WHY LOCK UP RUSH OR POORER DRUG USERS?

There is an old saying among political-campaign professionals that if you
wear the white hat, you'd better be sure it doesn't get any spots on it.

That's just another way of saying that if you choose to be judgmental of
others and moralistic, then you'd better be sure there are no skeletons in
your closet. People are tolerant of rascals; they tend to be intolerant of
guys who pretend to be holier than the rest of us.

Thus, accusing Arnold Schwarzenegger of a few sexual- and dope-related
escapades in the context of Hollywood, a Babylon of immorality, was like
throwing a few spots of paint on a Jackson Pollock painting. Out there it is
the traditional moralist who is the freak.

On the other hand, when Bill Bennett, a self-appointed preacher of virtue,
turns out to be a compulsive gambler, and Rush Limbaugh, who once urged that
white drug addicts be locked up, turns out to be addicted to painkillers, it
embarrasses their friends and emboldens their enemies.

Some are saying Limbaugh should be arrested and prosecuted. Buying
prescription drugs without a prescription is a violation of the law. Poor
people are sometimes jailed for this offense.

But instead of jailing Limbaugh, we should stop jailing poor addicts. People
who are addicted to drugs, prescription or otherwise, have a medical
problem. Their drug-related activities are crimes only because the
government has arbitrarily decided to criminalize the use of certain drugs.
This is as stupid as another failed experiment - when the government decided
to ban the consumption of alcohol.

The phony war on drugs that has cost billions of dollars and wrecked the
lives of thousands of people is Prohibition all over again. Whenever the
government decides to arbitrarily outlaw a product people want, outlaws
organize to provide it. What did Prohibition accomplish? It created
organized crime, expanded the powers of government and encouraged public
corruption. What has the drug war accomplished? It has created new, more
deadly criminal organizations, expanded the power of government and
practically institutionalized public corruption. In neither case has the
original purpose - reduction of consumption - been achieved.

The sensible way to combat addiction to harmful drugs is through education
and treatment. At the same time, there should be a legal source for those
not yet able to kick the habit. Except for the corruption and greed, the
drug war could be won overnight by simply legalizing the drugs. Cocaine
cartels could not compete with licensed pharmacies and public health offices
selling the stuff at cost.

The drugs are derived from plants that grow like weeds. Production is
exceedingly cheap, which is what makes possible the outrageous profit
margins that not only make outlaws rich but also fill the wallets of corrupt
officials.

Let me tell you a naked truth: Selling illegal drugs is a retail business
involving thousands of customers. Do you honestly think anyone can operate a
clandestine retail business involving thousands of customers that the police
don't know about? Grow up. If customers can find the drugs, so can the cops.
Why do you think that after 40 years and billions of dollars, illegal drugs
are still as plentiful and as cheap as they ever were? I'm not saying all
cops are corrupt. They don't have to be. Some are, however, and so are some
judges and prosecutors and customs agents, Drug Enforcement Administration
agents and CIA agents. As for Limbaugh - from all accounts a rather sad man
despite his millions - maybe this will make him more humble and tolerant.
Words, after all, can return to bite you where it hurts.