The War on Drugs is a complete failure. In fact it could never have come out any differently, it is set up from the start to fail. Just like prohibition, if there is a demand then someone will supply it. It is impossible to stop STD's by declaring war on sex and then imprisoning or killing anyone that has condoms. The War on Drugs has only led to the death and ruin of countless millions of lives.
First, I would like to explain why intoxication is part of human nature.
Without getting into too much details, we can see this because of how many tribes had a 'shaman' or 'witchdoctor'. These valuable members of the tribe knew how to create mind altering states using what nature provided in their area, from plant or animal. Whether it was drunk, or eaten, or smoked it provided no direct benefit to survival, so why did energy get spent towards it procurement and not more time spent getting food or making tools?
"The universal need for liberation from the restrictions of mundane existence is satisfied by experiencing altered states of consciousness. That we dream every night – whether we remember it or not – shows that we have a natural predisposition to these altered states, but people also pursue them in more active ways. Some follow the paths of prayer or meditation in their quest for spiritual insight, whilst others are transported to the higher planes by way of ecstasies induced by art, music, sexual passion or intoxicating substances." - Rudgley (1994)
Life back then was a lot of the same thing, day after day. Humans like to be entertained, and so created stories, dances, and music to enjoy – as well as drugs. But the shaman alone knew the secrets, and so regulated its use. It goes beyond humans too, animals are known to seek out such substances.
After sampling the numbing nectar of certain orchids, bees drop to the ground in a temporary stupor, then weave back for more. Birds gorge themselves on inebriating berries, then fly with reckless abandon. Cats eagerly sniff aromatic “pleasure” plants, then play with imaginary objects. Cows that browse special range weeds will twitch, shake, and stumble back to the plants for more. Elephants purposely get drunk off fermented fruits. Snacks of “magic mushrooms” cause monkeys to sit with their heads in their hands in a posture reminiscent of Rodin’s Thinker. - Ronald Siegel
As we can see, the need for a 'high' of some sort, at least sometimes, is universal. Some people might be ok with a good dopamine high from a workout, for some other people alcohol is enough, others it might be marijuana, a few might want cocaine – but it doesn't make them bad people.
What would our world be like now if the War on Drugs never happened. If narcotics were just like any other drug, or tobacco or alcohol?
Prison Population
Since 1971 when the War on Drugs was declared the prison population in America has increased substantially. Now the country holds 25% of the worlds prison population, with only 5% of the worlds population. Just over 50% are in prison for victimless drug crimes! At around $30k per prisoner per year to keep them behind bars, it all adds up to around 1.5% of Americas GDP. All that money would never have to be stolen from the people in the form of taxes.If someone is arrested and does time for possession they basically lose all chances for a decent job, let alone a career. If they can even find a job that will hire them, it is most likely a minimum wage job that they will have little to no chance of advancement in. So they see this life where they can make minimum wage forever, or they can turn to a life of crime where they may see some big money. By placing someone into prison for a victimless crime such as possession, they are just pushing that person into a life of crime.
Not just victimless crimes either, spend enough time in a life like that and violence becomes just another part of it all.
Family and Parenting
Since young males are a huge majority in the prison population, they are obviously not around to raise their children. I am not saying that is the only reason, but it is not helping. I think it is reasonable to say that if some of these men were not in prison and had a chance for a decent job they would be around to be a father. Having both parents raise a child is shown to substantially decrease behavioral problems in that child. With less behavioral problems, more education is achieved and less crimes are committed.They say for underage kids drugs are easier to get than alcohol. Pushers by definition want to sell drugs, some may not sell to kids, but others may not have such morals.
Less Crime
When you are selling a product that is unlawful you can't go to the police to resolve an issue, you have to be violent yourself. The War on Drugs creates a war FOR drugs and territory. If you criminalize a substance for which there is a demand, it doesn't vanish from the country – it is just supplied by criminal groups. We can see this in the rise of cartels and gangs and the subsequent rise in crime rates. If the substance is legal there is little to no violence associated with it, see pharmacy drugs, tobacco or alcohol. When America enacted prohibition what happened? Organized crime supplied it, and protected their property with violence. Disputes were settled by murder, sometimes spilling out into the streets and innocent bystanders. Sound familiar?If they weren't spending resources on drugs they could go after real crimes, like murder, rape, and theft. Currently only about 40% of murders, 60% of rapes, and 90% of thefts go unsolved. Since there would be less crimes overall, detectives would have more time to focus on each crime and the chance of solving it would increase.
Where there is less crime, there is usually more prosperity – which also leads to less crime.
Gun Control
The War on Drugs is related to gun control. The War on Drugs causes violence which is used as an excuse to enact gun control so as to be rid of them in a few generations. The 'Fast and Furious' scandal in which guns were passed on to smugglers to traffic arms to the cartels was conducted to further gun control legislation.Both are the exact opposite of personal liberty. All people are free to do as they wish so long as they do not harm or steal from another. By saying that a person cannot partake of a substance the government is saying that you do not own your own body. In that same regard, you have the right to defend yourself. By blocking access to drugs or weapons the government is saying that you do not have the right to control your own body and property.
If there was no War on Drugs all individuals would have more freedoms than we currently are allowed by power hungry governments.
Militarized Police
Police back before the 1980's, at least a large majority, served with honor. People were not afraid of them, and saw police as people that could help in times of trouble. In my travels to Western countries such as Germany, France, Norway, and England I see a glimpse of how cops acted before militarization in the U.S. Now they have been trained to find everyone a criminal, and we see this in the number of shooting against unarmed and cooperating victims.Without a source of funds as profitable as illegal drugs there would be fewer and smaller organized crime syndicates such as our current drug cartels. Which means that the reasons the SWAT teams came into common use would not have existed. So unconstitutional home raids by police in the middle of the night, often because of drug searches, would also not happen. Radley Balko said that in the 1970s there were 300 uses of SWAT teams on average per year, in 2005 that number climbed to 40,000.
If there was no War on Drugs, police may still be 'protecting and serving' instead of some pseudo military army that they are today.
Natural Cures
Without the persecution of drugs, their medical properties could be studied more openly. The medical uses of marijuana are present, even some state governments have realized that and made exceptions for it. Other drugs have their uses too, and have shown great benefits.Without the War on Drugs, more people would be able to choose how they wish to have their medical issues treated and wouldn't be a criminal because of it.
Less Corruption
With the huge amounts of money that the illegal drug trade is generating, it is obvious that some are corrupted by it. Politicians, police, judges, and others have all been found to have taken drug money to perform some service or look the other way.Also banks and Wall Street are big places were this money gets laundered.
CIA Black Ops
Shadow governments, that is hidden organizations within real organizations are known to get much of their money from managing the drug trade. There are many allegations throughout the decades about how the CIA or MI6 control the global drug trade. This money get funneled into programs and black ops in which thousands die. See MKULTRA, the secret CIA war in Laos, or Nicaragua Contras.
Because of the drug war these organizations now have tremendous power that is both unconstitutional and uncontrollable.
Less Terrorism
No one likes being controlled, especially from an outside source. With the CIA messing around in other countries killing people it has created animosity towards the West. The only real means they have to obtain revenge is terrorism.In addition, many terrorist organizations have been found to be funded by the illegal drug trade. The Taliban were shown to have gained up to half a billion dollars a year from their part in opium production. In Columbia, the FARC get around $300 million a year from the cocaine trade.
Without the War on Drugs these groups would have less money to fund themselves and possibly have less reasons to be in arms in the first place.
The Drug War Must End
It is no surprise that what happens with the drug war is what we saw during alcohol prohibition. This list is not all inclusive and I am not saying that life would be perfect if there was never a War on Drugs, but it would be better. Not just for people that wish to use drugs, but everyone worldwide – we have all become affected by this horrible program.
90% of people that use an intoxicating substance can do so without it affecting their lives in a negative way. They just want to have a little fun once in awhile. What happens to the other 10% to cause such a problem? It is because they don't enjoy their lives.
Ronald Siegel has spent years researching drug use in animals. One time he saw that a mongooses mate had died. Months before he had planted silver morning glory in their pen. The mongooses had tried it and stayed away after that first try – they didn't seem to like it. When this mongoose saw his dead mate he went over to the plant and chewed until he couldn't move anymore.
In Vietnam, water buffalo hardly ever ate the local opium plants. During the war when bombs were falling all around the buffalo went into the fields and ate and ate until they were dizzy. They wanted to escape.
In one famous experiment in the 60's they connected tubes to rats and allowed them to press a lever to inject drugs. The drug went down the tube in straight into their blood veins, hitting their brains mere moments later. 90% of the rats would press the lever until they died from overdose.
Bruce Alexander saw that these rats were kept isolated in tiny cages and felt that this study was flawed. He created a place he called 'Rat Park' that was a large area with sawdust, tunnels, boxes, colored balls and cans for hiding and playing. He also had rats of both sexes so they could socialize.
What happened was the rats in the park hardly drank the drug water at all. While the ones alone and in cages drank it almost exclusively. The difference was how happy the rats were with their lives. We can see similar results in humans, miserable lives lead to increased drug addiction – while people with happy lives don't use drugs or use them sparingly. He said addiction is an adaptation to our situation, not a disease or our morals.
The War on Drugs only increases the problem.
It is not the fault of the person, it is the cages we are kept in .
Sources:
- Why animals eat psychoactive plants
- Why We Need Prison Reform: Victimless Crimes Are 86% of the Federal Prison Population
- Shamanistic Traditions
- Why We Need To End "The War on Drugs"
- 'War on Drugs' makes problem worse
- Addiction: The View from Rat Park
- War on drugs is a war on us picture
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@getonthetrain
This kind of stupidity is baked into human thinking.
People that want liberty will always be a minority ( as we see in now with the amount of people voting for the corrupt and venal Clinton))
Daniel Okrent wrote an excellent book on prohibition, Last Call: the Rise and Fall of Prohibition detailing the various social movements pushing for Prohibition, Unsurprisingly, FDR sitting in his den sipping martinis while directing the Bureau of Prohibition was a symbol of the Northeastern progressives who led an influential, but largely unrecognized component of the movements. It wuld have been a perfect book (well researched and organized), bur Okrent keeps making excuses for the Progressives while admitting the harm they did.
There are two great hindrances to effective governance: do-gooding and rent-seeking. The combination of these motives is known as "Baptists and Bootleggers"
Prohibition and the "War on Drugs" are simply the symptoms of human stupidity. I can guarantee you that a program (not a government run program, but a social movement) designed to shape humans into logical and responsible actors would not just be opposed by the do-gooders and the rent-seekers, but by the people themselves who do not want to be held responsible for their own actions.
What a great comment @stevescoins, I agree that the vast majority of people don't want actual freedom. Freedom takes responsibility like you said, and that means hard work. Better for them to just get stuff handed to them if their cage is nice enough.
As for the government and groups, well freedom is the decentralization of power - each person takes control of their own. That can't be allowed to happen if someone wants to obtain power more easily.
That is a take I will have to think about for a while...it does make sense. Compare to "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"
How would you look at that concept in relation to Hobbe's Leviathan?
Free doesn't mean one is above the law. Just laws are needed in society.
If a government has absolute power we have all seen the horrible things that happen. Imprisonment without trial. Mass murders in Communism. etc
If an individual claims absolute power over themselves, what is the worst that happens? They do criminal actions at a personal level. Stopped eventually by others with their right to self-defense.
you are absolutely right. rule of law beats the hell out of rule of man...the problem is that you have to have just men to enforce the law, and so few of us are just.
To be effective at enforcing the law, one has to be aggressive, and again so few of us are aggressive. You need that intersection of just and aggressive, and both are rare to begin with.
You need the sheepdogs to protect the flock against the wolves. Like you say, sheepdogs are the rarest of them all.
Good thoughts. The title alone is enough to grieve over.
I have no dog in the fight regarding the use of drugs. It's not something I engage in nor care to. And I don't think anyone denies the destruction their abuse causes.
But the supposed "war on drugs" has perhaps been one of the single most destructive campaigns on US soil (not including actual wars). It's absolutely heartbreaking what has happened within the borders, as well as how the military has been used to further advance the pockets of those involved. It's vile and wicked.
I'm in the same boat as you as my cage has been nice enough.
Still, when one right to do with your own body as you see fit is legislated away and then money is taken out of your pocket to enforce it, it is something that shouldn't happen. Add in all the extra harm that happens to enforce it and it becomes so much worse.
Exactly. And even if I find what someone does abhorrent, if it is not harming another or their property, it is not my place to coerce them into "behaving" according to my personal standards. Each should be free to do as they please, even to their own destruction. None should be forced to contribute to that which they find immoral and/or evil.
Wow, what a post, @getonthetrain.
I agree with your points. The powers that be instill all types of propaganda into our heads about how we should all work together to improve society or dictating what is or is not good for us. At the end of the day, statistics speak for themselves and the government will always have their own personal agenda in these matters.
Your flowing with the killer creative articles, bro. Always watching out for your posts every so often through the day!
Keep the artwork coming, buddy!
Hey thanks @ezzy, you know I am always looking for your work too. This was just a thought experiment - the actual results can never be known for sure. But that is how the government operates. Breaks your leg behind your back and then gives you a free crutch and tells you how good they are being.
There is no war on drugs. There is no war on us. (either)
War is an illusion. But the result of that illusion at times...
I agree that people have the right to do as many drugs as they like, of whatever variety they choose. I also believe, however, that responsibility is the flip side of that. If liberty means having the right to do what they choose as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others, then it stands to reason that they should also experience and be responsible for whatever consequences of their choices. So that means getting rid of government funded treatment programs, 'recovery' etc.
Things would be so much better if everyone took care of themselves. To me, it's not that hard to do but for others it seems to be the case.
You do have to realize that if people get into a bad spot in life it can cause problems for everyone nearby. So some consideration of that needs to be thought about.
Awesome! That was a very in depth look at the war on drugs that you normally have to do hours of research to even touch. I knew some but learned a lot from you post. Thank you! They saw all war comes down to one of three things G(old), O(il), or D(rugs). I think our government does make too much money off of this stupid war they waged
To figure out most things in life you just have to follow the money.
Thanks for the comment! :D
Respect: I am writing out of Germany and really was impressed how you worked off point for point the issues surrounding this immense problem. The War on Drugs should probably be stopped in the U.S. and up until recently if I am informed correctly the prisons were or are still operated by private firms making a good profit. One of the Congress women that was also involved with the Wellsfargo Bank Problem seems to want to take back control of the Prisons. This might be the first step towards Ending the War on Drugs forcing the prison firm operators to change their business plan. One would still need a discussion over which drugs should be legalized and maybe which not. Imagine though if things would change overnight. What kind of chaos would you have with all these people being free all of a sudden. We in Germany are having a hard time integrating 800 000 refugees all of a sudden. The infrastructure behind all of this has to be managed in real-time because no one had an emergency plan set up for this case. On the other hand we didn't have one for the reunification of East and West Germany either and managed to get through it. How many million would the U.S. have to deal with? At least you would not have a Language and cultural problem to deal with. Good Article.
Thank you so much.
America has about 1.5-1.6 million in jails or prison. About 51% are for non-violent drug charges - so it is the same as your 800,000 refugees but in a larger country. Most of them also have families (or friends) to go back to, so it wouldn't be nearly as bad as the refugees.
Thanks for your reply. I hope you can make some inroads with your project. The Whole world seems to be in some kind of transition, why not in your country! Take Care
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All part of the plan from those in control, me thinks