The writers of "The Wire" on the drug war

[billydkid]

http://www.reason.com/blog/#125341

Should be at the top. I never actually watched The Wire since I OD'ed on "gritty" and "gripping" a long time ago, but I agree with these guys 100%.

[sumwatt]

best... show... evarrrr!!!!

I will say this, since HBO and SHO are out from underneath the bulk of the FCC, they certainly can deliver much more compelling and realistic drama. The Wire is probably one of my all-time favorite shows. Sure, there's some creative parts that may be over-dramatized but all-in-all, it speaks from a lot of experience of both the writers and actors and the people of Baltimore.

Viva la Omar!

[Complexity]

I agree with the writers of The Wire - I'll always vote my conscience regardless of the law.

[Denial]

Thanks for the link.

I just finished watching season 5 of The Wire today...now I feel sort of empty inside. Best show evarrrr, indeed.

[Puppycow]

If you do manage to get on a jury and can vote to acquit, you might want to be careful about how go about it. They usually won't let you on a jury in the first place if you say that going in, and if you lie in the voir dire that would be perjury.

I would definitely not say, ever, I voted to acquit as a protest against unjust drug laws. Instead just say "I am not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime has been commited," and leave it at that.

[rjh01]

In Australia it is easier to do this. All you have to do is convince 11 other people to do the same. Otherwise just refuse to find the person guilty and produce a hung jury.

They do not ask you for your opinions on any topic. There is a form to fill in and certain questions do get asked but they are just on can you do the job? Are you disqualified because you are in certain jobs?

[billydkid]

I heard one of these guys on NPR yesterday - a former Baltimore reporter. Man, did he have some horror stories about the "Drug War" in Baltimore. To my mind it is the moral equivalent of organized crime. Here is another interesting story from the land of the free.

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A10762

[Bikewer]

I just wrote up a mini-rant about the "War On Drugs" on another forum, from my perspective as someone involved in law enforcement for many years.
Why we continue the tactics and strategy that have so obviously been a vastly expensive failure that's creating a permanent underclass of semi-citizens is beyond me.

Last year, Fresh Air interviewed Tommy Chong, who related his adventure with the drug wars, his arrest and imprisonment for selling "paraphernalia". Amusing, but fascinating at the same time.
A friend of ours was just sent to a federal "minimum security" prison for a non-drug-related offense. He's been writing to us, and says that perhaps 75% of the inmates are "in" for drug offenses, almost all possession or low-level dealing.
The majority of these folks will be "write-offs" when they are released. Relegated to subsistence-level jobs and strongly tempted to return to their previous activities.

A recent Talk Of The Nation segment on drug rehabilitation mentioned that 60-70% of individuals admitted to rehab programs are diagnosable as bipolar or clinically depressed.
I have long speculated that the amount of drug use is directly related to self-medication for mental illness....