“There Must Be A New Approach That Is Grounded Not In Ignorance Or Fear But In Common Sense” Ethan A. Nadelmann.
The “war on drugs” has been long, unsuccessful, and costly, taking its toll on America through loss of liberties, increasing crime, and a growing penal system. As the government clings to its penchant for legislating morality, crime continues to increase, while individual freedom and personal responsibility become antiquated notions. The only way to change these dangerous trends is the decriminalization and legalization of drugs.
John Stuart Mill, a British liberal philosopher, who more than a century ago urged that the state had no right to intervene or prevent individuals from doing something that harmed them, if no harm was thereby done to the rest of society once said, “Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.” This is a principal to which most democratic governments adhere, up to a point. They allow the individual to undertake all manners of dangerous activities without legal recourse, from mountaineering, skydiving, to smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. Such pursuits alarm insurance companies and mothers, but are rightly tolerated by the state. Individuals should have the right to decide for themselves what they put in their bodies, as long as they understand and take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. When the government starts to make more and more laws prohibiting this or that behavior it begins to take on the role of big “Daddy” causing the individual citizen to think less and less for him/herself. Personal responsibility requires people to face the consequences of their own behavior. When laws begin to dictate behavior people are held to a lesser level of personal responsibility. Rules are laid out for what is considered “appropriate” behavior. This relieves people from the extremely difficult task of determining that for themselves. It should be noted that this does not pertain to crimes against other human beings. Crimes that rob others of their civil liberties should be prohibited and punished. This relates specifically to victimless crimes.
During the recent Superbowl, the President's office of National Drug Control Policy aired a new ad campaign linking drug use with terrorism. Their message is simple, that if you buy drugs, you might be financing terrorists. The audience is clearly supposed to get the message that drugs can affect more than just your life and your body-because buying drugs supports terrorism. The government's ads ignore the real reason that drug money supports terrorism: drugs are illegal. Making drugs illegal creates a black market for them. Reputable businesses don't deal in drugs. Black markets are able to raise prices to astronomical levels, in some cases up to 17,000%. The money to be gained by dealing in the black market is so much that people are willing to kill each other. This is evident with modern gangs. In order to protect their “turf” or a certain area, in which they have a monopoly on drug sales, they will kill anyone who tries to move in. This doesn't happen with goods that are legal, like chocolate, for example. But if the government made chocolate illegal, then buying a candy bar would probably “support terrorism” in South America, cost a great deal more, and endanger the lives of chocolate lovers. If the government is so concerned with the support of terrorist organizations, perhaps they should evaluate buying oil. America is highly reliant on the oil of the Middle East. Osama bin Laden and his terrorist organization are heavily financed by oil revenue, from the donations of oil rich Arabs, from bin Laden's personal fortune, and even the U.S. government which gave $43 million to help support Afghani poppy farmers just last May. Drugs can be dangerous but we need to educate people on the real risks, the real dangers, and the real benefits of drugs so that people can make educated, informed, and personal choices. Commercials of this kind only serve to reinforce the mistrust of the media and the government as a whole by treating the populace at large as a mindless mob.
According to a study published by the Center for Drug Research (CEDRO) of the University of Amsterdam, Americans consume marijuana at rates more than double those of their Dutch counterparts do - where the drug is legal. These findings illustrate the fact that to criminalize drugs is not an effective deterrent. Our current polices only serve to create more criminals, thus intruding further on individual civil liberties. When our civil liberties suffer, society suffers. We are all made to be “suspects,” subject to random drug testing, highway checkpoints, and inquiries into our finances. Personal property can be seized without a trial if you are suspected of making money from drugs and dealing in cash can be cause for investigation. We are considered guilty until we can prove ourselves innocent. This contradicts the very fabric on which this country was built. The 4th amendment is supposed to protect individuals from the state. But, in the name of the “war on drugs” this crucial element of our Bill of Rights is moot.
