Pubdate: Fri, 20 Oct 2000
Source: Indianapolis Star (IN)
Copyright: 2000 Indianapolis Newspapers Inc.
Contact:  http://www.starnews.com/
Forum: http://forum.circlecity.com/circlecity/index.html
Author: Kurt St. Angelo
Note: St. Angelo is chairperson of the Libertarian Party of Marion County.

DRUG LAWS INCOMPATIBLE WITH GOD'S LAWS

In the eyes of God, using government to prohibit drug use is more immoral 
than drug use itself. Fighting a wrong with a wrong does not make our drug 
policies right. Here are some reasons.

Unlike the sins of stealing, killing and other acts that directly harm 
people, drug use is God's exclusive province. Whatever people choose to do 
to their own bodies (taking drugs, tattooing and body piercing, eating 
poorly, not exercising, elective surgery) are issues solely between them 
and their God (or nature), who metes out His own natural punishment.

Article 1, Section 3, of the Indiana Constitution (1816) states that "no 
human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the 
rights of conscience." Government's control or interference in humans' 
"rights of conscience" is a usurpation of God's authority. It is our 
government trying to play the role of God, and doing a lousy job at it.

Drug prohibition is based on the initiation of force, and is enforced 
largely against honest and non-violent people. It works like this: One 
group of people with political power tells a weaker group of people what 
they can and cannot do with their bodies and property. Those in the weaker 
group who fail to comply are hunted down, held against their will in iron 
cages, and stripped of their property on behalf of those with political power.

But such bullying and pushing people around are not moral behavior, even 
for those with the loftiest of intentions.

None of us has authority to force our own morality on other people. For 
example, it is not moral for you or me to hold a gun to someone's head or 
lock him in a closet to force him to quit doing drugs. Yet with drug 
prohibition, we use the government to do these things for us. The fact that 
many people support drug prohibition does not make the policy morally right.

Drug prohibition is really for greed. For example, because of the enormous 
utility of hemp (marijuana) to make competitive fuels, foods, textiles, 
paper and building materials, marijuana prohibition provides economic 
protection for the timber, petroleum, and synthetics industries. Drug 
prohibition is also the best policy that bureaucrats have devised to get 
their hands on more guns (and power).

According to government statistics, while only 15 percent of all drug users 
are African Americans, they make up 74 percent of the people in prison for 
drug crimes. African Americans make up about 12 percent of the population, 
but over 40 percent of drug arrests.

Drug prohibition is replete with unequal enforcement and double standards 
that Jesus would condemn as hypocritical. At the height of hypocrisy, 
people in the dominant race in America are able to do drugs and yet still 
be president.

Drug prohibition violates numerous tenets of our moral code. It violates 
the Eighth Commandment of the Bible not to steal other people's property or 
rights. It violates the Golden Rule to do unto others as we would have them 
do unto us. It is a way of "casting the first stone" in denial of our own 
disrespect of God.

Regrettably, we look to government, and not God, to teach us our lessons. 
We've chosen Big Brother over Our Heavenly Father.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager