Max: End The Drug War
Commentary: Legalize drugs to stop violence - CNN.com
Over the past two years, drug violence in Mexico has become a fixture of the daily news. Some of this violence pits drug cartels against one another; some involves confrontations between law enforcement and traffickers.
Recent estimates suggest thousands have lost their lives in this 'war on drugs.'
The U.S. and Mexican responses to this violence have been predictable: more troops and police, greater border controls and expanded enforcement of every kind. Escalation is the wrong response, however; drug prohibition is the cause of the violence.
Prohibition creates violence because it drives the drug market underground. This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead.
I have my doubts that even this will cause people to lose faith in the Drug War religion, but here's hoping.
Over the past two years, drug violence in Mexico has become a fixture of the daily news. Some of this violence pits drug cartels against one another; some involves confrontations between law enforcement and traffickers.
Recent estimates suggest thousands have lost their lives in this 'war on drugs.'
The U.S. and Mexican responses to this violence have been predictable: more troops and police, greater border controls and expanded enforcement of every kind. Escalation is the wrong response, however; drug prohibition is the cause of the violence.
Prohibition creates violence because it drives the drug market underground. This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead.
I have my doubts that even this will cause people to lose faith in the Drug War religion, but here's hoping.
posted by Max Dobberstein at 3/24/2009 10:13:00 AM
4 Comments:
Well, it's a start, anyway. Maybe more people will start hearing this and at least consider it. Maybe by the time Iris is 18 weed will be legal?
It's a well established religion. Didn't Nixon or Johnson start it? I know Reagan gave it teeth.
Did Prohibition last as long as the WoD? I'll bet it didn't. People wanted their beer!
Prohibition lasted from 1919 to 1933. Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was the first national attempt to ban cannabis. There have been attempts on the state and local level to ban cannabis since DC banned it in 1906.
So, the "drug war" is just a bit over a century old.
It's time to retire it.
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