More gang activity

[JayC]

They are too smart to leave anything on the table.

I agree, and if you take away the biggest source of income for organized crime... and they aren't leaving anything on the table today, what happens? Organized crime takes a hit and gets smaller.

This is what we saw after the end of prohibition, organized crime got smaller.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Not really. It just changes it's business plan. Of course,m that could be a good thing, also.

[daddyo]

Wonder what criminals would say if you asked them if they would like to see legalization of drugs?

[Chucktshoes]

If legalization were to actually happen, I got 3 words for y'all.

Bacon Flavored Meth.

[Tennjed]

I agree, and if you take away the biggest source of income for organized crime... and they aren't leaving anything on the table today, what happens? Organized crime takes a hit and gets smaller.

This is what we saw after the end of prohibition, organized crime got smaller.

Well said. It will not make it go away but to say it will not have an impact is curious. Also take into consideration that most criminals get caught because they do something stupid. Selling pot and drugs have been the staple of current organized crime for a long time. They have become really good at it. Having them scrambling to find a new revenue stream will open them up to more mistakes and should help put more of them behind bars

[Guest 6.8 AR]

If legalization were to actually happen, I got 3 words for y'all.

Bacon Flavored Meth.

And organized crime would sell franchises priced like MacDonalds.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Wonder what criminals would say if you asked them if they would like to see legalization of drugs?

They would turn into crony capitalists. Corporate welfare for criminals, an extension of the Senate.

The third arm of the legislative branch. Montescu might even have liked that one. j/k

[Chucktshoes]

They would turn into crony capitalists. Corporate welfare for criminals, an extension of the Senate.

The third arm of the legislative branch. Montescu might even have liked that one. j/k

It worked for the Kennedys.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

They were the original pros at that game. Papa Joe even screwed the NYSE in style.

[DaveS]

Suicide has surpassed car accidents as the No. 1 cause of injury-related death in the United States, according to new research.

From 2000 to 2009, the death rate for suicide ticked up 15 percent while it decreased 25 percent for car wrecks, the study found. Improved traffic safety measures might be responsible for the decline in car-crash deaths. As such, the researchers said similar attention and resources are needed to prevent suicide and other injury-related mortality.

Death by unintentional poisoning, which includes drug overdoses, came in third behind car wrecks and suicide after increasing 128 percent from 2000 to 2009. The data from 2010 would push that rise in death rate even higher, to 136 percent, study researcher Ian Rockett told LiveScience in an email. Prescription painkiller overdoses might be to blame for this drastic rise. Recent research has shown that in some states painkiller overdoses may be responsible for mor deaths than suicide or car crashes.

"While I am going well beyond our data, my speculation is that the immediate driving force is prescription opioid overdoses," said Rockett, who is a professor at West Virginia University's School of Public Health. "There is much to be done in terms of both research and prevention."

The new study, published in the November 2012 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, also found that unintentional falls and homicide were the fourth and fifth causes of injury death, respectively. And overall, injury-related deaths were less common in females than males.

The research was based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

I hope this don't blow a hole into someone's theory of alcohol vs drug related deaths!

Dave S

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Although I don't really believe some of that, Dave, you may have blown that hole!

[DaveS]

Sorry....lol

Dave S

[Tennjed]

Yeah, what exactly that prove. Alcohol still kills 100,000 a year pot zero. Your link talks about prescription drugs. Completely it irrelevant to gangs selling drugs.

Explain how that shoots a hole in anything?

[Jonnin]

And organized crime is doing all of those things today... Do you really think there is another 400 BILLION dollars a year they're leaving on the table?

Hard to say. If they moved activity toward grand theft, then yes. There is easily 400 milllion in jewels, autos, and sundry loot in chattanooga alone --- across the nation thats a lot of loot. Of course, risk/reward comes into play, but we are talking about organized crime here. Currently, its not worth it to try to steal everything in the city.

Who knows? With everyone now having the munchies on legal pot, maybe they will find a way to black market snacks.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Jonnin

[Tennjed]

No offense Dave but I re-read you link and have to do a little

You realize the difference in marijuana, alcohol, illegal drugs, and prescription painkillers right.

Most gangs get their money from illegal drugs sells (like pot, crack,) not pain pills. The link does nothing to prove anything.

I stated from the beginning that alcohol kills far more than pot. That was the only mention of deaths made. We have also talked about gangs.

Help me understand what point you are trying to make

[DaveS]

Yeah, what exactly that prove. Alcohol still kills 100,000 a year pot zero. Your link talks about prescription drugs. Completely it irrelevant to gangs selling drugs.

Explain how that shoots a hole in anything?

When gang members sell stolen pain killers, rob people of their prescription drugs to sell on the street, and people rob, cheat and steal for those meds......that's irrelevant?

The other problem is...in Clarksville alone this year, about a dozen dudes have been shot and killed over pot deals gone bad. Not a SINGLE person in Clarksville in the last 10 years has been shot over a BEER deal gone bad....numbers speak for them self.

My question to you...how is legalizing "reefer" going to effect my handgun carry rights?

You can't answer that can you?

Dave S

[DaveS]

Yeah, what exactly that prove. Alcohol still kills 100,000 a year pot zero. Your link talks about prescription drugs. Completely it irrelevant to gangs selling drugs.

Explain how that shoots a hole in anything?

Wrong buddy.....

Trayvon Martin had pot in his system when he was shot (so reports say). Do you think pot may have played a major role in his dicision to attack GZ and get his a$$ shot?

There's one pot ralated death for ya! OH wait...he had skittles! OK fruit flavored candy is now the leading cause of death in young people!

Dave S

[DaveS]

No offense Dave but I re-read you link and have to do a little

You realize the difference in marijuana, alcohol, illegal drugs, and prescription painkillers right.

Most gangs get their money from illegal drugs sells (like pot, crack,) not pain pills. The link does nothing to prove anything.

I stated from the beginning that alcohol kills far more than pot. That was the only mention of deaths made. We have also talked about gangs.

Help me understand what point you are trying to make

My point is..that drugs and drug related crimes kill far more people than alcohol does. And by the way, illegal sales of PAIN KILLERS is a major problem every where! Pain killers and pot are killing our kids by the hundreds. I say POT, because most every person out there has smoked pot at least once. They then wanted more from the experience and moved to more powerful drugs. Deaths and hospital visits increased ten fold in the 60's, 70's and early 80's. And 95 percent of those kids started with POT!!!

Maybe you live in a "utopian" world, but I do not see us serviving legalizing pot.

I can pass my pee test........

Dave S

Edited September 28, 2012 by DaveS

[Tennjed]

Wrong buddy.....

Trayvon Martin had pot in his system when he was shot (so reports say). Do you think pot may have played a major role in his dicision to attack GZ and get his a$$ shot?

There's one pot ralated death for ya! OH wait...he had skittles! OK fruit flavored candy is now the leading cause of death in young people!

Dave S

Your proving yourself wrong. No one was killed over beer because beer is legal. Do you think those killings would have happened if they could have gone into store and bought it? You said yourself they were killed over drug DEALS. The pot didn't kill them. If beer was illegal you would have plenty of people killed over alcohol DEALS.

You want find another reasonable person in America that will blame the Martin case on Pot. The is the biggest stretch I have read on hear and that is saying a lot

How would legalizing pot have anything to do with your gun rights. How does someone so concerned with civil liberties want to regulate pot. The gun rights question doesn't make any sense

[Tennjed]

Every one of the people that started with pot started with alcohol before then. You views on pot are way off the mark.

What you are failing to recognize is that the drug deals that kill people are because of the money. The violence is over money.

You are so concerned with crime, but disregard the fact that most gun crimes involve alcohol

Edited September 28, 2012 by Tennjed

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Hard to say. If they moved activity toward grand theft, then yes. There is easily 400 milllion in jewels, autos, and sundry loot in chattanooga alone --- across the nation thats a lot of loot. Of course, risk/reward comes into play, but we are talking about organized crime here. Currently, its not worth it to try to steal everything in the city.

Who knows? With everyone now having the munchies on legal pot, maybe they will find a way to black market snacks.

I'm assuming you two aren't equating organized crime to the old syndicates but sticking to the gangs, which

are the organized criminals of today, they will resort to any kind of vicious neighborhood crime including all of the above

you mentioned? They're already doing those things, aren't they?

I could see a hostile takeover on that company that is bankrupt :Twinkies?

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Every one of the people that started with pot started with alcohol before then. You views on pot are way off the mark.

What you are failing to recognize is that the drug deals that kill people are because of the money. The violence is over money.

You are so concerned with crime, but disregard the fact that most gun crimes involve alcohol

I don't know about that first sentence. Yours may be, too.

The drug deals that end up in death are because of the drugs. Don't go blaming money on it. Money is but a tool

for the trade of anything of value, legal or otherwise. blaming it on money is like saying "money is the root of all evil"

Do you really want to go there?

[Tennjed]

I don't know about that first sentence. Yours may be, too.

The drug deals that end up in death are because of the drugs. Don't go blaming money on it. Money is but a tool

for the trade of anything of value, legal or otherwise. blaming it on money is like saying "money is the root of all evil"

Do you really want to go there?

You can't say 10 people were killed over pot deals gone bad but nobody killed over alcohol deals and expect it to be the pot killed them. The fact that you can buy alcohol legally and cannot pot is the most important part of that equation

The point of my first sentence is you cannot say pot us a gateway drug and discount alcohol.  99.9% of the hard drug users that started with pot, tried alcohol first

And for the propel that think it is impossible and dreamland to think it will be legal. 17 states and DC already have legal medical marijuana. Our brothe next door Arkansas has it on the ballot right now. That is a huge shift in public perception and social acceptability.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Tennjed

[DaveS]

The AA handbook is one of the most printed books of all time.

Actualy the "Phone Book" is....

Dave S

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Actualy the "Phone Book" is....

Dave S

And the Bible, and "Atlas Shrugged" if you wish to include published books.