re: Would drug legalization increase the frequency of overdoses?

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It casts doubt on their being a fact.

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You can easily support their findings through numerous sources, including US crime reporting.

Or do you just not want to see it?

Here's another source using the same US crime statistics

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During Prohibition the homicide rate increased by over 40% from just under seven homicides to almost 10 homicides per 100,000 people. Prohibition led to worse social conditions than were experienced prior to Prohibition as demonstrated by more lethal forms of alcohol, increased crime rates, and the establishment of a black market dominated by criminal organizations. Ironically, alcohol consumption rose to record levels during prohibition, and the price of alcohol skyrocketed. There is a lesson to be learned here, and it has nothing to do with morality. - See more at: LINK

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LINK

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Among the many unresolved questions regarding the determinants of violence is the role of prohibitions against drugs and alcohol. Conventional wisdom holds that consumption of these goods encourages violence and that prohibitions discourage such consumption; thus, prohibitions reduce violence. An alternative view, however, is that prohibitions create black markets, and in black markets participants use violence to resolve commercial disputes. Thus, prohibitions potentially increase violence. This paper examines the relation between prohibitions and violence using the historical behavior of the homicide rate in the United States. The results document that increases in enforcement of drug and alcohol prohibition have been associated with increases in the homicide rate, and auxiliary evidence suggests this positive correlation reflects a causal effect of prohibition enforcement on homicide. Controlling for other potential determinants of the homicide rate -- the age composition of the population, the incarceration rate, economic conditions, gun availability, and the death penalty -- does not alter the conclusion that drug and alcohol prohibition have substantially raised the homicide rate in the United States over much of the past 100 years.)

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Nat. Bureau of Econ. Research

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Do you think by legalizing drugs that most drug dealers are going to go straight and get a 9-5 job?

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Not necessarily but there will be less opportunities for young people in the future to make a good living in the underground economy.

Stop being a lazy dick rider. It's embarrassing.

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Is the war on drugs a war on murder?

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I don't think so. I was just countering his point that the war on drugs caused an increase in violent crime.

Either he knew what your point was and he's trolling or he didn't know and he's stupid.

Based on his posting history, I'm leaning towards the latter.

Come on baby, don't be like that.

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Nice how you stopped at 1980. It's dropped sharply since then to the current rate of 4.7. Going by that metric the War on Drugs is a success.

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I didn't. The article did. Violent crime actually went up through the 80's.

1990 would have been when rates began to drop. The main reason is most likely the decrease in the crack cocaine epidemic that was present in the 1980's. We are also growing old.



LINK

The massive increase in the homicide rate in the 80's was linked to the crack cocaine trade.

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I don't know if violent crime would increase if you took out the black market but other crimes would. Theft in particular. There would be more addicts and those addicts would need to feed their habit.

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Can you back this up?

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Seriously, what are the objectives of the war on drugs?

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To do as much as possible to abate drug abuse Have people profited from it? Of course. Are there some civil liberties that have been trampled that I want back? Of course. Is the government larger and more intrusive because of it? Of course. I take issue with all these things.

Ive said many times in this thread that I don't think we should be arresting or incarcerating users and abusers. I do however think we ahould be going after the producers and suppliers of the hard drugs.


ps. Please note that none of my posts apply to weed. I believe it should be completely legal.

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Can you back this up?

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Just from personal experience and common sense. I'm stuck on mobile so I'm not scouring the web to find a link. If you would like to refute it go ahead.