Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Fraud A good editorial: Drug war squabble an ongoing fraud at the Santa Fe New Mexican. Seems no one on Capitol Hill wants to confront a reality: Drug trafficking, in Mexico and everywhere else illicit narcotics are grown, processed and moved in America's direction, continues to thrive because this is where the stuff is consumed -- at whatever cost a protected market will bear. Keep drugs illegal, make them more expensive by busting the occasional shipment, and the price goes up. Those controlling the supply grow richer; all the more capable of bribing everyone outside and inside our boundaries, from street cops to prosecutors. And those who can't be bought can be assassinated. [...] Neither Mexico's government nor ours can buy enough cannon-fodder for this bogus war. What Congress can do is invest in education, counseling and treatment -- to catch up with, then head off, drug use. When those things are in place, de-criminalize drug possession; make the stuff available, free or cheap, at clinics. De-glamorize it -- and take away the profit motive so many vested interests have in drugs. Who in Congress dares do such a thing? Who, indeed? 10:47:21 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

Putting lipstick on a pig Here's another example of lawmakers trying to add extra pile-on charges in the drug war. Baltimore Councilman William Cole IV has introduced legislation adding a civil fine of $1,000 to anyone caught buying drugs if they live out of town. What the people need to see is that when legislators come up with these odd little laws, it is essentially an admission that prohibition is a failure. But instead of fixing it, they just try to add some cosmetics. Their constituents need to reach the point where they say "OK, you passed all these laws -- did any of them do any good?" In the article, drug counselor Michael Hayes was quoted: "I appreciate that they mean well, but it's much ado about nothing," Hayes said. "They love to do something that looks good and sounds good, but have no substance to them." Except for the part about it looking and sounding good, I agree. 8:45:20 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []