THE WAR ON DRUGS IS A FARCE

In case you're wondering, the War On Drugs has been lost. Last week,
the Global Commission on Drug Policy released a report that stated,
The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for
individuals and societies around the world." The study, led by former
world leaders including ex-UN chief Kofi Annan, has shown that the
worldwide battle on narcotics has not been able to reduce the supply
of illegal drugs, while criminalization has been shown to be harmful
to public health programs to deal with drug abuse, and moreover that
said criminalization has wasted government money that would have been
better served on those programs themselves. Indeed, much money has
been poured into this fight, with the U.S. alone spending over one
trillion dollars in the losing cause. In 1970, when Richard Nixon
announced that drug abuse was "public enemy number one" he put $100
million towards this new war. Today, the budget is $15.1 billion. The
recent report! has led to discussion on what is in fact the best way
forward in dealing with the problem of drugs in society.

Of course, what is often lost in this discussion is that the
Commission has not actually revealed anything that most opponents of
the War On Drugs have been screaming from the rooftops for decades
now. It has long been settled that criminalization does not stop drug
abuse, and that treatment programs and help for the poor was by far a
more effective strategy to deal with the issue. It is interesting
that the group in charge of the study included a former Colombian
President, whose nation is one of the greatest recipients of American
aid for the cause of the destruction of the drug trade. While some of
those against the War on Drugs are celebrating the report, happy that
at long last, a critical mass (including even some powerful and
wealthy people) is forming against one of the most catastrophic
global initiatives of the last century. But, in a way, the report is
simply another indication of our system's unprecedented ability to
fail. For over forty years, the War On Drugs has been nothing short
of a blight on the conscience of the human species, a testament to
the dangers of imperial power, and the increasing restriction on the
liberty of the human. Millions of people have had their lives
irreparably harmed. Whether tossed in jail for tiny amounts of
marijuana, or racially profiled by cops desperate to post the
appropriate number of arrests, or forced to watch their harvests
destroyed due to manufactured suspicion, these victims fell to a
wholly irresponsible policy that had no potential for success.

Unsurprisingly, there is no mention of the real issue here; that
those waging this War knew for certain that it was born to fail, and
that it was never designed to deal with drug abuse, but to provide a
specious reason to assault civil liberties and contain population
groups whom the powerful deemed to be volatile and dangerous. In the
United States, more people are incarcerated (per capita) than
anywhere else in the world, primarily due to drug crimes. The
incarceration of African-Americans is the great unspoken travesty in
America today. Nearly one in three black males are a form of criminal
supervision. In 2000, there were more black males in prison than in
post-secondary education. These same black males make up 7 percent of
the population and an incredible 46 percent of the prison population.
The number one crime leading to incarceration? A non-criminal drug offense.

On the heels of the Commission's report, Obama's Drug Czar Gil
Kerlikowske admitted that "In the grand scheme of things (the War On
Drugs) has not been successful." Once again, President Obama has a
chance to make a real mark on the American landscape, not just
another pitiful centrist stroke of false pragmatism. It is time for
these draconian, outdated, unsupported drug laws to be changed, or
removed entirely. It is time for an honest conversation about this
disgusting side of American power. It is time to attack the largest
remaining example of institutionalized racism in the developed world.
President Obama should abandon the War On Drugs, and join the real
battle, the one that is taking place no matter how big or brutal law
enforcement dares to get; the battle to treat the sick and help the poor.

How's he doing so far? Well, a few days ago, he announced that he
would help "reduce drug use and the great damage it causes", while
discussing a new federal policy to focus more on treatment and
prevention than punishment. A good start? Well, in its rhetoric only.
Unfortunately, behind the words, his administration was busy
increasing spending on drug law enforcement to record highs in both
number and percentage of budget. The words should not be enough. The
War On Drugs has done too much damage to avoid being held to account,
even if it is decades late in coming. It is an issue like this one
that requires a rebirth of the American Liberal, before yet another
opportunity evades the Left to articulate a meaningful movement based
on meaningful ideas and meaningful policy.