Drug War

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The phrase, "Drug War" is a metaphorical term, coined by Richard Nixon in the early 1970's, that is used to describe the United States governments effort to reduce or eliminate use of certain chemical compounds amongst the general population (see DEA Drug Scheduling). In addition to criminal prosecution, the government has employed frequent and extensive propaganda campaigns who's aim is to scare people into abstinence. What follows is a brief summary of a few different interpretations of the intent, effects, and history of the "Drug War".


Contents

The Drug War is actually a Culture War, a War Against Certain Kinds of People, Not Drugs

The drug war has been devastating to civil liberties. Drugs have been used as an excuse to increasingly militarize the police. Minorities of all sorts have been the main targets from police prosecuting the drug war. From it, the United States has the largest prison population of any country in the world.

Liberal Position

Some liberal and most progressive positions are clear; drug problems are health problems, education and health service is the way to fight the damaging effects of addiction. The costs are not negligible [previous link dead], but the costs of legalized and/or regulated drug use to society and the government is far less than the costs of prison. It costs approximately $500,000 to send a drug user to jail.

The current liberal position was the radical position during the 1960’s and 1970’s, when liberals of the LBJ and HHH mindset were the left end of the status quo (Establishment) and supported illiberal policies such as wars for the promotion of capitalism under the guise of “democracy.” Their support for the drug laws and the Nixon/Wallace “Law'n Order” mania was and is consistent with the flag-waving patriotic ”Support the Chimp” capitalism of La Cosa Nostra [LCN] and the Contras in Action [CIA].

Libertarian Position

The dominant libertarian position, one shared by some traditional conservatives (as opposed to social conservatives) is that governments should stay out of individual choices. Reason Magazine senior editor Jacob Sullum makes the strong case for the libertarian position in his 2003 book Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use. New York: Penguin. ISBN 1585422274.

Libertarians are the so-called “classical liberals,” who resent government infringement not only upon their rights, but also, as capitalists or would-be capitalists, upon their wrongs and those of the Enrons, Halliburtons, Tycos, Worldcoms, Wal-Marts, etc. as well. They look down on those who have not inherited or otherwise lucked into and hung onto wealth (i.e., “lifted themselves up by their bootstraps”), and they support the pickpocketing of Adam Smith’s “Invisible Hand.” Call them conservatives, just like the rest of their arrogant breed.

Conservative Position

Most conservatives, especially social conservatives, generally consider drug use to be immoral and support the Drug War and the harsh drug laws associated with it. During the conservative administration of Ronald Reagan, the Drug War is greatly intensified. Conservatives mostly do not support government funded treatment programs and instead advocate long imprisonment for drug offenders. However, there are conservatives who oppose the Drug War, one notable example being William F. Buckley .

Elected Officals' Positions

Although nearly all elected Democrats and Republicans in the federal government support the drug war rhetorically, they differ significantly on importance and means used to discourage illegl drug use and/or dependence. This is consistent with the phenomenon of right-leaning “new” Democrats, who are really Republicrats who worshipped at the Voodoo Temple of Reaganomics and its “kinder, gentler” successor.

Strategies for dealing with the problem

The issues of the "Drug War" are not moral issues, but health infrastructure issues.

Special Interests

Also important is minimum sentencing and feeding the prison-industrial complex. Equally important is the global power provided to the United States, in the military-industrial complex, by UN & US Mandated Drug Prohibition.

Supreme Court Cases

Resources

Information

Drug WarRant
Who's A Rat? Site Identifies Drug Informants
Nephalim's Drug War Revealed
Narco News
Drug War Facts
War on drugs clock
Cato drug war resources
The Media Awareness Project
Marijuana Policy Project
Dark Alliance. San Jose Mercury News Exposes CIA Complicity In Crack Epidemic
The Vaults of Erowid - Documenting the Complex Relationship Between Humans and Psychoactives
Schaffer Library of Drug Policy

Reform Groups

NORML
Drug Policy Alliance
DRCNET
Common Sense for Drug Policy
the American Civil Liberties Union
Educators for Sensible Drug Policy
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

See generally

Further reading

  • Dan Baum. 1996, 1997. Smoke and Mirrors: The War On Drugs and The Politics of Failure. Boston: Back Bay Books. ISBN 0316084468.
  • Julia Buxton. 2006. The Political Economy of Narcotics: Production, Consumption and Global Markets. Zed Press/Fernwood Publishing. ISBN 1552661989.

dKos diaries and discussions

[NOTE: This section created 1/9/2005. Please add links to relevant, substantive diaries as you see fit.]


BIG news! King County Bar Association asks Washington State to tell Feds to butt out. by nephalim Thu Mar 3rd, 2005 at 4:33:17 EST
(a VERY important diary especially for those in Washington State!)

Is AARP caving to Rightwing Pressure? by ben masel Fri Feb 25th, 2005 at 14:48:05 PST

What to do when Bush gets it right? by ben masel Tue Feb 22nd, 2005 at 20:37:43 PST

Challenge to Bill Bennet by ben masel Mon Feb 21st, 2005 at 20:45:32 PST

Bush Budget Downsizes DrugWar by ben masel Sun Feb 20th, 2005 at 20:38:35 PST

Alaska tries to re-criminalize marijuana by fuzzywolf Fri Feb 18th, 2005 at 16:16:43 PST

Aging Potheads: Seniors Support Medical Marijuana by Armando Sat Dec 18th, 2004 at 11:00:38 PST




Nephalim's Series on Drug Prohibition and Drug Use:

Note from Nephalim: I now have my own blog, and you can find far more (eventually) of this there, as well as this entire series itself. This list is largely in order written, except where categories impede that (only the case with "A Primer", "Liberty, Power, and Control", and History #3 ("Marijuana Special"). My writing refined a bit as I got further down the line.


Heroin Diaries:



Opinion/Personal/Other Diaries:


History of Drug Prohibition:


Political Diaries:

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