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Original: http://www.countercurrents.org/boldin030409.htm The drug war is based on a repugnant assertion: that you do not have ownership over your own body; that you don't have the right to decide what you'll do with your body, with your property and with your life. The position of the drug warriors is that you should be in jail if you decide to do something with your body that they don't approve of. This is an abomination of everything that America is supposed to stand for. As long as this country continues the drug war, you are not free. At the root, then, those that force the drug war on you are enemies to your freedom. If you are concerned at all about liberty, the economy, the Constitution and the power of the Federal Government - you cannot ignore the US government's longest and most costly "war" -- the War on Drugs. But no matter how long it lasts, how much is costs, how many lives are disrupted, and how much it fails -- the war rages on. Why? Well, because Federal "authorities" don't care what your local laws are, they don't care what your personal choices are, and they don't care what reason you have for your choices. All they care about is their own power. Period. In this ongoing drug war, you are always treated as a suspect and your neighborhood is much less safe. You are searched at airports and your bank accounts are spied on. While drug users who are no physical threat to anyone but themselves are put in jail, the prisons become more and more overcrowded, resulting in the early release of violent criminals on a regular basis. If you love your freedom and you want your city to be safer, this psychotic war on drugs must be ended - now. Understandably, many Americans are afraid that ending the drug war will result in countless drug addicts, including children. In reality, though, that's just what we have now! On top of it, we generally don't even consider the people who are addicted to federally-approved drugs to be drug addicts. According to a 2004 CDC report , almost one-half of Americans use at least one prescription drug. It should be obvious, then, that the drug war has done nothing to reduce Americans' use of drugs - it's simply to control which drugs people use, and who can make a profit from them. So what's really going to be different - can our nation's addiction to drug use get any worse? It's doubtful that legalizing all drugs could make things any worse, but even if it does, then so be it. People will always do plenty of things that are bad for them, and there's no reason to put them in prison for it. Think about all the things that you do which are bad for your own health and well being -- should the government outlaw those too? People eat too much fast food and they forget to floss every day. They watch too much TV and they don't count their calories. They stay up too late and they spend too much. And, guess what else? People swallow, snort, shoot and smoke drugs that are both legal and illegal -- and it's not going to stop. A free society just wouldn't force you, under the threat of punishment, to be "good" to yourself all the time. That was the job of your parents - unless, of course, you want the feds to be your new "daddy." In all seriousness, though, if we are ever going to have a nation that respects the Bill of Rights, of which the Ninth and Tenth Amendments may be the most important, the DEA and the entire drug war must be eliminated. If not, what's going to be next? Orwellian telescreens in our homes and a state-mandated morning exercise routine? That would most assuredly keep the cost down on the coming national healthcare system. Won't that be nice? Every day that the war on drugs continues is another day of injustice; another day of spending countless billions to lock people up that don't behave the way the bureaucrats want them to behave. It's time to bring this multi-billion dollar attack on your liberty to an end. Michael Boldin is editor and co-founder of PopulistAmerica.com and founder and president of the Tenth Amendment Center in Los Angeles, California. He welcomes your feedback at mboldin@populistamerica.com |
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We are careful not to duplicate the efforts of other organizations, and as a grassroots coalition of prisoners and social reformers, our resources (time and money) are limited. The vast expertise and scope of the various drug reform organizations will enable you to stay informed on the ever-changing, many-faceted aspects of the movement. Our colleagues in reform also give the latest drug war news. Please check their websites often. |
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