The "War on Drugs" is responsible for drug deaths


What is the difference between Prohibition and the War on Drugs? Not much...
Pete Guither has a great piece at DrugWarRant.com that really leaped out at me.

And why is the prohibition establishment responsible for contributing to drug deaths?

• Prohibition puts drug distribution in the hands of criminals, who care little for the welfare of users. Prohibition also makes criminal drug trade extremely profitable. In fact, prohibitionists are the drug traffickers best friends. Without them, the drug dealers would be out of a job.
• Prohibition adds a stigma to drug abuse that often prevents people from seeking help. It is easier to get friends to help you quit smoking cigarettes, or attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, than to ask for help in kicking an illegal drug habit.
• Stigma also interferes with seeking medical attention in the case of an overdose or severe reaction. Someone who would not hesitate to rush a friend with alcohol poisoning to the emergency room may wait a fatally long time considering what to do with a friend who has overdosed.
• The current lack of any regulation of drugs increases the risk of tainted drugs and uncertain potency, which can lead to overdoses and death.
• The resistance to providing clean syringes to drug addicts increases AIDS and other fatal blood-born diseases.
• Current law in many cases prevents organizations and individuals from pursuing other harm-reduction activities, such as providing ecstasy testing kits to make sure people don't take an unexpected and fatal mixture.
• Illegal drug dealers want to hook clients in order to obtain future profits.
• With prohibition, since the drug purchaser is put into a situation of dealing with criminals, he or she is much more likely to be involved in violent and dangerous situations.
• Prohibition creates vast profitable criminal enterprises that settle their problems through violence, and innocent victims get caught in the crossfire.

I can't stress this enough. Most of the problems blamed on illegal drugs are caused by laws against drugs.

It happened with Prohibition in the 1920s. It happened again with War on Drugs during the 1980s. The parallels are almost exact. The only real question is how long people are going to pretend that the War on Drugs is not a war on the American people and on liberty.

I'm not saying that there are not real problems caused by drug addiction. There are.

I am saying that fighting those problems should not include SWAT teams, asset forfeiture, and the sacrifice of civil liberties and rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

I am saying that casual drug use should not raise any more eyebrows than casual drinking.

I am saying that an individual, free to choose and knowing that he is responsible for his own actions, tends to make better choices as time goes on.

I am saying that the "War on Drugs" is a direct attack on you and your freedom.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Thu - March 2, 2006 at 03:54 PM  Tag


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