Our Government is High

This week, a new taxpayer funded government study conducted by a group of asshats has concluded that smoking marijuana leads to violence and gang membership among teens. Violence and gang membership? Really? Marijuana?Now, I could understand if a new study linked marijuana to....oh, I don't know....obesity, unemployment, or possible damage to the environment from the vehicle emissions of stoners making a late night Taco Bell run, but violence and gang membership?Which brings me to my first entry and chosen rant of the day....The War on Drugs - $100+ billion per yearThe laughable failure that is the War on Drugs was originally instituted by the insidious Richard Nixon and has since been resurrected by right-wing leaders who love to garner political support for misguided moral causes by tugging at the paranoid side of Americans...trying to convince us to believe in their War on [insert slogan here] and if we don't we're turning our backs on children and ultimately causing the downfall of America. Sadly, it's a tactic that has worked time and time again. Stupid Americans.Since it's inception it has been a complete disaster. The War on Drugs has wasted truckloads of money, first by giving American dollars away to developing countries in a wasted effort to curb the influx of drugs the government deems harmful from coming across the American border. This has created and enriched powerful drug cartels and ruthless gangs, but has failed to stop a more than ample supply of illegal drugs still available to satisfy American demand.Secondly, harsh punishments for convicted drug offenders have created huge operational budgets for our burgeoning correctional facilities which once again require more dollars from your paycheck. Strangely, most prisons do nothing to rehabilitate drug offenders. Instead, drugs are readily available in America's prisons, promoting gang activity and often turning former recreational users into full blown addicts.Ironically, we have a massively profitable pharmaceutical industry, subsidized by the federal government, that creates legal substances with similar effects of the drugs the government's War on Terror is so fervently trying to combat (OxyContin, Xanax, Ativan, Marinol, Morphine, the list goes on and on)Lastly, the idiocy of the government funded "awareness campaigns" meant to educate and detract American youth through fear tactics and hip marketing. I actually remember sitting through one of these classes back when Ecstasy was the new evil drug. That's when I learned if you wanted to try a new drug that produced feelings of extreme eurphoria that you had to go to a rave to find it......oh yeah, and also about the side effects. Because everybody knows high schoolers are deterred by side effects.This dumbass tactic is still used today. Most recently with the new known as "Cheese". It's black tar heroin mixed with over the counter analgesics. It was an obscure little known substance. Well, it was until the awareness campaigns started. Now it's been broadcast nationally in the news and once again the high school tours have started up again to let the kids know not to try the newest cheap powerful drug that is now on the market.....because once again....it has deadly side effects.I realize that drug abuse is a legitimate problem in today's society, but I think it's obvious that the criminal justice system has failed to heal what is ultimately a public health issue.Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to read up on a new study that links government studies to stupid ass conclusions.