We look down on/laugh at/imprison those with drug addiction, then treat their deaths as a tragedy. Only in America. 

as we all know you can never OD on legalized drugs. more liberal logic on parade!

There is too much money to be made in the Narco / Prison / Industrial Complex.  Opium production is 300% all times record high since we invaded Afghanistan, and 95% of the worlds Heroin base now comes out of Afghanistan.  They don’t call Bush Sr. “POPPY” for nothing!

The Government is the biggest pusher of all.

as we all know making drugs illegal stops people from using them. more regressive logic on parade

now tell us the one about how getting millions and millions of people addicted to legalized drugs will help reduce our health care costs.

I make the following statement only as something I first thought when I read the headline. I know that there are differences between the 2 subjects, so before you lefties take me out of context or make some elaborate long speech back to me, this again is just the first thought that popped in my head when reading the headline. Here goes:

So when someone dies of drug use we want to legalize drugs, but when someone gets shot we want to ban guns…..

so we should make guns easier to get by that theory. It should make people want to use them less. 

More people die each year from the food they eat, than the drugs they use.

Wow, the next thing you know old Tony’s going to be doing commercials for AFF!

Before people get too bent out of shape….remember this is coming from Tony Bennett (Who I have the utmost respect for as an entertainer) not the Surgeon General. He’s a very old man whose faculties might be slightly in decline (maybe not..who knows)  Don’t let it upset you too much. Keep it in perspective. I don’t think his statements need to be scrutinized by this site. Cheap shot.

Did you hear about that “pink slur” they put in McDonald’s hamburgers?

The War on Drugs has failed!!

But eatin’ a cheese burger in Amurican!

So you can get them from a doctor, not just some gangsters that sell it under the table,” Bennett continued.

Jackson, Propofol, legal. Winehouse, alcohol, legal. Houston? We don’t know. Way to make a point, Tony. Shut up and sing. 

Someone takes one pill, it can save his life. Someone can take these pills in moderation and still live comfortably  and improve his life. Someone can overdose and die from these pills.

Show me someone who has been shot once or shot in moderation whose life was saved or made more comfortable caused directly by being shot.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149250,00.html

I don’t know, how about the people who were saved by a good Samaritan who stepped in on a crime because they had the means to. 

Besides, you missed my point. The person above states that by letting people have what are illegal (forbidden) the usage will go down. 

Guns are generally difficult to get as well, and have the forbidden stigma about them. Shouldn’t the same apply. I am not saying I agree that it would work, just applying their logic to a topic I know that they will disagree. Pointing out absurdity with more of the same. 

When you use a drug for its intended purpose, it can always be helpful and improve lives.
When you use a gun for its intended purpose, someone always is seriously injured or killed.

“The person above states that by letting people have what are illegal (forbidden) the usage will go down.”

No, he didn’t. That’s what you read into what he stated. You missed his point.

He merely said that the criminalization of drugs does not stop people from using those illegal drugs. There was no comment on the aftereffects of legalization.

Because a guns intended purpose is to shoot PEOPLE. You know some use them for hunting, target practice, etc….

So I guess Heroine is helpful, as well is cocaine. I have heard how helpful those drugs are.

 Yes. If you legalize drugs and use the money saved on the legal system to fund awareness and treatment programs use will go down. That’s a fact. BTW…quit watchin Bill O’Reilly and FOX, you’re being brain washed.

Give me a break!  Houston should be the poster child for NOT legalizing drugs.  Here’s someone with unlimited funds and access to crack or anything else and this happens?  How much sooner would she have died if crack was legally and morally accepted?  Liberals have no sense whatsoever.

People use guns to make openings in things. What happens after that is God’s fault, right?

Heroin and cocaine have intended purposes as a pain-reducer and an anesthetic, respectively. They are incredibly helpful.

Ummm, kind Sir, what exactly do you mean by legalize drugs? I can buy Benadryl, Aleve and other OTC’s at my local pharmacy and nothing stops me from abusing these drugs as well. I thought that with age we get wiser, but for someone like Tony Bennett, who is in his golden years, to make such a statement, is quite disappointing.

Of course, instead of looking for the next medical or scientific breakthrough, go ahead and give people a reason to abuse anodynes.

The loss of irreplaceable people like Michael and Whitney is tragic in global proportions but this was not the time for a legalization of drugs campaign.  People are mourning.  Bennett’s comment was inappropriate.

All I can do is laugh at that. Thanks, I needed that today!

 Why not?  People who are for legalization are using this to justify their campaign.

Answer: no sooner than she did.

How much later would she have died if she had no funds and limited access? How many people with no funds and limited access to crack are high on crack right now?

How many more people had a serious drinking problem after prohibition was lifted than before? Why isn’t alcohol illegal?

 Conservatives can’t ever see the forest for the trees.

 I like it when I make a conservative laugh when shown the truth. It means I’m getting through …

It’s not disappointing.  You just don’t understand what he was saying.  He wasn’t talking about drugs such as Banadryl, Aleve, and other OTCs.  He was talking about drugs that you go to prison for if you are caught with them. 

 Why?  Did she overdose on legal drugs?

I don’t know legalizing drugs will help people who overdose on prescription meds, which is most likely what happened to Whitney Houston.

 bingo

 bingo

But the use would be documented. Someone would be accountable.Either the giver or the user. Seems sad all around.

Good for you Mr. Bennett.

 are you still stuck wearing liberal/conservative goggles?

in a free society, no one has the right to tell me what i can or cannot do to my own body. See what has happened in countries that have legalized drugs – less stigma leads to more awareness, less binge behavior, lower OD rate

i even heard that in states with medical marijuana, drunk driving fatalities are reduced because at the end of the night people would rather smoke than drink more

individual rights unite people, partisan politics controls them

It would stop the 18 billion dollar war on drugs.It would stop the wharehousing of millions of nonviolet pot smokers.It would decimate the prison industrial complex.40,0000 plus Mexicans would still be alive today.Americans would not be forced too take drug test.The police state in which we live couldn’t seize your assets,property,or kids.This spring drones will be spying on people without a warrant or their knowledge.The constitution,what constitution.None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.

Most people are addicted to doctor prescribed pain medications.The more they prescribe the more profits for them and big pharma.Marijuana is not addictive.

You can buy a gun anytime 24/7 anywhere,just lay down the cash at a gun show,or back alley.

I got a buddy who’s pissed off that by not making slime,it would change the taste of his favorite burger.He also identifies as a conservative.The sad part the FDA approves this,and they don’t have too tell the poor ignorant consumer.

 Treating addicts = cheaper than imprisoning them. May increase healthcare costs, but the increase would be offset by decreased incarceration/welfare for children of incarcerated who can mostly never achieve gainful employment /decreased out of wedlock births by children of the incarcerated and so on.

Not to mention disbanding the worthless DEA and the billions upon billions we spend fighting the failed War on Drugs.

I know, it’s hard to see anything beyond immediate direct consequences, huh?

Whitney Houston’s death reminds me how Hollywood lets our brightest stars be allowed to be taken by drugs. Could you imagine if River Phoenix or John Belushi was still alive? I was very disappointed when they each died from a drug overdose decades ago. I hope someday at an annual Academy Award ceremony an actor or actress will speak up against the rampant drug abuse in their industry rather than some random first world problem.

 Propofol is legal?????…….really????…

Drugs should be legalized. People are going to get them/use them anyway. Let the government take over and tax it to death.   Drugs can be portioned out instead of having methadone clinics. Imagine getting rid of the  ”War on Drugs” program which seems to cost more every year and  doesn’t appear to be doing much good.
Prohibition didn’t work and neither will banning drugs.

Isn’t this the same Tony Bennett who told Howard Stern that America was to blame for the attacks of September 11, 2001, because “We were bombing them and they told us to stop”?

How would legalizing drugs have saved Whitney Houston?

Tony had his bouts with drugs and he was able to overcome his addictions.  Would legalizing drugs have made it easier for him to quit earlier?

Tony is a radical liberal.  At age 85 he is entitled to his views!

R.I.P. Whitney Houston!

I agree weed should be legalized but Houston didn’t die  from weed.

I’ve never understood why it is the government’s business whether I use drugs or not in the first place.  I can buy alcohol legally get drunk legally, but if I do anything that puts the public at risk when I’m drunk I can be arrested and punished for that. Why should it be different for drugs? If I am sitting in my living room high on mushrooms I’m a criminal? Just because I possessed those mushrooms before I ingested them? There is nothing wrong with getting high. Get the government out of the consciousness business.

 Liberal logic makes me laugh too.

Yes – Go read Wikipedia to learn more about this. Now, if you were wondering about its ability to be purchased over the counter, I believe that it’s not. However, it’s a legal product.

Eh. Let Darwin sort it out.

Yup. Funny thing about the War on Drugs; it can’t be won.

When a gun is used for its intended purpose, someone is saved from harm or death.

Of course it is. What part of “…so you can get them from a doctor…” did you not understand?

“When a gun is used for its intended purpose, someone is saved from harm or death.”

Agreed …
… when the threat of its actual mechanical use is communicated, yes.

How many people were relieved or cured from illness by the threat of medication?

This is why the gun law vs. drug law comparison fails.

No, I’m not talking about the threat, though that’s true too. I’m talking about use, not the fear thereof.

He has, however been in the unique position of having seen the realities of drug use for a very long time, in the industry which has the most to both win and lose from it. 
De-criminalizing drug abuse would make it what it is-a health issue, not in and of itself a crime.
Good for him for speaking out. 
Prohibition of anything enough people want badly enough always leads to organized crime. 
I must confess though, that I’ve been a fan of Tony Bennett (and drugs, for that matter) for forty years.

You may want to expand on from where “harm or death” comes, because it sounds likely that “someone else” is having a hole installed in his person, regardless of his intent … which is outside the scope of my point.

That is hilarious, she had a prescription for the drugs that killed her. Some one needs to take the mic from this old man. He has ruined his legacy.

 Hand Guns are not hard to get at all in about 90% of the states. In fact in one state all you need to do is go to the Sheriff’s office and pay $5 for a license. Then you can go buy a gun. In others it may be a 10 day waiting period if you are buying a gun from a dealer. In others there is no wait at all. One state requires that if you are buying a gun from a private citizen all that person needs to do is have proof you are 18. And there is NO waiting period if you buy your gun from a pawn shop just be 18 or 21 depending on your state.

 Rifle’s are even easier to get in over 90% of the states.

 Just need to correct you on a figure…it’s 400% higher since we invaded Afghanistan.

Cocaine…I’d like you to go back in time to May 8, 1886.
A Pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia made a concoction that was mixed with Carbonated Water. You might know it…Coca~Cola. The Coca was Cocaine..I know my grandmother loved the stuff. :)

 Don’t tell me that you or someone in your family has never taken Vicodin. It’s made from Heroine.

 Sure, that one comment has ruined his legacy. Now his entire career will be tainted.

Think again.

 You do realize you can die from an overdose of Benadryl. (Not the child’s syrup but the pill form)
You can also die from OD’ing on Tylenol. You would be surprised that it doesn’t take as many as you would have thought.

I think that many in the government are true believers in the drug war. They think pot is a terrible drug and a gateway to snorting meth and going on murder sprees. The bureaucracy is now so ingrained–think of the DEA, State and DOJ efforts–that it’ll be really hard to turn it around. It’s ridiculous though because (1) if a high school kid wants weed he can get it today anyway and (2) we’ve seen crime drop in Portugal after legalization. 

One other big problem is that the cartels in Mexico would go crazy, and very likely wouldn’t put down their guns. 

I’ve worked in a drug detox center and am for legalizing most but not all drugs. The drugs that really ruined people’s lives are crack, meth and heroin. Crack, in particular, can make someone homeless within months. A minority of heroin users seem to be able to function relatively normally if they have a steady supply. Obviously, some great musicians and writers used it and lived long lives, like Miles Davis.  

This is one of the issues I agree with Paul (I’m not a supporter). I think most people that want drugs today can get them anyway, and legalizing most would do more good than harm. 

The drugs that were found in Whitney Houston’s room were prescription drugs- she HAD access. Tony Bennett is an idiot.

Most addicts/alcoholics are in emotional pain of their own making and choose not to live life on life’s terms. For whatever reason, they have never adapted to the fact that life is not a constant orgasm.

Look at all of the entertainers and athletes who came from poverty and thought that they’d be “happy” if only they had plenty of money. They buy relationships, they buy cars, they buy homes, they buy bling, and they’re STILL not happy, so they start using mood altering chemicals to make themselves “happy.” Then, they either sober up or they continue the downward spiral.

It’s not legalization that’s the problem, it’s a society that has lost its way.

My friend just met a chocolate man on Blackwhitemeet.COMit’s where for men and women looking for interracial’ship for a fabulous lifestyle
It’s a nice place for black white sing’les, to interact with each other…no bounds or extremes in front of true love.

I heard Blackwhitemeet.com is where people go to get ripped off. Is that true too? 

Pablo, we agree again. Once per month. 

Jackson died from prescription drugs with a full time doctor in attendance. Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning. Some are saying Houston died of prescription drugs though I don’t know how they can know that yet. Tony Bennett needs to engage his brain before opening his mouth. Deaths from legal sources doesn’t make a case for legalizing illegal drugs.

I think some drugs should be legalized but certainly not all. But the problem I see is that regulations for use must then be implemented. Even pot makes ones perception while driving or using machinery less than it should be. I don’t know of test that tell you when someone is high on pot. Only test that tell you if the person used in the last 30 days. If you used two days ago you are certainly able to drive today. How do we make sure people aren’t high when driving? So because of these issues I think they should remain illegal. I do think they should simply be against the law with the punishments set but that the war on drugs that has us sending money to other countries should be stopped.

 This has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. People on both sides of the aisle support decriminalization. Stop trying to politicize everything, stormin.

What Bennett called for here is strange. I agree that recreational drugs should be leaglized. Portugal did it and they have far less problems and crime as a result — without soaring drug use. I wouldn’t use coke or heroin even if they were legal just like I don’t use tobacco. I think most people think likewise. Prohibition has not been demonstrated to work.

But Michael Jackson was not using a drug from off the street. His doctor killed him with propofol. Winehouse drunk herself to death (using a lot of cocaine too, but I think she would have tragically done so regardless of its legal status . . .) And did Whitney die of an overly pure coke dose or something related to street drugs?

Legal, prescription medicine is a huge problem. Prohibition and marijuana have near nothing to do with this. Perhaps once we decriminalize recreational drugs there will be less appeal for rebels getting high just to be rebels, and there will be more open conversation about addictive personalities and behavior. But still. Bennett was making a stretch bringing this up in the context of Whitney Houston’s death.

 Just the latest in an unbroken string of idiotic statements coming from Bennett.  I think the glue on his toupee is soaking into what is left of his brain.

Join the “Get a Conservative Stoned and Help End Conservatism” movement, but they aint ready for shrooms man, they have to many Faux generated phobias to let them trip, plus the guilt of what they have been party to may lead to a lot of “I can fly for salvation” mistakes, and getting the mess a conservatives makes off the sidewalk is hard as hell it is all slimy and greasy, like their politics.

Guns, when properly used (target shooting and hunting excepted) are used for self-defense and the defense of others. So, when the bogey starts leaking, someone else doesn’t.

 He’s a legendary singer, who expressed an opinion. A few statements in the twilight of his career will not tarnish his legacy in the least.

People drive on pot now as much as they ever will. Weed is practically legal in California and it’s readily available to anyone who wants it elsewhere so I don’t think it matters one way or the other except that, under the current system, we’re funding violent drug cartels that are murdering people in Mexico. Portugal is a nation that decriminalized all drug use and saw a drop in violence and crime. Vancouver is a city that’s often touted as one of the best places to live in the world and pot is semi-legal there, apparently. No on thinks of it as a dangerous place, except on the nights when they lose to the Bruins. 

I agree it should be regulated and controlled, and that people should face serious consequences whenever driving under the influence. I’m not entirely positive but I think pot breathalyzers are in the works or very doable. I just searched on Google and found some results. 

I agree with most of what you say except for the first part. I do think it matters about those driving while smoking. I know it impairs your critical thinking skills and reaction time. We need some form or test like pot breathalyzers regardless of legalizing the drug. But like you I have not heard of such a device. As for the “under the current system, we’re funding violent drug cartels that are murdering people in Mexico” it so needs to be stopped. It should just be against the law here and we should not be involved with other countries except to stop it at the borders or it should be legal and controled.

From what we are reading she didn’t even die from illegal drugs. They say there were prescription drugs and alcohol all over the place. Same with Jackson who had a personal doctor watching over him and Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning. These cases have nothing to do with illegal drugs and make no case for legalization of illegal drugs. It would be better to say they make a case for making alcohol illegal. Not that I am for that mind you. As far as the legalization of drugs there are some I would agree to legalize once regulation for control is put in place to keep drivers and workers from driving and working while impaired.

Tony’s so old, he doesn’t care how wacky he sounds to the young ‘uns.

LOL! Marijuana is not addictive? What planet do you live on. I agree Marijuana is a drug that like alcohol should be legal with regulations and controls but it is every bit as addictive as alcohol and cigarettes. It should be your personal choice to use within reason but it is addictive.

The latest is that she died from legal drugs….like many others have in the past few years. 

from tmz: 
Whitney Houston’s family was told by L.A. County Coroner officials … the singer did not die from drowning, but rather from what appears to be a combination of Xanax and other prescription drugs  mixed with alcohol … this according to family sources.

So did Health Ledger, Brittney Murphy, Bruce Lee, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Prinze, Dorothy Dandridge, Keith Moon, Margaux Hemingway, Dana Plato, Chris Penn, Anna Nicole Smith, just to name a few. 

Hey Tony,
Is that a bong in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
lol

I think a point you’re missing with the idea of decriminalizing substances is that it would free up money spent on law enforcement, legal proceedings, and incarceration, in favor of treatment.

It’s true that Houston was an addict abusing prescription medications and that she could afford treatment.  I think there are particular pit-falls for celebrities in the sense of paid enablers, that regular joes don’t have. Regular joes get in trouble with Rx forgery and doctor shopping, buying off the street, etc, (in ways celebrities generally don’t) and thus enter into law enforcement/legal arena too.

It would be nice to have a treatment based approach rather than a punitive one.

Considering that most OD’s are the result of the user having no idea of the drug’s potency, legalizing drugs and regulating dosage would most certainly help reduce overdoses.

You know what’s responsible for most drug deaths?  Intolerant attitudes from people who think drug addicts are criminals and ‘bad people’.  That type of social judgment prevents thousands from entering treatment every year.

I agree.  The Portuguese model of decriminalization actually changed society’s attitude toward drug use by eliminating the stigma of criminality.  Now, more people are seeking treatment because they won’t be considered criminals when they are trying to get well.

I live in The Netherlands (Holland) and only marijuana has been legalized. You can get it on subscription from a doctor only if you have an indication, like chronic pain. Most people will buy from a “coffee shop”. 
Hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin are very much illegal to posses or sell.

Drug use tends to be lower here than in surrounding countries where it is still illegal to smoke weed. French and UK tourists travel to Amsterdam for a weekend of smoking pot. 

Only occasionally I hear friends about having smoked a joint or eaten space cake. It’s less common than normal smoking (which is in decline also) or alcohol use. And off course it depends on your peer group.

To be honest marijuana has only been half legalized. You can posses a limited amount, you can sell a limited amount. But you can not grow more than something like 3 plants. Which renders the supply to coffee shops illegal. A very strange situation.

Personally, I’m very much in favor of legalization. It prevents organized crime. There will always be a need to address abuse of marijuana. Just as with alcohol and cigarettes. Combine the legal sale of weed with an excise duty (~value added tax) and we all could benefit from it.

A large reason for people to oppose legalization is the type of tourists it attracts to our cities. And the subsequent trafficking of weed to surrounding countries.
Best would be if all of Europe would allow the *limited use* of marijuana. Just as with alcohol.

I think you misunderstood me. I said people do it as much as they are going to already, whether it’s legal or not. But I also said it does matter, and I also said a quick Google search turns up pot breathalyzers. 

No, Vicodin is not made from heroin. But both are made from opium poppies.

While I agree with all of this, Bennett’s argument is still dopey, as its premise is utterly wrong.

Sorry you missed my point. I don’t see how I can be more clear.

You proselytize about labels and then proceed to vomit liberal talking points?  Seems a bit disingenuous.  Why have laws at all?  If everything is legal, we have no criminals, everyone lives happily ever after, correct?

The effects of substance abuse of any sort is devastating not only to the individual but also to entire families, communities, races, even generations of people.  Co-dependency is a critical component in enabling the individual to what is generally devastating life ending pattern.  Your solution to a co-dependent driven problem is more co-dependency?  You propose to make the State co-dependent?  I would think that even if your “live-and-let-live” psyche enables you to feel no compassion for the addicted individual that you would at least show a little compassion for their families and communities.  Your childlike world view is pathetic.

WTF?  ”Moral Equivalence Я Us?”

I’m not missing the point. The war on drugs hasn’t gone anywhere, and there are cases to be made for making it legal to control it, and tax it, and pay for treatment. but I have no doubt that it will still be sold illegally, chopped up, and cheaper, or to kids, etc. It could even cause more people to use, since it would be legal. I do think pot should be made legal….can start taxing that. Plus it is good for cancer victims. 

It is funny when alcohol and cigs are legal, as well as prescription drugs, and they probably kill more people than illegal drugs. (just a guess)But, making something legal doesn’t mean it will stop abuse, or deaths, or overdoses… Heroine and cocaine… I just can’t see making those legal. Drug dealers I would throw in jail. Users, I would throw in bootcamp type treatments and then community service.

You could argue all day that there would be no fewer addicts if drugs were legalized and that there might be many more, and still not come anywhere near to negating the sheer mayhem that criminalization has caused.

You have only to look at the utter societal devastation of Mexico by its drug lords to understand that.

 Married to Chinese woman. In China 2007. Chief, those advocating legal drugs, like Tony Bennett, are NOT advocating the use of drugs. But we believe decriminalization will allow people to seek help without fear of legal retribution. (seek & obtain help without fear) and reduce injury to users due to “cut drugs”. This may not matter to many, but if the addict is your child…it matters. Whether it is a disease or not, treatment is cheaper and more successful than a “war on drugs”. (By the way, the war never kills drugs, it does kill people.)

Portugal legalized drugs ten years ago. Since then, drug use has dropped 50%. 

Legalizing works, plain and simple. 

Agree completely – Jackson was so over-doped on sleeping pills for years that he had to show up for court in his pajamas.  As a result he couldn’t sleep so he had his doctor give him anesthesia, that you or I would get to knock us out for surgery, so he could sleep!?  What Tony, we supposed to make anesthesia medicine available over the counter?  Amy was a drunk.  That’s what she died of, alcohol poisoning.  
 Bennet’s comments make absolute no sense.  He’s nothing but a senile old tool for the left. 

Tony should stick to music because it seems M. Jackson and Whitney died from doctor related prescribed drugs. Amsterdam also has a lot of people who overdose on the drugs from what I hear.