The theme of the "War on Drugs" is a very deceitful campaign and you can see the deceit within the words. War on Drugs makes no sense by itself as if drugs are the culprit for societies problems. This is a very misleading war because drugs by themselves don't hurt people. People hurt people and they don't have to be on drugs to be capable of such things. The "War on Drugs" is actually a "War on People Who Use Drugs" plain and simple because drugs don't do themselves.
It is estimated that drug use prevalence has stabilized around the world with about 243 million people using illegal drugs in 2012 alone(2). With a stable prevalence of drug use remaining at around 5% of the world's population it is clear to say that drugs are here to stay and will always be a subject of use and abuse as evidenced by the staggering failure to disseminate drugs or drug users from using these purportedly harmful substances with purportedly absolutely no medical value.
The U.S. harboring only 2% of the world's population but yet yielding 25% of prison population with half of those being convicted for non-violent offenses such as illegal drug possession or trafficking, is blatant example of how the U.S. is not the authority or leader in setting an example for treating its drug users.
People forget that these are people we are talking about. They aren't ideas like the drug war. Its about ideas about drugs, drug use, and what curtails drug use instead of cold hard facts or evidence. This war is based on the assumption "Drugs are bad and causes violence therefore drug users are violent offenders of the law" which is clearly disseminated by the lack of causal evidence linking drug use to violent crime or other abuses. Yet alcohol still remains the number one culprit for violence in all fashions and abuse in many forms.
If you could omnipresently convict every drug user or a person involved in drug dealing/trafficking in the U.S. you could omnipresently convict about 10% of the entire U.S. population ages 12 and older ever year. Does America really think thats smart policy making? Automatically putting 10% of its population behind bars simply from the non-violent act of consuming a drug?
In this whole debacle of the "War on Drugs" there are many casualties including the lives of these people and their families. Isn't it just bad policy making in the end? It doesn't work and it ruins lives. Not to mention the obvious casualties that comes from its profitably relative to illegality. Since drugs are illegal they are also not regulated as drugs with any medical value therefore they are not administered to patients unless under the nose of the law. This is a travesty in itself. While millions of people are on prescription drugs with harmful side effects, these illicit or illegal drugs are deemed to have no value whatsoever in the medical community while the human demand for these substances remains steady. Why? In my knowledge and experience as a human being on this planet I would say that people use illegal drugs much to same degree and same reasons as are common prescription drugs are used for just in a different form.
There are a number of things ending the "War on Drugs" would do.
1. Generate billions in tax revenues for taxing and regulating these substances.
2. Provide an avenue of support for people in need to be able to safely consume these substances under medical supervision for treatment in various symptoms and/or disorders such as depression and anxiety.
3. Keep non-violent people out of prisons which costs the taxpayers billions of dollars.
4. Provide a more stable fabric in society with the riddance of gangs and cartels that primarily seek power through money gained through the highly lucrative business of selling drugs.
5. Keep the money out of the pockets of potentially violent criminals and into the pockets of people running legitimate businesses.
6. End the violence associated with the highly lucrative nature of the drug trade.
7. Keep families and lives in tact who would otherwise be subject to the unjust nature of the policy of the war on drugs.
8. Create a more open and accepting fabric of society.
9. End the racial discrimination involved with the incarceration of drug war offenders.
10. Create a more just and fair world where taking into account what is best for all is the best way to make public policy.
I'll leave you with a quote:
"The main obstacle to getting black America past the illusion that racism is still a defining factor in America is the strained relationship between young black men and police forces. The massive number of black men in prison stands as an ongoing and graphically resonant rebuke to all calls to 'get past racism,' exhibit initiative, or stress optimism. And the primary reason for this massive number of black men in jail is the War on Drugs. Therefore, if the War on Drugs were terminated, the main factor keeping race-based resentment a core element in the American social fabric would no longer exist. America would be a better place for all."(1).
http://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/catosletterv9n1.pdf
Sources:
1. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Race_and_Prison#sthash.thkPtZTp.dpbs
2. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Drug_Usage#sthash.ZOlqtsru.dpbs
It is estimated that drug use prevalence has stabilized around the world with about 243 million people using illegal drugs in 2012 alone(2). With a stable prevalence of drug use remaining at around 5% of the world's population it is clear to say that drugs are here to stay and will always be a subject of use and abuse as evidenced by the staggering failure to disseminate drugs or drug users from using these purportedly harmful substances with purportedly absolutely no medical value.
The U.S. harboring only 2% of the world's population but yet yielding 25% of prison population with half of those being convicted for non-violent offenses such as illegal drug possession or trafficking, is blatant example of how the U.S. is not the authority or leader in setting an example for treating its drug users.
People forget that these are people we are talking about. They aren't ideas like the drug war. Its about ideas about drugs, drug use, and what curtails drug use instead of cold hard facts or evidence. This war is based on the assumption "Drugs are bad and causes violence therefore drug users are violent offenders of the law" which is clearly disseminated by the lack of causal evidence linking drug use to violent crime or other abuses. Yet alcohol still remains the number one culprit for violence in all fashions and abuse in many forms.
If you could omnipresently convict every drug user or a person involved in drug dealing/trafficking in the U.S. you could omnipresently convict about 10% of the entire U.S. population ages 12 and older ever year. Does America really think thats smart policy making? Automatically putting 10% of its population behind bars simply from the non-violent act of consuming a drug?
In this whole debacle of the "War on Drugs" there are many casualties including the lives of these people and their families. Isn't it just bad policy making in the end? It doesn't work and it ruins lives. Not to mention the obvious casualties that comes from its profitably relative to illegality. Since drugs are illegal they are also not regulated as drugs with any medical value therefore they are not administered to patients unless under the nose of the law. This is a travesty in itself. While millions of people are on prescription drugs with harmful side effects, these illicit or illegal drugs are deemed to have no value whatsoever in the medical community while the human demand for these substances remains steady. Why? In my knowledge and experience as a human being on this planet I would say that people use illegal drugs much to same degree and same reasons as are common prescription drugs are used for just in a different form.
There are a number of things ending the "War on Drugs" would do.
1. Generate billions in tax revenues for taxing and regulating these substances.
2. Provide an avenue of support for people in need to be able to safely consume these substances under medical supervision for treatment in various symptoms and/or disorders such as depression and anxiety.
3. Keep non-violent people out of prisons which costs the taxpayers billions of dollars.
4. Provide a more stable fabric in society with the riddance of gangs and cartels that primarily seek power through money gained through the highly lucrative business of selling drugs.
5. Keep the money out of the pockets of potentially violent criminals and into the pockets of people running legitimate businesses.
6. End the violence associated with the highly lucrative nature of the drug trade.
7. Keep families and lives in tact who would otherwise be subject to the unjust nature of the policy of the war on drugs.
8. Create a more open and accepting fabric of society.
9. End the racial discrimination involved with the incarceration of drug war offenders.
10. Create a more just and fair world where taking into account what is best for all is the best way to make public policy.
I'll leave you with a quote:
"The main obstacle to getting black America past the illusion that racism is still a defining factor in America is the strained relationship between young black men and police forces. The massive number of black men in prison stands as an ongoing and graphically resonant rebuke to all calls to 'get past racism,' exhibit initiative, or stress optimism. And the primary reason for this massive number of black men in jail is the War on Drugs. Therefore, if the War on Drugs were terminated, the main factor keeping race-based resentment a core element in the American social fabric would no longer exist. America would be a better place for all."(1).
Source:
McWhorter, John, "How the War on Drugs Is Destroying Black America," Cato's Letter (Washington, DC: The Cato Institute, Winter 2011), p. 1.http://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/catosletterv9n1.pdf
Sources:
1. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Race_and_Prison#sthash.thkPtZTp.dpbs
2. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Drug_Usage#sthash.ZOlqtsru.dpbs
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