Mike,

My point is, we are spending billions of dollars (your dollars and my dollars) fighting a losing battle in the war on drugs. People will still use them even though they are illegal. Drugs being illegal enriches murderous people at every level on the seller's side of the equation.

I brought up the example of my friend sentenced to 25 years to point out what I view as extremely unfair about our justice system concerning drug use/abuse. I'm not suggesting that he shouldn't have been punished under our current laws. I am saying that a much shorter sentence with counseling as a condition of parole would cost us all a lot less than locking someone up for 25 years. I attended his sentencing hearing. The judge apologized to my friend several times, stating that he didn't think my friend deserved the sentence he was going to get, but the judge's hands were tied. He, by law, had to give him the mandatory sentence.

In reference to your "also" post, I know someone who owns a fully functional Thompson sub-machine gun. Legally! He has it registered with the FBI. It doesn't happen much, if at all these days, but whenever such a weapon of that description was used to commit a crime anywhere in this country, he got a call from the FBI and had to be able to verify his whereabouts at the time the crime was committed.

In reference to your "photos" post, I don't think legalizing drugs would increase the number of Darwin Award candidates. You can't legislate stupidity out of people!

Bob