Tuesday, September 9, 2003

Drug War Tragedies, Drug War Economics, and Naked, Pot-smoking Reverends TULIA DEFENDANTS EAGER TO BUILD LIVES ANEW Hog farmer Joe Moore was wrongly convicted of selling cocaine and sent to prison for 90 years. He lost more than his freedom.  He lost his livelihood and he lost his health, as his diabetes worsened while he was behind bars. A high-profile legal battle discredited the accusing police officer and led to pardons for Moore and 34 others this summer.  Some found bitterness in their return to Tulia.  Many still struggle to rebuild. There's still a lot to do in the Tulia case. Every day, we hear about arrests in the drug war, with jubilant drug warriors holding up the spoils. But we don't hear enough about how the drug war ruins lives. It's a juggernaut that destroys everything in its path -- from those who choose to use (some) drugs to those who just happened to get in the way. BU professor takes pot shots at marijuana laws Legalizing pot would save the Bay State as much as $138 million a year, a Boston University economics professor claims in a study released yesterday. The report, written by Professor Jeffrey A.  Miron for the pro- marijuana group Change the Climate, says that eliminating enforcement costs and taxing marijuana sales could save the salary equivalent of 2,300 cops, teachers and firefighters. This Change the Climate report once again points out the economic cost of this failed war. If you consider the fact that any legalization scheme would likely include some kind of tax on the product, the figures underestimate the financial benefit to Massachusetts of legalization. (see also the report I prepared last year: Cannabis Plant, Drug Prohibition, and Illinois Economic Development) And now for something completely different... Pot religion earns legal merit: Hey, as far as I'm concerned, you shouldn't need a religion to get naked and smoke pot. (Or am I just trolling for search engine traffic?) 8:42:00 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []