Hey Progressives: Why Don't you Care About the "Drug War" Like You Care About Other Issues?

[marmar]

Hey Progressives: Why Don't you Care About the "Drug War" Like You Care About Other Issues?

By Ethan Nadelmann, AlterNet. Posted June 12, 2009.

If the 500,000 nonviolent drug offenders in jail had white faces, would society allow it?




The following is the text of Drug Policy Alliance Director Ethan Nadelmann's speech to the Momentum Plenary at the America's Future Now conference in Washington. It has been edited for length and clarity.


The issue of over-incarceration and the overuse of the criminal justice system in America strike me as one of the most horrific violations of human rights in the United States today.

What I'm also struck by is the extent to which our American exceptionalism in this regard is unknown to so many who should know.

I'm going to throw some numbers at you:

* We have increased the number of people behind bars from roughly 500,000 people in 1980 to 2.3 million today.

* In the U.S., we have less than 5 percent of the world's population, but almost 25 percent of the world's prisoners.

* We rank first in the world in the per capita incarceration of our fellow citizens. First in the world -- We are No. 1.

Keep in mind, we are not so different as people sometimes think when it comes to crime, and even drug use: Our rates of crime, apart from homicide, are not that different from other industrialized nations, and our rates of illicit drug use are somewhat higher, but not dramatically higher than these other countries. ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/140502/hey_progressives%3A_why_don%27t_you_care_about_the_%22drug_war%22_like_you_care_about_other_issues/

[ixion]

1. End the so-called 'war' on drugs now

It has done nothing but cause damage, destruction and death.

[LiberalMuslim]

2. Why?!!

I have absolutely no pity on anybody who uses drugs, eve a little bit!! It does nothing but cause crime and sickness.

[marmar]

3. Epic yawn......

:boring:

[LiberalMuslim]

4. haha!

NO but seriously! Why would anybody defend drug use?! We all know that humans are not rational beings so we can never assume that anything will be used in moderation. and while the majority of drug users are not criminals, a lot of people are pushed to criminality just because they use drugs or are profiting from it.

[marmar]

6. "are profiting from it"

I think you partially answered your own question. Ending this ridiculous drug war and being more pragmatic with laws would get rid of the profit motive.

[The_Commonist]

9. Hey, "LiberalMuslim"...

Some of us feel the same way about religion!

Why would anybody defend people who believe in a bunch of hokey, sky-daddy mythology?
We all know that humans are not rational beings, and religion is used by the power-mongers and control-freaks to keep stupid people in line. Anybody who would believe in religion is obviously dumb enough to believe any old crap. Never assume anything will be done in moderation, so obviously anybody who is a Muslim is a terrorist! A lot of people are pushed into criminality because they believe in some religion or other or profit from those who do.

See how that works? Sounds pretty stupid, doesn't it?

Now, I'm going to defend *moderate* drug use. Most people who use drugs or alcohol, do so moderately.
It can relax you and make you feel good, and in certain situations, give you a new and altered perspective on things. That can be fun and interesting, especially when listening to music, looking at art, or having sex. If drugs were legal, then people who use drugs would NOT be criminals by definition, and most of us who use drugs know and understand that very few of us do actually have problems with them. Just like most Muslims are actually nice people and not terrorists...

Welcome to DU. I have a feeling you don't belong here, but time will tell!

[LiberalMuslim]

10. Calm down!

First of all. while I said most people who use drugs are not criminals. YOU turned it upside down and said that following my theory all Muslims must be terrorist! How did you come up with that correlation?! Second, NOBODY rules me! That excuse of religion being something to rule over the masses is just stupid. NO fucker rules me. There is a direct line between me and god and he's the only one to judge me! NO other simple human would rule over me whether that's a Mullah an Imam or a president. And third. why talk about religion?! Was it my Username? are you that simple? I never attacked atheists or any others and I expect you to not attack my religion if you don't mind.

[marmar]

13. I think you missed the point of his post.....

He was pointing out that the broad-brush of your initial post had the same effect as saying Muslim=terrorist.

[The_Commonist]

17. Um, no... I just used the same false premise that you did!

"I have absolutely no pity on anybody who uses drugs, even a little bit!! It does nothing but cause crime and sickness..."

There are people who feel the same way about ANYONE who believes in ANY religion.
I wasn't attacking your religion, I was doing the exact opposite.
You obviously did not read enough to get to the part where I wrote - "Just like most Muslims are actually nice people and not terrorists..."

You really are not very smart and you do not pay attention.
I expect that you will not last long here.
There's a tombstone in your future!
You have chosen a really bad way to make your debut here on DU.

I wish you luck.
You are going to need it!

[LiberalMuslim]

19. d

[Soylent Brice]

18. so disabled persons can't use vicodin?

vicodin is a narcotic, and pharma companies reap enormous profits from its use.

vicodin is addictive. pot is not. yet the addictive one is legal, and made available through prescription, whil the latter is demonized. rationalize that.

[DCKit]

7. You're not even trying.

The OP didn't even mention Obama.

A complete lack of impulse control.

[LiberalMuslim]

8. What!?!

Did I mention Obama?!! NO.

[donco6]

11. Interesting.

I use my Flonase every day and haven't stolen anything or gotten sick. Odd.

[LiberalMuslim]

12. OMG!

I did say that the majority of drug users are not criminals didn't I?!! But let me try to be clearer. If one person dies due to the killer using drugs, NO ONE gets to use drugs (at least not legally)! As long as there is that chance of overuse and things going wrong, it should rightly be outlawed. Again, I have nothing against responsible users, my perspective is formed by looking at the consequences not the users.

[unpossibles]

20. then you think that prescription drugs and alcohol, along with cars and guns

should all be outlawed?

Just curious. Oh, and most accidents happen in homes, so we should outlaw homes too.

[YOY]

15. Marijuana causes crime and sickness?

How's that?

I have never heard of anyone committing any violent crime based on marijuana use. Ask a cop how many times he has has a violent offender who was under the influence of marijuana (and not MJ and something else.)

I have never heard of anyone getting "sick" from using it either.

Now heroin, coke, even alchohol...yes.

[OwnedByFerrets]

25. All drugs should be legal. Period

It should be an individuals RIGHT to use or not use as the individual sees fit.

[snot]

5. Bec. there are like 50 other more critical emergencies, like

the abolition of virtually all Constitutional rights including habeas corpus?

millions dying in Iraq, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and elsewhere, bec. we invaded them for no good reason?

no help for katrina- or katrina-like victims?

the current economic holocaust, which may well be worse than any other in recorded history?

the imminent collapse of any real public square (via the internet; all others are owned)?

the decimation of public education?

etc.

[benEzra]

24. And the rationale for the revocation of many of those rights was the "War on Drugs."

Many of the "War on Terrah" extra-constitutional powers originated with the Drug Warriors.

[get the red out]

14. No defense for something that doesn't work

The "war on drugs" is not working. We need to approach drug abuse in ways that do work. In order to fully explore what works we need to admit the truth that massive incarceration of people (mostly non-white people) for non-violent crimes such as drug abuse does not improve society.

This isn't a defense of drug abuse, it is simply saying we are blindly going down a failed path.

[Cresent City Kid]

16. Let's clear up what we mean by "drugs"

Everything from asprin to heroin is a drug. Illegal or "illicit" drugs were defined in an attempt to separate out the dangerous drugs. Pot was included in this group because it was politically dangerous to the establishment. In terms of its effects, I'd group it with coffee and cigarettes, not coke and heroin.

My main point is not to legalize weed, but to do something about heroin, coke, and meth. These destroy the lives of users and of those around them. What we're doing is not working. Our education efforts seem to be just PSA's about not smoking weed, born from the "gateway" fallacy, as if weed prevention is a magic bullet that will stop all drug use. We're not succeeding in preventing addiction or reducing the supply of addictive drugs. It's not from lack of effort, but of faulty thinking. We treat addicts like criminals, and we think the real criminals, the suppliers, will we be scared when a large bust is advertised on the news. We're barely making a dent at each end of the spectrum.

I admit I don't know exactly what we should do. We have to totally rethink the problem with a realistic view of what's happening. Just to continue with what we're doing is not an option.

[unpossibles]

21. While I agree that those harder drugs do in fact have more inherent problems

I also say that many of the problems from them stem from their illegality, especially the ones dealing with crime and violence. Black markets create many problems, as we witnessed during the alcohol prohibition, and despite alcohol itself having many inherent problems - addiction, potential lethal doses, violence under the influence, etc. - making it illegal made things worse, not better.

[Cresent City Kid]

26. Education is the key

Legal hard drugs would still lead to crimes like theft and violence. Rehab and prevention will help more than law enforcment.

[unpossibles]

27. I totally agree that rehab and prevention and education are the key to solving this

But I am not sure that the crime rate would remain the same if legalized.

Or put it this way, do the crimes committed when someone is drunk make an excuse to outlaw alcohol? Furthermore, do people commit crimes to obtain alcohol and cigarettes and coffee? I don't really see those happening the way they did under Prohibition, or currently under the Drug War.

I do agree there would still be problems of people abusing substances, but I actually think they would be reduced, not increased under legalization; assuming there is also control and regulation as well as abuse prevention education.

[Cresent City Kid]

34. The crimes I'm talking about

are mostly theft from addicts and turf war violence from dealers. I don't know if the rates of these crimes will go up, down or stay the same after legalization, but I would expect them to continue. People don't steal to get alcohol because they have the $5 to get some. I'm not accusing all addicts of this behavior, many simply do without when they're out of money.

I think we are mostly in agreement about the destructive nature of hard drugs and and how to approach the problem. Perhaps we don't see the upside of legalization the same way. To reiterate, I'm talking about coke, meth, and heroin here. I respect your opinion on this, but the whole thing is bigger than legal/illegal. People aren't thinking about the law when they choose to put the crack pipe to their mouths the first time. After that the whole notion of choice is twisted for them.

[FiveGoodMen]

22. Well, it's right near the top of my list.

And a big reason why I'm no longer an admirer of Obama.

[grahamhgreen]

23. We care.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. Lots of factors behind the drug trade:

A major one is economic despair. Narcotics and cocaine in the urban ghettos, meth in the rural slums. But the cause of the trade is the same, lack of economic opportunities and no perceived way out of poverty.

One reason it's hard to get street kids into mainstream life is that you're telling them they should go work in an $8 an hour job (with no parental backup) when they can earn big bucks dealing drugs.

When my brother was in medical school, he did a clerkship in a small town in northern Minnesota. This is where he met his first meth users. After a while, he came to the conclusion that what they all had in common was "nothing to lose."

Years later, working with the street kids in Portland, I learned about people who start using meth to stay awake while working two full-time jobs in order to survive.

Among the affluent, drug and alcohol misuse is a sign of inner emptiness. At least that's what I saw among the upper middle class college students I saw. I'd hear students talking about binge drinking or saying that so-and-so had been rushed to the hospital after O.D.'ing on something, and I'd recognize the students as people who struck me as having empty heads and empty heards, i.e. no inner resources. Earlier, in my childhood, I recall hearing my mother's friends talk about the various tranquilizers they were on. I wonder if they were Betty Friedan's "trapped housewives."

The drugs themselves are only a symptom.

If I were Drug Czarina, I would do the following:

1. Legalize marijuana, make it freely available to anyone over 16, with use only in private homes or in licensed outlets similar to Amsterdam's cafes. Toking and driving would be illegal. In other words, treat it similarly to alcohol. (I'd lower the drinking age to 16, with consumption for those under 18 allowed only in the presence of a parent.)

2. Legalize other drugs for those over 21 with consumption allowed only in adults-only licensed outlets.

3. Tax the hell out of all these drugs.

4. Use the tax revenues to fund youth activities nationwide. Make it a national policy that all children should acquire a non-sports pastime that they're passionate about, whether it's music, visual art, acting, carpentry, gardening, creative writing, raising animals, clothing design, cooking, video production, software design, dance, anything that is absorbing for them, takes them out of themselves, and allows them to exercise their own innate talents and creativity. Perhaps some of the unemployed could find jobs as full-time mentors, sharing their own skills and interests with the young.

I'm seeing too many youth who know nothing but pop culture, and that is inherently unhealthy, because pop culture depends on always being cool, only the definition of "cool" constantly changes, so that what was cool last year is now considered laughable. It's "mean girl" culture on a massive scale and is designed to keep people constantly insecure. That's why young people need alternatives to it.

5. Provide training in business management for drug dealers (Fans of The Wire will recognize the allusion.)

6. Declare an amnesty for all non-violent drug offenders and (this would be controversial among the righties and Puritans, but I'll say it anyway) give them cash compensation for wrongful imprisonment. (This would be cheaper than keeping them for however many years.) Turn the now-empty private prisons into voluntary vocational training centers, so that ex-inmates (and anyone else) could learn a trade or how to start a business.

[scarletwoman]

29. I definitely want you to be Drug Czarina! I wanna live in your world!

It's so maddening that good, common sense, enlightened ideas are so impossible to implement in this country. We are all being held hostage by blockheaded morons -- I'm so sick of it!

Evolve already, dammit! :banghead:

When I think about what a wonderful, thriving society could be built on your excellent suggestions it just breaks my heart knowing how many thick towering walls of stupidity and venality would have to be breached in order for it happen. :(

sw

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. Thanks, sw

Be sure to nominate me when we get a progressive president--if we're both still alive then.

[scarletwoman]

31. Heck, I'd love to nominate you for president! Then YOU can pick the Drug Czarina who will implement

your program.

In any case, we'll never get a progressive president as long as the Corporate/Military/Financial Complex remains the real Ruling Power in this country.

Endless war, including the Drug War to feed the National Security State is what we get for the forseeable future. I would love to see the end of it in our lifetimes, but hold out no great hope for it.

I hope you are enjoying this lovely day.

sw

[Lydia Leftcoast]

32. But you see, I want to be Czarina of Education and Transportation, too

Maybe I should just strive for Absolute Czarina. :-)

[scarletwoman]

33. Yes, Absolute Czarina definitely sounds like the best option.

As opposed, of course, to Absolut Czarina, which would mean you'd just get drunk a lot. :D