In Michigan, several drugs have not yet been outlawed (or were legal at the time of the crime below) including 'Spice', a form of synthetic marijuana. Many have argued for the legalization of drugs on the basis that crimes will decrease. I disagree.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/cri...ed-family-slaughter-witness-article-1.1084339
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http://spinalcolumnonline.com/lethal-and-legal-concerns-about-spice-raised-in-w-oakland/
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I think the notion that if drugs are legal, then addicts won't commit crimes to get them is absurd. They'll do anything to get their drugs, including killing their own families. The fact that the drugs are legal or illegal means nothing - they want them, they'll kill to get them. Legalizing drugs doesn't solve problems.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/cri...ed-family-slaughter-witness-article-1.1084339
A 19-year-old Michigan man charged with trying to bludgeon his entire family to death in a bid to steal money for drugs is accused of methodically divvying up his victims with a friend.
Tucker Cipriano and Mitchell (Roderick) Young, 20, plotted who would kill whom from Ciprianos family, a witness said in court on Wednesday.
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Zinderman was offered immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony against his friends.
On the night of the attack, Zinderman admits, he helped Cipriano rob the family twice to find money to purchase Spice, or synthetic marijuana.
But he says he wasnt part of the murderous attack hours later.
The motive behind the plan was money, Zinderman said. Cipriano and Young wanted to get cash and valuables to sell to fund their drug habits and Zinderman said he was supposed to get one-third of the cut.
http://spinalcolumnonline.com/lethal-and-legal-concerns-about-spice-raised-in-w-oakland/
A relatively new drug is enticing teens to spice up their lives and try a new high. The street drug Spice produces powerful and mind-altering effects and is considered by some to be more detrimental to those using it than marijuana. The distribution and use of this synthetic cannabis is making many wonder how can this drug legally be sold in convenience stores in Michigan as an incense, especially when it is considered so destructive and addictive? In addition, some are asking where the public outcry is.
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), Spice describes a diverse family of herbal mixtures that are also marketed as K2, fake marijuana, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks, and others. Each product contains dried, shredded plant material and chemical additives that are responsible for psychoactive effects and mimic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana.
Spice has emerged as a popular, legal alternative to marijuana among teenagers and college students alike. According to the NIDAs Monitoring the Future survey conducted for the first time in 2011, 11.4 percent of high school seniors in the U.S. reported using Spice in the past year. It ranks as the second most frequently used illegal drug among this same demographic, the institute reported.
Moreover, poison control center calls were flooded with calls related to Spice and K2 in 2011, doubling from the previous year. To illustrate that point, just a week ago, three teens were hospitalized with kidney failure and a dozen others experienced vomiting and back pain in Wyoming in an outbreak linked to blueberry Spice.
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A number of states have passed bans on Spice and its derivatives, and many others are considering legislation prohibiting the sale or possession of Spice. In Michigan, however, the drug is still legal due to manufacturers finding loopholes in legislation.
I think the notion that if drugs are legal, then addicts won't commit crimes to get them is absurd. They'll do anything to get their drugs, including killing their own families. The fact that the drugs are legal or illegal means nothing - they want them, they'll kill to get them. Legalizing drugs doesn't solve problems.