Drugs, Freedom, and the DEA

It's always interesting to converse with people who are otherwise pro-freedom (e.g., true liberals, conservatives, etc....) until it comes to the issue of national drug policy. Then things seem to go haywire, at least that's what it seems like. I've heard many well-meaning objections, such as "drug use is immoral", "drugs cause other crimes", "drugs hurt children, families, etc..." All of which are true, but that does not address the issue which pertains to the problems that America faces today regarding the War on Drugs.

The War on Drugs was created by President Ronald Reagan in the 80's as an effort to raise drug prices in order to discourage use. This was put into motion by the creation of the Drug Enforcement Agency, new laws in place to criminalize possession, the invalidation of many state laws, etc....

Fast forward to 2009. Cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, etc.... have all dropped in price since the drug war began. The only illegal substance that has seen a marked rise in price is marijuana, by far the safest out of all of these. So by that simple definition alone, the federal War on Drugs is a colossal failure. Not to mention the fact that it's much easier now to get drugs than it was then; and a lot cooler. All prohibition of substances like this does is create a rise in demand for the drug, and put the profits into the black market of dealers and suppliers instead of legitimate (albeit shady) honest business owners, farmers, etc. Just as Prohibition by the socialist Progressives of the 20's created organized crime in America, the War on Drugs has created a culture of disobedience and crime that is arguably far worse than the problem it claimed to fix.

The fact is, more people are addicted to harmful drugs now (when they are illegal) as they were before (when each state dictated its own policy). So a simple cost-benefit analysis renders the War on Drugs a failure as well.

Also, from a philosophical perspective, it's hard- well, actually, impossible- to have a small government when federal agents can violate civil liberties and personal property at will in order to regulate the bad habits of consenting adults. Only the statists- the big government advocates in both parties- can possibly be satisfied or happy with that reality.

So if you are a true conservative, you will most certainly reject the tired ideology that Uncle Sam knows what's best for you, and instead embrace what we are actually trying to "conserve"- that is, the Constitution of the USA as it was originally intended. Therefore, since the Fed is given no jurisdiction in the area of legal, illegal, or even prescription drugs for that matter, it's best to support a drug policy dictated by lawmakers and citizens of each state rather than a draconian failure of a federal standard.

So this isn't a moral-immoral issue. This isn't a nice-mean, a pothead-clean, or a religious- non religious issue.

This is, at its core, a big government-small government issue. This is whether or not the government should be able to step in and prevent you from being unhealthy. (Sounds ridiculous, since if it did that I guess we'd all have to be in straightjackets being force fed vitamins all day).

So any true conservatives, liberals, libertarians, etc...- who truly believe that what's right and wrong should be dictated by one's conscience, one's standing with God, one's family & community, instead of some lawmaker or lobbyist in Washington- will rightly oppose the embarassing, unneccessary, creepy, and illegal War On Drugs.

Statists, Communists, Fascists, and everyone else who thinks government is your parent, have at it. As for me, I'll make my own decisions for what I put in my body, and live with the consequences, good or bad, and take responsibility for it. It's the hallmark of the American experiment.