Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2002
Source: Santa Barbara News-Press (CA)
Copyright: 2002 Santa Barbara News-Press
Contact:  http://www.newspress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/393
Author: Stephen Heller
Note: Stephen Heller is a retired Santa Barbara High School District 
special education teacher. He lives in Goleta.

LEGALIZE DRUGS, WIN PHONY 'WAR'

Voice From Goleta - Stephen Heller

President Bush want us to believe that using illegal drugs supports 
terrorism when in fact it is the War on Drugs doing the supporting. One 
need only compute the billions of

dollars spent fighting this "war" and then imagine what these dollars spent 
improving national security could accomplish.

So, every dollar going toward this "war" is one less dollar available to 
combat terrorism -- certainly this is "indirect" support of terrorism.

Add to the above the cost of incarcerating the "prisoners" of this "war."

The FBI reported that 734,498 Americans were arrested in 2000 for marijuana 
violations alone -- 646,042 for possession. Including those arrested for 
other drugs, what is the cost for arresting and interning these "prisoners 
of war"?

And what has this "drug war" accomplished? Nothing of a positive nature, 
really. In fact, by making drugs illegal the result has been to drive up 
the cost, which creates obscene profits. These dollars can then be used to 
support terrorism and corrupt governments.

Recently, the Unitarian Universalists Association adopted a resolution by 
two-thirds of the roughly 1,700 delegates at their General Assembly in 
Quebec that drug use of any kind should be legal. They proposed legalizing 
marijuana and making all currently illegal drugs available with a 
prescription. The statement said the federal government's costly drug war 
is cruel and ineffective, and disproportionately affects the poor and 
minorities. They also stated that "Drug use is erroneously perceived as 
behavior that is out of control and harmful to others...

Yet many people who use both legal and illegal drugs live productive, 
functional lives and do no harm to society."

What would the above accomplish? An immediate effect would be saving and 
redirecting tens of billions of "war" dollars.

We would see the almost immediate destruction of drug cartels as their 
revenues disappeared. Intercity gang warfare over drug turf would disappear.

Additionally "prisoner of war" monies would become available for use 
elsewhere. Crimes against society, such as murder, armed robbery and 
burglary to support costly illegal drug use would also be drastically reduced.

Regulating and taxing drug sales a la alcohol would reduce collateral 
damage of drug use and generate significant monies. Kinda like what the 
state lotteries have done for illegal gambling.

The billions earned and saved could then be used to promote the health and 
safety of society as a whole. Oh, and yes, used to combat terrorism.

So, strangely, the way to "win" the war on drugs is to stop fighting it.
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MAP posted-by: Beth