1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Columba: Jungle Destruction

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by hill, May 6, 2023.

  1. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    19,856
    8,159
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2018 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Premium
    Colombia oil pipeline attack causes environmental damage -Ecopetrol | Reuters
    The price we pay to keep our cocaine flowing .......
    Often one thinks of jungle rainforest destruction as a bulldozer clearing land for crop use .... even if the crop goes to drug cartel profits. Needing the cheapest source of gasoline to refine your cocaine somewhere within 100's of miles of remote/dense jungles? Tap into a crude pipeline & don't worry about spillage consequences. Apparently stolen crude isn't that hard to refine into low grade gasoline which creates another toxic stew in immediate areas where the refining is done for drug cartels. Then the military comes along and blows these areas up. The fly-by-night refinery creation / destruction may create a a mile wide dead zone that easily leaches into nearby water sources.

    Screenshot_2023-05-06-07-43-24-66_e4424258c8b8649f6e67d283a50a2cbc.jpg

    Refinery operators & Coca farmers got to feed their kids - right?
    At least we captured Escobar?(sigh)
    .
     
  2. John321

    John321 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2018
    1,199
    1,198
    0
    Location:
    Kentucky
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Certainly, drug cartels are bad.

    Often lost in the equation are the drug users who keep this whole thing going. Drug users hurt a lot more people than just themselves and contribute to a very terrible network of individuals who cater to their self-inflicted wants and needs. Sometimes lost in the equation is their lust for a high also inflicts damage on the natural world.

    But, even as we are discussing this topic more areas in the US are decimalizing marijuana. Would be interesting to hear a drug cartels take on America removing the stigma from yet another drug- one that some are convinced is a gateway to more serious drug abuse.

    And yes I consider alcohol a drug and don't drink myself for health reasons and actually live in an area where it was illegal to sell liquor for quite some time-unfortunately this was recently repealed. Also realize that socially speaking my thoughts on this matter are a minority opinion in our society
     
    #2 John321, May 6, 2023
    Last edited: May 6, 2023
    bisco likes this.
  3. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    22,047
    11,514
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Many of the drug users need treatment and support.

    The network of dangerous individuals exist because the drug is illegal. Legal marijuana comes from a regulated source. New Jersey requires it to be grown in state. Decriminalization with treatment support is an effective way of reducing drug use. Portugal decriminalized everything in 2001, and now has one of the lowest drug use rates in Europe. Overdose deaths have dropped around ten fold, and cases of HIV and hepatitis have dropped among users.
    https://transformdrugs.org/blog/drug-decriminalisation-in-portugal-setting-the-record-straight
     
    Zythryn likes this.
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,701
    49,399
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    isn't it similar in netherlands?