Reduce Crime and Violence in the US by Legalizing All Drug Use
Prohibition worsens and escalates crimes and violence and apparently proves to be futile rather than a solution to the problem. It tends to victimize and jeopardize civil rights and liberties rather than saving and protecting them. It contributes largely to poverty, grave abuse of human rights and infringement of private life. Robert W. Sweet, a federal judge strongly agrees that the prohibition campaign is disastrous rather than helpful by stating that, The present policy of trying to prohibit the use of drugs through the use of criminal law is a mistake.
According to the report sponsored by the New York County Lawyers Association, the present drug policy appears to contribute to the increase of violence in our communities. It does so by permitting and in did, causing the drug trade to remain a lucrative source of economic opportunities for street dealers, drug kingpins and all those willing to engage in the often violent, illicit, black market trade . Thus, the drug Prohibition campaign of the government has only constituted to underground, illegal drug operation, whereby crime and violence is indispensable to ensure that the activity withstands the harsh provisions and executions of the law. It has only provided reasons for drug anarchy, elusiveness and invincibility of the drug trading system.
The Prohibitions of drugs even contributes if not deliberately supports serious crimes of terrorism. Andreas von Bulow and Milton Friedman admit that almost every serious crime of terrorism is funded by illegal drugs but the Prohibition cannot reduce the existence of such. Some evidences confirm that drugs is a major source of income of some terrorist organization. Even government agencies and officials have been caught trafficking drugs to finance US-supported terrorist actions in events such as the Iran-Contra affair. The Prohibition of drugs has made terrorism a product of conspiracy between involved government officials and terrorist organization where Prohibition has reduced legal oversight to the movement of drugs and its use in terroristic activities.
Prohibition has made drugs vulnerable for the use of worst commissions of crimes and violence against humanity and sovereignty. Legalizations of drugs could have offered humane, just and peaceful opportunities. Resorting to terrorism to perpetuate drugs could have been avoided if the demand and supply of drugs is provided and regulated by laws with respect to the rights of consumers for responsible consumption.
The underground operation of drugs in the market has made drugs an expensive demand creating condition for drug users to commit crime in order to obtain money to compensate with the high price of drugs in the black market ( Duke 115). If drugs would be legalized, the logical tendency is that the price would be cheaper refraining drug users from committing crime to avail drugs in a legal market hence, reducing crimes related to drug use (Kane 155). Prohibition certainly does not reduce crime on the contrary, it promotes crime when no legal remedy is offered.
The drug Prohibition campaign of the government creates economic problems consequently creating conditions of poverty. Billions of dollars of tax payers money are being wasted in a campaign that is basically impotent, futile and absurd. The Prohibition defeats its purpose.
Jeffrey A. Miron, a senior lecturer in Economics at Harvard University, states that Prohibition is a drain in the public purse. Federal, state and local governments spend roughly forty-four billion dollars (44 billion) per year to enforce drug Prohibition. These same governments forego roughly thirty three billion dollars (33 billion) per year in tax revenue they could collect from legalized drugs, assuming these were taxed at rates similar to those on alcohol and tobacco. Under Prohibition, these revenues accrue to traffickers as increase profits. Miron further states that, the right policy, therefore, is to legalize drugs.
Prohibition is an evident manifestation of incorrect allocation of budget. It is tantamount to expensive use of budget only to support the worsening of crimes and violence. The vast amount of money wasted should have been used in the development of basic social services. If only these billions of dollars of tax payers money were properly used for the improvement of educational services, more youth could have had good access to quality education. If only these billions of dollars were used in improving health services, more lives could have been saved and diseases could have been cured. If only these billions of dollars were used in the creation of jobs, more people could have been employed and more families could have enjoyed life with enough food, shelter and clothing. It could have reduced crimes and violence resulting from illiteracy, inadequacy of health services and poverty.
The government has abandoned what is necessary and basic. It has wasted money for people to suffer. It has neglected what is primary and engaged itself in a war that is unjust. It has complicated problems with superficial approach rather than confronting the main issues and interest of its people. It has violated basic rights and killed people in the name of war on drugs. The Prohibition of drugs is a mistake enforced in a guise being unmasked now as a mere treachery.
The Prohibition campaign proves itself as an institutionalized arm for racial discrimination. The war on drugs in the United States is enforced unequally to implicate non- whites. The full force of the law and its harsh penalty is directed more often to non-whites than whites. The poor are also more harshly penalized than middle and upper classes.
The Prohibition is evidently being enforced to suppress races and classes that are in the forefront of struggle for equality, justice and liberty. Hence, the Prohibition is being used to politically coerce races and classes that are staunchly criticizing government policies and programs that are deemed to violate human rights, aggress sovereignty of nations asserting self determination and suppress national democratic struggle in American-controlled states.
The Prohibition has legitimized infringement of individual and collective rights by deceiving Americans in its War Against Terror campaign. Prohibition has allowed the law and its agencies to exercise pre-emptive measures to subject dissidents to a drug-related searches, arrest and seizures even when the nature and act of protest is just and valid exercise of political rights.
The drug Prohibition campaign is apparently a major component of the War Against Terror which according to critics is a war that perpetuates the United States world hegemony and imperialist plunder. According to former president George W. Bush (2001), if you quit drugs, you join the fight against terror in America. It is for this war in terror that the Prohibition campaign has escalated, targeting, criminalizing and intimidating races and classes that are protesting the war against terror. The Prohibition campaign is being utilized to suppress legitimate protests.
The Prohibition campaign is categorically, by its social implication, a clear act of terrorism. The intent of the war against terror and the Prohibition campaign should be exposed to awaken mass action to call for correct policies and programs that are essentially inconformity to peoples rights, democratic interest and freedom.
The legalization of drug use is necessary to reduce crime and violence committed by individuals and the state. The Prohibition of drugs stands in contrary to the principles of liberty, freedom, peace, sovereignty and justice. Miron (2009) states that, it is impossible to reconcile respect for individual liberty with drug Prohibition. The United States has been at the forefront of this puritanical policy for almost a century, with disastrous consequences at home and abroad.
The government will certainly ensure all necessary means to stop the drug legalization campaign. Advocates against drug prohibition may experience intimidation and isolation tactics and be considered criminals advocating iniquity and lawlessness. However, with sound foundations and principles supporting the legalization campaign, the prohibition campaign will reveal itself as a dogmatic imposition of law based on speculations rather truth.
The Prohibition of drugs could only thrive in a society where the rights of people do not exist. But in the society where the struggle for peoples rights determines human existence, we commit to legalize drugs in order to affirm that our rights and our existence are not denied but rather enjoyed.
Goals of the drug legalization campaign
The Drug legalization campaign will create alternatives to the drug war that are grounded in justice, freedom, peace, sovereignty, progress and human rights. It seeks all means to eradicate crimes and violence resulting from coercive implementation of drug war policy. It will unite with all human rights advocates to eliminate racial discrimination and all forms of state violation of human rights resulting from unequal treatment of the law. It will push amendments to rechannel government budget to basic social services for the benefit of the American people rather than wasting money in the enforcement of the Prohibition campaign. It encourages respect of people and nations rights for self determination without intimidation and aggression in the name of war against terrorism and war against drugs. It will catalyze social progress by supporting liberation of scientific researches focused in the discovery of benefits from drugs for the development of health and sciences. The drug legalization would implement broad education and awareness campaign regarding the social implications of the drug war policy and create actions supporting the legalization of drug use.
The goals of the Drug Legalization campaign must at all time be based on the universal principles of human rights for the establishment of society where justice and peace is realized. The goals are intended to address basic, timely and strategic issues rather than superficial ones that tend to create misconception, differences and enmity among the American people.
Target Audience of the Drug Legalization Campaign and Their Characteristics
The drug legalization campaign calls the youth, immigrants, workers, civil libertarians, educators, professionals, government officials and oppressed people of America to assert individual and collective rights by organizing themselves to fight against the Prohibition campaign and all evils resulting from its enforcement. They have been victims of state violation of their rights in the guise of drug war campaign. They are the necessary and potential audience for a reasonable and timely call for change. They are progressive, assertive, open-minded, principled and optimistic. Their unity will make them overcome.
Resistance to the drug legalization campaign may come from underground drug syndicates and their cohorts, government officials benefitting from the operation, clerical and other religious dogmas and other unaware sectors of the society. Many may apathetically respond to the issue but the drug legalization campaign must continue without compromise and doubt. It must maximize all forms of massive information dissemination to reach all target audience of the campaign. It must conduct fora, symposia, lectures and other conducive forms of raising awareness. It must also utilize media exposure to reach the broadest mass of target audience. It must also conduct all forms of generating fund to ascertain the continuing progress of the campaign.
The drug war campaign is an issue concerning everyone. It is everybodys battle. It is not an issue that affects only those who are using drugs but also those who believe that individual rights should be respected. It is a battle for those who act for the advancement of science, economy, politics and culture
We struggle to end the oppression constituted by this incorrect, unjust and inhumane policy of War on Drugs.
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