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Regional Boards => Northeast => Topic started by: _Simon on July 16, 2013, 12:16:09 AM

Title: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: _Simon on July 16, 2013, 12:16:09 AM
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fx06.xanga.com%2F3478252b044b8209330250%2Fz163090634.jpg&hash=48834f5daed91ae896104968e321ce6fa437d903)

I used to see these everywhere in New Jersey, but in talking with a few people, I can't find anyone who acknowledges their existence. 
1.  Were these nationwide?  Even the version in DelDOT's MUTCD is a different design than this.   
2.  When does the drug-free school zone end? There were never any "end" signs.
3.  What's with the font and color?  For a relatively standardized sign (even the yellow variants use that font) it has a very erratic font.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: NE2 on July 16, 2013, 01:41:53 AM
If you want to be a hipster, put an energy drink sticker on it.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: _Simon on July 16, 2013, 02:28:28 AM
Quote from: NE2 on July 16, 2013, 01:41:53 AM
If you want to be a hipster, put an energy drink sticker on it.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fexit-only.net%2Fhipster.jpg&hash=190a6281974143c4804290c3ce63ca806678ce43)
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: Zeffy on July 16, 2013, 11:33:08 AM
Hillsborough Township uses them. I pass this sign all the time since it is on the street behind my house.

http://goo.gl/maps/NqF6n

And then there is this one, close to the high school.

http://goo.gl/maps/zVuN4

AFAIK, almost every school has one relatively close. All these signs are still up as of today.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: jeffandnicole on July 16, 2013, 12:08:02 PM
Like many states, it is state law in NJ that someone caught with/dealing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school is subjected to mandatory prison time, so almost every school district will have these signs.  In some cases (cities), since there was nearly no area within the city that was further than 1,000 feet from a school, the signs would read 'Drug Free City' or something like that.

The goal was to deter people from selling drugs to kids at/near schools.  The law's effectiveness and punishment has been questioned though. Some states have either done away with the law, or reduced the zone to a few hundred feet.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: 1995hoo on July 16, 2013, 12:09:30 PM
We've had those signs in Fairfax County since sometime between 1988 and 1992 (this based on my recalling who the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors was when they first started posting those; she only served one term as Chairman). I remember the county made a big deal about the signs when they first posted them. From what I recall, the penalty for possession of illegal drugs on school grounds was considerably stricter than elsewhere.

Our signs are black on yellow and use a normal typeface, nothing like the cartoonish one seen above. Here's a Street View link to the sign outside the elementary school I attended from fall 1982 to spring 1985 (my first elementary school closed for good in spring 1982 and is now a police station). Totally unrelated, there used to be a sign around the corner in the bus lane that said "NO PARIKNG THIS SIDE OF STREET." I never got a picture of it and it's gone now, but I always found it very amusing to see a misspelled sign outside a school!

http://goo.gl/maps/405jE
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: hbelkins on July 16, 2013, 12:36:55 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 16, 2013, 12:08:02 PM
Like many states, it is state law in NJ that someone caught with/dealing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school is subjected to mandatory prison time, so almost every school district will have these signs.  In some cases (cities), since there was nearly no area within the city that was further than 1,000 feet from a school, the signs would read 'Drug Free City' or something like that.

The goal was to deter people from selling drugs to kids at/near schools.  The law's effectiveness and punishment has been questioned though. Some states have either done away with the law, or reduced the zone to a few hundred feet.

AT one time, Kentucky's law was 1,000 YARDS of a school, which is nearly 2/3rds of a mile. Laws restricting where registered sex offenders can live, coupled with the density of school sites, have resulted in some problems for finding them places to live.

As for me, I'd rather that thieves and drug dealers go on a registry, rather than a sex offender. I don't care if a sex offender lives near me but I'd rather not have pushers or robbers in the neighborhood and me not know about it.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: cpzilliacus on July 16, 2013, 12:54:12 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 16, 2013, 12:36:55 PM
AT one time, Kentucky's law was 1,000 YARDS of a school, which is nearly 2/3rds of a mile. Laws restricting where registered sex offenders can live, coupled with the density of school sites, have resulted in some problems for finding them places to live.

This is correct.  Like it or not, even convicted sex offenders usually get released and need a place to live.

Quote from: hbelkins on July 16, 2013, 12:36:55 PM
As for me, I'd rather that thieves and drug dealers go on a registry, rather than a sex offender. I don't care if a sex offender lives near me but I'd rather not have pushers or robbers in the neighborhood and me not know about it.

There are more than a few sex offenders that have proven to be extremely dangerous (to the point of committing serial murders) to their surroundings.  The name John Wayne Gacy comes to mind as a prime example, and he's not the only one.

As for drug pushers, I would put them out of business by legalizing and taxing most of the crap that they push (probably not PCP and probably not LSD).  Not because I am interested in consuming any of it, but because the so-called "War on Drugs" has damaged us, has damaged our nation and has damaged our judicial and correctional systems.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 01:11:40 PM
pushers are the purest form of capitalists. 

cpzilliacus - LSD is fairly harmless.  it's meth that I'd be the least likely to legalize.  LSD just turns you useless for a half a day; meth makes you a sadistic piece of shit.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: cpzilliacus on July 16, 2013, 02:41:32 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 01:11:40 PM
pushers are the purest form of capitalists. 

cpzilliacus - LSD is fairly harmless.  it's meth that I'd be the least likely to legalize.  LSD just turns you useless for a half a day; meth makes you a sadistic piece of shit.

The worst drug-related crimes I have seen with my own eyes involve alcohol and PCP, combined with motor vehicles, and cocaine "stand-alone."   

Alcohol was an extremely drunk driver careening north on U.S. 1 (Baltimore Avenue, four lanes with a suicide lane in the middle, no median barrier) in Prince George's County, Maryland late at night in a full-sized pickup truck, sideswiping several cars (the southbound cars were able to get out of the way enough that there were no head-on wrecks). I followed the driver until he ran off the road (after turning onto a side street), took his keys away from him (the truck may still have been drivable) and went to a house and called the state police (who had primary jurisdiction on U.S. 1 in those days) - this was a few years before cell phones were in widespread use.  The MSP came pretty fast and arrested him, though the trooper that took him away remarked to me that the suspect had hit so many cars that he was going to be "up all night" with the resulting paperwork.

The PCP incident was in the same county on the I-95 part of the Capital Beltway and involved a female driving a smallish Toyota or Subaru.  A trooper was working VASCAR speed enforcement on the left shoulder (one of the few places on the Beltway with a decently wide left shoulder), and the small car blew by me at probably 75 or 80 MPH (this was long enough ago that the 55 NMSL still applied - and on the Capital Beltway it's still posted 55 (and ignored)).  The trooper got out of his car to stop her (I don't think they do this type of stopping any longer), and she increased speed and tried to run him over.  He just barely got out of the way, ending up in the dirt face-down, got up, dusted himself off, and got in his (unmarked) car and went after her.  She did not want to yield to the blue lights, and finally several other motorists (including me) boxed her in and forced her to stop in the middle of the Inner Loop of the Beltway near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The driver did not want to get out of the car, and the trooper broke out the rear left-side window and got the door open - and she was ready to fight, and fight the police she did.  But several of those of us that had stopped helped the trooper to subdue her (the mass of people (the trooper plus three or four male civilians) helping was more than she could handle, even high on PCP) and he was able to handcuff her after a few minute of fighting.  She had a PCP-soaked marihuana cigaret in the ash tray smoldering - that stuff smells really foul.

A neighbor (in Silver Spring, Montgomery County) of mine was murdered in her townhome back in 1989 by a guy who was cocaine-addicted and lived nearby.  I did not see the murder, but I did find the body the next day and called the cops.  The neighbor was pretty quickly identified as a suspect, arrested and convicted, but only of second-degree murder (it was a case of jury nullification - he was (IMO) guilty of murder in the first-degree).
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 03:04:36 PM
yep, alcohol is a Hell of a drug.  somehow we've decided that it is America's One Permissible High. 

the moral of the first two stories is "enjoy your drugs away from your vehicle".  I'm not sure what the moral of the third one is, apart from "dude, don't kill people" - adding that the criminal was cocaine-addicted seems to not be relevant, at least not with the facts provided.

I'd charge all three with the letter of the law, regardless of what influenced them.  shitty driving is shitty driving.  assaulting the police is assaulting the police.  murder is murder.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: kkt on July 16, 2013, 04:05:47 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 01:11:40 PM
pushers are the purest form of capitalists. 

Capitalism to me implies free markets, with competition.  Drug dealers don't deal on the same spot.  They either agree to different areas, or fight each other, but they don't compete on quality, price, etc. right next to each other.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: Brandon on July 16, 2013, 04:25:42 PM
Quote from: kkt on July 16, 2013, 04:05:47 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 01:11:40 PM
pushers are the purest form of capitalists. 

Capitalism to me implies free markets, with competition.  Drug dealers don't deal on the same spot.  They either agree to different areas, or fight each other, but they don't compete on quality, price, etc. right next to each other.

Welcome to the black market.  Normal capitalism with its competitive nature goes right out the window.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 04:29:24 PM
legalize it and you will see the black marketeers revert to more civilized behavior.  blood is not particularly good business.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: NJRoadfan on July 16, 2013, 05:32:35 PM
A variant of this sign that used reversed colors (blue sign with white text) and the same font stating "Smoke Free, Hospital Zone" used to be posted on the grounds of the local hospital. I don't know if any are still up.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 05:35:21 PM
Quote from: NJRoadfan on July 16, 2013, 05:32:35 PM
A variant of this sign that used reversed colors (blue sign with white text) and the same font stating "Smoke Free, Hospital Zone" used to be posted on the grounds of the local hospital. I don't know if any are still up.

well, that's just politeness.

a "drug free school zone" is an illusion held desperately by those too lazy to educate their kids about anything more complicated than the absolute.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: cpzilliacus on July 16, 2013, 05:44:09 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 03:04:36 PM
yep, alcohol is a Hell of a drug.  somehow we've decided that it is America's One Permissible High.

Agreed - though caffeine and nicotine are also legal drugs.

Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 03:04:36 PM
the moral of the first two stories is "enjoy your drugs away from your vehicle".  I'm not sure what the moral of the third one is, apart from "dude, don't kill people" - adding that the criminal was cocaine-addicted seems to not be relevant, at least not with the facts provided.

PCP is sufficiently dangerous that it should probably still be illegal.  There are PCP-related motor vehicle deaths on a somewhat frequent basis in and around Washington, D.C.  It is marketed by corner drug dealers in D.C. selling pre-rolled marihuana joints that have been dipped in it as "dippers" or "Love Boat."

The coke addict murdered my neighbor to steal her money to score more cocaine.

Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 03:04:36 PM
I'd charge all three with the letter of the law, regardless of what influenced them.  shitty driving is shitty driving.  assaulting the police is assaulting the police.  murder is murder.

Agreed.  All were charged.  I believe the first two never went to court, because the evidence against them was pretty overwhelming, though I never learned the final disposition of those cases.

The murderer served 10 to 15 years in the Maryland Division of Corrections on his second-degree conviction, and is now out of prison. I talked to one of the jurors after the case was done, and he told me one member of the jury did not want to convict for reasons that had nothing to do with the facts of the case.  The other 11 wanted to convict for first degree murder and were adamant that they would not acquit the defendant.  After two weeks of going back and  forth, they got the hold-out to go along with a second-degree conviction. Most unfortunate.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 05:56:57 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on July 16, 2013, 05:44:09 PM
one member of the jury did not want to convict for reasons that had nothing to do with the facts of the case.


"I can't help it; Chewbacca lives on Endor!"
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: cpzilliacus on July 16, 2013, 10:05:32 PM
Quote from: _Simon on July 16, 2013, 12:16:09 AM
3.  What's with the font and color?  For a relatively standardized sign (even the yellow variants use that font) it has a very erratic font.

Getting back on-topic, this looks like a hideous nightmare from the early 1970's. 

Such fonts were popular back then for a variety of things (not usually including traffic control devices).
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: Alps on July 16, 2013, 10:20:22 PM
Wait, are you telling me that this isn't all across the country? I'm so used to these that I'm oblivious to them not existing elsewhere.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: NE2 on July 16, 2013, 11:36:36 PM
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=33.994547,-83.720629&spn=0.000855,0.001772&t=k&z=20&layer=c&cbll=33.994547,-83.720629&panoid=kc1096dGwLNSSe4FOqNQjA&cbp=12,310.12,,1,6.64
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: hbelkins on July 17, 2013, 12:05:57 PM
Quote from: Steve on July 16, 2013, 10:20:22 PM
Wait, are you telling me that this isn't all across the country? I'm so used to these that I'm oblivious to them not existing elsewhere.

I don't see that particular font in use everywhere. And I agree with the comment about it looking like something from out of the 70s.

As for the various drugs, meth is somewhat unusual in that it doesn't have to be dealt. You can make it yourself if you want, although I'm not sure why someone would want to ingest an intoxicant made from, among other ingredients,  ammonia, batteries and Drano.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: kkt on July 17, 2013, 12:20:01 PM
You can make it yourself if you're reasonably skilled in chemistry.  If you're not as skilled as you think, you can blow up yourself, your house, and half your block.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: agentsteel53 on July 17, 2013, 01:25:26 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 17, 2013, 12:05:57 PM
As for the various drugs, meth is somewhat unusual in that it doesn't have to be dealt. You can make it yourself if you want, although I'm not sure why someone would want to ingest an intoxicant made from, among other ingredients,  ammonia, batteries and Drano.

I believe gasoline is a primary ingredient in the cocaine refinement process.  other powdered drugs have all kinds of similar manufacturing processes.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: Dr Frankenstein on July 17, 2013, 02:58:42 PM
I'm sure I've seen one of those in Connecticut.

EDIT: Okay, it's actually a little different. http://www.flickr.com/photos/13137334@N06/7688327406/
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: Duke87 on July 17, 2013, 08:35:56 PM
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on July 17, 2013, 02:58:42 PM
I'm sure I've seen one of those in Connecticut.

EDIT: Okay, it's actually a little different. http://www.flickr.com/photos/13137334@N06/7688327406/

I believe the specific sign in the OP is an NJ spec. But yes, Connecticut does have plenty of signs that say "drug free school zone" in black FHWA text on white background, similar to the one you posted.

As for the question of where the zone ends, it ends nowhere and doesn't begin anywhere either. The sign has no legal meaning, it's just an attempt to prod would be scofflaws into following the law in that particular area by suggesting that it is more heavily watched, kind of like putting "strictly enforced" under a speed limit sign.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: kphoger on July 18, 2013, 12:15:49 PM
Quote from: _Simon on July 16, 2013, 12:16:09 AM
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fx06.xanga.com%2F3478252b044b8209330250%2Fz163090634.jpg&hash=48834f5daed91ae896104968e321ce6fa437d903)

I used to see these everywhere in New Jersey, but in talking with a few people, I can't find anyone who acknowledges their existence. 
1.  Were these nationwide?  Even the version in DelDOT's MUTCD is a different design than this.   
2.  When does the drug-free school zone end? There were never any "end" signs.
3.  What's with the font and color?  For a relatively standardized sign (even the yellow variants use that font) it has a very erratic font.

I have never seen a sign like that before.  Maybe I've seen them with black on yellow in a more normal-looking font, but certainly never that hideous sign o' nastiness.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: jeffandnicole on July 18, 2013, 01:18:06 PM
The original law came about in 1987, so the font used was probably something more typical of the era back then.  And there's nothing in the NJ law books (at least at quick glance) regarding the use or placement of those signs, so it's not like anyone reviewed a MUTCD manual in creating the sign.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: jwolfer on July 18, 2013, 02:21:38 PM
Quote from: NE2 on July 16, 2013, 01:41:53 AM
If you want to be a hipster, put an energy drink sticker on it.

Lots of them were stolen I am sure and on dorm walls along with Route 420 signs and "Zero drug tolerance" signs that were popular in rural North Florida 20 years ago.  The irony of smoking a bong under a drug free school zone sign in an on campus dorm is just too good

Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: jwolfer on July 18, 2013, 02:29:17 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 01:11:40 PM
pushers are the purest form of capitalists. 

cpzilliacus - LSD is fairly harmless.  it's meth that I'd be the least likely to legalize.  LSD just turns you useless for a half a day; meth makes you a sadistic piece of shit.

Meth became popular after there was a big crackdown on cocaine( pun intended.)  One of the biggest issues now is prescription pain killers being abused... its OK as long as you have a prescription, otherwise it scourge that need to be eliminated. 

Remember that heroine was formulated to get people off of opium.  Cocaine was in lots of stuff even tonics for colicky babies and famously Coca-Cola.  LSD is even being used now to help people with PTSD. 

Prohibition of alcohol gave rise to gangsters like Al Capone.  Prohibition of cocaine is the reason for the mess that is Mexico.  Countries such as the Netherlands where marijuana is legalized has lower rates of usage than we do in the US.

The drug war is just an excuse for government and police excess.  The USA has the highest percentage of the population in prison... and it is worse for minority communities .  Time to rethink the war on drugs. No one wants junkies around but neither do they want drunks....
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: agentsteel53 on July 18, 2013, 02:32:53 PM
Quote from: jwolfer on July 18, 2013, 02:29:17 PMOne of the biggest issues now is prescription pain killers being abused... .

I've always thought of pill poppers as seeing such a stupid high.  alcohol can act as a social lubricant.  marijuana makes one feel mellow and introspective, while still maintaining conversational skills.  mushrooms and LSD are mind-expanding.  hell, even coke can be understood in the context of a nice upbeat party.

meth turns you into a raging asshole if you can't handle it, but I can see people wanting to do it just so they can get a lot of shit done without sleep.  fair enough.  you're an idiot who didn't do the math, but you sought a legitimate experience.

but, seriously, who wants to be a complete societal check-out and just retreat into a world of pills?  same thing with heroin.  fuck opiates.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: kphoger on July 18, 2013, 02:40:51 PM
Quote from: jwolfer on July 18, 2013, 02:29:17 PM
Cocaine was in lots of stuff even tonics for colicky babies and famously Coca-Cola.

Coca was in Coca-Cola.  Cocaine never was.

Quote from: jwolfer on July 18, 2013, 02:29:17 PM
Prohibition of cocaine is the reason for the mess that is Mexico.

Not so much.  The "mess that is Mexico" started about five to seven years ago; it's not like cocaine was legal before that.  In fact, the Mexican government legalized small doses of cocaine and other drugs in 2009 (with a 53-26-1 vote). 
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: NE2 on July 18, 2013, 02:50:57 PM
Quote from: kphoger on July 18, 2013, 02:40:51 PM
Quote from: jwolfer on July 18, 2013, 02:29:17 PM
Cocaine was in lots of stuff even tonics for colicky babies and famously Coca-Cola.

Coca was in Coca-Cola.  Cocaine never was.

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/cocaine.asp
QuoteHow much cocaine was in that "mere trace" is impossible to say, but we do know that by 1902 it was as little as 1/400 of a grain of cocaine per ounce of syrup. Coca-Cola didn't become completely cocaine-free until 1929, but there was scarcely any of the drug left in the drink by then:
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: 1995hoo on July 18, 2013, 05:49:46 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 17, 2013, 12:05:57 PM
Quote from: Steve on July 16, 2013, 10:20:22 PM
Wait, are you telling me that this isn't all across the country? I'm so used to these that I'm oblivious to them not existing elsewhere.

I don't see that particular font in use everywhere. And I agree with the comment about it looking like something from out of the 70s.

....

See the link I posted earlier showing a more normal-looking font.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: NJRoadfan on July 18, 2013, 10:10:30 PM
I just found a small sticker of this sign laying around the house. Maybe I should find one of those signs and stick it on next to the energy drink sticker.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: _Simon on July 18, 2013, 10:19:17 PM
Quote from: NJRoadfan on July 18, 2013, 10:10:30 PM
I just found a small sticker of this sign laying around the house. Maybe I should find one of those signs and stick it on next to the energy drink sticker.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fexit-only.net%2Fhipster2.jpg&hash=4012b8f452b01707e68d50856caf61457f5e5a74)
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: kphoger on July 18, 2013, 11:01:26 PM
Quote from: NE2 on July 18, 2013, 02:50:57 PM
Quote from: kphoger on July 18, 2013, 02:40:51 PM
Quote from: jwolfer on July 18, 2013, 02:29:17 PM
Cocaine was in lots of stuff even tonics for colicky babies and famously Coca-Cola.

Coca was in Coca-Cola.  Cocaine never was.

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/cocaine.asp
QuoteHow much cocaine was in that "mere trace" is impossible to say, but we do know that by 1902 it was as little as 1/400 of a grain of cocaine per ounce of syrup. Coca-Cola didn't become completely cocaine-free until 1929, but there was scarcely any of the drug left in the drink by then:

That snopes seems to use "coca extract" and "cocaine" rather interchangeably.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: ARMOURERERIC on July 19, 2013, 12:20:44 AM
I need some "School Free Drug zone" signs for Los Angeles
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: bugo on July 19, 2013, 01:43:48 AM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 18, 2013, 02:32:53 PM
Quote from: jwolfer on July 18, 2013, 02:29:17 PMOne of the biggest issues now is prescription pain killers being abused... .

I've always thought of pill poppers as seeing such a stupid high.  alcohol can act as a social lubricant.  marijuana makes one feel mellow and introspective, while still maintaining conversational skills.  mushrooms and LSD are mind-expanding.  hell, even coke can be understood in the context of a nice upbeat party.

Opioids make me more talkative and better socially.  Alcohol does not have that effect on me.  It just makes me feel stupid and depressed.  Alcohol is the drug for the numb minded to make themselves even more numb.  It's sad that the two drugs that cause the most harm (nicotine and alcohol) are legal while must less harmful substances are not.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: NE2 on July 19, 2013, 03:27:32 AM
Religion's also strangely still legal.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: colinstu on July 19, 2013, 08:35:29 AM
Never seen a sign like that before in WI.

Have seen "Smoke Free School" or something to that affect... also "Gun Free" etc too.

But in Milwaukee these are fairly common...

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.staticflickr.com%2F2653%2F3773398650_ca270f2a83_b.jpg&hash=5b612999f30932167109cad8281c915b898ed8fc) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/h-bomb/3773398650/)
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: leroys73 on July 19, 2013, 08:39:46 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 16, 2013, 12:08:02 PM
Like many states, it is state law in NJ that someone caught with/dealing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school is subjected to mandatory prison time, so almost every school district will have these signs.  In some cases (cities), since there was nearly no area within the city that was further than 1,000 feet from a school, the signs would read 'Drug Free City' or something like that.

The goal was to deter people from selling drugs to kids at/near schools.  The law's effectiveness and punishment has been questioned though. Some states have either done away with the law, or reduced the zone to a few hundred feet.

What about the kids inside the school dealing? When I taught I don't remember any being sent off to jail.  At most they would be sent to the alternative school so their business would be even better. 
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: agentsteel53 on July 19, 2013, 09:32:37 AM
Quote from: bugo on July 19, 2013, 01:43:48 AM
Opioids make me more talkative and better socially.  Alcohol does not have that effect on me.  It just makes me feel stupid and depressed.  Alcohol is the drug for the numb minded to make themselves even more numb.  It's sad that the two drugs that cause the most harm (nicotine and alcohol) are legal while must less harmful substances are not.

huh.  you're the first person I've ever heard that from.  it's been generally the opposite in my experience, but we've all got our own biochemistry.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: RoadWarrior56 on July 19, 2013, 12:20:12 PM
I always thought the idea of the sign is absurd.  A drug free zone sign implies that drugs are permissible everywhere else.  I always thought there should be a sign leaving the school saying......RESUME SAFE DRUG USE.  BTW, the drug free school zone signs are all over GA.
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: agentsteel53 on July 19, 2013, 12:21:36 PM
Quote from: RoadWarrior56 on July 19, 2013, 12:20:12 PM
I always thought the idea of the sign is absurd.  A drug free zone sign implies that drugs are permissible everywhere else.  I always thought there should be a sign leaving the school saying......RESUME SAFE DRUG USE.  BTW, the drug free school zone signs are all over GA.

Alex might likely remember the photoshopped "BEGIN DANGER CORRIDOR" sign...
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: mgk920 on July 20, 2013, 12:37:40 PM
Quote from: jwolfer on July 18, 2013, 02:29:17 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 16, 2013, 01:11:40 PM
pushers are the purest form of capitalists. 

cpzilliacus - LSD is fairly harmless.  it's meth that I'd be the least likely to legalize.  LSD just turns you useless for a half a day; meth makes you a sadistic piece of shit.

Meth became popular after there was a big crackdown on cocaine( pun intended.)  One of the biggest issues now is prescription pain killers being abused... its OK as long as you have a prescription, otherwise it scourge that need to be eliminated. 

Remember that heroine was formulated to get people off of opium.  Cocaine was in lots of stuff even tonics for colicky babies and famously Coca-Cola.  LSD is even being used now to help people with PTSD. 

Prohibition of alcohol gave rise to gangsters like Al Capone.  Prohibition of cocaine is the reason for the mess that is Mexico.  Countries such as the Netherlands where marijuana is legalized has lower rates of usage than we do in the US.

The drug war is just an excuse for government and police excess.  The USA has the highest percentage of the population in prison... and it is worse for minority communities .  Time to rethink the war on drugs. No one wants junkies around but neither do they want drunks....

As well as infringements on other basic freedoms:

-That special IRS reporting requirement when you deposit a lot of cash into or withdraw a lot of cash from a bank account (even if it is a commercial account depositing the daily receipts), as well as most of the other hassles of using cash?  Nearly 100% Drug War™ (the rest is attempts at income tax compliance and robbery prevention).

-Most laws restricting firearms in the USA?  They did not exist before the 18th Amendment and the 1920s gangster days and have only gotten worse with the Drug War™.  Example - you could buy a fully-automatic Thompson via mail-order, no questions asked, before the early 1930s (however, they were very expensive!).

-Those annoying checkpoints at both of the USA's land borders?  They did not exist before 1924 (18th Amendment days).

-That ongoing 'DWB' thing?  Drug War™.

-Etc.

:banghead:

Yes, I still see those silly 'Drug free school zone' signs here, too.  I nearly laugh every time I drive by one.  They're about as effective as the 'gun free city' thing in Chicago.

:rolleyes:

Mike
Title: Re: Drug Free School Zone
Post by: Alps on July 22, 2013, 04:09:32 AM
Quote from: RoadWarrior56 on July 19, 2013, 12:20:12 PM
I always thought the idea of the sign is absurd.  A drug free zone sign implies that drugs are permissible everywhere else.  I always thought there should be a sign leaving the school saying......RESUME SAFE DRUG USE.  BTW, the drug free school zone signs are all over GA.
I've started to see DRUNK DRIVING FREE SCHOOL ZONE as a bastardization of this concept. If you want to drive drunk, do it on the freeway!