A Thought On The Urine Test

Corrine has a view on the drug testing policy that is in place almost everywhere.
I've had a few people ask me on occasion for advice in regard to passing a drug test when they are, in fact, using drugs. They assume that I, as an employer, have an inside line to info about these tests (employers do not).

I tell them that I do indeed have a foolproof method of passing the drug test every time I take it, even on short notice.
They always anxiously ask me what it is.
I tell them don't use drugs.

First, Corrine has this to say. And it makes sense

And then I'm going to surprise you and say something controversial that will probably shock and bewilder you.
Please read all of it, as the first few lines will sound insane, but I believe I have made an intelligent and sound argument in it's favor.

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Our kind of thinking . . .
Re; Urine Test

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job.
I work, they pay me.
I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as they see fit.

In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test, which is no problem.

What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check, because I have to pass one to earn it for them?

Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sit on his or her butt.

Could you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

Pass it on if you agree.

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Now I have something to say that I believe people will find controversial and surprising.

I believe that drugs should be legalized.

Hear me out.

I do not say this because I want to use drugs, I don’t.
I say this for these reasons.

The drug trade in this country is an industry that produces billions and billions of untaxed dollars in profits. No one can possibly know the true amount, but I‘m sure it‘s astronomical.
Whether or not drugs are legalized, this will continue. Drug dealers currently use these funds, free from tax, to subsidize their lavish lifestyles and outlandish possessions.

This money also does less than nothing for you and I. It provides them with an enormous income and allows the dealers to avoid honest work and taxable income. Guess who has to make up for the money the IRS is not receiving from them. Look in the mirror.

If these drugs were legalized, the availability would remain about the same but this tremendous amount of currency would become legitimate taxable income and provide the government tax money and other fees that would be accessed on them similar to the way alcohol and tobacco are currently handled. This enormous amount of newfound revenue would not only no longer support drug dealers, but would also reduce the tax burden on honest citizens. You and I would pay fewer taxes.

Another reason is this. Some of the money we currently pay in taxes goes toward the feeble attempts the government now makes in trying to stop the drug trade. This amount is estimated to be $143.4 billion in 1998*, the most recent year with available figures. If drugs were legalized, this amount of tax money would no longer be needed to attempt to stop the drug supply into this country, something that it is not doing now. This money saved would then further reduce our tax burden. That’s cash in your pocket and mine.

As far as the predictions of widespread drug usage resulting from the legalization of them, consider this. A person who chooses to use drugs now has no trouble whatsoever acquiring them. So that would stay the same.

Mr. And Mrs. Joe Sixpack are not going to say, “Hey, drugs are legal now, let’s become heroine addicts!”

If you use drugs now, you probably have no trouble getting them. And if you don’t, it’s not because they aren’t available, it’s because you choose not to. That won’t change either.

As an added bonus, think about your own child. He or she may be smart enough to avoid drug usage, but the draw of fast, big cash from drug dealing is strong. And legalization would eliminate this opportunity. It may be the reason your child does not succumb to this powerful temptation and wind up in prison, or worse. This currently happens far too often to many good young people who would never use drugs themselves, but cannot resist the dreams of living the high life with the easy money believed to come with the life of a drug dealer.

Law enforcement officers, no longer burdened with the task of catching non-dangerous people (such as the nineteen year old boy who is 'burning one' in his garage while listening to loud music) would be freed up to pursue other criminal types, ones who would rape, kill, molest and rob. Courts and punishment facilities would be freed up to deal with harmful members of society.

So legalization would likely result in;
-A negligible change to the availability and usage of drugs,
-Funds from drug sales being used to the taxpayer‘s advantage for the good of citizens everywhere instead of allowing a few drug dealers to live lavish lifestyles supported by the tax free income drug sales currently provide,
-Elimination of the need for huge amounts of taxpayer dollars to fight a losing battle in the attempts to stop drugs from entering and circulating in our country,
-Removal of the opportunity, as well as the desire for people to ruin their lives in attempting to pursue riches they believe will come from drug dealing.
-A more efficient law enforcement system dedicated to protecting citizens from harmful types instead of victimless crimes.

Outside of taking away our right to call the police on the neighbor kid who is ‘burning a fattie’ in his backyard, or turning in a crack head who is goofy and annoying, the biggest change would be a huge reduction in the taxes you currently pay. I realize that drug addicts are prone to rob and steal in order to support their habit, but it's not the drug the are stealing. It's the money required to pay the huge cost of an illegal product. Legalized, the cost would come down to a level comparable with an alcoholic, who can be problematic, but not on the level of someone trying to feed an illegal addiction. Those types of individuals would become modern day drunks and would be much more manageable.

School programs, such as ‘Just Say No’ and D.A.R.E., would have to switch from programs that use abstinence based lectures to educational programs that teach
children about the harmful effects drugs have on their bodies, similar to alcohol and tobacco programs currently in place. And we all know that the success rate of programs that teach you common sense truths about the results of certain types of behavior are much higher than lectures that preach about not doing something simply because it’s illegal and wrong. Those types of lectures usually result in children rebelling and doing exactly what it is you don’t want them to do. Telling children that they are free to make up their own minds about their behavior so long as they are aware of the damage certain decisions will inflict, eliminates the desire to rebel, as the child feels in control of the decision and realizes that either way, they are defying no one.

Legalization is an issue whose time has come. It’s not perfect, nor is it a good thing, but it’s better than what we have now. The war on drugs is the equivalent of pissing on a forest fire while drinking Dom Perignon champagne. It’s expensive, ineffective and pointless. And if it’s going to happen anyway, let’s use it to our advantage.

Of course since this plan seems to make good sense and stops wasteful behavior, that alone tells me the government would never consider it.

*SOURCE White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Booklet (Page 51)
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