The Time Has Come for Ending the War on Drugs

By Jeralyn, Section Crime Policy
Posted on Thu May 14, 2009 at 11:04:41 PM EST
Tags: war on drugs (all tags)

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Arianna: Ending the War on Drugs: The Moment is Now :

So the question becomes: is the Obama administration really committed to a fundamental shift in America's approach to drug policy or is this about serving up a kinder, gentler drug war?
....But the cost of the drug war -- both human and financial -- is far too high to allow politics to dictate the administration's actions. Indeed, with all the budget cutting going on, how can anyone justify spending tens of billions of dollars a year on an unwinnable war against our own people?

[More...]

With three-quarters of the drug offenders clogging our state prisons there for nonviolent offenses -- and a disproportionate number of those young men of color -- the time has come to wage a full-scale war on the war on drugs.

It's great to have Arianna on our side.

Update: Retired Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper says despite all the shift in rhetoric, the drug czar's just-released budget summary actually pumps up spending for "drug war" supply reduction and diminishes resources for demand.

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The Time Has Come for Ending the War on Drugs | 10 comments (10 topical)

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Two gangs of corporate hustlers (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by Jacob Freeze on Fri May 15, 2009 at 07:44:07 AM EST

Since the Rockefeller drug laws were enacted in May 1973 (and it's a convenient date for the beginning of the full-scale "War on Drugs"), Obama is the third Democratic President to occupy the White House, and Democratic majorities in Congress have come and gone, but millions of lives continued to be destroyed by long prison terms no matter which gang of corporate hustlers occupied the White House or controlled Congress at any given moment.

If it ever becomes politically expedient for Obama and the Congressional Democrats to end the drug wars, then Obama and the Congressional Democrats will end them, but until that happy day, the chicken-hearted con-man Obama couldn't care less how many lives he destroys, in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Iraq, and prisons in the United States.

George Soros (none / 0) (#2)
by randy80302 on Fri May 15, 2009 at 12:31:47 AM EST

It is too bad that George Soros does not use the influence that his generosity could buy.

He funds organizations and groups, but leaves it to the people to work on their own ideas.

I am speaking about his funding for Move On and Center for American Progress and their not being involved in drug policy issues in a big way.

In contrast, the Right Wing think tanks that are funded by conservatives work on ideas that the funders "order."

In the drug policy reform movement we are mostly a grassroots movement that seems to be in search of message discipline and national groups that have not yet connected activists all together.

Perhaps we are developing the maturity as a movement to be effective.

Anyhow I too am happy to see Ms. Huffington posting on drug policy issues.

The Movie "American Violet" (none / 0) (#4)
by bob h on Fri May 15, 2009 at 07:00:05 AM EST

relates the true, appalling story of the drug way as pursued in the banana republic of Texas.

Question? (none / 0) (#6)
by DancingOpossum on Fri May 15, 2009 at 09:01:29 AM EST

So the question becomes: is the Obama administration really committed to a fundamental shift in America's approach to drug policy

Ha ha ha. That would be funny if it weren't so naive. Of course he's not. He's not committed to a fundamental shift in any policy, good, bad, or indifferent.

Eyes wide open (none / 0) (#7)
by Rojas on Fri May 15, 2009 at 09:44:16 AM EST

yea we really need to worry about some silly little state senator in Arkansas when an opportunistic punk like schumer has been selling us out for decades on these issues.

Not off topic at all. As long as rants from partisain reactionaries pass as discorse from really smart people on the net we'll all get to be punks for the likes of schumer.

: Another word (none / 0) (#13)
by Rojas on Sat May 16, 2009 at 10:34:05 AM EST

Insanity (in·san·i·ty) noun 1. Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.

Is Chuck Schumer a first-class political opportunist? Yes. But he's not the issue here.

My friend down the street, for the second (none / 0) (#8)
by Joelarama on Fri May 15, 2009 at 10:08:58 AM EST

time in two months, had a bullet go through his bedroom window. A person was shot and almost killed in the alley beneath his living room window two weeks ago. The street, alley and parking lot near him are open air drug markets, and there is a gang war going on.

I hope we put these drug gangs out of business and end this war on drugs, so they'll have no territory or inventory to fight over.

Your friend should probably (none / 0) (#9)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri May 15, 2009 at 10:56:07 AM EST

take it upon himself to move to a less dangerous area, the wod is not going away any time soon.


Story is he has had two bullets go through the (none / 0) (#12)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri May 15, 2009 at 01:51:56 PM EST

window of the apt he lives in the last two weeks. Fer cripe's sake.

If so he needs to move. Now. Today. Before the bullet that comes through his window tomorrow catches him in the head and kills him.

Of course he has some choice in the matter of where he lives.

Dude needs to pack his stuff up and get out of Dodge now, not wish for some pipedream that the wod will end anytime soon and save his life from the bad guys.


: He owns. And he can't sell without (none / 0) (#14)
by Joelarama on Tue May 19, 2009 at 03:43:26 PM EST

taking a big hit he can't afford.
You need to get over your attitude. Some people who are avery bit as smart and capable as you simply have limited options and bad luck.