Why do people care about blood diamonds, but not about drugs?

Most drugs are assumed to be bad.
Drug money, is usually seen as only less bad than blood money.
Check out this anti-drug campaign: Smoking Weed = helping terrorists

This article, How America Lost the War on Drugs was an interesting read.
“After thirty-five years and $500 billion, drugs are as cheap and plentiful as ever. An anatomy of a failure.”

I think if drugs were legalized and regulated there wouldn’t be these same issues.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the people who are harvesting the diamonds are not actually willing to do it. They are just taken as slaves to harvest diamonds. Drugs are mostly harvested by those who are in a “get rich quick” scheme and they are not being taken as slaves.

But there are people who are unwillingly brought into the drug world. It’s just not as common.

I think it’s because a lot of people actually like drugs to the point where they may know of the detrimental causes they’re contributing to, but look the other way because they want the drugs. Diamonds don’t get people high, and diamonds aren’t regarded with as much reverence as drugs.

Because the guy who sells you a diamond has a certain air of respectability that drug dealers generally make no pretension to.

The prohibition of drugs makes the business of their creation, distribution and retail an inevitably unpleasant process.

The problem with drugs, in this respect, is their prohibition, and the propaganda machines have been supporting that prohibition for a long time. Pointing out the disastrous effects of it is not in their business.

@everephebe Interesting links. While I agree that the war on drugs has not been successful, I wonder, if drugs were legalized, would drug dealers simply find honest jobs?

@KatetheGreat You are right, but then the people who have to put up with rich drug lords are not happy about it, either.

@Blackberry That’s generally my opinion. Funny how the people who are against blood diamonds (i.e., liberals), like (at least more openly) drugs, isn’t it?

@The_Idler So what about consumers? Do they simply look the other way, pretend nothing is wrong because there’s nobody bringing attention to it?

@bob_ I don’t know about honest jobs but there would be a hellva lot less people behind bars, aka criminal college.

@everephebe Putting fewer people behind bars, like the ones who consume drugs, would be a step forward, yes.

I don’t do drugs.

I think the vast majority of people over 18 who consume drugs know that there are dead people behind that spliff or snort. They don’t care. Just like most people don’t care that there’s blood diamonds being mined, they want that sparkler. They can’t see it in their day-to-day lives, and it doesn’t immediately affect them in a negative way.

@bob_ Indeed.