The White Pony Poll
While it is self-serving, considering that Columbia is the largest producer of cocaine in the world, their president isn't wrong about dismantling the drug business, is he?
“If you want peace, you have to dismantle the business. It could easily be dismantled if they legalize cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine.”
Gustavo Petro
Prohibition didn't work for alcohol, and the "war on drugs" has been an abject failure. Well, it wasn't a failure for the CIA of course, who were financing their operations by pushing illicit drugs into poor neighbourhoods. And now, the largest drug killer in the US is fentanyl, which was developed by pharmaceuticals. Not to mention the role of Perdue Pharma which created oxycontin, systematically pushed it into the market through a small amount of unscrupulous doctors, and killed hundreds of thousands of people, affecting millions upon millions of connected lives. While the Sackler family who owned and then rebranded Purdue Pharma, never saw the inside of a jail cell and instead run a charitable foundation.
Is cocaine really so bad?
Nope.
Like anything, it could be seen as a gateway drug into harder drugs, but ultimately, everything is a gateway into the next level, but it doesn't mean people walk through that gate. Lots and lots of people smoke weed, but will never do another drug. Many people drink alcohol, which has a much more devastating effect on society, but that is fine. There really is no consistency in the legislation, is there?
Legalise it?
In a recent story from Finland, a country where all kinds of recreational drugs (except alcohol) are highly criminalised, a news service with access to the parliament Christmas party in November 2024, wiped down surfaces in the toilet cubicles at parliament house. They found traces of MDMA and cocaine. Seems that at least for that night, the legislators did some research into the topic.
I guess the reporters (state funded) won't be invited back to the next Christmas party.
Perhaps the Department of DOGE can defund another government organisation.
As of 2024, the DEA maintains 241 domestic offices in 23 divisions, and 93 foreign offices in 69 countries. With a budget exceeding $3 billion, DEA employs 10,169 people, including 4,924 special agents and 800 intelligence analysts.
While I have never been to the US, from the images I see from some major cities, it looks like a zombie apocalypse has infected half the population. Maybe these images are cherrypicked and stories sensationalised, but I am pretty sure that there are plenty of problems, in plenty of cities. Combine this with poverty and lack of opportunity, and a suburb or city can spiral.
But, those addicts aren't using cocaine, are they?
They are on the cheapest trash, for the biggest high. Cocaine isn't that kind of drug, which is why in the seventies and eighties it became popular with lawyers, celebrities and politicians and was even pushed by the media. There weren't' real problems with it until crack cocaine hit the streets in the mid-80s, and swept through the ghettos. There is a difference between a party drug used in discos, and ones that knock you out to take take away the pain of life.
Legalisation not only reduces the amount of criminal activity, but it also means that consumers are safer, and legitimate businesses can be developed, in a similar way to cannabis has in the US, and other countries. It might not be "sold like wine" but perhaps there is a middle ground that would cut the profits out of the criminal cartels, or incentivise them to go legit. This way, Columbia likely wouldn't be the largest exporter of cocaine for long, as there would be more competition, as well as more tax generation.
Seems crazy?
Has anyone not become an addict because it was illegal? Addiction and even the usage of a lot of recreational drugs aren't because of the drug itself, but the state of society. For many, like alcohol, drugs are there to enhance good times, but also avoid bad times, which is why so many of the addicts and overdose deaths are coming from middle-class environments. People are suffering. When people suffer, they look to "not suffer" and if a pill offers that relief, most will take it. About 20% of the overdose deaths in the US come from prescription drugs.
There is an opportunity cost to wage a largely unsuccessful war on drugs, because all of those resources that are mostly ineffective, could be used elsewhere to make a difference instead. Perhaps, rather than criminalising cocaine, they should be using the resources to improve the lives of people instead. And remember, while the DEA only costs 3 billion to operate, there are a hundred other agencies and organisations involved, not to mention the prison systems filled with drug-related criminals to pay for.
I have no horse in the race.
However, criminalisation never works and only drives issues underground to create a market out of the direct spotlight, but spills onto the streets in crime, violence and murder. I reckon it is time to try something else than what has been happening around the world for a very long time, with the problems only getting worse, and affecting more and more people.
Spending on cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine by Americans reached nearly $150 billion in 2016, with a large proportion of spending coming from the small share of people who use drugs on a daily or near-daily basis, according to a new RAND Corporation report. Researchers estimate that from 2006 to 2016, the total amount of money spent by Americans on these four drugs fluctuated between $120 billion and $145 billion each year. By contrast, a different analysis finds that spending on alcohol in the U.S. was estimated to be $158 billion in 2017.
America, the land of the chemically confident!
Taraz
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People always look at me funny when I say it would be interesting to try cocaine. They always make it look so fun in the movies and if you knew it was pure and not cut with anything I feel like the danger would be pretty minimal. Though at my age I might need to worry about heart issues and things like that.
Your heart would be fine! Speed on the other hand...
I think there is a lot of confusion around the effects and risks of different drugs. There is an interesting Netflix special on hallucinogens worth watching that looks into some of the benefits.
I did shrooms once. It was a pretty disappointing experience.
I have only watched the first couple
https://www.netflix.com/us/title/80229847?s=a&trkid=13747225&trg=cp&vlang=en&clip=81593892
Thanks! I'll try to check it out!
The real problem is not the substance itself but the system that punishes consumption rather than addressing the social and economic causes that drive people to addiction.
The system is broken well before that point too. The system is essentially pushing many people into social problems.
I am amazed at how people hre will get there panties in a bunch about weed or some other illegal drug, yet will sit and tolerate alcohol tearing apart famalies. Not that it is the alcohol's fault, but the many factors that led the abuser to abusing it. Ultimately we can blame modern gadets and tech for addictions, but long before cell phones, twitter and xboxes, we had addicts. So the factors that lead to addiction are nothing new. Probably just wrapped in different smoking paper.
When I was 15/16, I went to parties with different groups. There were the grunge people drinking, and then there were the skater people smoking weed. The drinking parties always had issues, the weed parties always had good conversation and shilling out. I did neither.
Yes. It is in our DNA, and the phones just leverage it and make it socially acceptable to "drink" everywhere openly.
That has been my experience as well. Weed users are usually chill, relaxed and don't cause a lot of problems. Alcohol on the other hand is a flip of the coin on how things can end up.
Yes, I am so sick of phones. Just dealt with a lady in traffic the other day who was paying more attention to her phone than driving. I just wish I could get an Office Linebacker to tackle anyone using a phone in a rude manner.
You are 100% seeing only cherry-picked images. Fox News loves to screech that coastal cities are dangerous and a disaster zone, and it's pure propaganda. The truth is that lots of cities in the US have a homeless problem, the ones that don't are because they get too cold in the winter, because of medical debt mainly.
I've traveled around the US a ton, and often the problem areas are a few blocks of a city, not entire cities like Fox loves to say. The US could solve the problem by investing in harm reduction and housing.
Fentanyl is a huge problem, obviously, but as you said, it was caused by Purdue breaking laws and now we all have to deal with it. The lack of consequence is honestly heart-breaking for the harm they've caused.
I don't get Fox News here. Not that it generally matters, since the news is essentially a conglomerate of shared reports coming from a couple sources.
Don't you find it strange there is such a homeless problem there? It really is mismanagement at the highest degree.
Have you had a look at how they were pushing it? Supposedly, one percent of doctors were prescribing 50% of it. They only targeted the doctors that they could influence the most.
Oh, it's a huge mismanagement. The USA is both the world's richest country AND a third world country. Such an incredible amount of tax money goes towards the military while the people have absolutely no support systems - everyone I know is very aware that a single bad medical event can bankrupt them.
Companies in the US are not about creating value, they're all about extracting as much as they can from the American people, and are very willing to use regulation to help them do that.
Other people doing cocaine doesn't bother me (usual blah about don't hurt anyone other than yourself). I wouldn't try it because I seem to have this overwhelming aversion to anything that I think affects my brain to the point where I won't even take painkillers unless I'm dying x_x
I don't know why either
I do think the "war on drugs" is dumb and that legalisation, addiction treatment/therapy and most importantly dealing with the economic idiocy that causes all the problems to begin with is infinitely more important but that's not nearly as profitable.
I wish for something that would affect my brain! :D
There is little money in treating this problem, but there is loss for the corporations and governments.
DRUGS ARE THE ANSWER.
the above is only factually correct in very specific sets of circumstances that are much less broad than people like to pretend xD
And exactly.
I did coke once...Umm, I mean Coca-Cola; does that count?
Now I think about it, what a stupid name for a soda. Coca-Cola
Well, I think it had cocaine in it originally. If I remember correctly, the "cola" flavour comes from coca leaves.
And now...just sugar, water and food colouring. Lol. (I say this while sipping on a Pepsi Max.)
I wouldn't try in any way. One can find another way to feel relieved. However, legal or illegal, people reach it somehow in the world.
Laws are pretty useless for these kinds of things.
The reason why drugs are so widespread is that politicians profit from it. In some countries, politicians collaborate with the mafia to make financial gains. This is why drug dealers are not easily caught.
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https://peakd.com/hive-164833/@bilpcoinbpc/you-have-all-witnessed-this-account-being-downvoted-to-a-negative-reputation-for-no-reason
https://blurt.blog/@bilpcoinbpc
https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@bpcvoter1/our-response-to-themarkymark-marcus-buildawhale-usainvote-ipomote-leovoter-gogreenbuddy-and-over-100-of-his-alt-accounts
https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@bpcvoter1/problems
Find links to why we was downvoted on Hive
https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@bilpcoinbpc/those-who-are-dedicated-to-the-cause-of-freedom-and-decentralization-lets-fight-for-good
https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@bilpcoinbpc/our-goal-is-to-transform-hive-into-a-more-inclusive-space-similar-to-the-user-friendly-atmospheres-of-blurt-and-steemit
https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@bilpcoinbpc/by-standing-together-we-can-create-a-more-inclusive-and-fair-environment-on-hive-as-we-see-on-blurt-and-steemit-we-need-to-get-r
https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@bilpcoinbpc/those-who-are-dedicated-to-the-cause-of-freedom-and-decentralization-lets-fight-for-good
https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@bilpcoinbpc/actions-indeed-speak-louder-than-words-a-fact-weve-all-observed-individuals-may-talk-a-good-game-a-whole-lot-of-shit-but-their-
https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@bpcvoter3/reply-2-crimsonclad-you-may-consider-yourself-clever
https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@bpcvoter3/reply-to-crimsonclad
https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@bpcvoter3/consider-revising-the-value-plan-as-it-s-not-providing-significant-benefits-to-hive
73,585.851 HP
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A power down is scheduled to happen in 7 days (~7,291.521 HIVE, remaining 6 weeks)
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On HIVE when you cease your actions, we will too. If not, we will continue to advocate and share the truth you may believe you're aware of our accounts, but you're mistaken LOL Accounts are cheap and cost nothing to create a new account
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https://steemit.com/@bilpcoinbpc/posts
Hive Emergency: A Call to Action STOP THE BAD DOWNVOTES
We are facing a critical situation on the Hive blockchain, where a small group of individuals is exerting undue influence and control over the community. This group, comprised of a single "whale" and their associated accounts, is using their power to downvote good content, self-vote their own posts, and power down their tokens.
This behavior is having a devastating impact on our community, and it is essential that we take immediate action to address this issue. We propose two key solutions:
We understand that some individuals may be concerned about the rules and moderators. However, it is essential to recognize that the rules are made by the same individuals who are farming the system. Therefore, it is time for us to take matters into our own hands and create a new, better Hive.
We invite you to share your thoughts, ideas, and concerns in the comments below. Together, we can work towards creating a more inclusive, compassionate community for all Hivers.
We've even caught some top Hivers using their alt accounts to fund their own projects and manipulate the system. It is like they are playing a game of Hiveopoly, but instead of rolling dice, they are rolling out downvotes and taking money as they wish
The Bilpcoin team were attacked by Themarkymark gang so, we started investigating and gathering evidence, and before long, we had a whole list of scammers and abusers. And let me tell you, it was a doozy
We are like the superheroes of Hive LOL night night Buildawhale scam farm
Merry Christmas, Hive community! We're excited to share some amazing Santa Claus art crafted by the Bilpcoin team with the help of AI
As we approach the end of the year, the Bilpcoin team would like to extend their warmest wishes to everyone happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year
The Bilpcoin team is shifting its focus towards creating more in-depth content, aiming for less frequent but higher quality posts, potentially once or twice a day
We're ending the day with a bang - introducing two more crazy Santa designs: one happy drunk and one smoking
Their attempts to intimidate and silence their critics are equally concerning. The use of downvotes as a means of censorship is a clear indication of their desperation to maintain their grip on the narrative. But it's not working
https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@themarkymark/re-bpcvoter3-sp2q9h
Don't let the enthusiasm of friends or family members cloud your judgment – crypto is a game where there will always be winners and losers
WE EXPOSED A SUPER FARM ON HIVE
Super farm https://peakd.com/@memesandstuff/wallet spam scam accounts
https://hive.blog/hive-121566/@louis88/re-slobberchops-sp4a2y
At Bilpcoin, we're passionate about what we do, and we're committed to helping our community thrive. If any tribes or individuals need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out, and we'll do our best to help. We believe in the power of community
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Bad downvotes on Hive are a growing concern that must be addressed. These downvotes not only discourage users from sharing their real thoughts and ideas but also damage the community as a whole, we see many walk away
We're disappointed to see that our work is still being downvoted despite the valuable insights and information we provide
https://hive.blog/hive/@themarkymark/re-bpcvoter1-spolvn
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The Need for Change
We've been having heated discussions on Hive, and off Hive it's time to set the record straight. The Buildawhale scam farm has been exposed, and it's time for them to face the consequences.
Concerns about Downvotes on Hive
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The truth hurts downvotes do nothing
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