What If We Decriminalized Drugs? | Guest: Christina Dent | Ep 1003
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2024
- Today, we sit down with author Christina Dent. Christina's nonprofit End It for Good advocates for the decriminalization of drugs and a shift away from a criminal-justice approach and toward a health-centered approach to address America's drug and overdose epidemic. But does decriminalization actually work? What would this look like in America? And where's the line between a compassionate, health-driven approach and complete lawlessness that creates unsafe cities?
You can get Christina's book here: www.amazon.com/Curious-Discov...
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Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
01:15 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT COMING TONIGHT
03:45 Christina’s entry into this conversation
13:02 Accountability
22:10 Consequences for drug use
28:55 Drugs in prison
34:26 Hard drugs vs. alcohol & smoking
01:07:44 Oregon & San Francisco examples
01:13:55 Drug charges
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Allie, I am a recovering drug addict. I went to pharmacy school. I grew up in Colorado and I’ve seen what legalized marijuana it has done to Colorado. This is so close to my heart. This would be the worst thing possible. It would not work.
People will acquire drugs anyways might as well regulate it.
I’m not into politics so I can’t give my opinion on that piece of this, but as someone in recovery legalizing drugs is a terrible idea. Getting in trouble was part of what got me into recovery. The rest of it was God’s grace.❤❤
Decriminalize not legalize.
@gideondavid30 That is pretty much the same thing... if you are not arresting people for doing a crime, then you might as well make that said crime legal.
This is toxic empathy. Go to Portland or Vancouver and see what happens when hard drugs get legalised.
💯!
Portugal is a perfect model for drug decriminalization.
I agree with you but what are the examples what happens? I've never entertained this thought of legalization nor should we.
In Portland and Vancouver, people on drugs are not held accountable for criminal behaviors they commit while on drugs. That’s different than what this woman is advocating for.
I live in Portland and it’s freakin nasty all because of it. I see people doing crack right next to businesses on the street and you can’t do nothing.
Foster and adoptive parent here, and the daughter of a former addict-
I could not disagree with her more.
JoAnn was in the minority of parents who work hard to get their child back, she is a success story for sure, and should be celebrated but is definitely not the standard.
Her perspective is gracious but extremely ignorant. Reality is that drug use goes hand in hand with crime and extreme neglect of children in the foster care system. Deecrimalizing drugs would ultimately put so many more children at risk.
I don't think her perspective is ignorant exactly. She seems pretty well-informed. But I do agree that Joann was in the minority. Many people struggle with addiction long-term and it interferes with their ability to parent, sadly.
I've listened to this over the course of a few days, and I keep coming back to the fact that JoAnn got it together within a system that already exists. There are resources available in some places that make that kind of recovery possible. We can both criminalize drugs and help addicts. JoAnn is evidence of that. Legalizing drugs isn't the answer.
This reminds me of the saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I was raised by an alcoholic. This lady keeps talking about “it’s OK as long as it doesn’t harm someone.”-Are you kidding me? !!!! Addicts hurt everyone around them! You can tell she had the perfect childhood. If she was raised by an addict, she would be singing a different tune. Drugs are destroying our society. If anything, laws should be harsher.
Yes! Anyone that has had any family member that has been a drug addict or an alcoholic can testify to this.
Agree. Grow up around addicts and see poverty first hand in your community and you’ll have a very different perspective. Every virtue signaling, well intentioned person I know grew up in the way this woman did. It reminds me of democrats who vote the way they do because it makes them feel good…while they live in gated communities. As long as it’s not in their backyard, they’ll continue to push these harmful values on those they claim to be helping.
I agree with you 100%. There isn't enough consequence for this behavior.
You can see a drug addict as made in the image of God and still not legalize drug use.
Why are we only talking about the addicts, they are the victims in a way. Surely its the big business behind the selling of drugs, creating dependency who are the root problem?
Agree. She seems to have been brought to a knowledge of sinful attitudes toward the addicted & then overcorrected.
I live in New York City. In the year and a half or so that they legalized marijuana here, I have increasingly smelled it in the air. I think when they hear that something has been legalized, just like abortion, peoole think that it must be good. The law is a teacher. If we legalize other illegal drugs, we will not see a decrease in drug addiction, but a tremendous increase! This is very dangerous!
I always get a contact high walking around the city. It’s so unsettling
Exactly 💯💯
Ben Shapiro has said it's more strong now and thus of course more dangerous. It's just stealing people's lives. We refused to give my Mom "gummies" brought into my home by my cousin who believes Alzheimer's and Autoimmune illnesses and pain etc etc can all be solved by marijuana. Where are all the people healed of cancer and Alzheimer's if that's true? Just too risky for us.
Im from Australia. A friend goes to New York a lot for business. He said the smell of marijuana is everywhere now.
It’s always been there and probably in the same amounts; people most likely just didn’t smoke it in the open due to the potential consequences of getting caught
This was so frustrating to listen to. As a Canadian, now living in the US, I can tell you that all you need to do is look at your neighbours to the north. This has been done. Canada has done decriminilization, safe injection sites, safe supply. It has lead to a significant increase in injury and death. Ask the residents who live in the province of BC. They are now begging the Federal government to reverse their decriminalization laws. The idea that this is the way to help people is ludicrous.
I was about to say this. Canadian here living in Toronto. A friend of mine's children went on a school trip to Vancouver. My friend was mortified when she was exposed to all the drug addicts. She had to tell the children on the bus to look to the left because she had seen up ahead, two male drug addicts having anal sex out in the open amongst strung out, drugged out people. Thanks, Trudeau!
@@nataliecd8966 My goodness. I cannot imagine! My country Germany just legalized marijuana which I was so opposed to...
I had to turn her off....I've never done that to an Allie Beth interview. This woman is just so ignorantly incorrect.
She was a waste of my time.😢
Hasn’t Canada also “decriminalized” or turned a blind eye to other criminal activities that go hand and hand with drug abuse…theft, property damage, assault, loitering, squatting etc? I think there’s a difference with decriminalizing drug use in and of itself and not holding someone accountable for the actions they perform to support their drug habit. For alcohol, it is only allowed to be used in certain areas and “open container” laws are upheld. Why not the same for other drugs?
Maybe we should hold AA meetings in liquor stores to be consistent.
I really appreciate her heart and her compassion, but I disagree. I live in Oregon and we legalized small amounts of drugs recently and it has been horrible--so many more overdoses now that I believe the state is walking back the legalization.
Additionally, using drugs is NOT like alcohol, in that you can drink an alcoholic beverage and not be intoxicated, but you can’t use a small amount of drugs and not get high. So we can regulate the use of alcohol in a way we just can’t do for drugs.
Plus, we have legalized marijuana here in OR and it has absolutely been 1) a gateway to harder drugs (even a police officer doing a presentation to staff at the *elementary school* where I work giving us warning signs of drug use told us this is true), and 2) marijuana itself has morphed over the years into an extremely potent drug that is much different than it was back in the 60s/70s.
Finally, I keep thinking how much public opinion changed on abortion once it became legal. Could this happen with legalization of drugs too? I tend to think so in our post-Christian society.
I couldn't agree with you more! These are excellent points!
have you ever been in rehab? i have many times. the alcoholics are worse of physically alcohol is a poison but its all in the dose. but do Not Ever underestimate the brutal wrecking power of alcohol also called spirits😮 unclean spirits?
I’m also in Oregon and it’s not great!
Great points. Also, we have a problem with drug trafficking. Legalizing drugs will just increase business. They won't have to sneak it in the country.
Yep. I came to Oregon shortly before decriminalization. It’s a tragedy what has happened here in such a short time.
This is a great episode, and the guest seems well intentioned, but I can’t get past the fallacy in her logic. I think our system needs to improve, and she makes some good points for sure. But the thing that doesn’t make sense - only have criminal justice if they commit a crime that harms or could harm another person. She compares using alcohol responsibIy to using meth or heroin responsibly. That’s not possible! have a sister who struggles with heroin and have had many close connections with drug addiction and am a counselor. People on hard drugs are not often (if ever) arrested for just simply using the drug in the privacy of their own home. They are arrested for theft or violence or harming our communities. My sister’s arrests were always for theft to get her drugs. Her logic is flawed. You can’t responsibly use a hard drug and avoid crime while doing it. They are unable to maintain employment because of their inability to function on the drug, and they have an expensive addiction so they steal.
How does throwing people in prison for using drugs make sense? They need a doctor not a?prison cell.
You make such a good point!
My Dad may still be here if he HAD gotten arrested for illegal substances. It doesn't dehumanize people to make substances illegal, and as an adult child of parents who made the choice, I can say it absolutely is a choice. I happened to choose God and my children. I had a lot of trauma going up but I still didn't choose that life. Praise the Lord! Imo it's too easily accessible and the people selling hard-core dr*gs need to be thrown in prison.
Your dad was still able to obtain illegal drugs. That's the point.
@gideondavid30 I'm not following you. You think because people can obtain it illegally, we need to make it easier for them?
My Dad wasn't going to some high profile secretive person. It was given to him by someone at the GYM. If it were made any easier than it already is we would see a plethora of families destroyed. The risk needs to be higher, not lower. Giving people no consequence for their actions is absurd. It's like the whole defund the police fiasco, and we see how well that's going.
SIN. The root cause is SIN. The root cause is sin. Where did her Biblical education go? This is maddening to watch.
As a recovering IV crack/heroin user who has been clean for 6 years and has worked with so many other addicts over the years….this idea is naive and completely short sighted. I am so grateful that drugs were not decriminalized when I was using or I would likely not be typing this because I would be dead. Jail/prison saved my life and then Jesus led me to be born again. Consequences are so important for addicts and when you take them away you are just making it easier for them to kill themselves because very few will stop on their own. Most need to BE STOPPED and the only way to do that humanely is through the legal system. Is the legal system perfect? Absolutely not, but I can tell you this: almost every addict is safer in jail than they are on the street.
💯
You say they need to be stopped by arrest but the police say they arrest the same people sgain and again so its not working. The system as it is is not working.
This is bad. Think of all the drug addicts who have children. Then you’re going to legalize possession of that? Who is going to stand up for the children being put in these toxic environments? If it’s legal for mommy and daddy to do drugs in their home, how do you regulate that they don’t neglect their kids? YOU CAN’T. Does that situation still occur? Sure. But at least we can criminalize it.
This interviewee isn’t truly conservative like she believes herself to be.
You are right. Oregon legalized drug use a couple years ago and got a lot of people coming to Oregon to use drugs(no surprise). Rampant homelessness & crime developed as well as other negative effects associated with it occurred and now Oregon has just recently criminalized drug use again. Unfortunately, Cali still has yet to learn that lesson.
In the first five years after Colorado legalized marijuana child neglect cases rose exponentially. Marijuana can cause paranoia (users joke about it) and some people act on those paranoias at the detriment of family members(physicsl harm). She is ignoring the effects of drugs on children in utero, let alone children growing up around drug use.
I really truly understand what Christine is saying but as a person who’s father was addicted to drugs and was in and out of jail for drugs and theft until he ultimately took his own life…. I just can’t get behind decriminalizing drugs. I would love to see more processes that focus on rehabilitation but in my experience with Dad and many other family members, there is truly nothing we can do for them until THEY DECIDE to make that change. I think being put in prison, losing your job, and having your children taken away from you can be a good and life saving thing for an addict. I think hitting rock bottom and losing everything is better than continuing on a destructive path that harms everyone around you and ends in suffering and death. I can’t even begin to tell you the harm my Dad and other family members have cause while chasing an addiction.
With all due respect, your dad was still able to obtain. Drugs despite them being illegal.
@@gideondavid30can you imagine how bad it would have been if it was easier for him to get drugs!? He would have killed him self in half the amount of time. Also, some of my most peaceful times in my childhood were when he was in prison. The day he was arrested, I was grateful to have him out of my home. My poor mom, bless her heart, tried her best to keep our family together and get him help. He didn’t want it. Him going to prison was the final straw for her, thankfully, and she gave up on their marriage. I think this lady has good intentions and is a very kind and loving person… it’s just hard for me to see how her ideas could actually work. No disrespect to her, I just don’t agree.
All you have to do is look at Portland, Oregon to see that legalization of drugs doesn’t work. Period.
Came here to say the same thing
They tried decriminalizing it in Oregon. They are now overturning that because it’s caused horrible outcomes for the state. The core is the loss of God in our country. It’s been a trickle effect for decades.
Yep I live here and it’s sickening to see the effects. People are dying everywhere because of overdoses
When it's not a crime, you will get more of it. I have watched it happen in Oregon.
I see her heart, the reasoning behind her stance, however there is so much that isn't said because she hasn't sat in a room full of drug court girls who just want their AA/NA slips signed so they can get out of drug court. Mississippi, from what I've seen first hand, would only worsen if this was decriminalized. The first time offense is shown mercy compared to the multiple offender. That IS the right way to handle the justice side.
We just lost a young mom, who loved her daughter just as much as any mom does, yet she died from an overdose last year, in Mississippi because she kept going to rehabs and coming out for her child too early. Now her child is motherless at 4 years old.
Again, I know this woman means well, but until you lived in this struggle, you really cannot fathom the damage this way of thinking is.
Her thinking is almost equivalent to the BLM criminals being decriminalized. How has that worked?
Joanne is the exception. Speaking from major experience, strength, and hope.
Sober date: Dec 7, 2013
I can't even list my credentials on this matter, fully. But I have experience in the child loss, the rooms of recovery, and the SALVATION and redemption - completely changed - by God #5solas
Let me tell you if someone who currently lives in Canada, the current Prime Minister legalized every hard drug under the sun, the effect has been that deaths by overdose have skyrocketed. I know people think that legalizing drugs takes away the stigma, and hence more people can get help, but actually the opposite ends up happening, you get a new generation of drug addicts, and typically that new generation are young teens who can now get their hands on it from adults who buy it legally, it is an absolute nightmare, never, never never do it.
I'm a Canadian too and I can tell you that the federal government did not legalize drugs all throughout Canada. All drugs were decriminalized in British Columbia (where I live), but most of Canada did not follow BC's example.
@@carlinab.4575 yes, I also live in British Columbia and it is really awful the amount of overdose deaths that have come out as a report has been made recently available.
@@carlinab.4575 I'm from Ontario and it doesn't matter that they didn't legalize it, they're clearly not enforcing the law. Just a few weeks ago the city of Belleville declared a state of emergency due to mass numbers of drug overdoses and the homeless encampments are spreading like wildfire.
This woman is speaking like the world
No. Just no. This lady is so naive and sheltered and she is advocating for methods that have already been tried and have failed spectacularly in other places. I cant even finish this episode. She’s just so wrong and I live in a state that decriminalized. Now they’re trying to walk that back because it’s been such an abject disaster. Drug use harms LOTS OF PEOPLE.
We tried this in Vancouver and it was an utter fail
Hey there I’m in Tigard and it’s bad here too :(
😂Most Drug addicts dont want help in as much as Most homeless people don't want help! This woman is delusional! ❤😊 In an "ideal" world this might work but not here and now. I grew up in the projects in LA and talk to many homeless people and PD, they MUST want the help in order for this to work and THEY DON'T for the most part.
Yep, I can personally confirm this.
I got involved in street ministry in a small California town a couple years ago. I talked to eight different homeless people over the course of a few weeks. I told them that I could get them a bed and three meals a day for free. We set a time and a place to meet the next day. All agreed to do so, and none of them showed up the next day.
Drug addicts don't want help because of the threat of going to jail. In fact you just made a good argument as to why we need to decriminalize drugs...when you remove the fear of going to jail people would actually seek help.
@@gloriathomas3245
Read my comment, dude.
And feel free to try the experiment yourself.
I did get one man to come to a shelter.
But he ended up leaving a few weeks later.
Also, he wasn't an addict.
This woman speaks like a social justice warrior
We're always pointing out the drug addicts that get arrested and punished but continue using, but we never discuss all the addicts that get arrested, jailed or sent to prison, and it saved their lives and they've been sober ever since. Getting people away from their environment is a good thing and those addicts have typically already separated themselves from their loved ones either voluntarily or involuntarily and it's really not hard to get a job after a drug conviction. That's a falsehood that's constantly used as an excuse for not working. Sure they may not get hired at the school or the sheriff's department but the vast majority of all companies will hire someone with an arrest record as long as it's not a theft charge or a violent crime.
Not having laws against harmful drugs projects a "stamp of approval" by the common good. I think it's good to have some kind of line defined for good people to know not to cross.
Alcohol and cigarettes have a stigma on them amd they are legal. I do not have to make everything illegal that I disapprove of. Regulate it sure.
1:02:53 I don’t think she knows how these drugs work on your body… I’m an MD and we know that these drugs could come from the best pharmacy out there but the body will get used to them and it will require higher dose to get the high they are seeking. This will just introduce people to them and will be harder to control it afterwards. They are so much more addictive than alcohol is. I don’t agree with what she is saying since it does not make sense physiologically.
When people are under the influence of drugs, they don't care if they're in a public space or not. Have you ever been around someone high on meth? I don't think a law that says "you can use, but not in public" is going to help the drug users not get arrested.
I appreciate that Allie has her on to discuss this very hard and controversial subject. Even though Allie disagrees, she does not bulldoze her opinions to “win” on the conversation. I like that she is open to just hearing her side and experience.
I just can't get on board with this. As someone who has worked in the medical field where I have dealt with many people addicted to drugs...we cannot compare illicit drugs to alcohol. They're just not the same. Not everyone who drinks gets addicted to alcohol or uses it irresponsibly. On the contrary, Meth amphetamines are extremely addictive. I don't think there's ever a case where people are using meth that is not addictive or harmful to others. Decriminalizing illicit drugs gives permission to use them. And to her point about law enforcement...yes, the law enforcement I know is tired of arresting the same people, but that's because the justice system is already failing and many of those people are not actually being sent to prison. They are let out to keep creating harm. I know a man who went to prison for possession and distributing meth and that is the thing that finally made him change. I also know someone addicted to drugs who had no childhood trauma. Trauma is not the only cause of addiction. Some people just make bad choices and there are consequences for bad choices. While I appreciate her experience, I do not agree.
I live in Washington state, I’d invite this lady to come visit our area. We have legalized many drugs here. There is a marijuana shop on every corner. Every day there are 10-20 Narcan administered calls a day just in our small town, and we are considered a more conservative county. The homeless and addicted community is out of control here. I have Not seen good come from this very horrible mind set!
This lady is dead wrong. She has some valid points, but overall, her advice is horrible.
Thoroughly and completely agree. She's advocating toxic empathy.
Toxic empathy! Yes!
Why is she wrong. Arguments please.
@@gideondavid30 bc you can’t reason with the unreasonable. The story of the woman who lost her baby is tragic, she loved her baby. But she loved her drugs more. She displayed that by her choices. Love is not words, love is action (1jhn 3:18). The consequences should not be trying to teach moderation through safe regulation like alcohol. Alcohol is not in and of itself sinful, drunkenness is. The use of drugs is sinful. (Gal 5:20) the root word for sorcery is pharmacopeia, which is drug making, in our modern context would be drug use. We can not make excuses for people who use drugs bc our system isn’t perfect. I agree with her point that some reforms and consistency would be good and right, but beyond that, if you get involved in drugs, you’re choosing your involvement with the consequences that follow. We don’t need to soften that. Her point made me think of when ABS asks how much baby murder is ok? We need to compete with the other side so let’s let’s allow a little bit of baby murder. No! May it never be!! And the same with drugs. Drugs are ravaging our youth and destroying people, legalizing it to try to minimalize that is insane and broken thinking. It doesn’t work. Like abortion should be abolished, so should drugs. I hope this womens message gains zero ground. She is wrong and not biblically sound in her reasoning and is going to harm more children than she will help. Kids raised by drug addicts live through hell, we should do everything we can to stop that.
I can't agree. I've seen too many lives destroyed by drug use--and it's often not just the user. There's no way that I can deal with arguments for legalizing something so wicked.
👌🏻❤
Many lives have been destroyed by drugs, but mass incarceration has done far damage.
Legalizing what's wrong isn't the solution to ending mass incarceration. Do we just decriminalize all crime to stop incarceration? Keeping damaging drugs illegal protects many from using them, and those who are exposed to the abuses and neglect of users.
The fact that you have such a strong opinion about something that you won’t even consider; Thats fallacious thinking.
Best arguments are able to accurately represent the opposing argument.
Me too. I totally agree with you.
As the wife of a recovering addict (8.5 years!) the unfortunate truth is hitting “rock bottom” is often the catalyst that people need to ask God for help. We can’t remove the things that create the rock bottom circumstances. But I agree we shouldn’t just slap people with charges/felonies and have no way for them to overcome that. While my hubby has turned completely to God and we have a beautiful family/ life there are still things he can’t do 10 years passed his charges. For example, he’s head of our household and he can’t get life insurance because he has a drug possession charge. Not every addict will hit bottom and choose to make different decisions. But we should be building those who do up the further along they go.
Huge NO on decriminalizing drugs.
A society on drugs cannot thrive as we're very clearly seeing.
If her opinions are correct, then why haven’t we seen improvement in states that have legalized drugs. Their black markets are worse than ever. I’m disappointed that you gave air time to her, Allie.
So I disagree with her theories and what she said. I'm a nurse practitioner and since the legalization of Marijuana we see more people doing it AND people coming to appointments high (I'm not kidding). Also, the argument that alcohol is worse than opioids is absolutely false. We are required to undergo opioid prescribing education for licensure and you can become addicted in a week. There are very tight stipulations on prescribing practices for this reason. You can easily die from narcotics and drigs such as heroine and Cocaine with the first use and this is rare with alcohol. This is not the way to go
It really frustrates me when people who have never dealt with addiction personally start believing that they have all the answers. We have already tried this in different states and countries and it just doesn’t work. If an addict can’t stop using and stealing then it is safer for both the addict and for their community for the addict to be locked up. Also, the availability of drugs in prison is highly variable from facility to facility and drugs are much harder to get in prison than on the street. You have to have money or someone on the outside who is willing to support your habit while you are locked up which is a rare case for most hard users because if they are in prison for their addiction they have likely burned many bridges already. I would love to see stats on overdose deaths in state penitentiaries vs on the streets. People are dropping like flies out here every day and this woman wants to make it easier for that to keep happening. I know she means well but this makes no sense.
Ms Dent you completely understand and unless you’ve walked this journey with a loved one you have no idea how hard it is.
How hard what is?
@@swisschalet1658 Based on the context of the conversation, she’s clearly referring to training for a marathon. Or wait, perhaps it could be drug addiction.
@@shannontrucks1708 How hard what is in reference to drug addiction? Getting off drugs? Or volunteering to raise a child for a drug addict in addition to raising your own children (like she did), or working to form a non-profit to help people get off drugs/decriminalize them/change policy/educate society...? "She has no idea how hard it is"...what is? Sounds like she chose to make good and moral decisions her whole life (which is incredibly hard) instead of reaching for the quick fix of getting high or the easy out of getting wasted instead of facing and attending to your own personal responsibilities and problems. How hard what is? Life is hard. For everyone. Choosing to do drugs actually makes it harder! But some still do it! So, again...what is hard? What are you talking about that she "has no idea"?
Hi Allie! Love your show! I’ve been a fan since 2021. This discussion really upset me because I am a daughter of a drug addict father. He lives on the street and has been on the street since he was gosh 16. 17, 18 years old. except for the short period he lived with my mother. He is now between 55 and 60 and lives in a tent. He has never met my kids and I don’t have a relationship relationship with him. And it’s not from a lack of trying on my part, I have given him my phone number. I do not have his, and I’ve seen him a total of four times in the last 15 years. I grew up without a father and for how much you talk about fatherlessness affecting our country and our children. It is very true that there is a father shaped hole in my heart, thankfully, our heavenly father, my heavenly father has taken that and held that a lot over the last 10 years, but I have a glimmer of I wish I had a dad here. I think talking about natural consequences of family self-destructing yes that’s true. That is a natural consequence, but it’s not just the person doing the drugs that’s going to be affected. That’s affecting the children and the spouse if if they’re married, my parents were not. And I just wanted to share that in hopes that it would open peoples eyes that it’s it’s not just the drug addict that affects it affects the partner and the children and his drug addiction deeply affected my life, especially as a young child who desperately wanted a daddy. I also wanted to thank you for having this conversation because it brought to light kind of what my father went through as a child and how his childhood affected his life and the deep wounds that he is carrying around, probably now without even knowing it.
Also, legalizing drugs does not make criminals go away. If you legalize any of the drugs, she mentioned the drug dealers because they are criminals are going to make drugs, more dangerous than what is already out there.
Thank you, and I love your show.
No, no, no. Yes get these people help if they want it. But allowing those who commit offenses to get away with it because they have issues. No way. What about the trauma they cause to innocent citizens. As an Australian I see footage of the crime and filthy streets in U.S cities and have completely lost the desire to ever visit. I hope legalizing drugs never happens in America and it never happens here either. People gave to take responsibility for themselves. They never have to if people keep making excuses for them
Not all US cities are like that. Just the big blue cities with policies that allow this to occur.
This has been by far my favorite episode! Jesus saved me and my husband from drug addiction and it’s very interesting to hear both sides argued. Both of you were equally respectful and knowledgeable, loved this!
I would not want to live in a city where her desired policies are the law. Left CA to get away from this type of thinking.
She has adopted progressive ideology and doesn't realize it.
Legalizing drugs in Oregon did not work. They are now going back to criminalizing them. The real issue is availability and the fact that too many doctors don't care enough to stop prescribing drugs that people get addicted to very easily. It's a big issue and a difficult issue. But until we stop big pharma from influencing doctors to push their drugs on everyone, we will not beat this issue. De-criminalizing drugs will not solve the issue.
We already did in Portland, OR!! No, not a great idea. We already have a real life case study to look at. It has not been great.
It did not work here in Oregon
Agreed. I live in Tigard and it’s so bad
I come from a family of alcoholics. Requires a lot of hard love to love them. When to say enough and set limits.
As the wife, mother and cousin of alcohol and drug addicts I am VERY MUCH AGAINST legalizing drugs. There is no doubt that marijuana and alcohol are both addictive and are gateway drugs to heroine, fentanyl and tranq. Drug addiction and homelessness is getting worse and worse every day in this country and this is clearly partially due to the legalization of marijuana. Prayers for our country 🙏🇺🇸
Eager for the announcement 🙈
This lady’s first problem is her desire to want to fix people,love them by telling them to truth about their SIN
Allie, I love you. I talk out loud to the guest, and then you immediately say the same thing I just said. It’s like you can hear me. 🤣
This is a terrible idea and close to my heart. My brother had all the help in the world to get free but kept choosing not to, putting himself in danger of overdosing and he became violent. He became dangerous and we were afraid of him. It wasnt until he finally went to jail for a few months and could detox that he finally agreed to get help. He is now clean. Your first time offense isn't 15 years in prison and if your willing to get help and get clean the judge usually always welcomes that! Also had a kid in our church die of his first dose...there are many people that just don't care and don't want help that need to be in jail so they wont hurt our kids. Plus traveling the US know I hate smelling marijuana in all the hotels and places that it's legal. So sickening smelling. Lots of opportunities though to help people in our jails, there is help if people want it.
It should be treated like cigarettes. No smoking of anything indoors.
People who abuse alcohol, abuse their kids and family. While people who abuse drugs, forget they have kids and a family, resulting in neglect. Almost all domestic calls have alcohol abuse involved.
Fantastic convo and exchange of ideas. To me it comes down to the bottom line. Our greatest need is Jesus. Until we accept that truth, all the amount of social reform and change will accomplish very little. Thank you Allie and Cristina. I loved this!
There is a legal drug. Opioids. Now we call it the opioid crisis. How is that going, blue blazer lady, hmmmm?
The medical establishment became the dealer.
Thank you for having an open mind, Allie. I think Prohibition showed us that banning harmful instances doesn’t work, it just makes things more dangerous.
This is absolutely crazy.
I can have one drink & feel nothing but one hit of a joint & I'm definitely impaired. People addicted to drugs often abuse or neglect their children.
I'm a libertarian on the more conservative side and this is genuinely the one issue keeping me from being a full on Republican.
Please look into British Columbia Canada before thinking that decriminalization is a good thing. They are fighting the federal government to change the horrible outcomes
I love the way Allie presents the truth. No way do we want illegal drugs legalized. That would be unleashing more hell upon our country if that happens.
Only Christ can set people free from any addiction.
Decriminalizing and legalizing illicit use of drugs would be very dangerous based on human nature. Consider what we’ve seen happen in Canada. There are people high and injecting right out in the open in cities there. Count the cost of normalizing this behavior. We shouldn’t legalize dangerous substances to allow people to get high and harm themselves readily for any reason. This is a very slippery slope done in the name of compassion and to help society that actually has immense consequences. This also implies that we will be manufacturing legalized drugs, and there will be an industry, a corporate industry, vying to funnel as many hard drugs as possible into our cities for their profit in a culture that embraces receiving them. What about children being shown that drug abuse is ok? There will be social encouragement for people who would otherwise not turn to drugs to use them. Even though it is very hard to see what happens when people obtain drugs illegally, abuse prescription drugs, and commit criminal acts to obtain them, this is still a choice of each person to use and commit those acts, and we shouldn’t bow down to cater to this sin. From a Biblical perspective, let us get the gospel to as many people as possible. It is foretold that we will see societies falling victim to ever increasing sins, but Christians should not be promoting systems that promote sinful choices, that legalize and normalize them. Love people and talk to them about Jesus. Our governments aren’t going to do that for us. No system on earth can save a person except Jesus. He gives us the strength to avoid temptation when we put our trust in His finished work, His death and resurrection. His hope is everlasting. We should be seeking only to align what we promote in society with what God would have us do, not to use compassion as an excuse to attempt to save people from their sins. They have a choice to fall into chaos or to turn to Christ, and it is often falling into chaos that gets us on our knees and turn to Him. People need to hear the Truth that truly sets us free. What I’m hearing may sound good on paper, but it is not good to hand a lost person a weapon when they are already dead in their sins and expect it to transform them and protect our society.
This was so interesting. I didn’t know how much I’d actually enjoy and be challenged by this subject.
Ultimately, she didn’t totally change my mind. I still want things to stay criminalized. BUT we do need to do a better job of case by case looking at people’s situations and giving them the proper consequences most likely to ACTUALLY help them and others. That will take many, many Godly judges and law enforcement folks to care enough to do that right. Hope we get there, and the stories of more folks who avoided OR didn’t avoid jail but changed their lives get told.
Seattle decriminalized drugs in january 2023. The rate of drug overdose increased so astronomically that by june 2023 they re-criminalized them. Sometimes what appears to be the most compassionate solution ("lets not put people in jail") ends up causing more harm and is therefore less compassionate. Some of the times a parent needs to be the most harsh in their discipline of their children is when they put themselves in harms way.
this hit home thank you allie i’m 24 a mom of a 6yr old boy and let me tell you it’s not easy but with god anything is possible, he led me to your channel one of the best hands down
Can’t wait for the big announcement!!!!
This was a great conversation. Thanks Allie for bringing this into public discourse. As someone who worked in addiction treatment for about a decade and has loved ones who are addicted, I am very torn on this. We can all see how enabling has gone too far, but the drug war has also failed. The answer is probably somewhere in the middle. Not sure legalization is a great idea, but penalizing addiction has obviously not worked at all.
I hear her heart and I don't know what the answer is. But we can't really equate alcohol and other drugs. There is no way to clearly see if someone is "over the limit" with other drugs including weed. How will you know if they are impaired?
Canadian here. Weed is legal. Now our population isn't big like the USA so I haven't really noticed anything major in our province. Ive heard Portugal decriminalized all narcotics and essentially give people 2 options. Jail or treatment...does anyone know if thats a failure or success? Also British Columbia decriminalized drugs and now are recriminializing it agajn cause needles were being found in parks! Scary!!!!
Thanks for having people with differing viewpoints so I can be even more confident in my own because this lady is crazy. Great job pushing back and pointing out the flaws in her logic with kindness and patience!
Interesting discussion 👍
I will have to go back and really listen to this bc I’m too focused on and filled with anticipation for the BIG announcement!
What was the announcement??
Oregon legalized drug use a couple years ago and got a lot of people coming to Oregon to use drugs(no surprise). Rampant homelessness & crime developed as well as other negative effects associated with it occurred and now Oregon has just recently criminalized drug use again. Unfortunately, Cali still has yet to learn that lesson.
In the first five years after Colorado legalized marijuana child neglect cases rose exponentially. Marijuana can cause paranoia (users joke about it) and some people act on those paranoias at the detriment of family members(physical harm). The effects of drugs on a child in utero aren't even addressed here. Drug use definitely affects children the most, IMO.
She needs to study the Bible and she needs to speak the truth what the Bible says about criminals
What does the Bible say about it? Where is the line drawn and why wouldn’t we make alcohol illegal too?
@@pbmechura Matthew 15:19
It worked in Portugal. However, whether Legal or Illegal, everything starts at home. We need to heal generational traumas, have tough family conversations, pray, stop eating trash, exercising, being more compassionate, etc, etc.
No miss,the problem is Sin in the deceitful hearts of men
The whole thing about the rats doesn't always work. My father was an alcoholic and drug addict. He lived most of his life in solitude. I know he loved me, but his inner demons and his addiction overtook him. It was not my mom's.nor my job to stay around him to make him happy enough to want to get help and stop. It's just not that simple.
I am continuously pleased at how Allie Beth and her guests have such civil discussions, even when they disagree at some aspects. AllieBeth makes some thoughtful comments and “pushbacks”. Thank you!
Criminalizing drugs protects the public from those who use drugs. This woman is developing an entire theory based on one emotionally driven story- Not Critical thinking
Marijuana can be laced with fentanyl and other chemicals, too.
And often is
Decriminalization is different from legalization. She keeps interchanging the two terms. You can decriminalize the drugs without allowing fentanyl shops to open up downtown.
Also, marijuana is in no way comparable to hardcore drugs like cocaine or fentanyl; people don’t drop dead from marijuana like they do from fentanyl. Messaging and education around those harder drugs would IMO be way easier to communicate and ultimately keep people away from than with marijuana. So, not comparable.
But people do neglect their children when using marijuana (see Colorado stats after the first 5 years of marijuana legalization). Paranoias occur (THC users joke about it) & people act on those paranoias often to the detriment of family members.
Her compassion is being completely hijacked from people hoping to take advantage of her ignorance
Delusional is not even strong enough a word to describe this woman. Drugs already have been decriminalized in the big cities where they have those “safe injection sites” and that kind of thing and more people are dying than ever. What she’s suggesting is a form of toxic compassion.
I wasn’t even going to finish this episode because I just wasn’t interested in her argument to be honest. But I did just because I love Allie. But when this woman said she wants conservative states to take the charge of decriminalizing drugs..wow. That is the OPPOSITE of conservatism. And in regards to Christianity this is a false version of love. Her argument is really just embarrassing to Christian conservatives.
I live in Sacramento ca and the tent cities are unsanitary and dangerous. I don’t feel safe walking around the city with my kids and it’s sad because it’s a beautiful city full of trees and good restaurants.
- in most cases, people that experiment with drugs, are attempting to find a spiritual experience depending on the application as for a particular drug is used ; as more particular, with that of what are considered to be hallucinogenic
Thank you for being a voice of reason Allie!
Geez I don’t understand the other side of this argument AT ALL!!
I'd say it depends on the drug and what its being used for for ex pot being used for drug resistant pain conditions/epilepsy or if you have family members who have had misuse issues with painkillers
Agreed. I disagree with the many Christians out there who want to lump all drugs into some category of untouchable for the Christian. They don't think consistently though, because they would never speak out as avidly as they do against mild drugs like Marijuana as they would opioids which are also prescribed often. They would never say it's a sin to use painkillers if you're in pain. We need way more wisdom and nuance here. We need to drop generalizing and blanket statements and instead look at individual situations, like you said.
Such a difficult subject to figure out. Overall I agree with her, but I’m still weary of the total legalization. There would have to be some way to protect minors from getting their hands on them.. such a tricky situation. She’s so right on why people are overdosing and cartels/criminal organizations.
If chocolate became illegal, I’d be much thinner and healthier. 🤔
You’d be broke and homeless after you spent all of your money on black market chocolate.
Excellent conversation. Drugs -- all drugs -- should be a matter for the medical field, not the criminal justice system. I'm a surgeon. I give people fentanyl every day. Precisely none of them are injured by that drug. Yes, it's the exact same chemical that will kill ~100,000 people in the US this year. The difference? The fentanyl I give people is made by a legitimate company and dispensed by a pharmacy. It's labeled, so both the patient and I know how much they are getting. The "War on Drugs" is the worst policy mistake in modern US history.
Decriminalizing drugs to ‘avoid trauma’ is the worst idea. Would that mom at the beginning of the episode have stopped using drugs if there wasn’t pushback from authorities and barred access to her newborn unless she sought help? Probably not.
Exactly
Treating addicts as criminals is traumatic. We need to focus on rehab. Ask any social worker, doctor, nurse, psychologist, and addictions researchers.
I think that the bigger picture is the spiritual implications that these types of substances have... alcohol included. I agree with Allie Beth, it should not be legalized and if people decide to pursue it illegally then that is between them, the law, and God.
I very much appreciate this conversation and her heart on this subject. It's interesting and educational to think of alternate views in a healthy, God serving way. So thank you for this episode!
Her diagnosis is in the right direction, but her prescription is dead wrong. Her prescription already exists in today’s society, and she has not added anything new to the conversation. What she’s offering has led to the streets of California, New York, Illinois, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and many other states to suffer greater rates of crime and societal destruction. I hope she’s able to change many lives, but regrettably she is a PR resource for the cartel.
So..... she's arguing that the woman in her story SHOULD have been able to take her baby home AND do drugs "legally"?
This issue is more confusing by the day. My closest friend was recently taken off her anti seizure medication because the i think DEA decided to give it a new category. She's been unable to function since, is a medical guinea pig. It would be insane to make i guess "street drugs" legal but continue punishing people with life long health conditions by taking their prescribed medications away. It also scares me because of rhe fentanyl out there. We lost my Uncle to a pretty shocking overdose of heroin. I will never have answers, but it's hard to nit think he was in pain & bought drugs and then no more sweet, smart but terribly addicted Uncle. I miss him every day.
Just the idea is lawlessness
Allie about the stigma and the restraint that carries 💯💯 Agree. Knew you would hit that nail on the head. ❤️