Crack Cocaine vs. Detroit...

**SWMAP** · May-15-12, 01:48 PM

Django - would you life have turned out differently if heroin hadn't cost anything when you were young?

**Django** · May-15-12, 03:34 PM

I think things would be much different if drugs were never illegal. I think treatment on demand instead of prison would make the biggest difference. That and the hundreds of thousands of ppl who have died over drugs may still be around. All those who died of drug overdoses probably wouldnt have died because it could be legally regulated by the FDA. My life personally, Im sure it would be to a degree. Theres a good chance I would have made different choices when I was young instead of looking for the darkest or most thrilling way to experience life.

**SWMAP** · May-15-12, 03:58 PM

"Treatment on demand" who do you think would/should pay for that for people who succumb to the powerful allure of drugs - even legal drugs.

Right now, anyone can get treatment, if they can pay for it. What in your mind would change, especially since it could be predicted that tons more people would succumb?

And you have to agree that treatment for heroin addiction is not very effective in the long run. The best route is to never get on drugs in the first place - don't you agree?

And would you agree with the observers who propose that "that which the State makes legal, it encourages?" If so, how to keep young people from taking the state up on its legalized thrills?

I have read your blog.

I think you have had a long-held theory that your life would have turned out better [[not homeless, not carless, not cold in the winter, not one-eyed) if your drugs had been legal. I think that gets you off the hook and puts society on it. But most people don't want their kids to end up on drugs and that's why most people don't want the government to make it okay.

**Django** · May-15-12, 05:32 PM

quote; "Treatment on demand" who do you think would/should pay for that for people who succumb to the powerful allure of drugs - even legal drugs.

The same people who pay to incarcerate people for using and selling drugs who wouldnt be shacked up and fed at taxpayer expense. Treatment I believe would be much cheaper than incarceration dont you?

Quote; Right now, anyone can get treatment, if they can pay for it. What in your mind would change, especially since it could be predicted that tons more people would succumb?

I think you are wrong. I dont believe many more would succumb. Marijuana is slowly becoming legal but we dont see a huge increase in pot smokers. People as a whole are not as stupid as you may think, most know better than to start using heroin, or crack, meth whatever. I dont think the government should have the right to say what we can and cannot ingest, smoke, or inject.

Quote; And you have to agree that treatment for heroin addiction is not very effective in the long run. The best route is to never get on drugs in the first place - don't you agree?

Treatment has not been effective for any hard drug. Think of all the resources that could be going to study addiction and how to combat it if we were not so focused on "just say no" or we will put you in jail. Prevention should also be paramount. Of course trying an addictive drug for the first time is the best way to go. That worked out great here in Detroit as everybody and their brother saw what a profit could be made by selling something illegal on the street. It was right there in the streets and the schools.

Quote; And would you agree with the observers who propose that "that which the State makes legal, it encourages?" If so, how to keep young people from taking the state up on its legalized thrills?

I dont think the State encourages drinking Colt 45, or smoking Pall Malls but they are able to tax it and take some of that money and put it towards prevention, drug prevention like it should. You cannot stop supply and demand but you can manage it. I dont believe more prisons are the answer, and if you do support the war on drugs you effectively support building more prisons. I hear theres a lot of money to be made now in priviatized prisons.

Quote; I think you have had a long-held theory that your life would have turned out better [[not homeless, not carless, not cold in the winter, not one-eyed) if your drugs had been legal. I think that gets you off the hook and puts society on it. But most people don't want their kids to end up on drugs and that's why most people don't want the government to make it okay.

If anything I want the government to go after drug abuse and drug prevention. I want the government to work WITH the people not against them. I want them to put tax dollars toward prevention first then rehab second. Prison is for truly bad people. We have more ppl in prison per capita than something like any five countries combined because of this war. Im not sure what my life would be like if drugs were regulated. I have no one to blame but myself. I simply write what I know and have done. Im not all that proud of it although it may seem to read sometimes like a thrill which I wont deny was at some times. To say the least Ive done some fucked up shit which Im not proud of but I think does go to show where this war has taken some people. Most dont write about it, Ive taken a chance and have. I wouldnt wish my path on anyone. How in any way am I "off the hook" If anything the hook is set deep.

**Pickford-Bentler** · May-15-12, 05:45 PM

The crack wars of the 1980s destroyed the the section of Pickford that I lived on. To this day, I have a hard time believing that what went on there was something my parents and I lived through. The blood lust and paranoia that went along with being able to sell something as cheap to produce as sand for its weight in gold led to some strange and nasty shit. The last straw was the day the dealer offered my father $20,000 in cash for our home. My father, already having got an offer from a legitimate buyer and also not wanting to see the home that he raised his children in firebombed [[common end to crack homes on Pickford), politely declined. A week later a car stopped by as Ernie Harwell was anouncing a game my father's radio on a lazy summer afternoon. Four young men got out, shot half the windows and put a couple slugs through the walls. My father was able to repair all that shit before the legitimate buyer came by for a final inspection. I guess one can say he got of of Dodge by the skin of his teeth. It was our opinion that the shooters were hired by the drug dealer to kind of encourage a sale. It got so bad on that street that longtime residents just left their home without any attempt at selling.

Another afternoon, at an earlier point in time, one of the young kids rode in a fine car along with his mentor [[massive sarcasm) to collect on a debt. He got out of the car and ended up in a mano on mano shoot out with the payee. Of course, the mentor drove off and left the kid dying on the dingy Pickford pavement.

IMHO, the War on Drugs has been one giant clusterf8ck.

I saved an article from the Redford Record about the great police bust [[more sarcasm). They arrested 30 people, found one dead body and $250,000 in drugs and money. This was on a Friday. By Monday, the 30 walked due to untimely filing of paperwork and the drugs/money were lost.

The joke on our street was a call to the police about drugs got you a prompt visit from the man. The only problem with that was that "the man" was not in a blue suit and your lifespan could probably be down to minutes.

**Pickford-Bentler** · May-15-12, 05:58 PM

Alcohol is an addictive drug that can cause dire consequences that is used by many people who have success in life. The genome project is finding that a certain subset of the population carries a gene that makes them prone to addiction. Hell, I think all of us have seen that many addict seem to be addicted to everything - Keith Richards???

My point is that identifying and treating these individuals might be a more pragmatic approach than demonizing them for lack of willpower.

We also got to stop sending mixed signals.

A typical NFL game will feature players who are injected with, anabolics and pain killers to be up for the battle and then cut to a first commercial touting how they support a "drug free" America followed by another commercial for Captain Morgan's Rum - never mind that Captain Morgan made a fortune robbing, raping and killing the Spanishtown settlement of Jamaica.

**Django** · May-15-12, 07:28 PM

Thats a good point right there Pickford-Bent, identifying the gene or chromosone which carries the addictive trait. That would be an amazing start to head off a future generations of junkies.
Big pharma is also a big culprit. I know many youngsters who have become addicted to Benzos[[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_benzodiazepines) which are highly addictive because the withdrawl is so long and painful. I know one young man who actually started using heroin to help ween himself off of benzos. While switching addictions he claimed he would rather be on heroin. Im getting off track and I could go for pages on this subject.
Big pharma no doubt supports the war on drugs as so many ailments can be treated with simple herbs. They may not like the addictive side effects of the drugs they produce but it sure makes them a bunch of money.

Many of you probably havent heard or read but Portugal legalized all drugs about eleven years ago. Funny how we havent heard about their progress in the news. If it was a failure we certainly would have heard. Heres the wiki article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal

Occurrence · May-15-12, 08:05 PM

Our drug laws that make them illegal do more harm than the actual drugs. Prohibition didn't work in 1920's and it doesn't work now. People are either too stupid to realize that or they are making money off of it.

**black gold man** · May-15-12, 09:10 PM

I have seen the bad drugs rune many lives and life both family and friends.

**Pickford-Bentler** · May-16-12, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by Django

Thats a good point right there Pickford-Bent, identifying the gene or chromosone which carries the addictive trait. That would be an amazing start to head off a future generations of junkies.
Big pharma is also a big culprit. I know many youngsters who have become addicted to Benzos[[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_benzodiazepines) which are highly addictive because the withdrawl is so long and painful. I know one young man who actually started using heroin to help ween himself off of benzos. While switching addictions he claimed he would rather be on heroin. Im getting off track and I could go for pages on this subject.
Big pharma no doubt supports the war on drugs as so many ailments can be treated with simple herbs. They may not like the addictive side effects of the drugs they produce but it sure makes them a bunch of money.

Many of you probably havent heard or read but Portugal legalized all drugs about eleven years ago. Funny how we havent heard about their progress in the news. If it was a failure we certainly would have heard. Heres the wiki article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal

Very good point about the evils of legally prescribed Big Pharma crap - and yes, it is crap.

Enablers [[doctors) are all too willing to prescribe it.

I like the fast disclaimer on the TV commercials for great anxiety/depression drugs like Xanax. Without fail, one of the side effects is that the dudes noodle might go limp. How in the hell does a limp noodle help anxiety and depression?

There is also a lot of disinformation about natural drugs. For example, weed is supposed to sap male testosterone.

Really???

My gym training partern was 5'10" @ 215lbs of solid muscle and smoked weed every night as a way to calm himself down. He had a violent temper.

I don't use drugs but one must keep in mind the law of individual differences - some men can use drugs and lead competent lives, others use them and end up in the gutter.

It is no different than the guy who can lift weights and look like Arnold in a years time vs the other guy who stays small no matter what he tries.

Hopefully, genetic testing can let men and women be forewarned.

**Django** · May-18-12, 01:21 AM

Im still rooting for a red light district in Detroit, the first of its kind in the States. Maybe someday. Whooda thunk legalization of marijuana would ever happen [[besides me). It would be a great experiment and what better place to do it than here. It would be a great testing ground for the college kids studying drug addiction such as the place on Jefferson run by WSU. They do a lot of drug testing for cocaine and heroin substitutes such as Suboxone and other drugs like Methadone even though I do hate big pharma coming in with a new drug to take over an old drug.

Bring it on.

**Wheels** · May-18-12, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by Django

Im still rooting for a red light district in Detroit, the first of its kind in the States. Maybe someday. Whooda thunk legalization of marijuana would ever happen [[besides me). It would be a great experiment and what better place to do it than here. It would be a great testing ground for the college kids studying drug addiction such as the place on Jefferson run by WSU. They do a lot of drug testing for cocaine and heroin substitutes such as Suboxone and other drugs like Methadone even though I do hate big pharma coming in with a new drug to take over an old drug.

Bring it on.

AAHHH... Do you know what a red light district is?

**black gold man** · May-18-12, 10:52 AM

**Django** · May-18-12, 06:35 PM

I know most ppl connect a red light district with prostitution but its become more than that. A red light in a window meant it was a brothel.

On the topic of changing drug policy heres a good site. https://www.facebook.com/#!/drugpolicy

**townonenorth** · May-18-12, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by Django

Im still rooting for a red light district in Detroit, the first of its kind in the States. Maybe someday. Whooda thunk legalization of marijuana would ever happen [[besides me). It would be a great experiment and what better place to do it than here. It would be a great testing ground for the college kids studying drug addiction such as the place on Jefferson run by WSU. They do a lot of drug testing for cocaine and heroin substitutes such as Suboxone and other drugs like Methadone even though I do hate big pharma coming in with a new drug to take over an old drug.

Bring it on.

Maryjane doesn't turn you into a zombie. which is why it's legalized, sort of.

Haven't seen any junkysays stories lately. Wonder what happened?