I've never tried an illicit drug or smoked anything, but based on what I've heard, it seems pot is relatively benign to society. It's consumption and distribution probably shouldn't be criminalized.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xist
It should be possible to rehabilitate most people in prison for using drugs. If they did bad things to get the money for drugs, they still deserve rehabilitation, even though they need to pay for their crime.
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Rehabilitation has little to do with what is deserved, and much to do with maximizing well-being to both the community and the individual. By giving people a path to be reconciled to the community, they have hope. Hopeful individuals are more likely to be contributing members of society rather than liabilities.
... on the subject of capital punishment; I'm against it. Primarily I'm motivated by my belief that human life should be preserved and has intrinsic worth, regardless of the nature of the individual. Secondary to this, my best guess is that 2% of people in prison are innocent. Death eliminates the ability to correct mistakes or reconcile relationships. Thirdly, in the US, it is more expensive to the taxpayer to sentence someone to death than to sentence them to life without possibility of parole. Finally, valuing human life is what separates good people from evil people. By preserving the life of a murderer, we rise above their nature, taking no pleasure in the destruction of someone else, despite the fact that they deserve to die. BTW, allowing someone to live is no mercy, as death is nothing, and life is a struggle.