“All people make mistakes. All of us are sinners. All of us are criminals. All of us violate the law at some point in our lives. In fact, if the worst thing you have ever done is speed ten miles over the speed limit on the freeway, you have put yourself and others at more risk of harm than someone smoking marijuana in the privacy of his or her living room. Yet there are people in the United States serving life sentences for first-time drug offenses, something virtually unheard of anywhere else in the world.” PeopleIfsWorldFirstsStatesDoneFactsLawUnitedRoomsMistakeUnited StatesOur LivesRiskWorstDrugTenLimitsFirst TimeSentencesSpeedHarmCriminalsMilesSmokingPrivacyMaking MistakesSinnerServingMarijuanaOffenseWorst ThingsLiving RoomUnheardFreewaysSpeed LimitsPeople Make Mistakes Book:The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness Source: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
“You cannot see the Milky Way in New York City any more ... We risk the loss of our sensual perception. And if you lose those, naturally, you try to compensate by other stimulations, by very loud noises, or by bright lights or drugs.” IfsWayTryingLightLosesLossCitiesRiskNew YorkDrugPerceptionNoiseSensualLoudNew York CityStimulationMilky WayBright LightsLoud Noises Author:Rene Dubos
“Drugs nearly killed my brother when he was a young man and I hate them. He fought back. And I'm really proud of him. But I learned something in going through that long nightmare with our family. And I can tell you, something has happened to some of our young people. They simply don't think these drugs are dangerous anymore. Or they think the risk is acceptable.” PeopleThinkingMenLongI CanYoungHateRiskHappenedDangerousBrotherProudDrugI HateOur FamilyYoung ManMy BrotherNightmareAcceptableProud Of Him Author:William J. Clinton
“Repealing drug laws would remove the risks involved with producing and distributing drugs, bringing 'street prices' crashing down (it's estimated that a 'spoon' of heroin would cost about a quarter in the free market), thereby eradicating any incentive that criminals might have to compete with legitimate businesses, and greatly reducing if not eliminating altogether any economic reason to 'push' drugs on children.” IfsChildrenReasonMightLawRiskEconomicStreetsInvolvedCostDrugCriminalsRemoveQuartersFree MarketIncentivesReducingHeroinSpoonsEliminatingDrug LawsRepealingCrashing Down Author:L. Neil Smith
“At some point, that risk-taking private capital can take over, and have patents and trade secrets and things that let them lead the way, which happened with the steam engine and some other things, although with energy, the time of adoption is a lot longer than it is with, say, IT products or even medical advances, like drugs and vaccines.” WayEnergySecretRiskHappenedProductsDrugTradeMedicalEnginesAdoptionSteamVaccinesPatentsRisk-takingSteam EnginesMedical Advances Author:Bill Gates
“Drunk driving contains a far greater risk of violent death than the use or sale of illegal drugs, the societal response to drunk drivers has generally emphasized keeping the person functional and in society, while attempting to respond to the dangerous behavior through treatment and counseling.” PersonsUseGreaterRiskDangerousDrugBehaviorResponseDrivingViolentDrunkTreatmentIllegalDriversAttemptingCounselingIllegal DrugsViolent DeathDrunk Driving Author:Michelle Alexander
“Sociopaths are not inhibited by the notion that it's wrong to be addicted, or wrong to buy illegal drugs. Also, drinking or taking drugs can be a lot of fun, and even if it's not, it can dull that painful boredom for a while. So can certain other things, like taking risks, and particularly if you take a risk-averse person and you can manipulate him or her into taking risks, that's really fun.” FunRiskDrugDrinkingPainfulBoredomManipulateTaking RisksSociopath Author:Martha Stout
“It’s actually a smarter crime because imagine if you rob a bank, or you’re dealing drugs. If you get caught you’re going to spend a lot of time in custody. But with hacking, it’s much easier to commit the crime and the risk of punishment is slim to none.” IfsImagineRiskCrimeEasierDrugCaughtPunishmentCommitSmarterHackingSlimCustodyJoint Custody Author:Kevin Mitnick