>Sender: >To: >X-Original-Message-ID: <04c101bf252a$fc3f8a60$9acf69cf@pacbell.net> >From: "Peter McWilliams" >Subject: Great column >Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 04:08:30 -0800 >X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 >X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 > > >Pubdate: Sun, 24 Oct 1999 >Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL) >Copyright: 1999 Orlando Sentinel >Author: Charley Reese >Letter to the editor: osoinsight@aol.com > >WHAT DO PROHIBITION, DRUG WAR HAVE IN COMMON? SURE FAILURE > >Let's take a short quiz on liquor prohibition. In 1919, the Constitution >was amended to ban the manufacture and distribution of alcoholic >beverages in the United States. Prohibition was repealed in 1933. > >Did Prohibition succeed in banning liquor? No. > >Did Prohibition cause the formation of powerful criminal gangs? Yes. > >Did Prohibition cause violence as a result of these gangs fighting over >territory? Yes. > >Did Prohibition cause a huge amount of public corruption? Yes. > >Did Prohibition result in a general disrespect for the law? Yes. > >When Prohibition ended, did the United States suddenly go to Hades with >everyone becoming an alcoholic? No. > >All right now, let's fast-forward to the war on drugs. > >Has the war on drugs succeeded in banning illegal drugs? No. > >Has the war on drugs caused the formation of powerful criminal gangs? >Yes. > >Has the war on drugs caused violence as a result of these gangs fighting >over territory? Yes. > >Has the war on drugs caused a huge amount of public corruption? Yes. > >Has the war on drugs caused a general disrespect for the law? Yes. > >If we ended the war on drugs, legalized these drugs and allowed people >to buy them by prescription or from carefully licensed and regulated >dealers, would the United States go to Hades and everyone become an >addict? I don't think so. For evidence of that, we have pre-drug-ban >history, during which life went along pretty much as normal. > >Then, how can we justify continuing this failed effort that has caused >more damage to the Constitution than it has to the drug dealers -- all >of whom, of course, are replaceable. > >I don't think that people should take drugs, not even most of the ones >their doctors prescribe. In a free society people should be free to >choose and free to suffer the consequences of their own choices. > >The current drug war is a racket. Everybody but the taxpayer is making >money on it, and, after nearly 40 years, illicit drugs are flowing as >freely or even more freely than before. In the meantime, the government >uses the drug war as an excuse to whittle away the traditional rights >and liberties of all American citizens. And taxpayers are taking it in >the gazoo. > >A drug is a drug is a drug. If people become addicted to them -- and >thousands become addicted to doctor-prescribed drugs already -- then >that's a health problem, not a police problem. There is nothing >inherently evil in morphine, heroin, marijuana or cocaine. They each >produce certain effects, just as other drugs do, but those effects do >not cause people to commit crimes. > >What causes the crime is drug prohibition. It limits the supply to >illegal dealers and therefore drives up the price. Addicts will >sometimes resort to crime to finance their own habit if they have no >other source of income. But it is important to understand that the >criminal behavior is produced by the legal prohibition, not by the drug. > >The drug use, in a legal setting, would cause no problems other than to >the user, which is the case in alcohol consumption. We could still have >laws against operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, >just as we do in the case of alcohol. > >I wonder how long the American people are going to put up with >government officials making saps out of them. That's what they're doing. >They feed you propaganda and then extract billions of dollars from your >pockets to waste chasing people who are simply supplying a product for >which there is a demand. > > >================================================================ > >This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to > the mailing list . >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: