Ron, your reaction is the same knee-jerk reaction most people have when they hear that. But, have you ever considered that:
1. The "War on Drugs" has not reduced the amount of drugs available nor has it reduced violent crime.
2. The "War on Drugs" has, in fact, increased the number of violent crimes.
3. The "War on Drugs" is un-winnable for the EXACT same reasons prohibition was a failure.
4. The average cost to the taxpayers to put ONE drug dealer in jail is $450,000.
5. There are 150 Million people in Federal prisons. This is the break down: Drug Offenses 59.6%, Robbery 9.8%, Property Offenses 5.5%, Extortion, Fraud, Bribery 6.8%, Violent Offenses 2.7%, Firearms, Explosives, Arson 8.6%, White Collar 1.0%, Immigration 2.8%, Courts or Corrections 0.8%, National Security 0.1%, Continuing Criminal Enterprise 0.8%, Miscellaneous 1.5%
6. The two highest national murder rates were during prohibition and the "War on Drugs" according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report.
7. George Shultz, former President Reagan's Secretary of State, says that "Legalization would destroy dealer profits and remove their incentive to get young people addicted."
8. Former Surgeon General Elders told a National Press Club luncheon,"Sixty percent of violent crimes are drug- or alcohol-related.... Many times they're robbing, stealing and all of these things to get money to buy drugs.... I do feel that we would markedly reduce our crime rate if drugs were legalized."
9. Lindesmith Institute director Nadelmann argues that "Prohibition...financed the rise of organized crime and failed miserably as social policy. Likewise, the war on drugs has created new, well-financed, and violent criminal conspiracies and failed to achieve any of its goals."
10. Drug use has increased since the inception of the ONDCP (office of National Drug Control Policy)
11. Every year, more and more people are arrested for drug related crimes, a trend that did not exist prior to the "War on Drugs" (Evidence that our current policy is not only ineffective, but counter productive)
12. Removing the drug trade from criminal enterprises and delivering it to valid business enterprises will create safer supplies (Illicit drugs are 4 times as likely to cause the user's death as they were 30 years ago), eliminate the lion's share of violence caused by competing dealers and suppliers and increase sales tax revenue (which will enable gov. funded treatment programs).
13. Prescription drugs kill more americans than all the crack, meth and herion deaths combined.
14. Regulation of morality doesn't work and will never work.
15. This from a Canadian study: "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis (marijuana) is substantially less harmful than alcohol and smoking cigarettes, and it does not lead to the use of harder drugs."
Just some things for you to think about. I have never touched any illegal drugs but I don't think that something I choose not to do should be made illegal for others to do.
p.s. Ron, if you really think that seat belt laws are a good thing, you truly lack any understanding of what freedom is all about. When the government tells you they are passing a law that makes you protect yourself, you have handed over your decision making abilities to a group of people who make their living by exercising that power over you.
