Gary Johnson on Drug Policy
As governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson succeeded in eliminating New Mexico’s budget deficit, cutting the rate of growth in state government in half, and privatizing half of the state prisons. During Johnson’s term, New Mexico experienced the longest period without a tax increase in the state’s history. He vetoed 750 bills in eight years, more than all other governors combined. The Economist dubbed him “America’s boldest governor” — and that was before he took on drug prohibition. He discussed drug policy and other issues at the Cato Institute November 1, 2010.
What an honest politician! I will vote for this guy for president next year!
@MegF142857 I’m trying to organize a national protest to take place April 20th. History has shown that ridiculous laws can be changed quite hastily with the right type of demonstration. I don’t have the money or the knowledge to pull this off by myself, but I have the will to do whatever it takes to help make this happen. We could force the US Government to publicly recognize the TRUTH. This is supposed to be a democracy run by the people, isn’t it?
Please follow us at twitter(dot)com/marchon420
It’s like, if they legalized gay marriage. You think you will rush out and get some gay sex? No! You think we should rush out and get addicted to heroin? or Vicodin? No! Smoke a lil pot, now thats good!
@redrajani
he is
@oliverigeler Yeah and the ones in jail get health care too I might add
please tell me he is running for president
@GOPsithlord: Oh, and all these hard drug abusers sitting in jail — they dont sit there for free.
@GOPsithlord: Since drug addicts will be treated by the health care system instead of being sent to jail, health care spending will increase. On the other hand, drug abuse will decrease since addicts are treated by the health care system, which will deprive organised crime and drug cartels of their income. And health care spending on HIV/AIDS will decrease, since less people will be infected. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what the overall effect on national economy will be.
I can only but wonder what the would-be-legalizers of hard drugs think about the impact upon health care costs of their policy. Am I to believe with a straight face that hard drug addicts (b/c that’s who we’re really addressing here as a liability) will pay for their own treatment? To whom will the cost be deferred, especially now? I ask this b/c I want an honest answer from those who want to legalize hard drugs.
great video!
@nobodyslaw just another way of government control.
Listening to the harm coming from the war on drugs in numbers simply makes me wanna scream. *shakes head*
@MegF142857 In Portugal when something is broken we hang a “do not use” sign on it and it might stay that way for years until we really fix it. Our drug laws are broken, so they decided to suspend arrests and prosecution of users and small time dealers. The big bosses are still operating illegally. They still use violence and intimidation to control the trade.
I find most Portuguese don’t know what is happening in their country unless it is related to football (60% of the news is football).
I think another incentive in the US for government to keep drugs illegal is because they can seize your property (house, car, etc.) and auction off. This can be even if someone has them in your home that the actual owner didn’t know, such as a child or visiting friend.
Prohibition of alcohol didn’t work, so why did they think it will work for other drugs? I think it is still illegal to make your own whiskey or hard alcohol, even though can make own beer & wine.
@XCritonX That’s a big difference in your comments about what you meant by decriminalizing drugs in Portugal. One comment meant “do nothing” about prosecution and other comment is “real” by meaning it is legal.
@TlAg0 How do you know its not true? Are you an expert on the Portuguese drug situation? Do you spend much time in Barrio Alto or the Baxia of Lisbon? Do you know any addicts, or the social workers that have to deal with them? Do you live in a zone infested with crack heads?
Drugs were never truly decriminalized in Portugal (unfortunately), they just instituted a “do nothing” policy of de facto decriminalization. Violent drug dealers still control the trade. We need real decriminalization.
@XCritonX
I live in portugal and i know that is not true. Descriminalization of the drug use only deacresed people that went to jail. People didn’t die faster. That’s stupid and doesn’t make any sense.
I live in Portugal, but I am not Portuguese. After decriminalization drug use spiked way up. Cheap, (poisoned?) drugs provided by criminal gangs flooded the market. It took about 2 years for the majority of the serious drug addicts to die off. Now the population of addicts is much lower, because they are dead, and that is just fine by me!
We still have lots of drug and alcohol addled losers begging money in the streets. The problem is that they have welfare so they don’t die off so quickly.
JOHNSON / PAUL 2012 TICKET
@ambigera
Nixon started current “War on Drugs” and attached drugged doper pot smoker stigma to his democratic political opponents, they were caling for withdrawl from Viet Nam, (along with rioting Hippie protestors) .
this talk is simply a common sense talk about american drug policy…
Personally, I despise recreational drugs – including alcohol. However, as long as you maintain some level of responsibility, it’s none of my business. Laws for these drugs should closely mirror those for alcohol. The effects of those laws would be the same as after the Prohibition: lower crime rates, as well as lower usage and abuse of those drugs.
I think the only reason our drug laws are so draconian in the US is that drugs are associated with liberal Americans, hippies, and the peace movement (all of which are deeply disliked by everyone outside of these groups).
There will come a day in the United States when people say “They ACTUALLY put people in prison for that back in the day? What was the big deal? It’s only pot. “
I cannot believe that an American governor is saying this… Awesome.
This can only be a good sign.