National Drug Policy is Wrong

Battling the Market is Futile

To legalize something is not to condone it. This refutes one of the main arguments for continuing a policy of prohibition regarding drugs of abuse. ItÕs very simple. The argument that legalizing drugs implies that drugs are OK does not make sense.

Drug trade exists because profits are handsome. Profits are handsome because prices are high. Prices are high because product is prohibited. Round and round we go.

A person who is addicted to a substance should have access to the particular substance. When the person recognizes the substance is killing him and requests assitance, help him out as part of national drug policy. Just refuse to lock him up or go after the ones who would poison him. That costs too much. Consequences of drug use should fall more on the user and less on the rest of us. If itÕs cheaper and less destructive of our rights to let a druggie have his drug, then let him have his drug.

It should not be a criminal matter when people abuse drugs. It should be a personal and medical matter. That way some progress might be made. Prohibition is folly.

Prohibition is Failed Policy

The success of prohibition with respect to national drug policy is zero. Despite the waste of fantastic sums of money and significant errosion in our civil liberties, drugs are seemingly everywhere and cheap. In the meantime, the spectacular lack of success in the drug war is matched by huge consequences such as:

	Direct enforcement costs - what are they, $200,000,000,000 per year now just for drug enforcement?
	Court costs - who knows what court costs are just for drug enforcement. But who cares given the direct costs.
	Erosion of civil liberties - civil forfeiture would not exist were it not for the drug war.
	Corruption of officialdom - and not all of it south of the border.
	Disruption of trade and travel - how much more efficiently could people and products move around the globe were it not for the need to intercept illegal drugs? Yes, the Customs Service does more than intercept drugs, but if so much attention were not required for interdicting drugs, maybe Sadam and others would have a harder time obtaining their imported "Baby Milk Factory" parts.
	Diversion of attention from other problems - Aside from budgets always being lean, the national attention is required regarding other issues like education, health care, infrastructure deterioration and the like.
	Political problems in producing countries - Look at poor Colombia. Half her political problems stem from narcodollars. Look at cooperation between coca growers and Cendero Luminoso guerillas.
	Environmental problems in producing countries - What drug cartel gives a hoot about dumping chemicals in the rain forest? They don't even care about dumping chemicals in your kids' bodies.
	and so on.

Complete Legalization

Complete legalization of all drugs will not cure all problems associated with drugs. It will, however, place the problem in a setting where progress can be made and costs minimized.