Presentation on the potential benefits of full legalization of drugs in the United States.

1. Patrick Dieter’s Presentation for
AODA Independent Study Class
03/18/2013
Drug Legalization
Can We Make It Work?

2. RESEARCH:
46 peer-reviewed articles & 8 websites
„ Comparison -- 8 years ago vs. now:
‟ THEN:
» Most research = Anti-Legalization
» Average response = “You’re NUTS!”
‟ NOW:
» Most research = Pro-Legalization
» only 5 of 46 were Anti-Legalization
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3. IDEA NOW TAKEN SERIOUSLY
BY:
„ Government
„ Medicine
„ Society
„ Religion
„ Education
„ Law enforcement
„ Treatment
‟ Harm Reduction Model
„ Cannabis is nearly legal
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4. MAJOR POINTS:
„ Most problems due to underground status of drugs
‟ Secrecy = inability to control it effectively
„ Criminalization = multi-billion-dollar black
market
‟ Profits irresistible to predatory street dealers
„ Let’s put them out of business!
‟ Contributes to overall economic inflation
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5. POTENTIAL BENEFITS:
„ REMOVE PROFIT MARGIN
‟ Who would buy on the street, when
safe, pure products are available?
„ Eradicate Black Market
„ Street dealers DONE
„ Illicit labs SHUT DOWN
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6. HEALTH BENEFITS:
„ Users Feel Safer
‟ Willing to seek treatment for:
„ Medical
„ Addiction
„ Mental health
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7. HEALTH BENEFITS:
•Reduced diseases
‟Clean needles
‟Sterile drugs
‟Preventable diseases:
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8. PREVENTABLE DISEASES:
„ HIV „ ABSCESS
„ AIDS „ MRSA
„ HEP C „ TB
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9. HEALTH BENEFITS:
„ Purity regulated by FDA
‟ Street adulterants include:
„ Cheaper chemicals
‟ (Replacing “X” with speed)
„ Strychnine
„ Industrial solvents
„ Toxic cutting agents
‟ END of “Bathtub Drugs”
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10. Bathtub Drugs:
„ No profit in “cooking”
„ Quaaludes
„ Home Meth Labs
„ Designer drugs
„ “Bath salts”
„ “Legal” Marijuana
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11. HEALTH BENEFITS:
„ Dosage regulated by FDA
‟ Will end most accidental OD’s
„ No “surprises” in the bag
‟ No “Hot Shots”
‟ Slower tolerance development
„ Empowers management of dosage increases
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12. HEALTH BENEFITS:
„ Bringing the market out of the shadows
‟ Greater motivation to practice self-care
„ Hygiene
„ Health care
„ Currently ZERO control of the market
„ Market continues to grow exponentially
„ Improved control over access by kids
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13. SOCIAL BENEFITS:
„ Drug use loses its “cool” factor
‟ Becomes establishment/govt. approved
‟ No longer seen as rebellious
‟ Loses romantic “antihero” mythos
‟ Rebellion = POWERFUL motivator
„ No more “chasing” a fix
‟ Most addicts not normally criminal
‟ Could (and would)work simple jobs
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14. SOCIAL BENEFITS:
„ Reduced stigma
‟ Increased self-esteem
‟ Increased self-awareness
‟ More effective treatment
„ NOT shame-based
„ Will greatly reduce:
‟ Prostitution
„ Kids forced into it
‟ STD’s
‟ Sexual trauma
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15. SOCIAL BENEFITS:
„ VASTLY reduces:
‟ Racially biased enforcement
„ Huge racial imbalance in prisons
‟ Generational recidivism
„ Prison as a “family value”
‟ Hero worship of dealers
„ Glorification of “Gangsta” Culture
‟ Fear of theft or assault
‟ Toxic shame and self loathing
„ Shame causes self-destructive behavior
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16. SOCIAL BENEFITS:
Reduced stigma toward social “hot spots”
„ Methadone clinics
„ Meth Labs
„ Halfway houses
„ Drug corners
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17. LEGAL BENEFITS:
„ Legal benefits
‟ Reduce profit-motivated crime
‟ Bring down drug prices GREATLY
‟ Decrease crime
‟ Put dealers out of business quickly
‟ Destroy incentive to start kids on drugs
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18. LEGAL BENEFITS:
„ End waste of Police resources
„ Dismantle the DEA
‟ Will free billions
„ Treatment
„ Prevention
„ Unclog the courts
„ Close many prisons
‟ Massive revenue savings
„ Sanity in sentencing
‟ War On Drugs has distorted this
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19. ECONOMIC BENEFITS:
„ Potential for tax revenues
„ Interdiction costs gone
„ Users can enter the work force
„ Black market stops causing inflation
„ Reducing petty crime saves money
„ For government
„ For private citizens
„ For social support entities
„ For hospitals
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20. POLITICAL BENEFITS:
Improve global
perception of USA:
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21. POLITICAL BENEFITS:
DEFUND terrorism
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22. POLITICAL BENEFITS:
Put cartels out
of business
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23. POLITICAL BENEFITS:
Government can attend
to more important matters:
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24. POLITICAL BENEFITS:
Restore Constitutional Rights
‟ Drugs are a personal choice
‟ State NOT qualified to address health problems
‟ Punishment destroys lives and doesn’t work.
„ We don’t punish diabetics, cancer patients, etc.
‟ Addicts must be ready or treatment will do harm 24

25. POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS:
Drug czars & DEA dispute benefits of legalization
‟ Problems with their claims (as per research):
„ Arguments not fact driven
„ Hard evidence, statistics ignored/suppressed
„ Expert reports ignored & suppressed.
„ Articles use defensive, inflammatory language
„ Arguments don’t stand up to semantic analysis
‟ Many semantically null or undefined terms used
„ Virtually NO peer-reviewed evidence
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26. POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS:
CLAIM: Drug use will increase
‟ Evidence from other countries refutes this
„ Drugs become anathema to rebellious kids
‟ Drugs no longer romanticized
» “normal” is boring
» Users are seen clearly as losers
‟ Drug subculture fades
» becomes mainstream
‟ Pushers out of business
‟ Stop recruiting new customers (kids)
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27. POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS:
CLAIM: Drug use will increase
Evidence from other countries (cont.)
„ Addicts dislike IV heroin administered by nurses
‟ They say pharmaceutical heroin doesn’t feel “right”
„ Drug abuse is already at epidemic proportions
‟ War On Drugs has consistently failed
„ Wasted a trillion dollars over 40 years
„ Caused exponential increase in drug abuse
„ Drug abuse doubled (at minimum) every year since started
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28. POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS:
CLAIM:
Social & family problems will get worse
„ Only arguments are emotional appeals
‟ Few facts to back up this assertion
„ Problems still happening now, but in secrecy
‟ Currently very difficult to address abuse, neglect
„ Legalization would open the door for counseling
„ Laws against abuse already in place
‟ Current laws harm children
„ Removal from home
„ Parent in prison
„ Single parent is the norm with adults in prison
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29. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
Making It Work:
Treatment modernized (evidence-based)
» Free of charge
» Strength-based
» On-demand
» Devoid of allusions to “character flaws”
‟ Easily afforded once interdiction funding stops
‟ Public will be educated about the disease model
„ Use modern advertising & marketing
‟ i.e. anti-smoking campaign
‟ Addicts more likely to see treatment as attractive
‟ End forced treatment before the person’s ready
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30. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
Making It Work:
Legal Issues ‟ Address offense directly
‟ Treat family issues separately
» Drug use not necessarily child abuse/neglect
» Fact based, rather than hysteria
‟ Expand DUI laws to include drugs
‟ Still prosecute:
» Petty theft
» Prostitution
» Illicit manufacture of impure drugs (FDA)
» May allow homegrown poppies, coca, etc.
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31. REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS:
“MUSTS” TO MAKE IT WORK:
„ Legalization must be total ‟ ALL substances
„ Government will only regulate purity, dosage
„ Government will NOT distribute substances
„ Drug manufacturers will be STRICTLY price-controlled
„ Dr’s will still advise, but prescriptions unrestricted
‟ Extensive training in addiction required for MD, DO
„ Must include free, on-demand treatment
‟ Residential centers will be comfortable and inviting
‟ End harsh interventions
» Replaced by strength-based outreach counselors
» Counselors onsite at adults-only “drug stores”
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32. FUTURE TREATMENT CENTER:
YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK
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33. REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS:
“MUSTS” TO MAKE IT WORK:
„ Legalizing possession = legalizing sales
» No such thing as a “miracle stash”
‟ Must include:
» ALL aspects of drug market
» Growing
» Manufacturing
» Sales
„ NO marketing or advertising allowed
» Similar to alcohol/tobacco
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34. REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS:
“MUSTS” TO MAKE IT WORK:
„ Manufacturers must:
‟ Be compliant with FDA
‟ Make predictable doses
‟ Assure purity
‟ Not be allowed to advertise
» Education/Prevention:
» Learn from tobacco/alcohol example
» Smoking GREATLY reduced since 1973
» Only media ads are PSA’s
» Warnings on packs
» Education
» Minor local laws only
» Bans by private business
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35. A DAY IN THE LIFE
OF A FUTURE DRUG
USER:
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36. FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2015
11:00 am ‟ WAKING UP:
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37. FRIDAY, JUNE 3. 2015
12:00 PM ‟ OFF TO WORK 37

38. FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2015
12:00 PM ‟ LUNCH 38

39. FRIDAY,
JUNE 3, 2015
8:00 PM
QUITTING TIME 39

40. FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2015
8:30 PM ‟ THE DRUGSTORE 40

41. FRIDAY
JUNE 3, 2015
8:00 PM:
HOME AT LAST
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