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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 01/19/2003 10:24:15 PM PST by TLBSHOW
Choosing Battles Wisely
When I was in high school, I remember cute little Nancy Reagan, with her cute little yappie dog, telling me to "Just Say No." I remember howling with my friends over the "this is your brain on drugs" commercial. These ads only confirmed what we already knew: adults are idiots. Reinforcing my teenage skepticism, now the Office of Drug Control Policy is pushing the link between recreational drug use and terrorism.
I'm especially fond of the commercial that has a child narrating something like, "this is the joint that Joe bought just to have some fun, and this is the dealer where he bought the marijuana, and this is the smuggler that supplies the dealer, and this is the cartel kingpin that supplies the smugglers and collects Joe's money to fund terrorism against Americans." Of course, being just a child, he leaves out the last part, which is "and this is the government that makes the whole thing profitable for the cartel kingpin by creating a black market for products for which there will always be a demand." The poor kid probably doesn't know any better, but once he learns about the link between crime and Prohibition in history class, and once he starts driving to the next state to buy cigarettes for half the price, maybe he'll see better how it really works.
It's the simple concept of supply and demand. Whether or not you believe that using them is a good idea, like alcohol and cigarettes, there will always be a demand for drugs. And where there is a demand, savvy suppliers will find a way to meet it. Like any other product, the costs of producing and delivering the product will be reflected in the price. In the case of drugs, the most significant costs are the risks of prosecution, seizure of assets, and competitors, already operating outside the law with little reluctance to employ force to preserve and expand their markets. These are significant risks, thus prices are high. But high risk, if evaded, also translates to high profit, and thus more money to fund terrorism.
All of these risks, and hence the profits, are created by drug laws. All of them would be eliminated if drug laws were repealed. With virtually no risk associated with production and delivery – not to mention a small but guaranteed market – prices drop, quality improves, and drug-related violence evaporates. And terrorists, accustomed to criminal profit margins, will not adapt to the role of legitimate businessmen, even if drug production were to remain wholly unregulated, an unlikely scenario.
So what are we waiting for? Why do we spend billions on what we know to be an exercise in futility? The drug warriors sound like the anti-war types. Let's rely on diplomacy with Iraq. Let's give it time. Let's pass more resolutions. Let's do this or that to try to get Saddam to do something we know he'll never do. Like those opposed to war in Iraq, the drug warriors need to face reality. We keep doing what we've been doing and we keep getting what we got. We gave peace a chance.
Thus, a fundamental shift in the approach is required to solve the problem. First, we need to set idealism aside and accept that a complete and total solution for all time is unachievable. War with Iraq will not eliminate terrorism. But it will cut off sources of funding and supplies for terrorists. It will ensure that the most ruthless, megalomaniacal, anti-West dictator can't point a nuke at us. It will lift the shadow of oppression from the Iraqi people and end economic sanctions. Likewise, legalizing drugs won't eliminate drug use. But it will radically reduce the dangers of using them, by making producers accountable for quality. It will radically reduce the violence that results from protecting markets and enforcing agreements. And it will dry up the huge profit margins that may, in part, fund terrorism.
So Joe-recreational-drug-user, you may still want to think twice about buying drugs. The fact that it's the government's fault doesn't change where the money goes. But do not assume responsibility for the system that makes it all possible: that lies at the feet of the government. If you want to do your part to combat terrorism, check your Congressman's position on the drug war. If he supports it, vote for someone else in the next election. Do not allow yourself to be manipulated by advertising paid for by the same government that created the problem.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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The drug warriors sound like the anti-war types.
This point CANNOT BE MADE ENOUGH. The Holy Drug Warriors, with their utopian fantasy of a "drug-free America", are blood brothers of the hate-America Left in their love of socialism and hatred of individual liberty and personal responsibility.
Listen, genius, this strawman has been knocked down over and over on the drug-war threads. Rape and pedophilia are actual crimes with victims -- drug users hurt no one but themselves.
Buy a clue and share it with your drug-warrior buddies!
Sounds like she'd enjoy being a FReeper!
Maye she'll do a search for her article and find us.
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