Pubdate: Fri, 22 Oct 2010
Source: North County Times (Escondido, CA)
Copyright: 2010 North County Times
Contact: http://www.nctimes.com/app/forms/letters/index.php
Website: http://www.nctimes.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1080
Author: Gerald L. Summers
Note: Gerald L. Summers is a Temecula resident.

TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE WAR ON DRUGS IS LOST

The most vociferous opponent of the war on drugs was none other than 
Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize-winning economist, former economic 
adviser to President Ronald Reagan, and one of the most respected 
economists in the world until his recent death.

So, what does an economist have to do with what is generally seen by 
most as a moral issue?

People are economic creatures, meaning our interests and actions are 
almost always self-serving, even when they are not consciously 
considered and/or might appear altruistic.

Adam Smith, the father or modern economics, referred to this 
phenomena as the "invisible hand."

This was not a religious reference but an economic explanation, as 
well as a biological acknowledgment.

People make economic judgments based on risk/benefit analysis. If 
doing something carries great risk and little reward, they are 
unlikely to do it.

On the other hand, if the risk is low but benefits great, temptation 
to act can become enormous, even if it involves a violation of law.

When the Nixon administration decided to involve the federal 
government in a war against drugs, it elevated risk/benefit levels to 
a point that virtually guaranteed expansion of drug use.

People who had been growing their pot on windowsills suddenly 
realized they could make tons of money with very little risk. Drug 
cartels in South America also realized they could cross the 
3,000-mile-long U.S. southern border as easily as do ants.

Friedman wrote that he opposed another round of Prohibition, because 
"most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal."

The same was true during alcohol prohibition. By making alcohol 
illegal, we created a huge underground economy run by criminals of 
the worst nature.

By making drugs illegal, we created an even bigger underground 
economy that is sapping the wealth of the nation and passing it to 
the worst criminal gangs the world has ever known ---- they are so 
large that they are capable of taking over entire nations.

Albert Einstein said: "Nothing is more destructive of respect for the 
government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be 
enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase in crime 
in this country is closely connected with (Prohibition)."

William F. Buckley, the leading conservative of our time, said: 
"Marijuana prohibition has done far more harm to far more people than 
marijuana ever did."

The risk of being caught dealing drugs today is substantially less 
than the potential reward.

Indeed, the DEA ironically measures its success or failure by the 
cost of drugs it is trying to suppress.

Unfortunately, the more successful it is, the more people will take 
the risk. Today, drugs are cheap and getting cheaper. The cartels are 
even using submarines to bring in their contraband. The risk of being 
caught has never been lower.

The drug war has failed and must be undone. We need to acknowledge that fact.

This November, Californians can do a small part toward that end at the polls.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake