cannabisnews.com: An Idea for New Drug Ads 





An Idea for New Drug Ads 
Posted by CN Staff on March 15, 2003 at 08:17:56 PT
By Allen Finegold 
Source: Amarillo Globe-News 
Some recent television ads about the use of illegal drugs in the United States depict a series of conversations between a possible drug-user and his anti-drug friend.The potential or actual user is depicted as a middle-aged, well-dressed fellow who believes that an individual's drug consumption is not really harmful to society. His friend reminds him of the violence inflicted by drug-selling gangs, and says that the purchase of drugs (however small the amounts) subsidizes terrorism.
Given the illegality of certain drugs, this is a point well taken, and repeatedly emphasized.I wonder, however, if the legislators who have enacted state and federal laws to suppress drug use ever asked themselves any of the following questions:How long has the "war on drugs" been going on? How much money has been spent on enforcing drug laws during this war?How many individual Americans still use illegal drugs? How many are still habituated or addicted to their use?If drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin were not illegal, what would their prices be? How much money could gangsters make selling these drugs if there were a legal (and regulated) source for them?Is habitual drug use a threat to society requiring police intervention or a personal problem requiring voluntary treatment? What does such treatment now cost? How many poor people could get treatment if they wanted it?What illegal drugs have been scientifically verified as physically addictive or dangerous to the health of the user? How much more dangerous is it to take an unknown quantity of a drug in adulterated form (obtained illegally on the street) than a carefully measured quantity of that drug prescribed by a physician?Is the use of marijuana without any benefit to the user? What benefits of the hemp plant has society forgone because it is illegal to possess marijuana?What effect has criminal enforcement of state and federal drug laws had on the civil liberties of all Americans - especially on those guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment?How many people are in prison for possessing drugs? What bearing does this have, especially at the federal level, on our system of criminal justice?What is the effect on police, at all levels, of enforcing the drug laws? Has there been any corruption involved in the enforcement of drug laws?What has the American war on drugs done to the country of Colombia? Are there right-wing paramilitary terrorists operating in that country? How many thousands of Colombians have they murdered? Has U.S. assistance to the Colombian military been diverted to these terrorists?Perhaps one or two of these questions might be answered in the next series of ads sponsored by the U.S. office of drug policy.Guest Column: Allen Finegold is a resident of Amarillo.Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX)Author: Allen Finegold Published: Friday, March 14, 2003Copyright: 2003 Amarillo Globe-NewsWebsite: http://amarillonet.com/Contact: letters amarillonet.comRelated Articles:Our War on Drugs Does More Harm Than Good http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15708.shtmlDrug War Taking a Ridiculous Turn http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15173.shtml Outside View: Marijuana Policy Fails Youth http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14896.shtmlJust Say Yes: Legalization is The Only Way http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13232.shtml
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