The war on drugs is a phrase we hear in the popular press, but what is this war? More importantly are we winning it? With these two questions in mind we ran radio program to talk about it. The panel was diverse, an ex addict, a defense lawyer, and an author who grew up surrounded by the drug culture.
Mitch Stone is a defense attorney who works on many drug related cases. Interestingly enough, we are not talking strictly street drugs, prescription drugs are now becoming a real problem. He also represents Doctors and Pharmacists accused of over prescribing and other infractions of the drug laws.
Armando Aldazabar is an author with two very drug centric books under his belt. Cocaine Memoirs and What You Are Turning Me Into are very chilling pieces of writing. While not personally an addict he has watched friends and family die from the effects.
Our third panelist was Carlton Davis, he is also an author, but also a man recovering from an addiction to crack cocaine. His recent book Bipolar Bare takes the reader inside the very convoluted world of an addict that also suffers from some mental illness.
I have to admit that I was not sure what direction a program like this would go in. Can we even define the war on drugs? Is it the quest to make our borders impenetrable? Is it to hunt down the peddlers of death? I for one am not clear.
It was a lively 90 minutes, and some very interesting ideas surfaced. Mexico has just enacted a law that effectively decriminalized possession of small amounts of Marijuana, Cocaine, even Heroine. It seems that this idea is picking up some traction on the US side of the border. Does decriminalizing make sense?
Mitch Stone brought up a very interesting point when I asked the question Does the time fit the crime? A resounding NO. Possession of even small amounts of a controlled substance can result in a disproportionate sentence. Even worse, if it can be proved that you intend to sell some or all, you are looking at a sentence more befitting a serial killer.
Carlton Davis is a recovering addict, and he surprised me today by admitting that in the space of six months he burned his way through $50,000. His drug of choice was Crack. It is a cheap drug, the problem is that the effects are not long lasting, that $20 high, becomes a $200 a day obsession.
Mitch and Carlton were pretty much in agreement that rather than kill the drug trade by force, it would be more effective to legalize it and tax it!
I am not sure that Armando was buying into this idea at all. Of Cuban descent he calls Florida home, he grew up in a poor area, drugs were prevalent, he has seen relatives and friends die because of them. In fact it was not very long ago that he lost another to the curse of drugs. An accidental overdose.
It certainly was an interesting program, and you can catch it here.
Simon Barrett
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2 users commented in " BNN Radio – Drugs, Death, And Destruction "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackThank you for airing this show, Simon. It was very enlightening for me and I look forward to reading Carlton and Armando’s books.
Debaters debate the two wars as if Nixon’s civil war on Woodstock Nation didn’t yet run amok. One needn’t travel to China to find indigenous cultures lacking human rights or to Cuba for political prisoners. America leads the world in percentile behind bars, thanks to ongoing persecution of hippies, radicals, and non-whites under banner of the war on drugs. If we’re all about spreading liberty abroad, then why mix the message at home? Peace on the home front would enhance credibility.
The drug czar’s Rx for prison fodder costs dearly, as lives are flushed down expensive tubes. My shaman’s second opinion is that psychoactive plants are God’s gift. In God’s eyes, it’s all good (Gen.1:12). The administration claims it wants to reduce demand for cartel product, but extraditing Canadian seed vendor Marc Emery increases demand. Mr. Emery enables American farmers to steal cartel customers with superior domestic product.
The constitutionality of the CSA (Controlled Substances Act of 1970) derives from an interstate commerce clause. This clause is invoked to finance organized crime, endanger homeland security, and throw good money after bad. Official policy is to eradicate, not tax, the number-one cash crop in the land. America rejected prohibition, but it’s back. Apparently, SWAT teams don’t need no stinking amendment.
Nixon promised the Schafer Commission would support the criminalization of his enemies, but it didn’t. No matter, the witch-hunt was on. No amendments can assure due process under an anti-science law without due process itself. Psychology hailed the breakthrough potential of LSD, until the CSA halted all research. Marijuana has no medical use, period.
The RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993) allows Native American Church members to eat peyote, which functions like LSD. Americans shouldn’t need a specific church membership to obtain their birthright freedom of religion. Denial of entheogen sacrament to any American, for mediation of communion with his or her maker, precludes free exercise of religious liberty.
Freedom of speech presupposes freedom of thought. The Constitution doesn’t enumerate any governmental power to embargo diverse states of mind. How and when did government usurp this power to coerce conformity? The Mayflower sailed to escape coerced conformity. Legislators who would limit cognitive liberty lack jurisdiction.
Common-law must hold that adults own their bodies. The Founding Fathers decreed that the right to the pursuit of happiness is inalienable. Socrates said to know your self. Lawmakers should not presume to thwart the intelligent design that molecular keys unlock spiritual doors. Persons who appreciate their own free choice of path in life should tolerate seekers’ self-exploration.
Simple majorities in each house could repeal the CSA. The books have ample law on them without the CSA. The usual caveats remain in effect. You are liable for damages when you screw up. Strong medicine requires prescription. Employees can be fired for poor job performance. No harm, no foul; and no excuse, either. Replace the war on drugs with a frugal, constitutional, science-based drugs policy.
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