What's on Tap – Monday April 13th, 2009

soundoff (15 Responses)

1. Deborah AKA The Vocal Citizen
   

   With more than 20 million Americans addicted to alcohol and approximately the same number addicted to tobacco, I would think our elected officials would see the disparity in the current laws.
   In 1913, approximately 1.3 percent of our population was addicted to drugs. In 1971 (when Nixon started the "war on drugs"), approximately 1.3 percent of our population was addicted to drugs. In 2009 (after 72 years of prohibition), approximately 1.3 percent of our population is addicted to drugs.

   Prohibition does not work. So, my elected officials... MY PRESIDENT, either legalize and regulate drugs or enact prohibition against tobacco and alcohol.

   If there were a law on the books which read "driving a car is dangerous and therefore illegal" and yet people were allowed to drive only trucks, car enthusiasts would demand the law be changed, because a person can be involved in an accident in a truck just as easily as a car.

   By the by, decriminalization of drugs will only remove the legal repercussions of purchasing and possessing drugs, without imposing regulation of purity, potency, or to whom they are sold. Decriminalization will only make the problem worse.

   Legalization, responsible regulation, and taxation (of cannabis to purchasers over 21 years of age) is the only logical method of drug policy.

   April 13, 2009 at 5:04 pm |
2. Yeagerhood
   

   Decriminalized not legalized!

   Legalized=Regulated,Taxed,addictive, you will be forced to get it from one or two cooperate monsters.

   Decriminalized=Grown by individuals,various consistancy,various strains, various strength.

   I don't think the general public is ready for a 'pack of weed' at the corner store.
   What we are ready for, is decent weed that can be grown without fear. Even if it's decriminalized, there should be strict rules in place. And harsh punishment for those who abuse them.

   In my opinion, Americains should be able to grow a certain amount for personal use without fear of 10 years in prison.

   Much like everything else in life. It ultimately comes down to being responsible for yourself and your actions.

   April 13, 2009 at 3:51 pm |
3. Todd
   

   We need to Legalize weed. We need to talk about legalizing weed everyday until it's done. I see nothing on CNN about legalizing weed.If we can do this we can, remove at least 1/2 of the drug Cartels,the NRA can keep their guns and we can raise a ton of Tax revenue.

   April 13, 2009 at 8:43 am |
4. Dan Nelson
   

   Great job USA for taking out the pirates but we have an eye the the mother ship we should blow them out of the water. If the main people are attacked then we will see far less of these kinds of attacks! As for legalizing drugs we should only go as far as legalizing pot then these kids will not try the harder drugs and will be happy with the mellow effect that pot offers and when they grow up they most probably will not use it any more. Remember when you were young and now that your mature you no longer use it but if you still do it it really has no affect that might kill you or anyone else!

   April 13, 2009 at 8:29 am |
5. Hollis Martin
   

   DRUGS AND ADDICTION:
   Dear American Morning
   I am so frustrated by the lack of evolving consciousness in our country. Pres. Obama is in office to lead the United States of America and unfortunately he appears to understand less than the average American. about America's drug problem. Well President Obama, Congress and Senate, let this average citizen clue you in on the state of the union.
   I am not going to even comment on the outrageous rip off of the American people in regards to the financial bailouts, that is just whipping a dead horse at this point. Huge sectors of American people no longer have any confidence in their Government at all! No, let me address the latest fiasco that seems to be dominating the evening news stations, the rampant and brutal murders on the Mexican border and America’s insatiable appetite for illegal drugs. We have wasted billions of dollars fighting the drug wars and we have not begun to make a dent in it. Why? Because nobody is addressing the real reasons behind our consumption of drugs!
   It’s the desperate need to escape reality, stupid! Life in America has become so devoid of meaning, so driven by dominating corporations, so corrupted by greed, so desensitized to violence through TV, so self serving, so devoid of caring for others, so devoid of integrity, we have become defeated people held captive by their distorted egos. Who wouldn’t turn to drugs to numb the despair and check out for awhile? Of course drugs are not the answer, the answer lies with finding our spiritual roots again to fill the void within. But unfortunately Government has decided spiritual enlightenment cannot be taught in schools as they have decided that spirit must be God related therefore it cannot be allowed. Spirit is NOT God or religion, it is the life force that surges through all us and brings deep meaning to our lives. Our Government remains locked in the 20th century, it refuses to update our educational programs to complement our evolving mindset, our kids are bored and are no longer participating, they are hungry for something to fill their void. Today’s teens are pummeled by depressing and frightening news twenty four seven on the TV, their families are separated constantly by two working parents, or sometimes even parents so strung out themselves by what is happening they can no longer be productive role models. Children who have no positive role models and are left alone to find their way through life, quite often will turn to drugs. The drugs numb away their pain as well as provide a makeshift family for them to be a part of, a family of other lonely, unloved children searching for meaning. Wake up Washington! Our jails and prisons are overflowing with drug traffic felons, but has this really helped? All the laws in the world will not solve the drug problem! Until we start addressing the reasons WHY we use so many drugs and make meaningful changes from our insides out, nothing will change. We dance around the issues but never directly address them. Americans are desperate for meaning in their lives!
   Washington, it is past time to begin to repair the damage and begin to put America back together again. It is time to put honesty and integrity back into to our Government. It is time to teach and promote and encourage our spiritual growth. It is time to end corporate rule and restore our rights to decide how we want to live our lives and not be forced to live our lives according to what corporations want to sell us. We must have choice to live our lives as we see fit. The rule of this country needs to be put back into the hands of the people, not the hands of the corrupt few who have driven us nearly to destruction. We must become sustainable and green powered and begin immediately to reverse the damages of global warming. If we don’t have clean water and air and nutritious, safe food, then we all will perish, even the greedy corporations who strive to prevent this so they can continue to control us all in favor of profit. What someone needs to tell them and all of the Government who coddle them for their funding, is you can’t take the money with you to your grave! What good are a hundred million dollars, a huge mansion, yachts, expensive cars, and second and third vacation homes if we cannot survive the destruction of the planet? Greedy minds have a major disconnect from reality and therein lays the danger.
   It is time for Washington to rejoin reality and begin to change their ways. It is time for humanity to evolve and quickly, so we can save our planet and our lives. The horrendous murders in Mexico and near our U.S. borders are a blessed wakeup call to all of humanity, as brutal as they are. They are telling us how off track we have all become. They are shouting to us all to realize we are all connected through our life force, what we do to another we do to ourselves. Times before in history tell us we have allowed money, control and greed to take us down. Are we finally going to evolve enough this time to take note and make the changes needed to avoid repeating the same mistakes again? The jury is out on this one. The very basis, the fragile fabric that makes up who we are as a country is being torn and flung asunder, we have lost integrity and concern for our fellow man, we have been disconnected from our spiritual roots, and we are floundering dangerously. Please Washington, I am begging you, please enlighten your thinking, mend your ways, restore your integrity, and realize the problems we are facing in our country all grow out from a main cause, that main cause being a lust for greed and power and control. This is why people are being beheaded on the Mexican border. If we didn’t need drugs to avoid our terrible reality, the cartel would dry up and the violence would cease and maybe, just maybe, we could get back to living meaningful lives, peaceful lives, filled with love and integrity for all mankind.

   April 13, 2009 at 8:27 am |
6. cw69
   

   For me it's as simple as this. Just like we use armored trucks with armed security to move money and other valubles on land , these shipping companies should treat their valuble cargo just the same way. Security on these ships is a must, not only for the cargo but, more importantly the crew.

   April 13, 2009 at 8:23 am |
7. Rev. Jerald Jenkins
   

   There is an answer to the drug addiction problem. And it is certainly not legalizing any illegal drugs. The answer is treatment. Although many treatment programs have failed there are some who have been highly successful. One of those is Addicts Victorious, which for the last 22 years has helped thousands totally be set free from their addictions. They have a 5-Day faith based program where 82% of the people have been totally set free from their addiction. For information about this international program log on to our website http://www.addictsvictorious.com. Addicts Victorious, people helping people find freedom from their everyday problems fears and addictive behavior. Please help make this information available for those who need help.

   April 13, 2009 at 8:10 am |
8. William
   

   In response to Jesse's get-tougher approach to the drug problem, we already leading the world in incarceration rates,largely due to our war on drugs. Every time we have attempted to appease the public with get-tough laws, we fail, weather it's the crack cocaine disparity or the Rockefelller drug laws. One of ALbert Einstein's famous quotes was doing the exact same thing while expecting a different result is the defintion of insanity. That quote sums up our drug policy for the past forty years. Legalize, Tax, Regulate and control these harmful drugs.
   This isn't rocket science.

   April 13, 2009 at 8:07 am |
9. nigel
   

   DRUGS AND ADDICTION
   hi there as to your series this week,id like to make a few comments.
   first there is not a drug addict anywhere who deep in there heart would love to kick there habits and live a normal productive live without using ,period.
   as for getting help in a clinic,not gonna happen, please look into the cost of going to one of these programms,i went to an alchol addiction programm 7 years ago and for 11 weeks it cost me 7000 dollars, what addict can afford that cost,not many and the programms that are available are way to short for any good results.
   as long as there are no jobs and poverty ,addiction will will rise.
   legaslizing pot in my opinion might take away from usage of harder drugs.
   the rich people of society can go to all these top clinics.
   it just costs to much money to get help, period.
   please let the public know how much these clinics cost etc.
   thankyou nigel

   April 13, 2009 at 8:01 am |
10. Dan
    

    Whether we legalize drugs or not, there will always be problems with addiction and health (see tobacco, alcohol, various over the counter and prescription drugs). The difference here is taxation. If we legalized all that is considered bad by our society, we can impose high taxes (as cigarette prices continue to rise with added taxes) and change the culture. As cliche as it sounds, it all comes down to the parents who are the front line at policing children and informing them about what choices to make in life.

    April 13, 2009 at 8:01 am |
11. Herb
    

    When are we going to legalize drugs, and better educate people, spend the money we spend on incarceration instead on rehabilitation? Look at Holland, and there is another place I can't remember right now that has had positives from legalization (or decriminalization). Just the ratio of drug users to non-drug users in Holland as opposed to the same ratio in the U.S. is remarkable. It has everything to do with attitude and policy, and what's so romantic, sexy, or glamorous about a legal safe(r) regulated substance? Our drug policy is warped much like guns, drugs don't kill people, and we've made a little problem a big one just in how we handle it. A lot of people would argue that living in a "free" country would imply that you would have freedom to say what you can and can not do to/with your own body. Seems the drug war is more of a war on personal freedoms........

    April 13, 2009 at 7:04 am |
12. Dan Carr
    

    I wish CNN and other News channels would stop playing the Jeremiah Wright Video, where He said " God Damn America" How many times do you guys have to play this? Enough is enough. Where Obama picks a church is his business. Please stop.

    April 13, 2009 at 6:46 am |
13. Jesse
    

    In regards to Drugs and the US. Yes I think we need stronger boarder patrols and immigration laws. Maybe focusing on businesses that hire those who are here illegaly. On the drug use go after the users as well as the dealers, if you are convicted for drug use more than 2 or 3 times then you go to jail and not just for 1 day or week but at least 3 years. Impact the users as well as the buyers.

    Best Regards

    Jesse

    April 13, 2009 at 6:35 am |
14. Yeagerhood
    

    It's difficult to hear the word pirate without thinking of Johnny Depp.

    Are we sure that the pirates are only after money. Is the military doing a full sweep of the hijacked ships to insure there aren't dirty bombs or viruses being planted? Maybe they are targeting specific cargo containers. The Captain is safe, good job USA, but was it a mis-direction?

    April 13, 2009 at 6:16 am |
15. Clyde
    

    As if we needed another problem...I usually don't advocate violence but considering the nature of this offense..if these thugs persist in this behavior they need to be HUNTED and dealt with severly.

    April 13, 2009 at 6:08 am |