Can you imagine our president naming 5 police generals who are purportedly involved in illegal drugs? And lately our president announced that there are plenty of local government officials (governors and mayors) who are also involved in illegal drugs trade. In fact, one mayor in the province named Espinosa had surrendered and tried to clear himself but admitted that his son was indeed a drug trader. Last month, there were countless of drug addicts who surrendered to their mayors and chief of police. They registered in a roster to get protection because the anti-drug task force seems to be killing suspected drug pushers and addicts. I don't know where this fight against drug is going to but definitely we are right now in a cleansing period, so to speak.
A shame that cleansing may cost human lives, Corie. I have never understood how the drug trade has been able to consistently grow larger, during which time more and more laws restricting drugs, their use, possession, sale, and transport, have been enacted. I have long suspected complicity allowing this to be prevalent among the "law-makers". Especially after watching the "Clinton Chronicles" tape, in which extensive interviews of Arkansas law enforcement officers, as well as political figures, newspaper editors, local government officials, and other community leaders attest to the fact that Bill & Hillary Clinton carried on a highly lucrative trade via the Whitewater Property. This sort of thing should have shaken the entire NATION to it's very core. Apparently, by then, public apathy had reached a level of "I don't give a sh!t anymore". Now, today's apathy has given way to "Enough". WE the PEOPLE want America back! Frank
You are right, @Frank Sanoica that the cleansing costs human lives. In fact it is now an issue with the Human Rights Commission that hundreds are already dead, mostly drug pushers and addicts. I said mostly because there are some cases that relatives of those killed are disputing the charge that their relative has nothing to do with drugs. If ever that is true, that's the price they pay for being with drug users and pushers - birds of the same feather, huh.
Currently, Canada consumes more opiates than any country in the world, among them fentanyl, much stronger than heroin or Percosets et al. Many teens and street people have died as a result. A state of emergency has been called in several areas. Naturally, this has led to a crackdown among doctors in prescribing opioids, sometimes with mixed results, particularly among patients suffering chronic pain, yet not drug addicts. Hopefully this epidemic can be curtailed. Perhaps the ready availability of medical marijuana in the near future will be of benefit to many patients who have, for the most part, been forced to rely on traditional pharmaceutical remedies with mixed results.
There are huge profits in drugs, as well as the related markets for guns and humans. It seems as if we're moving backwards as a civilization. There's a lot of focus here in the U.S. on black slavery, which ended quite a while ago, yet much less emphasis and information about human trafficking, which takes place every day. The same groups are in charge of trafficking all 3, and it sickens me to see people being treated as a commodity. Because of the huge potential for profits, there are many who are tempted to enrich themselves by turning their heads and letting things go on in the areas under their control. Even worse, many involved in law enforcement and government not only turn a blind eye, but actively assist these cartels and gangs in their nefarious activities. @Corie Henson Your post reminds me a lot of what I see posted online about the situation in Mexico and along the U.S. / Mexico border. The Rio Grande Valley rests along that area, and it consists of many small towns. It's not at all unusual to hear of police and town/city officials being arrested for corruption. It's a shame that so many are tempted by the money. Unfortunately, there is also danger involved, with law enforcement, government officials and also business people in the border areas and their families being threatened. That's a somewhat more palatable excuse for participating in the criminal activity, but it's still unacceptable. I don't know if you are able to receive American television channels in the Philippines, but the National Geographic channel shows several programs covering this topic. That's where I usually see the shows I've mentioned to you elsewhere, about the radical muslims kidnapping foreigners in the Philippines, etc. They have one called Drugs, Inc. and another called Underworld, Inc. If you're able to watch them, they would probably open your eyes to a lot of what goes on that probably isn't reported there. I'm sure the news stations there do the same as here, promote a specific agenda, and some of us would prefer to hear the unbiased truth.
When I lived in the Rio Grande Valley, the DEA arrested seven of eight Delta County commissioners, the county sheriff, the director of the county's Head Start program, and a dog catcher from Edinburg on various charges relating to smuggling drugs across the border. The dog catcher was the one actually moving the drugs. The dog catcher and the sheriff pled guilty in a plea bargain, after which the sheriff was able to serve the remainder of his term in office as sheriff from prison. The commissioners and the director of the Head Start program were acquitted by a local jury, which is often the case in federal charges, since local people resent interference from the federal government. After his acquittal, the director of the Head Start sued to be reinstated to his position and won, and I believe the county commissioners had remained in office, and were probably reelected.
Drugs are a large contributor to crime and nobody is immune to drugs, the rich, poor, young, old and they've been around forever just like prostitution. I would consider making them legal to a point just to stop the crime that's involved and maybe the accidental overdoses. At least be able to buy them from a pharmacy and not on the street. Spend more on drug rehab and trying to get people off the drugs because in reality the ones hooked aren't even Really high anymore, they are just out stealing and prostituting to get enough money just to feel normal and not go through withdrawal. The people that use them on weekends for fun and can afford them like the stars do would at least be putting the pushers and drug dealers out of business and the huge drug cartels. Drugs being illegal hasn't been a deterrent at all, might as well make them legal and keep crime at bay if nothing else. Would also free up some jail space for other criminals. It's not an easy fix and would take a lot of thought but I don't think it would add to the amount of drug users, being Illegal doesn't stop anybody from using. I don't have statistics on any of this but it's just one way to go because you will never get rid of drugs. On second thought....might be too difficult to work out, especially with the issue of anyone under 18.
Right now, the son of a mayor in a rural town is confirmed to be into big time drug trading. He is now in hiding and some say that he is already out of the country. The mayor admitted all the accusations to be true and even provided added information. The son named Kerwin used to be an informer of the police but later on turned to the other side, bending to the lure of money. From the words of the people in his circle, Kerwin is earning 300 million pesos in his dealings. The illegal drug comes from China and lands in Cebu and distributed by Kerwin via his connections. It looks like an organized syndicate is running the show. It is disgusting to learn that there are drug users even in the boondocks. When the authorities launched the program for the surrender of drug users and pushers, there was no town that was exempted, huh, all towns have their drug users. That means the menace of illegal drugs is all over the country. And that's really scary.
It's everywhere, Corie. Although I did notice when I lived in Hungary that it wasn't really prevalent at all, most were alcoholics. Maybe the ex communist countries weren't affected as much as other countries. I don't know what it's like now, this was between 1997 and 2003 that I lived there.
Well we certainly have drug issues in this country. Heroin has made a comeback big time, and it is especially bad in New England. I was watching the story of an addict on a news program. He was just a young kid, maybe 23 years old, and a father. He had a very hard time finding a bed in rehab. He found somewhere to take him, but somewhere between the time he was admitted, and before he actually got there he overdosed and died. It happens all the time. It is pretty hard to believe that people ever start when they know what could be down the road.
The headline of a major newspaper today is about illegal drugs. The president names politicians, judges, law enforcers involved in illegal drugs. Isn't it scary to think that they are almost everywhere, those drug users and pushers? I am hoping that this campaign against illegal drugs will culminate in a positive result. It would be a disaster when the drug lords would flex their muscles by assassinating officials in high position such as the president. Here is the link - http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/803636...udges-law-enforcers-involved-in-illegal-drugs
The campaign against illegal drugs in the US hasn't worked, it's probably gotten worse since it began. But Yikes, your President better be wearing a bullet proof vest. Drugs are big money and he just made a lot of enemies. I commend him on his bravery and integrity.
I don't know what to think about drug laws. On the one hand, they are expensive, they don't work, and they lead to insane profits for people who are willing to break the law. On the other hand, legalizing the use of these substances might tend to make them more accessible, as alcohol is accessible to pretty much everyone, and there is also the idea that every child wants to be an adult, so when you have something that is legal for adults, it sends two messages: 1) that there's not really anything wrong with it; and 2) that it's the adult thing to do. For a lot of people, that carries on into adulthood too. There are many adult alcoholics who look down upon drug users because they are abusing an illegal drug. I think the largest push for legalizing marijuana and other drugs has more to do with opening up a new tax revenue than for any societal benefits. Whenever such things come up for a vote, I vote no, but without any idea that this is a war we're going to win. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to keep them illegal but quit wasting so many of our police resources hunting down drug abusers, concentrating instead on the dealers. Really, it's a behavioral thing and no amount of legislation is going to solve the problem, so I would be more concerned about making it worse.
The corruption is definitely rampant throughout the border regions, as well as in most countries I've heard of. I think the statistics may have changed since you've left the area, @Chrissy Page, only because some drugs are probably easier to get than alcohol, and are more physically addictive. When there's a market, the gangs/cartels/syndicates move in and give it away, to create demand. Once they get hooked, they have to pay, and of course if they don't have money, they will turn to whatever means necessary, to make it. I'm against legalizing drugs for the reasons mentioned by @Ken Anderson, as well as that I don't want the government's hand in yet another pie. I don't even trust the government to regulate the medications they oversee now, and don't think it's a good idea to give them another huge industry to watch over. Also, despite alcohol being readily available to most everyone over the legal age, homemade hooch is still prevalent in some areas. I think even if the governments set up labs to create the drugs that are in demand, the criminal groups would create others that were stronger, cheaper, etc., and then we'd have even bigger problems. I think we should be working on treatment, as well as beefing up education and prevention programs.