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Wrong!
The first attempt by the U.S. government to restrict what citizens do with their own minds and bodies was the Harrison Act, enacted in 1914. At that time, the Ninth and Tenth Amendments were still respected...the so-called state's rights amendments...so the actual law was disguised as a very restrictive tax on opium derivatives. All subsequent drug laws...with the notable exception of alcohol prohibition, which was ordained by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution...and later repealed by the Twenty First...were modeled after this first bogus law.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, laudanum...an alcohol solution of opium...was an over-the-counter drug, said to be very popular with bored housewives. This first effort by the control perverts to regulate pleasure appeared to be successful in that opium and opium derivatives subsequently became much more difficult...and expensive...to obtain...thus lessening their use...at least momentarily. Of course, we all know what happened next. Instead of indulging in this relatively harmless...although "habit forming"...indulgence, those who craved the opiate high were presented by illicit suppliers with a large number of far more dangerous and addictive substances, culminating in heroin, the "king." These were all illegal, of course, but this only made the profit margins...for those willing to risk incarceration...much higher.
Alcohol prohibition...which may have been motivated by the apparent success of narcotic prohibition...ended in dismal failure. Not only did it result in virtually no change in the consumption rates, it also sparked a huge amount of related crime, an early instance of the so-called "Rap Brown syndrome," wherein once involved in committing one crime, the commission of ALL others becomes more attractive. That is, if you can get ten years...say...for selling alcohol, why not pass bad checks or get involved in other swindles, the penalties for which are much lower? Furthermore, raising the penalties only results in alcohol peddlers being willing to engage in ever more serious crimes.
Even though the U.S. population eventually tired of this particular vicious circle and repealed alcohol prohibition, the pleasure police continued on, undeterred. Indeed, Harry Anslinger, attempting to keep his alcohol police in business...he was their chieftain...succeeded...through a huge and terribly dishonest campaign...in getting marijuana added to the illegal substance list in the late thirties, not only in the U.S., but all over the world. An interesting exception was the (then) British colony of India, which refused to criminalize marijuana since...because it is a drug which has very few side effects...was routinely given to young BABIES, in the form of hashish candy, to calm them while teething! The notorious film Reefer Madness, which played heavily on racial prejudice against African Americans, was the model for Anslinger's crusade.
Since then, a long list of substances has been added to the original group. The results have been almost precisely the same as those for alcohol prohibition, probably even worse. Today, when cocaine and heroin "kingpins" are routinely given life sentences, we find that they are more than willing to kill police and citizens rather than be arrested. What a surprise!
So in order to ATTEMPT to restrict the use of pleasure causing substances, we have traded our freedom to do with our minds and bodies what we wish for a massively enlarged general crime problem. Swell!
Meanwhile, medical doctors, the only REAL drug pushers in our society, continue to peddle "feel good" drugs by the bushel. One year it is Valium which is the drug of choice...ironically often for bored housewives...the next it is Prozac. Ritalin is given to MILLIONS of youngsters who have been diagnosed as "hyperactive," while police engage in gunfights to restrict the distribution of amphetamines...a very similar group of drugs.
What the hell is going on here?
"Legal" drug pushers...drug companies and their captive audiences, plus vendors of alcohol and cigarettes...are spending enormous sums of money to keep the War on Drugs going. Indeed, the Partnership for a Drug Free America is almost entirely funded by those folks. You will be forgiven if it appears to you...it certainly does to us...that these guys are merely trying to restrict the competition, to protect their monopoly on mind altering substances.
At present, Willy is 65 years of age and Gypsy is 58. Are we not old enough, or mature enough, to decide for ourselves what we can or can not do to obtain pleasure, at least as long as we do not infringe on the rights of others? What concern is it of the government...OR ANYONE ELSE...what we do in the privacy of our own home?
On the other hand, General Barry McCaffrey, when asked why he did not approve of marijuana use by terminally ill cancer patients, said "They would become addicts." And people wonder why we call this man a pervert!
Some notes about the notion of addiction: It is clear that the use of pleasure inducing drugs can be very habit forming. However, the idea that "addicts" can NOT control their behavior is totally bogus. Rather than being an accurate description of behavior that is entirely voluntary, it actually gives those who are seeking an excuse just what they need to continue their behavior in the face of reasons not to...like medical or financial problems. In fact, anybody who has been "addicted" to ANY substance...especially narcotics or cocaine...knows that continued overuse of the product results in the drug no longer working as intended...i.e. it no longer gets you "high!" This universal drug effect makes ALL habit forming drugs...even cigarettes, the most habit forming of all...somewhat self-limiting. Every heroin user knows full well that he or she must occasionally "clean up" in order to later get what is desired from the drug. People who continue to indulge in the face of such evidence may be stupid, but should we be trying to legislate "smartness?"
The War on Drugs should be ended immediately...on ALL DRUGS. 88 years is long enough to subject our society to the disruptions and distortions induced by prohibition. 88 years is long enough to know that prohibition DOES NOT WORK! Instead of spending many billions of dollars annually to satisfy the perverse desires of control freaks, tax these substances modestly...enough to pay for the cost of the actions of the stupid few...and let the rest of us alone. And, by all means, totally eliminate the notion of "addiction" in the law. Other crimes committed under the influence of ANY drug...alcohol, Valium, Prozac or heroin...should be punished SEVERELY, with absolutely no lenience for "being under the influence." It might even be a good idea to DOUBLE penalties for crimes committed while stoned! Instead of trying to control people's behavior before the fact, follow Constitutional principles and assume innocence until proven guilty!
We're tired of prohibition. How about you?
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