Pubdate: Thu, 09 Jun 2011
Source: Echo Weekly (CN ON)
Copyright: 2011 Echo Weekly
Contact:  http://www.echoweekly.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3243
Author: Michael Terry

THE WAR ON DRUGS IS A FARCE

In case you're wondering, the War On Drugs has been lost. Last week, 
the Global Commission on Drug Policy released a report that stated, 
The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for 
individuals and societies around the world." The study, led by former 
world leaders including ex-UN chief Kofi Annan, has shown that the 
worldwide battle on narcotics has not been able to reduce the supply 
of illegal drugs, while criminalization has been shown to be harmful 
to public health programs to deal with drug abuse, and moreover that 
said criminalization has wasted government money that would have been 
better served on those programs themselves. Indeed, much money has 
been poured into this fight, with the U.S. alone spending over one 
trillion dollars in the losing cause. In 1970, when Richard Nixon 
announced that drug abuse was "public enemy number one" he put $100 
million towards this new war. Today, the budget is $15.1 billion. The 
recent report! has led to discussion on what is in fact the best way 
forward in dealing with the problem of drugs in society.

Of course, what is often lost in this discussion is that the 
Commission has not actually revealed anything that most opponents of 
the War On Drugs have been screaming from the rooftops for decades 
now. It has long been settled that criminalization does not stop drug 
abuse, and that treatment programs and help for the poor was by far a 
more effective strategy to deal with the issue. It is interesting 
that the group in charge of the study included a former Colombian 
President, whose nation is one of the greatest recipients of American 
aid for the cause of the destruction of the drug trade. While some of 
those against the War on Drugs are celebrating the report, happy that 
at long last, a critical mass (including even some powerful and 
wealthy people) is forming against one of the most catastrophic 
global initiatives of the last century. But, in a way, the report is 
simply another indication of our system's unprecedented ability to 
fail. For over forty years, the War On Drugs has been nothing short 
of a blight on the conscience of the human species, a testament to 
the dangers of imperial power, and the increasing restriction on the 
liberty of the human. Millions of people have had their lives 
irreparably harmed. Whether tossed in jail for tiny amounts of 
marijuana, or racially profiled by cops desperate to post the 
appropriate number of arrests, or forced to watch their harvests 
destroyed due to manufactured suspicion, these victims fell to a 
wholly irresponsible policy that had no potential for success.

Unsurprisingly, there is no mention of the real issue here; that 
those waging this War knew for certain that it was born to fail, and 
that it was never designed to deal with drug abuse, but to provide a 
specious reason to assault civil liberties and contain population 
groups whom the powerful deemed to be volatile and dangerous. In the 
United States, more people are incarcerated (per capita) than 
anywhere else in the world, primarily due to drug crimes. The 
incarceration of African-Americans is the great unspoken travesty in 
America today. Nearly one in three black males are a form of criminal 
supervision. In 2000, there were more black males in prison than in 
post-secondary education. These same black males make up 7 percent of 
the population and an incredible 46 percent of the prison population. 
The number one crime leading to incarceration? A non-criminal drug offense.

On the heels of the Commission's report, Obama's Drug Czar Gil 
Kerlikowske admitted that "In the grand scheme of things (the War On 
Drugs) has not been successful." Once again, President Obama has a 
chance to make a real mark on the American landscape, not just 
another pitiful centrist stroke of false pragmatism. It is time for 
these draconian, outdated, unsupported drug laws to be changed, or 
removed entirely. It is time for an honest conversation about this 
disgusting side of American power. It is time to attack the largest 
remaining example of institutionalized racism in the developed world. 
President Obama should abandon the War On Drugs, and join the real 
battle, the one that is taking place no matter how big or brutal law 
enforcement dares to get; the battle to treat the sick and help the poor.

How's he doing so far? Well, a few days ago, he announced that he 
would help "reduce drug use and the great damage it causes", while 
discussing a new federal policy to focus more on treatment and 
prevention than punishment. A good start? Well, in its rhetoric only. 
Unfortunately, behind the words, his administration was busy 
increasing spending on drug law enforcement to record highs in both 
number and percentage of budget. The words should not be enough. The 
War On Drugs has done too much damage to avoid being held to account, 
even if it is decades late in coming. It is an issue like this one 
that requires a rebirth of the American Liberal, before yet another 
opportunity evades the Left to articulate a meaningful movement based 
on meaningful ideas and meaningful policy.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart