Well Dale, thank you for the welcome:

You asked me if I thought that all drugs should be legal and the drug war abandoned?

Well, I think I will let psychonaut Robert Anton Wilson answer that question, with a quote from his book "Sex, Drugs & Magick" which was published in 1987. The following passage appears on pages 194-195:

"The cost of continuing to treat these born losers as criminals is absolutely staggering. There are, approximately, 1,600,000 heroin addicts in the US, and the average habit costs $150 per day. The addicts therefore need 87.6 billion dollars per year to pay for their dope. A few of them are doctors, and can steal opiate drugs to keep themselves going; a number are attractive young women and have the dubious privilege of prostituting themselves; but the rest must steal. Since it generally takes about $300 worth of merchandise to pry $150 loose from an underworld fence, the addicts who are stealing, are stealing not $150 per day, but $300 - from the rest of us. That's where your television went when your apartment was robbed. That's where your car went when it was heisted. That's where most stolen property goes nowadays. If even half the addicts (a conservative estimate) are stealing to support their habit, it is still costing us around a trillion dollars per year to maintain these laws.

If the addicts were given a daily supply of junk for free it would cost, by comparison, only around 292 million dollars for the whole country, because without the black market, heroin can be manufactured at a cost - per addict per day - of approximately 50 cents - one-three-hundredth of the street price. To satisfy the possible complaint that giving addicts free junk would corrupt their morals, the addicts could be required to work a few hours per month to cover the $15 per month for that months supply.

Would addiction spread further iunder such a system? The answer seems to be: not much. As we have already seen, most normal people get no kick at all from heroin. Any heroin that got into general circulation would still be competing with drugs of less frightening reputation: alcohol, barbituates and tranquilizers. Probably, most addict personalities - those who are not of low educational level and not under especially acute stress - would continue to choose these more acceptable depressants."

- Robert Anton Wilson, Sex, Drugs & Magick, pgs. 194-195

Just look at Amsterdam, their level of addiction and crime both are much lower than here in the USA, where the penalties are greater, and so is the black market profit. The question really is how to eliminate the black market incentive, the most obvious way to deal with that is to legalize or failing that, at least decriminalize responsible use.

Here is an example of something that happened to someone I know:

He was smoking a joint watching TV and a local police officer rings the doorbell to collect for a fundraiser. The cop smelled the kind herb, and arrests the TV watcher.

However, the guy was in his own house, and did not feel that anyone had the right to tell him what to do in his own home. He alleged imminent domain in court, won the case, but had the records sealed.

What would you have done in that instance if you were the policeman? How about if you were the guy who was toking up?

You see, most often there are hidden motivators that never make the article in Time magazine.

As for the sad story of my high school friend Rich, he was a schizophrenic. He maybe shouldn't have done what he did. But, just because he fucked up, that doesn't mean I shouldn't have the right to make that decision for myself, as I am the one who will reap the rewards of having done so.

Also, my comment that enlightenment is what the Drug War is all about preventing - I seriously mean this.

Out of all the people I have ever known, I would rather spend time when someone who wants to smoke instead of drink. The stoner is likely to be a mellower person and the drinker is going to be more rowdy and boisterous.

Already, we have a problem.

I have also discovered another corollary:

The more beneficial a drug is for the human mind, the larger the legal penalties. All the stuff that is harmful to the largest extent, is available everywhere, ciggys and beer.

Well, there is now roughly five times the amount of drugs on the streets, than there was when this Drug war started.

They were really after the 2nd amendment, posse comitatus, and the 4th amendment, among others. And because they promised they were protecting the children, we as a republic, gave away the keys to the kingdom.

Does this clarify things a bit?

~ Mason