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Legalizing drugs in the USA

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    Legalization expert weighs in

  • Duration 4:34
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In a personal story segment tonight that George Soros funded drug policy alliance took out this full page ad yesterday and the New York Times.

And they argued for the legalization.

Of drugs.

-- want to stop police from locking up heroin and cocaine users despite the public safety threat that the users posed joining us now from New York.

Is the executive director of the drug policy alliance -- an ailment.

You can good to see is I think a lot of people watching us think OK -- -- -- the cat's out of the bag of marijuana.

And states out west Colorado.

Saying marijuana has not a criminal thing anymore are a lot of people haven't pot party's stance and -- the -- But I think apparel land and I think of cocaine is something very different parent when they think that someone should not -- tracks on our arms and it's much more addictive and much more dangerous so what is the point.

This full page advertisement and what's the goal here.

Well -- mean the real point was to show that.

First of all in Colorado and Washington you know these those ballot -- one with the overwhelming majorities 55% -- each state saying it's time to.

Legally regulate marijuana like alcohol rather than continuing with a failed -- -- policy.

Those -- by the way we're not pro pot votes right most of the people who voted for those initiatives don't smoke pot they don't want -- -- parties in the streets all the sort of stuff.

They want police to focus on real crime they don't want the criminals making the money they don't want the cops are resting on -- zillion people each year for this stuff they wanna see that tax revenue coming from this stuff so that's what's going on.

And that's like half of all Americans a little more now say it's time to legally regulate marijuana.

I'd -- probably more than half of all fox viewers feel the same way.

So it's about a responsible policy -- -- the drug war has gone too far.

And that would marijuana we have an opportunity take it out of the criminal justice system and legally regulated in control.

We'll have to do lay out O'Reilly Factor poll on that -- here -- really -- -- -- -- -- -- is -- -- yeah -- on the issue of of the addictive nature of -- and especially -- cocaine on as well.

The carnage that those drugs leave behind and I know alcohol is a terrible carnage for American families.

Across the board alcohol abuse but -- drug those drugs in particular Joseph Califano has written.

Persuasively.

On how turning America into like de -- one big needle park where people are are you know -- exchanging needles and get a needle exchange program and some people aren't getting sick because they have clean needles and that's great.

But that this leads to other problems and acceptance of drug use among younger people and people who are already at risk.

Yeah what are -- trying to -- to be clear on this my organization drug policy alliance.

We're the leading one in the country advocating -- -- the drug war some of our members are libertarians who think we should legalize everything.

Most probably do not go that far and so my organization says we should reduce the role of the criminal long criminal justice system the system in this -- to try to be taken that this is out of the hands of the criminals trying to find ways to regulate this stuff.

But were not saying treat heroin a cocaine like alcohol and tobacco.

And the look look it this -- also.

Tobacco even heroin addicts data to back with the most addictive drug -- -- by all rights we could prohibit tobacco we might reduce the number of smokers right but we also know would have.

-- we create a vast black market we got tobacco Traficant he's we have ideal multi hundred billion dollar what we be filling the prisons with tobacco law violators and we still have tens of millions Americans smoking.

So the argument essentially is to say.

To the extent we can treat the issues -- on heroin and cocaine and methamphetamine as public health issues to the -- we can get serious about treating addiction not -- the criminal justice system but through that public health system.

That's a good idea look -- would Portugal's done the last eleven years they said we're not locking up anybody any -- for simple possession of a small out of the drug if they're not behind the wheel the car.

What's happened in Portugal knowing nothing drug use but they've reduced the rest reduce crime reduce age reduce overdoses so it's a sensible public health strategy that's the.

A lot of the Marlins Iran's to many people that a big failure big waste money but I ended up Portugal example might not be all that persuasive to people and yeah I know is -- -- or was -- all the -- -- everything that he -- -- access America is not -- to go for a lot of reasons and I -- the Portuguese and get me -- -- -- The policy still makes sense the fact of the matter what they're doing there would work here better than what we're doing here worked out what way we certainly need to change the lately capitalization no doubt about it mr.

-- great to see --

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