[The Godfather]

This angers me so much. Drug dealers deliberately designing ways to get minors hooked on heroin. In this case, they are making whiffable heroin and calling it cheese.

http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?I...subCategoryID=

Anybody for the death penalty for drug dealers?

[LegendaryPinkOx]

Only 2% herion too, for whatever price their getting for that sort of dillution they must be making a killing!

Tis why I don't like junkies. They don't seem to realize that stunts like this are only going to allow for more strict law enforcement and less liberty for those who desire only a recreational persuit of the substance. You know how hard it is to get tar where I live? Assholes!

[JoshuaZ]

How do they get our youth....

Could it be with drugs? Or that youth are, in general, stupid? (Always have been always will be)

[ort888]

Do you really think drug dealers sit around in a board room coming up with ways to market drugs to children?

Seems a little far-fetched. I think trenchcoat wearing drug-dealers offering free drugs to kids is something we only see in afterschool specials and commercials. The reality is far less interesting or well thought out.

[JoshuaZ]

Thinking about this subject a bit, you really have to remember several lines from the movie "Thank you for Smoking."

"We don't sell Tic Tacs, we sell cigarettes. And they're cool, available, and *addictive*. The job is almost done for us."

[highstakes]

I think in Thailand its a death sentence if you get caught with trafficking drugs.

[iMOTOR]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ 

Or that youth are, in general, stupid? (Always have been always will be)

And those same dumbasses grow up to be stupid adults.

[badidea]

Dealers and drugs don't make people addicted - using drugs does!

Originally Posted by The Godfather 

Anybody for the death penalty for drug dealers?

Not me!

[PB2K]

people start using drugs because their friends do also.

it's about peer pressure and ease of availability

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by PB2K 

people start using drugs because their friends do also.

it's about peer pressure and ease of availability

This is, in part, correct. However, it also has to do with whom one's peers are. A kid with a decent self image and the idea that he or she can do whatever he or she sets his/her mind to is a lot less likely to become involved in a peer group that tolerates drug use than a kid who doesn't get the feedback and guidance needed for that decent self image and positive future orientation.

When I was in high school, pot was a "cool kids" thing, and I certainly wasn't cool. But the dynamics have changed in the last 30 years, and so has the drug market. The world where pot was a statement is gone. Almost all of it comes to its users through well organized criminal channels, and the idea that pot is a "gateway" drug is now a marketing strategy.

[red rocket]

Originally Posted by ghporter

This is, in part, correct. However, it also has to do with whom one's peers are. A kid with a decent self image and the idea that he or she can do whatever he or she sets his/her mind to is a lot less likely to become involved in a peer group that tolerates drug use than a kid who doesn't get the feedback and guidance needed for that decent self image and positive future orientation.

When I was in high school, pot was a "cool kids" thing, and I certainly wasn't cool. But the dynamics have changed in the last 30 years, and so has the drug market. The world where pot was a statement is gone. Almost all of it comes to its users through well organized criminal channels, and the idea that pot is a "gateway" drug is now a marketing strategy.

When I was in school, a lot of people smoked weed. It had little to do with lack of ‘decent self image and positive future orientation’, in fact I'd say that most of us were full of ourselves and brimming with energy. I know I was.

When I was in at uni, two of my housemates were regularly smoking marihuana and cannabis, and the other one popped pills every other day. We were all being productive and self‑respecting.

There were some people who didn't take drugs. Some of them were cool, anyway, part of the scene if you like, and we didn't push them into doing drugs. Some people drank a lot, some of them smoked weed, some did both. It wasn't a big deal.

I was aware that there were some guys and girls who wouldn't participate in any drinking or drug‑taking activities for one reason or another, which had the effect that they only hung around with their own kind, and mostly not even that, because ‘hanging around’ usually seemed on their things‑to‑avoid list, as well.

Can you have fun not getting tanked and/or stoned? I suppose.
Can you understand the sort of fun people who are getting tanked and/or stoned are having if you view booze and drugs as ‘not decent’ and ‘negative’? I don't think so. I think it isolates you from these people for no good reason.

Takes all sorts, I guess.

[osiris]

I'm all for legalising everything, but don't want drugs/booze in the hands of children.

[centerchannel68]

Ditto. Except heroin and crystal meth. Those can stay illegal.

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

This is, in part, correct. However, it also has to do with whom one's peers are. A kid with a decent self image and the idea that he or she can do whatever he or she sets his/her mind to is a lot less likely to become involved in a peer group that tolerates drug use than a kid who doesn't get the feedback and guidance needed for that decent self image and positive future orientation.

When I was in high school, pot was a "cool kids" thing, and I certainly wasn't cool. But the dynamics have changed in the last 30 years, and so has the drug market. The world where pot was a statement is gone. Almost all of it comes to its users through well organized criminal channels, and the idea that pot is a "gateway" drug is now a marketing strategy.

Disagree. Pot is still cool. All the more popular people at my high school smoked pot, and in general I'd say well over 50% of our school smoked on occasion. Our school also embraced everybody though... if dorks showed up at parties, people were glad to have them, and they'd say "hey man, never been drunk with you before, come here!" etc. We didn't have kids that everybody hated, with the exception of a FEW poor kids who had no chance anyway (drain bamage, I think). Anyway, point was, is that pot wasn't exclusive to one type of group. It was all over.

However, there is a huge difference between someone who 'smokes pot' and someone who needs it everyday. The first is a balanced individual, the second is not.

[PB2K]

123

[powerbook867]

Same theme close to where I live:

Crime Scene KC

[mac128k-1984]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

Ditto. Except heroin and crystal meth. Those can stay illegal.

Why? The other drugs do just as much damage. In some ways its one of those all or nothing deals not that I see it ever being legalized and I'll fight it tooth and nail.

As for the OP comments, this makes the parent's job all the harder. While my girls are too young (only 16mos) the day is quckly coming that I'll start warning them about the dangers.

The problem is partly peer pressure, partly innocence, i.e., believing nothing can hurt them.

I've personally seen the ravages of drugs, including pot and nothing good comes out of people using them.

[centerchannel68]

Because they're way more addictive, and I haven't ever met a heroin or meth user that was a productive successful member of society. People who drink alcohol, smoke pot, or even the VERY occasional use of something else, like ecstacy, coke, mushrooms, lsd, can and ARE generally still all productive successful members of society. Meth and Heroin aren't like that. They hook people, hard.

[powerbook867]

mac128, my daughter turns 7 here in about 2 weeks. While my mom was always anti drug growing up, it seems to be worse today...

In the 70's few dealers actually targeted children. Today, as these articles have shown, kids are targets and the problem will probably get worse.

We have discussions with her regularly about drugs, but the problem with this kind of push from dealers is who she takes candy from. One of friends at school might offer her something during her after school care and it could be laced with something horrible. So do we tell her not to take anything from anyone? (we're close to that point now..)

Where do you draw the line where safety becomes paranoia?

These dealers should go to prison for life....

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by ort888 

Do you really think drug dealers sit around in a board room coming up with ways to market drugs to children?

Works for cigarettes.

[sek929]

I have never, EVER, been offered drugs.

You get drugs by asking specifically for them, and then paying for them.

Drug dealers don't wander around trying to 'hook' people. The wait until people call them for drugs, and then sell them.

If there was no demand, there would be no drug dealers. A person who ruined his/her life with Heroin has no one to blame but themselves.

Also, I don't understand the alarm about weed laced with other drugs. lemme break it down for ya. If you buy a 50 dollar bag of weed, nobody in their right mind would throw in extra drugs for free. That **** just doesn't happen. Maybe once or twice, but I have bought THOUSANDS of bags of weed and have never got anything more than just weed. More paranoia and misinformation.

[powerbook867]

All you need is one child in a school with some junky parent or cousin to hand out some candy to other kids. Hell, it could even be by accident...the kid could think it's actual candy.

Meth heads are always looking for money to make their next supply run to Lowes to buy paint thinner and drain cleaner...

[Cipher13]

Drug dealers don't "target" youth. Youth target drug dealers as a source of recreation.

Don't blame the dealers, blame the druggies (unless, of course, you're blaming them for selling shoddy products... which is fair enough).

[PB2K]

123

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I have never, EVER, been offered drugs.

You get drugs by asking specifically for them, and then paying for them.

Drug dealers don't wander around trying to 'hook' people. The wait until people call them for drugs, and then sell them.

You've never been at a party and had someone offer you weed? Never had someone you didn't know pass you a joint?

It's happened to me plenty of times, in different states, with different crowds. I've also been approached by drug dealers on the street offering to sell me crack, hash, and various other drugs.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

You've never been at a party and had someone offer you weed? Never had someone you didn't know pass you a joint?

It's happened to me plenty of times, in different states, with different crowds. I've also been approached by drug dealers on the street offering to sell me crack, hash, and various other drugs.

I should have been more clear. I was referring to most hard drugs, like saying that your pot may be laced with coke is silly.

I've been offered weed hundreds of times (more so when I quit for months to get my Home Depot job) but never by someone with the intent of "getting me hooked" or trying to make a sale. I've known people who sell all sorts of jazz (know as in "don't like and/or avoid at all costs) and they never tried to convince me to buy drugs. If I wanted Heroin, I could get it. That doesn't mean I will buy it, it just means that if I was a willing participant it would be easy beans.

My stance is, and has always been, that I don't refer (pun intended) to weed as a drug in the same manner I don't have to 'score' a 6-pack of Corona. Pot can be a gateway drug due to it's illegality and nothing else. I don't, however, want this to turn into a discussion about my former statements since this is not the place for it.

In my years buying weed I guess I've just been dealing with the right people to avoid getting offered crack or some other shiat. If someone was to do so they would automatically go on my brain's ignore list forever. I have an uncle that ruined his life on cocaine and heroin, and another uncle I had did the same.

[itistoday]

Drug dealers, at least 99.99% of them, do not hide in the shadows behind bushes, syringe in hand, waiting to pounce on your retarded children. Just thought I'd make that clear.

[CleoW]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I should have been more clear. I was referring to most hard drugs, like saying that your pot may be laced with coke is silly.

I dunno. If you walk in the Village here in NYC at night, they whisper to you while you're walking and ask if you want stuff like LSD.

[::maroma::]

Thats funny. Our government markets the military to kids, making it seem like a super cool video game. Hell, they make a damned video game to woo kids to join. And they are marching them to their deaths.

Alcohol companies do it. Cigarette companies do it. Junk food companies do it.

Now drug dealers are doing it (and lets be real, they've been doing it for ages -- look at all the pretty shapes and colors on these acid tabs!), and society is appalled! I call bullshit.

Its funny how people don't see most of the crap thats constantly hitting them in the face, yet something happens to catch their eye and they start a crusade. Death to drug dealers? Are you serious? How about death to all of the store clerks who sell cigarettes or alcohol to underage people? Its the same crap, only for some reason our society accepts these substances as things that are okay to keep in our commerce system, leaving the door wide open for kids to find ways to acquire them. The store clerks are the equivalent of drug dealers in this example.

The War on Drugs™ is a miserable failure. Yet we wage it without question. We need a complete rethinking of this policy. Take a look around the world. See what others have done, what worked and what didn't. Use that info to form a new plan. Because our current one will never work.

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I have never, EVER, been offered drugs.

Go to a big city. It'll happen. It's happened to me at least 3 times. What I don't get is if they actually expect people to believe them... I mean.... how do I know they're not some undercover cop? I don't. Hence I wouldn't buy from them. Especially if they're older and shady looking.

[G4ME]

been to a few big cities, never been offered, guess i don't look like the druggie type. But yeah I try and not buy anything from a guy on the street.

People have asked me for directions in places when i visiting, kinda weird when I didn't even know the language and they thought i knew how to get someplace.

[itistoday]

Oh noooooo!! Somebody offered me drugs!!!

Kill them all!!

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by ::maroma:: 

Because our current one will never work.

Just like abstinence

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

Because they're way more addictive, and I haven't ever met a heroin or meth user that was a productive successful member of society. People who drink alcohol, smoke pot, or even the VERY occasional use of something else, like ecstacy, coke, mushrooms, lsd, can and ARE generally still all productive successful members of society. Meth and Heroin aren't like that. They hook people, hard.

Some people can take take heroin for years still holding down jobs and quit overnight with a minimal withdrawal.

I never trusted myself enough to risk it.

[centerchannel68]

Like who? The only people I ever even remotely knew who did it are either dead now, or in prison.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Almost all of it comes to its users through well organized criminal channels, and the idea that pot is a "gateway" drug is now a marketing strategy.

I thought this thread was going to be about CNN.

Ah, GH, pot isn't a "gateway drug." Just ask the "experts." You and I know that it is, but the pros haven't yet figured that out. Also, be careful talking about kids with positive self-images, etc. You MIGHT BE misunderstood to say that only losers do drugs. Also unsupported by research (but supported by personal experience).

[centerchannel68]

I'm pretty sure that everybody who's tried pot has tried alcohol before that. And everybody who's tried alcohol has done caffiene before that. So technically, caffiene is the gateway drug. As for ' only losers smoke pot'.... well, I guess the creator of the west wing, Arnold, Art Garfunkel, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Ben Franklin, Bill Gates, Bill Murray, Bing Crosby, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Burt Reynolds, Bruce Lee, Cab Calloway, Carl Sagan, Carlos Santana, Carrie Fischer, Charlie Sheen, Charlize Theron, Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Conon O'Brian, David Hockeny, Diego Rivera, Drew Barrymore, Duke Ellington, Francis Ford Coppella, Nietzche, George Washington, the Grateful Dead, Harrison Ford, Howard Stern, Hunter S Thompson (duh), Jack Kerouac, Jack Nicholson, James Brown, Janis Joplin, Jennifer Aniston, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hendrix, John Belushi, JFK, Johnny Cash, John Wayne, Julia Roberts, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ken Kesey, Kurt Cobain, Led Zeppelin, Lewis Carroll, Louis Armstrong, , etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc are all total losers.

Everybody on here is a loser too:

VIP


In fact, I think you should pretty much burn your entire music collection, since basically every musician digs pot.

[JoshuaZ]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

I'm pretty sure that everybody who's tried pot has tried alcohol before that. And everybody who's tried alcohol has done caffiene before that. So technically, caffiene is the gateway drug. As for ' only losers smoke pot'.... well, I guess the creator of the west wing, Arnold, Art Garfunkel, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Ben Franklin, Bill Gates, Bill Murray, Bing Crosby, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Burt Reynolds, Bruce Lee, Cab Calloway, Carl Sagan, Carlos Santana, Carrie Fischer, Charlie Sheen, Charlize Theron, Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Conon O'Brian, David Hockeny, Diego Rivera, Drew Barrymore, Duke Ellington, Francis Ford Coppella, Nietzche, George Washington, the Grateful Dead, Harrison Ford, Howard Stern, Hunter S Thompson (duh), Jack Kerouac, Jack Nicholson, James Brown, Janis Joplin, Jennifer Aniston, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hendrix, John Belushi, JFK, Johnny Cash, John Wayne, Julia Roberts, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ken Kesey, Kurt Cobain, Led Zeppelin, Lewis Carroll, Louis Armstrong, , etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc are all total losers.

Everybody on here is a loser too:

VIP


In fact, I think you should pretty much burn your entire music collection, since basically every musician digs pot.

Ok.... just because I think its really kind of funny.... look at that list... and then think about how many of those people died or had massive problems because of drugs? Or just the number that died because of drugs/ alcohol.

Plus I don't think George Washington SMOKED pot. He grew it. Like a lot of people did (and probably would still be doing) as hemp was used for a heck of a lot of stuff back then. Plus, even if he was, it was a much much milder version compared to what we have now.

(And before anyone attacks me, I have no problem what so ever with people smoking pot. I've seen a lot of people do some serious damage to themselves and others drinking in life to realize that pot is probably not the worst thing someone could do to themselves.)

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey 

Some people can take take heroin for years.....and quit overnight with a minimal withdrawal.

Someone has lied to you. Doesn't matter WHO you are it takes 3 days for heroin to get out of your system. And if you have been doing it for YEARS it's not going to be pleasant.

We are talking about a full blown flu like symptoms with all kinds of body liquids shooting out all orifices of your body, added with a 3 day long panic attack.

[Graviton]

Originally Posted by red rocket 

Can you have fun not getting tanked and/or stoned?

Yeah, but at those times I tend to think "Man, this would be even better if I were tanked up and/or stoned"

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by Kevin 

Someone has lied to you. Doesn't matter WHO you are it takes 3 days for heroin to get out of your system. And if you have been doing it for YEARS it's not going to be pleasant.

We are talking about a full blown flu like symptoms with all kinds of body liquids shooting out all orifices of your body, added with a 3 day long panic attack.

Not true, many people snort heroin casually for years, I did not learn this from books or second hand from other people. I'm sure than if someone injects or smokes heroin for a long period of time they will get seriously addicted and its going to be a nightmare to give it up, but I know plenty of people who used (snorted) weekly while at university and stopped when they lost contact with the suppliers, with no ill effects.

Its not the kind of thing you want to tell your kids but that doesn't mean its not true.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by highstakes 

I think in Thailand its a death sentence if you get caught with trafficking drugs.

No, it's not. Bloke I used to go to school with got caught trafficking smack there and he's doing a 40 year stretch.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey 

Not true, many people snort heroin casually for years, I did not learn this from books or second hand from other people. I'm sure than if someone injects or smokes heroin for a long period of time they will get seriously addicted and its going to be a nightmare to give it up, but I know plenty of people who used (snorted) weekly while at university and stopped when they lost contact with the suppliers, with no ill effects.

Are you sure you're not confusing heroin with cocaine?

[ghporter]

Heroin can indeed be ingested by snorting it. Apparently there is less impact than with injecting it, but it is still a morphine-like drug and it will still cause physical and psychological dependence after repeated use. Note that if the use is not directly IV, it's likely that withdrawal symptoms will be lessened to the extent that one "feels like crap" rather than appears to have the flu...

With all that said, I pity anyone who uses heroin; there's no way to tell if the drug is pure and without dangerous cutting agents, there's no way to be sure that one's supplier will remain available, and so on... Plus, what are you getting away from that isn't still there when you come down? Personal opinion and all that.

[macintologist]

If you legalize the drugs, there will be no more shady drug dealers. It will be sold in stores, it will be cheap, it will be taxed and regulated, and you will have to present an ID to buy it. That will not solve our drug problem, but it will solve our crime problem. You can only get rid of drugs through education, not prohibtion.

Jesus people, prohibition DIDNT WORK THE FIRST TIME. Do you get it?? Why should it work now? What's so different about now? NOTHING!

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by macintologist 

If you legalize the drugs, there will be no more shady drug dealers. It will be sold in stores, it will be cheap, it will be taxed and regulated, and you will have to present an ID to buy it. That will not solve our drug problem, but it will solve our crime problem. You can only get rid of drugs through education, not prohibtion.

Jesus people, prohibition DIDNT WORK THE FIRST TIME. Do you get it?? Why should it work now? What's so different about now? NOTHING!

Unfortunately, the idea that we could eliminate a drug problem by legalizing, taxing and regulating drugs won't work for a number of reasons. To start with, there is so much money in illegal drugs that the bad guys aren't about to let them become legal. They would either apply money at high levels of government (and perhaps they already do this) to prevent legalization, or they'd terrorize legal sellers so they could keep their chemical slaves on their chemical leashes. (Oh, that came out out loud, didn't it? Fine.) There isn't enough manpower anywhere to be able to police that sort of thing.

The FIRST step we should take is to intervene with the people who use drugs "to escape." People who see no future, who feel oppressed and need to escape it, who feel ground down by "the system" and flee to drug induced, temporary bliss, need something other than the drugs to flee to. Seriously, there are so many social issues that could be used as catalysts for change to lighten people's burdens, illuminate their futures, and bring out their talents and capabilities, it seems that THE no-brainer is to stop people from becoming those "chemical slaves" in the first place through helping them find hope and ambition. Let the dealers lose enough customers and the whole reason for importing illegal stuff starts to fall apart. Once that happens, THEN we can consider changing things so that rich idiots can legally rot their brains, while smart, promising young people stop falling into that pit and start changing their worlds. Hope is what we need FIRST, with legalization a very distant second. Eliminate the hopelessness that drives people into drugs out of despair, and break the cycle of self destruction. The rest is mechanics.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey 

Not true, many people snort heroin casually for years, I did not learn this from books or second hand from other people. I'm sure than if someone injects or smokes heroin for a long period of time they will get seriously addicted and its going to be a nightmare to give it up, but I know plenty of people who used (snorted) weekly while at university and stopped when they lost contact with the suppliers, with no ill effects.

Its not the kind of thing you want to tell your kids but that doesn't mean its not true.

weekly... you do it for weeks and stop you'll feel "fuzzy" and a bit like you have a cold. The comment I was replying to said someone could be on it for years at a time and still not have bad withdrawal effects.
Which is malarky.

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Are you sure you're not confusing heroin with cocaine?

its easy:
Heroin :Brown
Charlie: White

When you start confusing them you really are in trouble.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey 

its easy:
Heroin :Brown
Charlie: White

When you start confusing them you really are in trouble.

There is white heroin too......