictive and potent. That being said, I think the penalties for consuming too much alcohol should be on par with drug related offenses. Further, any crime committed while under heavy influence of alcohol (assault and rape come to mind) should have it's minimum sentence doubled. And as for parents who beat their spouses and children while drunk? I'd be fine with throwing them in jail for 20 to life depending on the damage done. A less extreme measure is to revoke a persons right to purchase alcohol after X number of alcohol induced crimes. People do make mistakes, and we don't need to throw the book at first time offenders. However, a repeated pattern of alcohol abuse is not something that should be tolerated any more than the use of meth.
- Devilboy 17y agoDid you forget about the alcohol prohibition period?
- tsally 17y agoYou're going to need to explain why you feel that Prohibition has any relevance to the points I made in my previous comment, because I'm not sure what you are getting at. Yes, religious movements caused alcohol to be banned for a period of time, but it was recognized as a mistake and repealed. Plus, it's not like Prohibition was a unanimous thing. There were 14 states that voted against it.