Tropico needs narcotraffikers!

[A-54]

if i can have citizens arbitrarily jailed without trial, assassinate dissidents, commit electoral fraud, etc, etc, i should be able to sell a little coke to yanquis.

the social problem caused by drugs is irrelevent within the confines of a satirical computer game.

cocaine would have made a good extra cash crop, more valuable than coffee. it could be balanced by lowering U.S. relations, and raising crime. oh well

[DictatorOfTheWorld]

Whooaaa, this sh*t is getting DEEP!

Does everyone in this thread have a "pro" drug attitude?  NOT!  Most people who desire the addition of "narcotraffickers" do so, because it would add to the "strategic" possiblities of Tropico.  The realities of "real" life in "tropican" environments attest to this.

Now, is this, particular", stategic addition worth taking on the shallow and self-approving thinkers of this world that El Presidente so competently represents?  That is the question, obviously PoPTop thought not.

El Presidente, you speak of drugs and crime and the "correlation" between the two; along with the debilatory effects of drug use.  First, lets address your "correlation", which you correctly observe, BUT the error in your argument lies in what I can only surmise is the presumption of correlation as "cause".  

Correlation, is defined as, "a complimentary, parrellel, or reciprocal relationship".*

Cause, is defined as, "the one, such as person, event, or condition, responsible for an action or result".*

One last definition,

Predispose, is defined as, "to make (someone) inclined to something in advance".*

*American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd ed.

The second error, in your argument is in labeling the "physical and emotional" effects as "debilatory" when held against your standard of what's 'good' and 'correct'; or in your venacular, "productivity and time".

Adopting your viewpoint, for a moment, I question, to whom and what use would this increase in "productivity and time", be put?  Would this increase benefit the "ex"-users and/or society as a whole?  I presume your answer to be yes on this point, but the truth is that the greater benefit (if any) would be to those who benefit most from the present societal structure.

I put to you, it is that 'place' (or lack thereof) in our societal structure inhabited by the persons for whom drugs and crime correlate that needs to be effected.

Lying in your argument, is the predispostion of crime with drugs.  Remove drugs and the predisposition for crime should be removed.  Obviously, this is incorrect.

As any good Tropican dictator would know, you reduce crime by making your people "happy".  Happy people don't do crime!  Too busy enjoying themselves.  Unfortunately, our society is structured such that a "certain" few people will be happy, with most seeking happiness in the pursuit and acquisition of trendy, material, things; while the resultant minority languish in unhappiness leading to drugs and crime.

Again, I put it to you that the "peace and love", "sex and drugs", "rock and roll", LSD 60s era "thinking" that you disdain, was and is, in fact, a "rejection" of the "Material Society" which is ours.  Of course, such a rejection in our society leads to unhappiness, leading to drugs/crime and to crime/drugs.

I ask you to ponder the words of skot, as I anxiously await an adroit response.

"...the measure of one's life is done by that person and that person alone.  what is productivity, anyway?

Is it wasting our lives by contributing to a mind-numbing status quo which will chew us up and forget us when we are dead?  and what pursuits that are so meaningful are the drugs keeping people from?..." [/b]

{Empahsis Added}

Coup d'tat anyone?

[El_Guapo]

Wow. That was one DEEduh_doh_duh_doh thread.

Uhhh, I'd like to see them include drugs cause it would be fun.

LOL.

[Alastar]

just another note... europeans and north americans tend to be prejudiced against drugs other than alcohol and nicotine because they haven´t yet become a part of our culture, not for hard reasons. just a simple comparison:

- alcohol is physically addictive, cocaine isn´t(psychological addictiveness is hard to qualify... sex, sweets, and just about anything pleasant is)
- alcohol lowers performance at most kinds of work, cocaine can increase it (at least in the short term)
- alcohol consumption causes considerable more permanent damage to ones health than cocaine consumption
- drunk people often cannot control themselves, being a hazard to themselves and others. this is less true for cocaine (although the same problems still exist)
- alcohol lends itselfr more easily to abuse as a means to escape reality as it calms down rather than stimulates
- hangovers actually impair ones capabilities,  the ´low´ after a cocaine high is one just compared to the the high.

both could have their place in society when used responsibly, both can be a definite hazard, but for the reasons above and a few others i forgot to mention, alcohol is on the whole the greater danger, and banning drugs isn´t that likely to solve anything. also, phrases like ´drugs/alcohol/gambling/whatever has ruined that persons life´ are almost always a large pile of bull manure - it may sound cynical, but some people are in a position where they will ruin their lives to the best of their abilities, with any tool available. if you ban gambling, prostitution, all mind-altering substances and all the other popular scapegoats for everything, they will ruin their lives by playing tropico 18 hours per day. sure, drugs take up time and money that could be used more productively in another fashion, but the same could be said for any activity apart from working, eating, sleeping and occasionally procreating. if that´s your argument, you should also consider banning religious activities, supporting sports, games of any kind and a lot of other things you would probably miss yourself.
if you argue that drugs lead to more crime, this is probably correct, but mainly because they are illegal in the first place (think about the less than favourable experiences with prohibition in the usa).

just for the record, the only drug i personally use for effect is caffeine

[Eddy]

Imagine a society without caffiene.  Truly a frightening thought!  The entire compuiter industry would collapse overnight.  College students would rampage through the streets, and cops would have nothing to dip their donuts in.  Anarchy!

[Coconut Kid]

BUMP !