A National Disgrace: The War On Drugs

Mr. President,

Richard M. Nixon decided that a small percentage of the citizens of the United States had a growing drug problem so he approached that problem the same way most people would.   His primary objective, at that time, was how to justify financing a new police force to deal with it so, even though the worst of the drug problem involved opium based, cocaine and chemically engineered drugs, he included marijuana, the most widely used recreational substance, as justification to create the Drug Enforcement Administration to wage his war.  After 40 years and untold expense fighting this war, marijuana has since been proven to be non-addictive and in fact, possesses medicinal benefits to suffering people throughout the world, including me; and hard drug addiction has increased a hundred fold.  By the federal government’s actions limiting marijuana’s availability, “Washington” created the incentive for dealers to develop even more destructive, chemically engineered drugs “far” worse than marijuana.  Drugs that “are” destructive, and “do” kill people.  I said limited marijuana’s availability.  They haven’t stopped it, and never will.  What have they accomplished by including marijuana?  Nothing more than making criminals of a vast number of citizens who, for the most part, are otherwise law abiding, honest and hard working individuals that appreciate the means and opportunity of getting away from all the stress’ today’s society inflicts on them.  We can legally destroy our liver with alcohol.  We can destroy our lungs with tobacco.  We can eat ourselves into obesity and diabetic with McDonald’s hamburgers.  Let’s place McDonald’s hamburgers on the list of controlled substances.  They are as addictive and destructive as marijuana.

In the beginning, no one realized the foolishness of confronting the problem in this fashion and the war grew, and grew, into a two headed monster, injuring and killing along the way, both directly and indirectly. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have died because of this course of action when a more humane approach could have, and should have been taken.  Instead of approaching the situation in a humane non violent fashion, he had to use the heavy hand of force on the “citizens of this country”.  I feel obligated to reinforce the statement that the War on Drugs has been responsible for tens, if not hundreds of thousands of deaths on an international scale.  We have all heard about Fast and Furious.  Just how many other federal blunders gone unreported and covered up has resulted in innocent, needless deaths.  It has cost not only this country, but the entire world dearly, in human lives, suffering, and billions of dollars.  Billions of dollars that could have been better spent in more humane ways of dealing with the truly dependent drug addicted “citizens” of this great country.  Are we truly a humane, compassionate people, or are we something else entirely?

No president “since” Richard M. Nixon has admitted, or recognized the lack of foresight of Mr. Nixon’s decision to create the DEA and include marijuana.  No president has seen fit to summon the intestinal fortitude to proclaim the blunder and amend the Controlled Substances Act to reverse course away from this tragic path.  How many more deaths do the “citizens of the world” have to endure due to a failed unrelenting policy of our federal government?  A failed policy, all appear to be completely unwilling to recognize to be flawed, and reverse course. Washington allowed the District of Columbia to enact Medical Marijuana legislation but won’t do the same for the rest of the country.  Is that not hypocrisy extent?

How can Washington, other than waging war on its citizens, begin to get a real handle on this problem? Take the money out of drugs.  After 40 years, if Washington would just admit failure and legalize, at the very least, medical marijuana nationwide, the war on drugs could be dramatically scaled back and untold thousands of lives and millions of future tax dollars could be saved.  Washington’s present and persistent position on this problem is inhumane, oppressive, unsustainable and just flat out stupid.  The Fed can't print enough money to win this war and it has become a national disgrace.  Even Mexico is fed up.

I have always been the first to admit when I make a mistake.  Washington should do the same.

My personal view is that more people have been killed “because” of a war on a substance, many the world over, consider relatively harmless and medicinally beneficial, than by the substance itself “and that’s sad.  How many people have overdosed on and died because of marijuana?  None, to my knowledge.

Mr. President, step up and do the right thing here.  Stop this festering national tragedy.  Remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances and let the states regulate its sale and distribution.  It’s the right thing to do.

17 States with Pending Legislation to Legalize Medical Marijuana

(as of Feb. 13, 2012)

16 Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC

Laws, Fees, and Possession Limits

Prohibition didn’t work, and present drug policy isn’t working either.

Who knows, “it may even win you a few votes”.

Sincerely,

Charles Turner