Hillary Clinton Says Drugs Are Too Expensive for Legalization
In an interview on Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a very precise demonstration in how to dramatically misconstrue the fundamentals of drug prohibition. It's one of those perfectly incoherent explanations that would be almost comedic if it weren't for the tens of thousands who get murdered in the streets thanks to logic like this.
QUESTION: In Mexico, there are those who propose not keeping going with this battle and legalize drug trafficking and consumption. What is your opinion?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I don't think that will work. I mean, I hear the same debate. I hear it in my country. It is not likely to work. There is just too much money in it, and I don't think that – you can legalize small amounts for possession, but those who are making so much money selling, they have to be stopped. They can’t be given an even easier road to take, because they will then find it in their interest to addict even more young people. Mexico didn’t have much of a drug problem before the last 10 years, and you want to keep it that way. So you don’t want to give any excuse to the drug traffickers to be able legally to addict young people.
That's interesting, because I don't see the drug cartels taking over the coffee trade, even though it's more addictive than space-meth and grows vigorously on the hillsides of Colombia. I can't help but wonder what everyone on the left would say if this preposterous analysis came from Sarah Palin, rather than Hillary Clinton. It's the sort of profound nonsense that ought to get you skewered by Jon Stewart, yet our Secretary of State will almost certainly get a free pass on misunderstanding literally everything about the escalating violence below our border.
More here if you can handle it.
Is she insane?
Yes, she is insane, expecting something different with the same tactics. And, wtf, her and obama need to stop calling us addicts, its insulting.
And why the hell does she
And why the hell does she think that drug cartels in Mexico, or that any dealer in America for that matter, takes steps to "addict young people"? That's just completely ignorant. There is a demand for cannabis and other drugs, and the users, or "addicts" seek out the drug dealers not the other way around. People don't start using drugs because of drug dealers. Its either curiosity or their friends. These politicians need to wise up, or shut the hell up. And the only reason there is a drug problem is because of the drug war. Sure, some people struggle with addiction, but the idea of responsible to moderate use needs to get into the vocabulary. Has she never heard of tobacco and alcohol? Why doesn't she blame all the alcohol commercials that are always on, for problems in this country?
its backwards
I agree its people own choice to take the drugs or not one the greatest gifts of life is choice. life is a balance. who is Clinton to say that we should not have these drugs legalize drugs make them pure, safer, and cheaper and then every ones happy. What we have right now is a catalyst for murder and rape in Mexico. We are losing the battle and we are about to lose the war. Something must change soon before more innocent lives are lost crimes against humanity.
POT
I cannot believe, that such an educated person, could make such an ignorant statement. The way it works, in case SHE really is ignorant is that legalization, takes out the violence. Smuggling is no longer needed. Such good stuff, is grown usually locally. Every country that has legalization, have seen large decreases in crime. I n America, people who smoke pot are incarcerated, many times more than thugs and punks who beat kill and maim sometimes. We are so far behind the rest of the world in common sense. It is only so those in business can keep making money illegally. The BILLIONS spent on the drug war, is a complete and total waste of taxpayers money. Our government is so so not for the people.
Skip
Bunnell, Florida age 62.
usa has largest number of incarcerated people per capita
So true Skip - the USA has the largest number of people incarcerated in the entire world , and most of these inmates are in for Non-Violent drug offenses. IT'S TIME TO END THIS STUPID "WAR ON DRUGS"
??????????????
what is space-meth
Re: ?????????
You don't wanna know.
Space - meth
Clintons are the same
Hillary and Bill Clinton are the same.
If you look at the arrests in the U.S. for marijuana possession, they went UP very drastically during Bill Clinton' two terms. So, you have Reagan with the "just say no" campaign, and then you have George H.W. Bush saying he would end the "scourge" of drug use in this country. He promised to build more jails. Whether or not that happened, I don't know. He did create the post of drug czar and it was a cabinet level post.
Sean Hannity is someone I occasionally listen to. I do not agree with his thinking on the most part, but I did read his book "And Deliver Us From Evil" a few years ago. In it, he spoke of the Clintons in the most vilifying terms. When I read it at the time, I was unsure. I was not a legalization advocate back then. Hannity's words ring true now. He said that the Clintons want nothing more than to be at the very top of the political spectrum. Bill Clinton's personality is one that very much needs to be in the limelight, at whatever cost possible. The human cost of the drug war is the worst possible, as we all know. During his tenure, John Walters was the drug czar, and, as I said, arrests went up precipitously.
So, you see, Hillary's opinion will not be much different. Unfortunately, we have another Clinton in a highly influential post, and the destruction and despotism of the drug war continues under her watch.
Fortunately, medical marijuana began in 1996, also during Clinton's presidency. And it continues to advance today.
A correction
George H.W. Bush did NOT create the post of drug czar, he merely signed the bill into law (quite willingly, tho). The post, and the office it serves (ONDCP), were created by Joe Biden (yes, THAT Joe Biden, the one who is our VP). He wrote the bill and he ramrodded it thru congress. Makes it quite clear that it truly is BOTH political parties who have expanded and exploited the drug war.
Clintons Are-THE- Shame
Dot
The spokespersons for the "left" have utterly failed us
Even FOX News covers the legalization perspective far more often and sympathetically than the so-called liberal MSNBC. These "liberals" can get up in arms about human rights abuses of some terrorists at Guantanamo or the rights of women in Afghanistan or the right to kill an unborn child, yet can sit in silence on the fence as tens of thousands of Mexicans along our border are killed and millions of Americans are arrested and jailed each year because of Hillary Clinton's drug war policies. Go check out the website of any "Peace Center" in any major city and drug war abuses are rarely if ever discussed or to better make my point, conduct the following Google searches:
"drug war" site:moveon.org
"war on drugs" site:moveon.org
"medical marijuana" site:moveon.org
now conduct the following searches:
"guantanamo" site:moveon.org
"abortion" site:moveon.org
Any questions?
we all are missing the point
If someone seems to be ‘under the influence’ while driving, then there is no need to ask or test. It does not matter. An inability to drive safely is unacceptable for any reason. It endangers others. If you drive dangerously or illegally then you should be removed from the road to protect others rights to safety. Not being ‘drunk’ does not matter either. Behavior trumps urine every time. Leave causality to the scientist. Conversely, while driving safely within the law, there is no need or right to detain.
Not wanting to quite doing something that you love is not a disease, it is a choice. Most of us know it is in the nature of all pleasure to be less with more. Conversely, less of a pleasure improves the enjoyment. This obvious fact leads most people to moderate things to produce the best results. It is natural to moderate if you are not driven to compulsive behavior with a ‘drug’ war or self loathing (a major drug war product).
Suggesting that anything we do is not a choice causes the so-called disease of addiction. This lie infests the mind with doubt of self. It creates that which it defines. For a person without a sense of personal control, this lie through the power of suggestion creates the acceptance of powerlessness that is addiction. Thus we create that which destroys us, fear of self.
Some tolerate prohibitions because they feel that they may not be able to control the criminalized substance or behavior if it were legal. They foolishly welcome the governments ‘help’ foolishly ignoring the harm. Some fear the ability of others to control their appetites. Most, I think, fear everyone’s behavior and see government as mother and father. They seem to believe that adults are children to be protected by those responsible for our behavior. These adults unfortunately would not be we the people.
This is fear of freedom, everybody’s. The choices we make define us as individuals. These choices drive the behavior that defines us as individuals. Judging people by anything but these choices is inhuman. It denies our individuality and, arguably, the meaning of life. Reducing human character and behavior to chemical analysis reduces us all to something unworthy of freedom.
Rick Wolfe
thats why...
i moved on from moveon.org...sigh...
no duh!!
Of Course she is going to oppose legalization. she might very well run for president again and she wont get elected if she comes out for it. Any politician for that matter, that is why i wish Gary Johnson would be hush hush about his drug views(not like it matters, to late now). I think that it really hurts him because not only is it kinda a taboo subject it seems like when he goes on a show he always has to defend his legalization view the whole time and they never talk about what else he would do to help the country.
Re: "I think that it really hurts him because not only is it kin
"I think that it really hurts him because not only is it kinda a taboo subject"
Discussing AIDS and sex ed used to be taboo and your point being??
No rebel fighter you don't
No rebel fighter you don't understand the scam. Actually with the American people legalization is now an asset rather than political liability. Obama could easily win a second term, if the American people really mattered in this country, by liberalizing or at least reforming drug laws. Hands down win.
It would be the lobbyists and the media, owned by a small yet POWERFUL base, that would crucify any politician who came out for legalization. The fact of the matter, legalization is very popular today. If things were really fair, marijuana and legalization would be bigger than Starbucks right now. But unfortunately these politicians are afraid to go against the money.
All nonsense
Hillary never inhaled. The duplicity and bullschit level of the Clintons' war on drugs continues to amaze.
Really Moronic Stance
And these words came out of the mouth of someone we call a leader? It saddens me to hear her distorted view of intelligent people who choose marijuana as a safer alternative to tobacco and alcohol and are sick of being referred to as criminals. I really do not like Hillary any more after hearing this. People are choosing to smoke marijuana because they are smart. Nobody is forcing them, or "addicting" them.
She confused legalized distribution w decriminalizing possession
The question was about legalizing trafficking as well as consumption but she answered by talking only about legalizing possession, not distribution. Whatever other reasons she has for opposing legal cannabis or other currently illegal substances, she should agree that legalizing and reasonably taxing commercial sale would make it impossible for the black market to compete in sales to adults. She likely understands that, she just won't admit it.
Re: "And why the hell ..."
"And why the hell does she think that drug cartels in Mexico, or that any dealer in America for that matter, takes steps to 'addict young people'?"
For the money.
Lol, did you just read that
Lol, did you just read that one sentence and decide to comment? Dealers who are in it for money are selling to smaller dealers, and the smaller dealers aren't out "addicting" people for money, they have a customer base they trust (at least the smart ones). And, I am only talking about cannabis in my experience.
I commented because I think it's an important point
There's a lot of money to be made getting people addicted to illegal drugs, especially hard drugs. Because of black market prices, many small dealers desperately need money to feed their own addiction, they might also do it because it reaffirms their own choice to use. Bigger dealers tend to be in love with money, so some of them are going to tell their underlings to try to get people addicted. That's my thinking anyway.
Method to Madness
Yes she knows what she is doing. Her Sarah Palin type twaddle is premeditated, which should at least double her penalty over what someone innocently idiotic should receive...like the aforementioned Mama Grizzly.
We do need a liberatarian Jon Stewart. Where are he?
I was just about to say the
I was just about to say the same thing. Once Iran-Contra blew up they started flying to Arkansas instead. Guess who became president for letting it happen.
Aunt Hillary
Well I just be dang. We can`t lay off a million prohibitionists during a recession. Where will these " heroes " get work? Those drug war dollars depend on the American taxpayer. The " drug war industry people " are entitled to your money. Arrogance, Ego , easy money. How dare the American people threaten their tax payer funded job security with talks of regulation and legalization. How can you lay off Government employees during a recession? We have an election coming up. Cowardice is not "change". Oppression of freedom is not just an Egyptian problem.
Re: "We can`t lay off a million prohibitionists"
"We can`t lay off a million prohibitionists during a recession. Where will these " heroes " get work?"
If we can do it during the Great Depression, we can do it now. It beats laying off teachers, which we are doing now.
Unfortunately that's not what
Unfortunately that's not what happened during the Depression. The agents did not get laid off, they were reassigned (with a few years delay) to the new big prohibition, marijuana.
Hillary just doesn't get it.
Hillary just doesn't get it. Obama doesn't get it. At least half of the WORLD craves the legalization of cannabis. The too expensive to legalize statement Hillary made after her Mexico trip is probably one of the dumbest things I've ever heard a politician say. They should send someone to Mexico who can really help change the tragic status quo,before another 30,000 poor peasants have to die. I don't think these politicians speak for the people anymore,just their business interests.
Ohh she gets it
Probably a little under the table stock gain , God only knows how to build a great new revenue stream Legalize and tax , don't get me wrong most drugs have bad out come but none have as bad a out come as prison and if the stuff was legal it would be cheap enough for people to buy ,not rob their parents , brothers, sisters , children, dog neighbors and community . Think about it no more releasing sex offenders and watching the 4 year 11 month
news about another 11 year old girl found in a ditch. Ya gotta love these politicians they wouldn't admit the truth if it hit them right between the eyes !!!
Is Hilllary Clinton Suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease?
There was a time when someone could ask Hillary anything about universal health care; for instance ‘What is the national health care system like in Ireland?’, and she could get it right. Yet with all the hypocrisy of the drug war laid bare for anyone who wants to read the literature, she doesn’t appear to have a clue about the harm being done to people in Mexico, or those who’ve made a healthier recreational choice that rejects alcohol and chooses cannabis instead.
Besides Alzheimer’s, another possibility for Hillary's mental lapse is that too much government service rots the brain. People in government become institutionalized. Unless a politician is exceedingly curious, their only information source may be government white papers. They become more concerned with their public image, or making money for prohibitionists, than with proper governance. Their improper governance leads to a more tarnished image, resulting in a see-saw effect that kills their career.
If Secretary Clinton is planning on running for elected office in the future, nothing she is doing or saying at the moment with regard to the drug war is helping her. She needs to involve herself with anti-prohibition literature and act rationally against prohibition and its systemic abuses in order to clean up her image.
Giordano
Legalization and price?
A strange viewpoint from the Secretary of State. It's not as though legalization would have any influence on the price of drugs, would it?
Goodness no, not a chance.
-Andrew K
Caffeine is not addictive & Hillary is right for wrong reason
You lost me there. Caffeine is not addicting at all. calling something an addiction means that the drug takes over the users lives. Caffeine does not take over any lives at all. So that is not a good counter point to Hillary's logic.
Drugs are indeed still illegal even though addiction has long been proven to be a medical problem rather than a criminal problem, because there is too much money in it, just like she says.
Her contention that legalizing small amounts of drugs causes an increase in the users of that drug are false, ASSUMING there is a LEGAL place to buy a particular drug. Drugs from these places are always cheaper than drugs bought out on the street. That's because drugs sold on the street have a very high overhead due to turf battles, smuggling costs, legal costs if busted, etc.
The real reason there is little chance drugs will be legalized anytime soon is indeed correct, but for a different reason than she suggests.
Cops love drugs, if they're crooked it's and easy way to get bribes, if honest they can make a spectacular bust any time they want to, usually timed for political reasons.
Repubs love drugs because they can claim, "The DEMs are soft on drugs and crime!" The old elephant standbys.
Barry McCaffery tried to falsely label Columbia drug "lords" narcoterrorists for political and fearmongering reasons. (Plan Columbia)
Intelligence agencies love drugs because they are an easy source of black money to fund illegal black ops.
Both Hillary & Bill Clinton Are Corporatists
"Drugs are too expensive" Well,, of course. Big Pharma charges $100,000.00 or more per year per medical patient for chemotherapy drugs which may potentially kill cancer, but will certainly kill the patient suffering from cancer. Chemotherapy is pure poison to the human body, for both malignant and healthy tissue. Both Medical Marijuana and re-legalization of cannabis threaten Big Pharma's extremely lucrative profit stream from the witches brew of poisons they promote. 80% of Big Pharma's profits derive from their chemotherapy drugs. Another 10% (easily) of Big Pharma's profits derive from their various highly addictive synthetic opiate and amphetamine based "snake oil" patent medicine. And that is only one special interest commercial venture. Consider the others: the alcoholic beverage industry, the petrochemical & energy industries, the fiber (cotton & synthetics) industry, the paper & construction products industries, the private for-profit prison industry, and the Military Industrial Complex -- each of which could be negatively affected by cannabis & hemp re-legalization. They all have adjusted to the status quo -- they now have the deep pockets to adjust again, to re-legalization of cannabis & hemp.
Products become contraband through the efforts of crony private for-profit commercial interests allied with the power of government. Products become commodities when a unfettered free market economy exists. When was the last time that you heard of a violent turf war over the importation or distribution of "Corona" or "Dos XX" beer? And I am still waiting for the very first report of any human being dying from an overdose of that evil "Reefer Madness" marijuana ...
The replies in this thread
The replies in this thread have all focused on marijuana coming from Mexico, which completely misses the point. Mexican cartels aren't fighting over pot distribution, they're having a war over cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin; and these drugs DO cause death and brain damage in addition to having high rates of addiction and serious withdrawal symptoms.
Yes, Clinton's remarks about the drug war are foolish, but the people who bring drugs over the border literally commit murder to do so. Whatever the future of drug legalization (and I do hope at least marijuana, along with a few other drugs, are legalized), the thugs who are killing to smuggle drugs need to be brought to justice for their violent offenses.
The American Prohibition of alcohol during the 1920s and 30s was a naive and stupid attempt at legislating morality, but Dutch Schultz still shot a 4 year old boy, and he and other gangsters and bootleggers still robbed and killed their way into influence and power. Just because you break one unjust law does not mean you have a free pass on your other crimes.
A few hundred years ago we
A few hundred years ago we were burning people at the stake for claiming the world was round. Suprise! We still live in that narrow minded society. A few hundred years from now marijuana prohibition will just be one of the things future societies will ridicule us for. You do know the first drafts of the declaration of independence were drafted on hemp.
what a twit...
her argument made no sense what-so-ever...one of the many things that galls me is that in any other operation making (obscene amounts of) money is lauded...
The media drops the ball, again
While Secretary Clinton's response is disappointing, it's certainly not surprising. Our politicians in this country has become accustomed to not clarifying their often inaccurate, nonsensical and misleading statements on the drug war. When will the media do a little fact checking and research to question these bogus claims or even getting them to clarify or explain themselves. What's the incentive for the media to start doing a little investigative journalism, now?
Besides the broadcasters receiving millions in ads from The Partnership for a Drug Free American, they get billions in revenue from the alcohol industry with their ads encouraging the public to drink on every ocassion. This connection between the alcohol industry and the broadcasters and lack of scrutiny of "get-tough on drugs" elected leaders needs to be publicized by drug reform groups. It was no coincidence that beer distributors in California donated large sums of money to help defeat Prop 19. Whenever a politician receives large campaign contributions from the alcohol industry, they always vote against our interests. I am sure Clinton doesn't want to piss off this money making faction by making sensible statements on drug policy. What would motive her to be more forthcoming? A press core that questioned on her support on the drug war. A scenario not likely to happen in the near future.
why the week stupid get pushed to that position
shes another puppet too scared to upset the coo ,
prohibitionists use prohibition side effects to implement more prohibition at higher cost for reward, its the con man paradox as highlighted by the brothers grim books ,if prohibition put age limits in place ,tax, funded research ,education policing and health care with the notion of safety first to a scale of harm , removed all major criminal funding and separated substance sales as to remove the gateway effect it would meet all publics expectation but then it would also be called a regulated system and it would pay for itself ,unlike now and unlike now the job would be getting done! it saddens me to think the real criminals are running the puppet show and laundering needed tax to fund biased education ,their persuasion goons and war games for power.
out of control
its pretty concerning when officials from our neighboring counties make comments that the central ohio task force is corrupt,when our lawmakers sit down and write the laws,the people who take advantage of them are the people we are suppose to trust in and the ones we elect in office,they take advantage for their own personal gain such as the law which states the agencies who fight drugs can take the money and use it for their own funding if the money was made by selling drugs,I believe in a lot of cases what I here on the streets over what drug charges are being filed,.there was a case where someone retired,grew his own pot for his personal use,never sold it,they took every thing of that man had,every dime of his retirement money,no one I ever spoke with ever said he ever sold it! they knew it but abused the law,in order to take the money they needed to charge him,8 years in prison for what?,personal gain,the asst.law directors file it,law directors file them,and the judges in licking county convicts them with long jail terms all for their own personal gains because thats what gets them votes.I would urge people to write our state rep.I know one thing,the longer it goes on the more brave they become!they need investigated and brought down!they are out of control and need brought to justice!this is just one example!
!
Clinton
I know she and her hoe husband was making money off those illegal drugs in Arkansas!!! The whore wipes her mouth and grins and says; I have done nothing wrong. She is going to hell if she don't stop being DISHONEST! Lies are satan's profession, he is the father of lies!
THE BEEOTCH
what she said makes no sense. hopefully that rambling bitch and her oreo in chief will be looking for work come 2012.
How is legalizing drugs good for anything?
I'm coming from tiny Singapore where drug trafficking is punishable by the death sentence. We were taught in schools the negative effects of drugs so it's really difficult for me to understand that by legalizing drugs and selling them over the counter, it will bring more good than harm? How does that work out?
I get what she was saying, I
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