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The Drug War Must End
first published- May 31, 1997
A lot of people write to me in favor of decriminalizing drug use.
Without a doubt. How can we expect our society to grow up while something as illogical and indefensible as the Drug War is going on all around us? Since it has been a couple of years since I have heard any decent case made for the Drug War's continuation, I have shifted my attack on the subject. Here is my new method in action:
To those who reject the idea of decriminalizing drugs: please defend the continuation of the Drug War, and please acknowledge both the thousands of unfairly ruined lives caused by it, and the era of Prohibition as an historical precedent.
I think if folks spend their time pushing for "legalizing it," then they will be subject to the same "hippie"-taunts that have plagued the legalization movement since the sixties. If you demand a justification of the Drug War, you put yourself in the position of being able to turn the tables, and use "nazi"-taunts on those who try to defend the senseless persecution.
The "legalization" of "victimless crimes" is one of the parts of my platform that is nearly inflexible. I've been listening for a compelling pro-Drug War stance for 6 years now, and haven't heard one. I truly hope the issue gets resolved before I seek office, but I suspect that being "pro-legalization" will be one of my defining and contentious positions in the '08 race.
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