The Drug War

How many crimes are committed for drugs, drug sales, and everything related to the illegal use of drugs? A bunch are committed, for sure, and innocent people die and are hurt and are crippled for life because of this manufactured war. The drug war as social policy destroys more lives than it could ever possibly benefit. It also destroys habitat and species-populations.

There was no drug war until Richard Nixon ran for president. He needed an issue, so bingo! The drug war was created and Nixon became chief crook, ah, burglar.

In terms of damage to individuals and their families, drug abuse does not even come close to alcohol abuse or the use of tobacco, not close at all. There seems to be something wrong here.

There is no excusing drug abuse when it hurts others, that is for certain. But how did we get here, "here" meaning the creation of a near-police state spending billions on a problem that could easily disappear over night? Major pharmaceutical corporations spend billions every year promoting their drugs to cure so many problems. TV, radio, billboards, and peer pressure promote the use of legal and illegal drugs. Gads, look at the spread of legal "energy" drinks!

Need I say more than this: Children grow up in homes where their parents model drug and alcohol use. Is it any wonder that children grow up to expect pills and such to cure their growing pains as they fail to cope with the agonies of failed consumerism?

And look no farther than Afghanistan for living proof of a war gone utterly wrong. More heroin comes out of Afghanistan today than before the US and friends went in to dislodge the evil Talaban, which is another story in itself. Look to the corruption of governments from Mexico and down and plenty of examples will come up. The extinction of rain forests continues because of the growth of cocaine.

Ironically, because of the drug war we are denied the use of hemp for creating wondrous, benign goods and services. Oils, paper, fuel, and medicine are a few of its uses, not to forget its important ecological affects. Hemp holds soil and slow or stops erosion, an important by-product of its wild or cultivated use.

We have the power to stop the killing, to stop the maiming, to stop the corruption, to stop the manipulation over night. So why do we continue to jail people for self-medicating? The answer is social control. One part of society believes that it must control those it does not understand. What if we allowed people to suffer the consequences of their own actions? What if we treated addictions like we treat diseases and medicate accordingly, rather than continue this anarchy of self-medicating at the expense of innocent police officers and other victims of the drug war?