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What role should the US play in reducing the production of illicit drugs-such as cocaine and heroin-in places like Bolivia and Afghanistan?

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Illicit drugs are derivatives of natural substances. It is not our governments right to regulate the growth and distribution of any natural growth or resource. It is an individuals own right to make decisions concerning their own lives. Those who manipulate plants and chemicals into things that ruin peoples live should be held responsible for those actions that affect others in a negative way. Therefore, Bolivia and Afghanistan should deal with these issues utilizing their own government strengths, just as the U.S. should, where malicious use and distribution of natural substances into illicitness.

The United States sacrifices the lives of it's own "citizen made soldiers" to protect the lives of citizens in other countries that are equated to the lives of American cities that are losing their home to mortgages. Other transposed American lives live under bridges while their counterparts around the world are assisted by their own government that has forsaken them. For what? To look nice for NATO or the United Nations? Is it to compensate for our debts?

I think the role of America in the rest of the world should be: evacuation. I think there should be a state of emergency declared in The United States of America, a national quarantine, even. Whilst this goes on, a renewable fuel source should replace gasoline and oil, and a common-place, dorm type resort built for weary travelers and homeless people. The toll to use these rooms would be equal to the toll to use a public rest area, or zero, if you prefer. Of course, the government should be restructured; downsized and simplified to the point that the president could have access to the opinions of the common-man via the Internet, where people could vote, since the electoral college could be eliminated. Perhaps if the president was more in touch with the people, a more comprehensive decision could be made by one man, with the congress and senate as advisory.

There will never be a perfect world. We have to make things better, however. Bolivia, Afghanistan, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, they need to all look out for themselves for a while and let us fix our own problems. Then maybe, we will stand in a place where we can give advice to the rest of the world. A police action, I believe is a last resort; not a first action motorcade to cover-up your own money racket. This is no World War II. That was a necessary police action. There was Pearl Harbor, we didn't teach those Japanese People how to do that. We didn't give their leaders guns. They had technology, alliances...these terrorists don't, and they are scattered.

As far as the heroin and coke goes, prohibition killed a lot of people and ruined a lot of lives. The war on drugs is the same. People are going to get high if they want, legal or not. Most people get off on getting away with something illegal anyway. So the war on drugs can never be won, it is a money racket as well, no matter it's good intentions. Let people do what they want...don't you do what you want? Some people like getting high and due to such they are rotting in prison. Addiction is a disease...should cancer patients go to the slammer to?

Hope to see you all in a better America one day. I don't know what to do. My heart is broken, and hell...I can't even get high.

Learn more about this author, Steven Pell.
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What role should the US play in reducing the production of illicit drugs-such as cocaine and heroin-in places like Bolivia and Afghanistan?

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What role should the US play in reducing the production of illicit drugs-such as cocaine and heroin-in places like Bolivia and Afghanistan?

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