American Morning
The big business of marijuana
From CNN's Jeanne Meserve
And all this week we're breaking down America's drug addiction and examining how it's helping fuel the violence spilling over the border.
Today we're looking at the 8.5 billion dollar business being made off marijuana. How do you stop the supply when there's such a massive demand?
What do you think? Is marijuana a victimless drug or is it fueling the violence in Mexico?
Kiran: The debate over the legalization of drugs
Good Monday to you,
Hope you had a wonderful Easter and/or Passover weekend. Looks like our prayers were answered! Captain Richard Phillips rescued by our brave Navy Seals. He is now safe and getting ready to be reunited with his family and loved ones. Read the story
All this week on American Morning we are taking a look at America’s drug addiction and how it's fueling the growing violence at the Mexican border. We're calling it “Drug Nation."
This morning we had a debate over legalizing hard drugs – substances like heroin and cocaine. It's a position advocated by Jeff Miron, an economist from Harvard University. Former DEA agent Bob Stutman had plenty to say about why that would be a huge mistake. Watch the debate
Commentary: Legalize drugs
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/13/miron.jeffrey.art.jpg caption="Economist Jeffrey Miron says legalization of drugs makes more sense than prohibition."]
By Jeffrey A. Miron
Special to CNN
Editor's note: Jeffrey A. Miron is senior lecturer in economics at Harvard University.
The CNN story that provided the hook for my debate with former DEA official Robert Guttman might appear at first glance to make a convincing case against legalizing drugs like heroin or cocaine; the story recounts the tragic death of a teenager from heroin use. Read the story
In fact, the story illustrates perfectly why legalization makes more sense than prohibition, even for hard drugs.
The incident recounted in the story occurred under current policy: prohibition did not prevent this teenager from using heroin.
As the story emphasized, moreover, heroin prices have fallen dramatically over the past several decades to the point where heroin is available in a relatively pure form at prices most teenagers can afford. This shows that government anti-drug policies have been a dismal failure, since the express purpose of those policies is to raise drug prices and reduce use. Federal and state government have spent hundreds of billions of dollars attempting to enforce prohibition, yet availability and purity are higher than ever while price is at record lows.
Thus prohibition has failed to accomplish its stated goals, and it generates enormous negative side effects.
Counterpoint – Drug legalization: "A great idea whose time has not come!"
Drug legalization: "A great idea whose time has not come"
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/13/stutman.art.jpg caption="Robert Stutman is a former Special Agent with the DEA."]
By Robert M. Stutman
Special to CNN
Editor's note: Robert M. Stutman is a former Special Agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Principal of The Stutman Group.
Gee, things aren't going great in the war on drugs: violence in Mexico; more and more kids using dangerous drugs at an early age; kids overdosing all over the country from drugs like heroin and OxyContin. If you like this and want a lot more, let's give any drug to any person at any age who wants to use it and see where that gets us.
Our present system is not perfect and needs a lot of fixing, but blowing up the system and giving up completely would be like a contractor who has to demolish a building and instead of using dynamite to take down the building, uses a nuclear device to take down the city. Granted the system is not perfect, but fortunately, even most religions don't demand perfection, they demand of you to try your best. Surrendering is not trying our best!
Counterpoint – Commentary: Legalize drugs
Heroin cheaper than six-pack of beer
By Ronni Berke and Carol Costello
Massapequa, New York (CNN) - Doreen and Victor Ciappa thought they got a second chance when their 18-year-old daughter, Natalie, survived a heroin overdose last May.
Her mother recalled how, after the overdose, Natalie promised to stop using, insisting she didn't need rehab.
"She said 'oh no, I'm not going. I'll get myself off it,'" Doreen said.
Doreen Ciappa says she had no idea the packets she found among Natalie's belongings after her first overdose were actually heroin. "I had spent hours on the internet trying to figure out what they were."
During the year before the overdose, Natalie had changed. The straight-A student, cheerleader and accomplished singer had lost weight and began seeing less and less of her old friends. She was spending a lot of time alone in her room, writing songs and poetry. She started hanging out with a new boyfriend. Soon, she was missing curfew and fighting frequently with her parents. Despite their suspicions, the Ciappas say it never occurred to them Natalie was using heroin.
Within weeks of the first overdose, she went out to a party and never came home. Natalie had overdosed again, this time fatally.
War on drugs is "absolute failure"
We've been along the border all week long bringing you a story that affects all of us: the battle to keep drugs out of this country and the undying addictions that keep ruthless drug cartels in business. Mexican authorities say they found a U.S. Marshal murdered, execution style, in the virtually lawless border town of Juarez. John Gibler, author of "Mexico Unconquered: Chronicles of Power and Revolt," joined us live.
What do you think? Can the U.S. win the war on drugs?
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