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VOA标准英语2012--Can US Win its War on Drugs?

时间:2012-12-25 08:36来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

 

Can US Win its War on Drugs?

Anthony Papa spent 12 years in prison for attempting to deliver 125 grams of cocaine1, his first and only try. His profit would have been $500. Although he discovered his talent for art behind bars, others suffered. 

“I was married. I had a seven-year-old daughter. It just ruined their lives because prison doesn’t stop at the prison wall. It goes beyond the wall," he said. 

Papa says it costs billions of taxpayer2 dollars to keep drug offenders3 behind bars. “That money could be better spent keeping schools open, feeding needy4 children, helping5 needy communities,” he said.

Drugs can be deadly - both to those who use them, and those fighting the trade. In Mexico, there have been at least 47,000 drug-related killings7 over the past six years. Brazil and Colombia are also racked by drug violence.

Former U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, whose administrations funded the war on drugs at home and abroad, now say the approach is flawed.

“We could have fighting and killing6 over cigarettes if we made it a felony to sell a cigarette to smoke," said former President Clinton. "So we legalized them. If all you try to do is find a police or military solution to the problem, a lot of people die and it doesn’t solve the problem.”

The former presidents of Brazil and Switzerland, Fernando Cardoso and Ruth Dreifuss, and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos want to find different ways to solve the global drug problem, such as regulating the trade.

“I think a new approach, at least to try to open up, to break the taboo8, is what the world should do. There are many alternatives, including the possibility of legalizing drugs,” he said.

A documentary titled Breaking the Taboo, which focuses on failures in the war on drugs, recently premiered in New York City. Executive producer Sam Branson condemns9 drugs, but not drug users.

“Instead of throwing them in jail, maybe make them see a doctor. Maybe they need some help. A lot of people taking drugs are not committing crimes, specifically. They're just lost in life,” he said.

But many disagree with decriminalization, for both medical and law enforcement reasons. Former Republican Congressman10 Jim Kolbe says most U.S. lawmakers oppose legalization.

“We want tougher penalties for drug users, and particularly for people who sell and traffic in the drugs. We want to maintain the long terms, prison terms and penalties that are there,” he said.

Anthony Popa notes that illegal drugs are available even in prisons and questions if they can be controlled in a free society if they can’t be controlled behind bars. 


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1 cocaine VbYy4     
n.可卡因,古柯碱(用作局部麻醉剂)
参考例句:
  • That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
  • Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。
2 taxpayer ig5zjJ     
n.纳税人
参考例句:
  • The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
  • The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。
3 offenders dee5aee0bcfb96f370137cdbb4b5cc8d     
n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 );犯规者;罪犯;妨害…的人(或事物)
参考例句:
  • Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
  • Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。
4 needy wG7xh     
adj.贫穷的,贫困的,生活艰苦的
参考例句:
  • Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷,但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
  • They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。
5 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
6 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
7 killings 76d97e8407f821a6e56296c4c9a9388c     
谋杀( killing的名词复数 ); 突然发大财,暴发
参考例句:
  • His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
  • The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
8 taboo aqBwg     
n.禁忌,禁止接近,禁止使用;adj.禁忌的;v.禁忌,禁制,禁止
参考例句:
  • The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
  • Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里,婚前的性行为犯禁吗?
9 condemns c3a2b03fc35077b00cf57010edb796f4     
v.(通常因道义上的原因而)谴责( condemn的第三人称单数 );宣判;宣布…不能使用;迫使…陷于不幸的境地
参考例句:
  • Her widowhood condemns her to a lonely old age. 守寡使她不得不过着孤独的晚年生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The public opinion condemns prostitution. 公众舆论遣责卖淫。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
10 Congressman TvMzt7     
n.(美)国会议员
参考例句:
  • He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
  • The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。
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TAG标签:   VOA标准英语  War  Drug
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