Drug war in the press
It’s good to see the MSM addressing the serious concerns regarding the war on drugs. It’d be nicer if we could get our politicians to seriously look at it. John Tierney:
It’s the same pattern observed during Prohibition, when illicit stills would blow up, and there was a rise in deaths from alcohol poisoning. Far from instilling virtue in Americans, Prohibition caused them to switch from beer and wine to hard liquor. Overall consumption of alcohol might even have increased.
Today we tolerate alcohol, even though it causes far more harm than illegal drugs, because we realize a ban would be futile, create more problems than it cured and deprive too many people of something they value.
August 10th, 2005 at 9:36 am
I read that yesterday. I agree with the guy overall, but he really glosses over the problems created by hard drugs.
My dividing line is adult function. If you can take a drug regularly and still function as a responsible adult, then it should be legal. If taking the drug prevents you from holding down a job, maintaining your basic health, taking care of your kids, etc., then I’m not convinced that drug should be legal.
August 10th, 2005 at 11:56 am
Les, so how do you feel about drug testing in the work place? If they need random tests to find out who’s doing a drug, then the users must be meeting your “adult function” criterion pretty well.
August 10th, 2005 at 12:58 pm
Les, by that criteria alcohol would be prohibited.
Not everyone responds the same and the amount consumed at a single setting and over an extended period of time are critical factors in the effect any drug has on a person’s life.
For example, a 12 oz bottle of beer with lunch every day will have no negative effect on most people and will be beneficial for some. A six pack for lunch and another every evening will have a serious negative effect on almost everyone and be beneficial for almost nobody. The same example can be made with many other drugs which are currently illegal (and which might get you killed by the government).
August 10th, 2005 at 1:40 pm
“Les, so how do you feel about drug testing in the work place? “
That’s a private sector policy, not a public sector policy. If a company says “wear a tie” or “pee in a cup” as a condition of employment, then I tend to think they have the right to do that. Anyone who doesn’t agree to those conditions shouldn’t apply for a job at that company.
Bob: yep, some people become addicted to alcohol, but some drugs like heroin may in fact be more addictive than alcohol, and/or have worse health consequences in a much shorter time span. Beer isn’t the same thing as crack cocaine or crystal meth.
August 10th, 2005 at 2:19 pm
“Beer isn’t the same thing as crack cocaine or crystal meth.”
No, they are not. But the only differences as relates to the example I laid out are the doses which have bad results and the amount of cronic usage that will lead to addiction and bad health results.
When I was 20 (27 years ago), I used both crystal meth and beer (sometimes, but not always, at the same time) in a recreational fashion. Neither substance had a negative effect on my life although the beer would have a temporary negative effect the next day sometimes :-).
Getting “caught” by the government with the crystal meth would have had life long negative effects — far beyond the effects that usage of the crystal meth could have had. Note I am not claiming that there is not a potential for negative health effect; however, I do believe that education about the true clinical effects of using a drug is a better policy than prohibition.
I firmly believe that prohibition has ruined more lives and caused more grief than totally legal drug sales to adults will ever cause. And that doesn’t even count the power and money that ends up in the hands people that most of us would agree should not have lots of money and power. And then, on top of that, we have the increase in government power, government intrusion into everyone’s life, the shredding of many parts of the constitution and growing lack of respect for the government and law enforcement that results from the war on some drugs.