MTV pleas: Rock the Vote!

So today in my Alcohol and Chem Dependency class, we had to debate the repeal of the Rockefeller Laws of 1973 that said any individual caught with at least 2 grams of an illegal substance will be imprisoned for a mandatory sentence of 15 years to life, regardless of an individual's characteristics or circumstances i.e. first time offender, whether or not individual can post bail or cry immunity because a friend of a friend knows whoever.  15 years to life is also the sentence of a murderer.

Obviously I am FOR THE REPEAL!

This piece of crap law came about because Mr. Rockefeller was a liberal back in the day when his running opponent was Nixon and Barry Goldwater. To stand up to those hardcore republicans, Nelson thought it was a grand ol' idea to devise a right wing plan called the War on Drugs. Everyone thought it was too harsh but Nelson insisted this would lower drug rates in NY and eventually the whole country.

But today we see that there aren't enough prisons to hold all of these minimal drug offenders. So we increase gov't spending by $750 million and take about $650 million out the budget for educational spending.

Seems to me that we're a nation promoting punishment instead of cost effective ways of treating and rehabilitating drug abusers. Also by enacting such harsh drug laws, people seeking treatment fear treatment centers as they may be criminalized for having an addiction. Our nation didn't turn it's back on schizophrenics and other mental illness patients when they had the means to treat them...we have the means to treat people with drug addictions yet we are locking them away from society only to re-enter it 15 or more years later as a fucked up individual. In many cases like in NY, more than 65% of the prisoners get sent to upstate prisons (incidentally where they are considered to be living by the Census Bureau yet they cannot vote...imagine where all the electoral votes are coming from in the REPUBLICAN district) away from their families and community.

Another interesting tidbit? It costs taxpayers $32,000/year to keep one inmate in prison. To treat that same individual with drug rehabilitation and education, it would cost only $4,500/year. That would help that $9,058,232,655,395.03 debt thing going on within the lovely US nation.

But why would that change the minds of any political figure in power out there?

Maybe because it would be committing political suicide to admit that you're against the War on Drugs and most people will, out of ignorance undoubtedly, will consider you pro-drugs and they don't want a pro-drug nation. And judging by the results of the 34 years of the Rockefeller laws, most people undoubtedly (out of ignorance) want this spiral of  societal counter-productiveness to continue. The fact is, people will get drugs no matter what. They are still extremely available. Including within the prison system...surprise! It's also imprisoning otherwise innocent folks who will always be stigmatized within society after the release of prison.

The fact also is that they will return to the life they knew if they don't learn anything else, like being imprisoned, instead of educated.

So, in class...I can't believe there was an actual argument in favor of keeping these antiquated laws enacted! The statistics are there, folks. Treatment works. Mandatory prison sentences do not. In fact, they worsen things bazillion-fold.

So that's my position on that. Now I'm going to see what Obama and Hillary think. It's a deciding factor for me. Also, Ralph Nader needs to get into this running. I'd even settle for Kucinich as this point.

Please everyone. Let's impeach this Bush of a president.

Weed is a bush.
Bush is a dope.