Pubdate: Wed, 31 Mar 2010
Source: Massachusetts Daily Collegian (U of MA, Edu)
Copyright: 2010 Daily Collegian
Contact:  http://www.dailycollegian.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1401
Author: Shane Nickerson

THE WAR ON CITIZENS

Driving home from the gym I saw a man, presumably a student by his
age, who appeared to have drugs in his vehicle. The man, in handcuffs,
stood on the side of the road looking rather distraught as the officer
talked to him with a stern look upon his face. All this was a short
glimpse, yet to him will surely result in an addition to his criminal
record.

So I write this article, not justifying selling or using drugs, but to
point out that the war on drugs is possibly the most corrupt,
disgusting, authoritarian movement present in the nation. I know now
that my article will gain support from the Cannabis Reform Coalition,
however many are probably still concerned over what the legalization
of other substances would imply.

To answer that question, it would imply less of our tax dollars to
keep the teenager who sold marijuana to his high school friends in
jail. It would mean that I can keep more of my paycheck instead of it
going to lock up a woman who tried to purchase cocaine to feed her
addiction. While the characters who are affected by this government
scheme vary, it all results in the same notion; our jails are
overcrowded and we are paying for it. So while it may often seem a
liberal view to lower or abolish a penalty on drugs, it is
economically very conservative. Just how economically conservative
would it be to legalize drugs? According to a recent study, we would
save about $37 billion per year as a matter of fact. The abolition of
the war on drugs should be supported by all citizens who have any
sense of individual freedom.

There are not, however, only implications of economic fault or
individual freedom: this "war on drugs" has been detrimental to racial
equality. Drug use has been tied to those who are below the poverty
line, and since Caucasians only make up approximately eight percent of
Americans in poverty, we are imprisoning larger numbers of minorities
than ever before in our nation's history. This is leading to record
numbers of prisoners, increased generational poverty, and worst of
all, it is propagating racial stereotypes in our culture.

One may find it curious that the war on drugs was not started for the
safety of the people. In fact, marijuana was first prohibited by law
for two reasons. In the 1930s ignorant Southwestern states concluded
that "All Mexicans are crazy and this stuff (marijuana) is what makes
them crazy." The second reason was that marijuana was what they called
a gateway drug, which has since been debunked. As for opiates, sources
claim that Chinese men were using opiates to seduce white women in the
late 19th century, so that stuff had to be outlawed quickly.

Yet I will grant the opposing side this argument; let us assume
marijuana leads to further drug abuse. Who does the government think
it is to lock us up for what we decide to put in our body? It is a
disgraceful abuse of power. Should it not also be noted that alcohol
is far more dangerous than most legal prescription or recreational
drugs on the market? In fact, alcohol is the only drug proven to bring
about aggressive behaviors without a pre-existing psychosis. Yet it is
one of the most profitable commodities for college students, so let's
stock those shelves, gentlemen.

I don't want anyone to think that I advocate drug use and abuse. I am
what most would consider straight-edge, or someone who uses no
recreational drugs, aside from my light social use of alcohol.

Yet it doesn't take someone who abuses drugs to see through the
corruption of the "war on drugs." The fact is, it is not a war on
drugs, but a war against citizens. What is even more pathetic is that
this war has not succeeded in its proclaimed main function: to
eliminate drug use. In fact, national drug use is up among many
substances, such as marijuana and cocaine. What we do see, however, is
a decrease in violent crimes across the nation. Perhaps before we
decide that recreational drug users are a hazard to others around
them, we should look more closely at these kinds of statistics.

If you are very against drugs, let that be a wise choice for yourself;
for it is also that any drug, prescription or recreational, is in some
fashion altering the chemical functions of the body. However, do not
take it upon yourself to say that a government therefore has the right
to imprison those in poverty, those with an addiction problem, or even
those who just made wrong decisions in life. Let it be our own moral
standards that dictate what we do with our bodies, as well as the
subsequent consequences.
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