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Lit_Match

Wave the white flag, the war on drugs is lost
07-08-08|Delaware Online|Letter to the Editor

Last week, the New York Times, in an editorial entitled “Not Winning the War on Drugs,” finally recognized the failure of our long-running, four-decade catastrophe, an expensive war we have never won and never will.

Once again, we should give serious consideration to the decriminalization of at least marijuana, a substance that has killed far fewer citizens than tobacco or alcohol, though those two are legal.

Marijuana could be treated like cigarettes, with appropriate protections for children, and a campaign similar to former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop’s campaign against smoking, warning the nation of its dangers (if there are any).

Regrettably, the New York Times does not go on to acknowledge how counter-productive the criminalization of drugs and the “War on Drugs” have been, raising the price of the drugs and thus richly fueling a powerful and deadly underworld here and in Columbia, Turkey and other countries, while wasting an estimated $30 billion a year on a futile and ineffective “war” when all federal, state and local costs are considered.

I hope this newspaper will also editorially recognize the failure of this “War on Drugs” and urge our Legislature and Congress to take appropriate action.

Edmund N. Carpenter II, Wilmington

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Donation links to NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) | MPP (Marijuana Policy Project)

 

LowRider

couldn't agree more on this editorial

budsmoker61

if everybody read this with an open mind and understood it, the world would be a better place

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"marijuana is like a cat. it's a lot prettier when it's not all grinded up"

Keyouse

I completely agree on this editorial. Although I must state that at this time, I don't know if a vote by the people would win. I think that people must be educated by a government organization so that they will learn the truth about cannabis. People look at this and see marijuana and turn the page.

elgrande

The NYTimes editorial emphasized court-ordered treatment for drug users. They have no clue that use is not abuse or addiction, nor did the article make any distinction between cannabis and hard drugs. There is no legal requirement to prove that a person is an addict in need of treatment, only that they have been caught with an illegal drug. The editorial board is still prohibitionist.

 

Victor_vicious

This is one of the most important points to bring up in my opinion as well. When I was looking at the research that had been done in Mass. that was one of the things that I found most interesting. The saving they showed for legalizing Marijuana in there State was around $29Million for police. When you added the saving for all of the legal bullshit it was over $125Million. No one adds the 'court cost', Any proposal that includes 'Mandatory Treatment' will cost us more than the current system. Can you imagine the salary for all of the 'drug treatment counselors', I am sure they would be booked full. VV

Buzzby

It wouldn't. The highest poll number for people who want to legalize marijuana is 36%.

It will be a cold day in Hell before the government tells people the truth about marijuana. If we want to see people educated so that they'll be willing to legalize marijuana, it's up to us, the cannabis consumers.

This could easily be done by existing pro-legalization organizations, if only they had the funding to do so. Currently, only 0.25% of the estimated number of cannabis consumers in the US have joined any one of the three major pro-legalization organizations. Their total annual budgets combined amount to only $18 million and half of that comes from 4 or 5 individuals. In a propaganda war, which this is, the side that puts out the most and best propaganda wins. The federal government spends $120 million a year on TV propaganda alone.

Do your part! Join one or more of these organizations and send them some bucks. If each of us contributed only $25 a year, the movement would have $600 million to spend on public education and lobbying.

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)

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pkster8235

Hopefully Canadian PM Stephen Harper reads this article about how it was a massive FAILURE and decides against the planned American-style drug war.