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Comment by leeHS | Hacker News Reader

While I don't agree with you, I admit my comment was not productive. I guess I was just unprepared for the backlash. I thought my Interpol suggestion was pretty neutral.

I've been writing software for law enforcement for about 7ish years now. My work helps monitor and track DNA samples through a forensic lab. I'm proud to be helping law enforcement this way. My work helps with murders, sexual assaults, break and enters.

Like I said, I saw this project, and thought I would make a suggestion that might help the developer bring it to the next level. It really had nothing to do with my personal beliefs pertaining to drug laws.

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Which part do you not agree with exactly? Personal choice?

If your lab works to stop and solve murders, fine, but my drug use (or lack there of) isn't hurting anyone, yet I have to pay a non-trivial amount in taxes to have peoples' personal choices persecuted.

I was not agreeing with your comment that I was policing you. As for my personal beliefs, like everything in life, it's a balance. Do I want society telling me I can't smoke weed, no. In fact, I don't really want society telling me what to do, period. On the other hand, we all have to live together, and so we all need to agree on some rules to live by to protect each other and society at large. There are some obvious rules, like let's all try not to murder and rape each other. Should drugs be illegal? I don't know. What impact would legalization have on our society? Well, that's the question isn't it? And the debate rages on.

The debate rages on, but there is a lot of logic, as well as empirical evidence that suggests, at the very least the War on Drugs is, in the nicest light, an immense waste of money, and an increasor of violence. As well as other countries that suggest that drugs being illegal is not best for society (Portugal).

In this case, attempting to shut down Silk Road seems like nothing but trying to police what I do that affects no one else. (In fact, the response to this, "anything can be sold on SR, weapons, etc", feeds back into the problems caused by drugs being illegal).

Are you aware of any countries that have completely legalized drugs? I'm not saying this to prove a point, in fact I'd love to see it happen. It would be the perfect way to judge social impact.

>As well as other countries that suggest that drugs being illegal is not best for society (Portugal).

Yes. Portugal. It has been quite successful. Well, decriminalization, but good enough.

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