Drug laws in the country are retarded and ineffective. Society would be much better off treating drug abuse as a medical condition than as a hideous criminal offense, but let's be realistic, much of it has to do with generating revenue streams and feeding for-profit prisons a steady supply of bodies.
The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, by far. American citizens comprise only 5% of global population, but an astounding 25% of all prisoners on the planet, and huge numbers of those are for non-violent drug-related offenses. The issue doesn't get the attention it deserves, but is disgraceful for a nation that lauds itself as a beacon of freedom and democracy to the rest of the world.
It blows my mind that power-hungry jackasses can decree that others be jailed and even sent to prison for ingesting substances that they deem unacceptable, particularly plants like marijuana, psilocybin, peyote, etc, that have been used for thousands of years and have been revered by many cultures. It says a lot about our own society that the substances authorities fear the most, and for which they often mete out the worst punishment, are those with the power to expand consciousness and potentially lead to questioning the assumptions of the socio-economic power structure that they're determined to maintain at any cost.
"Cultural and biological diversity are far more than the foundation of stability; they are an article of faith, a fundamental truth that indicates the way things are supposed to be.... There is a fire burning over the Earth, taking with it plants and animals, cultures, languages, ancient skills, and visionary wisdom. Quelling this flame and reinventing the poetry of diversity is the most important challenge of our times."
~ Wade Davis
The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, by far. American citizens comprise only 5% of global population, but an astounding 25% of all prisoners on the planet, and huge numbers of those are for non-violent drug-related offenses. The issue doesn't get the attention it deserves, but is disgraceful for a nation that lauds itself as a beacon of freedom and democracy to the rest of the world.
It blows my mind that power-hungry jackasses can decree that others be jailed and even sent to prison for ingesting substances that they deem unacceptable, particularly plants like marijuana, psilocybin, peyote, etc, that have been used for thousands of years and have been revered by many cultures. It says a lot about our own society that the substances authorities fear the most, and for which they often mete out the worst punishment, are those with the power to expand consciousness and potentially lead to questioning the assumptions of the socio-economic power structure that they're determined to maintain at any cost.
"Cultural and biological diversity are far more than the foundation of stability; they are an article of faith, a fundamental truth that indicates the way things are supposed to be.... There is a fire burning over the Earth, taking with it plants and animals, cultures, languages, ancient skills, and visionary wisdom. Quelling this flame and reinventing the poetry of diversity is the most important challenge of our times."
~ Wade Davis
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