Re: drug abuse among the homeless

proffsl wrote:
> 1) In regard to reducing child access to drugs, which can we best
> prevent from selling drugs to children, criminal black markets or
> licensed dealers?

Since our #1 and #2 substance abuse problems in minors
are alcohol and tobacco (respectively), I'd have to say
that the black market appears less efficient at getting
drugs into the hands of children than legal distribution
channels.

Legalizing drugs would just put an effectively-unlimited
supply in the hands of anybody who happens to be predisposed
to selling drugs to children.  I don't think these sales
happen because the market is lucrative but rather in
many cases because the twerps actually think they're
doing the kids a favor by selling them drugs instead
of alcohol.

> To this question, most prohibitionists will recognize prefection is
> impossible, responding:  "Children will obtain drugs anyway."

Actually any drug abuse opponent in his or her right
mind would point out that most children do NOT try drugs,
and of those who do try them most don't go on to become
chronic abusers.

>  As
> children will obtain drugs anyway, this leads me to ask question 2).
>
> 2) Then, in regard to reducing harm, which drugs would you prefer
> children obtain, those produced by a criminal black market or a
> licensed producer?

I would prefer that they not have drugs other than
medicines.  Since we're talking hypotheticals anyway
I figure I'm entitled to point out that your question
is not really an either-or situation as long as you
don't fall into the self-defeating assumption that
"it's going to happen anyway".

> To this question, most prohibitionists will begin demanding
> perfection, something they just got done admitting was impossible, and
> respond: "Children shouldn't obtain drugs to begin with."  As children
> shouldn't obtain drugs, this queston then leads back to question 1).

And the answer to question 1) is still that the legal
drugs are the ones that are our biggest problems
among minors.  Whatever you think about the issue of
children with drugs, the fact of the matter is that
it's the legal ones that pose the biggest problems.

> But, with the mental block exhibited by many prohibitionists, even
> though both questons only lead to the need for the other question,
> neither of these questions will ever be answered, as their mental
> block prevents it.

We just aren't grasping for every lame feeble excuse
to legalize all drugs and turn our backs on people
who "voluntarily" live as addicts in the gutters and
on traffic islands.

Throwing them in jail need not be our first response,
but legalization should clearly be our last.

--
Brother Nate               Electron Juggler
[EMAIL PROTECTED]     http://php.indiana.edu/~nengle
"Some Assembly Required"