Treatment is a big business. Many reputable treatment centers will either say no to health coverage. Or, coverage is very limited.

Then you have others who say that their program is way better than traditional ones. Ex: In Malibu, a ex-TV producer now runs his own treatment center. If your program is that great, the how come all of your ads are on after midnight on cable?

Others are reputable and actually do a good thing. Eric Clapton has a treatment center in the Caribbean. Excellent all around. Yet, they don’t take health coverage.

There’s a British expat doctor in the States with Doctors without Borders. He runs a free health clinic that gets hundreds of people a day. He wants to make it nationwide. But he can’t. Why? Because it’s a threat to the AMA’s power and profit.

Why doesn’t Obama highlight him in his push for single-payer?

How do you make this work? One key is to stop the stupid “distinction” between alcohol and drugs. The last time I checked, alcohol is a drug. Any reputable mental health/medical professional will tell you that. If you agree with that, then why do many people constantly say there’s a difference?

Because of a stereotype. Junkie=skid row bum. And since I’m neither of those, then I must be ok.

Hang on a minute. If you need your fix of caffeine or nicotine every day, you’re an addict. Why is it that AA and other 12-step programs never use any holistic tools to help people stay sober? They’re using cigarettes, coffee and candy as substitutes for booze.

If you mention this to them, what’s the reaction?:
Who the hell are you to criticize us?
Why do you need to do it this way?
Because this is the way it’s ALWAYS been done. (Kind of like “American politics”).

Unless you make this a key point in legalization, it’ll never work.

I would argue that more people die from gunshot wounds than overdoses when you consider the black market involved with these drugs. Addiction is a MEDICAL issue, not a criminal one. People are going to buy, sell, and use all of these drugs whether we like it or not, so the million dollar question becomes:

Who do you want selling these drugs?

a) The pharmacy or certified business
b) Your kids’ friends at school
c) Who knows

Also consider the quality of the product if your kid ever got a wild hair.

It’s pretty scary to imagine legalization, but to me it’s the only responsible thing to do and it can’t be as bad as the criminal (in so many respects) drug policies we have now.

As a father, I am very leery of all drugs being legalized. On the other hand, I do believe strongly in legalization (or at least decriminilization) of marijuana. Not only do I believe the negative societal effects would be minimal, but if it is taxed it could be a boon to revenue.

But, in any case, I think we can all agree that if we\’re going to look into our children\’s eyes and tell them \"Just Say No\", we ought to be able to tell the CIA thesame thing.

I would also like to point readers to an important piece by Gareth Porter called The CIA\\\’s Afghan Payroll, at http://www.counterpunch.org/porter10302009.html
which further explains in detail how the US funds and arms drug lords in their fight against the Taliban. I think Americans in Afghanistan could have good intentions, even in the CIA, believing they are fighting to protect the US from another 9/11. But in fact it appears they are being used by some sides in their battle with the Taliban for control of the opium trade.

Do you like your new title? “Our Legal Heroine”

Still, I believe the long term goal of legalization and regulation is the most responsible thing to do. The effect on war would be to reduce motivation and resources for war. This would apply not only to Afganistan, but to our cities and towns (and privatized prisons) right here in the US.

If domestic drug policy is part of the conversation, maybe there’s a chance that the political reality will change. Especially when the MSM can no longer provide cover for the high level govt. officials doing drug deals with warlords.

@ Remo: Interesting perspective. Most people rather live in denial; enjoy those hotdogs during the Fourth of July, and …The truth hurts. However, this is the site for the Irate Minority…which happens to number in 10,000s, and I want to hear from them all!;-)

@Mizgin: Right on! I’ll be interviewing Pepe Escobar this evening. We’ll talk about Afghanistan and of course poppies. Right now he is in Bejing (covering Obama visit for ATimes).

@James Laffrey: Welcome to the site, and thank you for the encouragement. Hope you’ll visit us daily and share your views here…

@ Zica: )) Hopefully we’ll start with ‘pot’…

@Ishmael: So eloquently expressed. Sometimes I need to read/hear those words, when things get too grim & negative. so good to have you on this team.

I’ll be back shortly, my toddler is demanding her post-breakfast milk!

I don’t think legalization of heroin in the U.S. is politically feasible in the short term. Even if it was, I doubt legalization would solve any of our problems in Afghanistan.

Personally, though, I think it is ridiculous we have DEA and FBI agents trying to stop the drug trade while we have other federal agencies actively fostering it. Maybe we should take a chunck of the budget of DEA and FBI used for interdicting drugs and use for treatement clinics for addicts.

There is not, nor has there ever been, a “war on drugs”. This is a myth created by government propoganda. If it were a true war, you would not hear stories of the CIA and State Department blocking investigations into certain drug lords.