Is the Drug War Nearing an End?

[Flabbergasted]

Is the Drug War Nearing an End?
Matthew Holt
San Francisco

Little by little by little there is some hope that the "war" on drugs is becoming a political issue -
the first step in undoing a set of policies that make little sense no matter how you look at them. Now, only a brave and sloppy analyst would claim there was really any reason to expect a major rethinking about the 35 disastrous years of the drug war by American law enforcement and politicians. But for the first time in a while, there's hope.

After all, these days Americans - lots of them - are questioning other not-so long-standing wars. Nobody rational - in either political party - seems to be genuinely defending what we are doing in Iraq any more, and it's clear that America will leave within a year or two with nothing accomplished other than huge debts and a power vacuum in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the shenanigans at Guantanamo Bay and other places where "terrorists" have been imprisoned have set America's reputation back by a least a quarter-century, and have given great positive publicity to some of the most barbaric bigots in the world. So much for our war on a noun.

Both these wars had their model in the war on drugs declared by Richard Nixon and energized by Ronald Reagan, House Speaker Tip O'Neill, and a phalanx of unthinking politicians. And none of the current Democratic Presidential candidates have raised the issue yet, either.

The one honorable exception to this line-up is Rep. Dennis Kucinich, but although I supported him last time because his beliefs and policies coincided with each other (rare) and with mine (rarer still!), I'm not deluding myself that he's a realistic contender. Kucinich has long been opposed to the war on drugs and is an advocate for medical marijuana - based on his simple human decency. It's also worth noting that he was the only main candidate in the Democratic presidential primaries in 2004 to actively oppose the Iraq war from the start and also to demand universal health insurance.

Essentially the Democratic party has caught up to him on these two issues, so perhaps it's worth thinking that they might do it on the third.

Why the hope? Well, the U.S.'s prohibitionist drug policy isn't working. I went to a debate the other night at which noted conservative James Q. Wilson - the creator of the theory of "broken window" policing that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani so publicly espoused - was a straw-man in favor of prohibition. But he decried the number of people in jail because of drugs, and felt that the most a typical drug user should ever have to deal with would be a weekend in jail now and again to force them to take part in rehabilitation classes.


more...


http://www.spot-on.com/archives/holt/2007/04/is_it_time_to_look_at_the_drug.html

[physioex]

1. Why is that Repukes....

Like to coin cheesey terms like: War on Drugs, Family Values, Contract on(with) America, War on Terror, Kinder Gentler Nation, Death Tax. This is all a bunch of marketing crap just like the big corporate whigs synergy, team approach, goal oriented......

[thecrow]

2. Well, they had a multiple ton coke bust in Florida this morning

and they popped a guy in the northeast for going through a red light with a pot-stuffed chocolate rabbit.....
Heard it on CNN this morning

[madrchsod]

3. we lost the war years ago...

maybe someone will declare it`s over

[stompk]

5. the war on drugs will never end

I read an article some time back that said the "WoD" was this Countries largest employer, and that it has done more to raise the budgets of Law enforcement agencies than any other single thing since prohibition.

How can it be that buying marijuana can get someone more time in jail than those committing violent crimes ?
such a waste.

I also remember reading that some high % of people in prisons were there for non-violent drug crimes, and that violent offenders were being turned away from the prisons because they were out of capacity.

it makes me sick.

[Warpy]

4. We the people are thoroughly sick of it

especially since its only successes seem to be in substituting incredibly damaging bathtub drugs for the relatively benign old standbys and eroding the civil rights of all of us, especially those of the fourth amendment.

Unfortunately, there are too many parents out there who think a punitive approach will somehow keep their children away from drugs. It never has, does not now, and never will, but hope springs eternal.

The latest lunacy is that of some idiot in Missouri who wants to ban baking soda* because it's used in making crack cocaine.

I'm just wondering what it's going to take to start a wholesale rebellion. An increasing nonviolent prison population hasn't done it. Allowing violent predators early release to make room for nonviolent stoners hasn't worked. Unconstitutional confiscation of property on mere suspicion hasn't worked. Maybe depriving the populace of the ability to make a batch of cookies using baking soda will work.

*If you don't believe me, http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/6373F4AA466B0DBF862572B400104D48?OpenDocument

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Its sure a fucked up world .......

.... baking soda ...... riiiiight.

[AndyTiedye]

7. It Will Be Back Full-Force Next Year for the Elections…

…along with some further assaults on our civil liberties, no doubt.

It is not so much a drug war as a culture war, and it is always useful to the Repiglicans,
but the Democrats dare not criticize it.