The Costly Battle:
"At last, the nation allegedly has turned the corner in the war on drugs. In May, 1998, Attorney General Janet Reno and Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin announced more than 100 indictments and the seizure of about $150,000,000 from Mexican banks, representing a successful conclusion to the 'the largest, most comprehensive drug money laundering case in history '(Boaz)." Surely the drug lords are shaking in their boots, right? Wrong. When was the last time one did not hear on the news about "the largest bust ever in central Indiana" or "the greatest crack-down in California's history?" By ending prohibition, the United States could begin to close the racial barrier, preserve our Constitutional rights, decrease crime and the spread of AIDS, save the taxpayer money, open up drug markets for free trade and more competition, and turn out a profit while endorsing prevention and substance control -all the things that the war on drugs is either not doing or making worst. To thoroughly understand the war on drugs, one must investigate its history and the history of drugs. In the 19th century, the drugs used in medicine, tonics, and consumer products contained now-illegal substances. Then the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 require
Eldredge, Dirk Chase. Would legalizing drugs serve America's national interest?. Insight on the News. September 14,1998. (www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1571/n34_v14/21119957.print.jhtml) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ With this prejudice in mind, the first major argument against the war on drugs is the breach of Constitutional rights. Through prohibition, the government is controlling the right of a drug user from potentially destroying his/her body. "Under the United States Constitution and anti-slavery laws, this hegemony should not happen (Cussen)." The Constitution protects the user's "pursuit of happiness." Likewise, the Fourth Amendment is being violated with the war on drugs. "'The Fourth Amendment has been weakened time after time again, but at least it had some threads left,' says journalist and constitutional scholar Nat Hentoff. "But because of the war on drugs, the Amendment has been practically vitiated'"(Progressive). One must question the Constitutional legality of money laundering laws, locker searches, roadblocks, strip-searches, and urine test. This violation was expressed by those opposed to alcohol prohibition, since many citizens had personal experience with dri! With the overwhelming evidence of social and economical harms caused by prohibition, the Federal Government should end the war on drugs. The fact is that so called "War on Drugs" is not slowing down the activity of the drug lords or drug consumption and is causing great social and economic problems, which ending prohibition could solve. The war on drugs is based on a faulty assumption and an unrealistic goal that we can attain a drug free society. The reality is that as a nation, we are not solving the drug problem. We are warehousing it in our prisons. We aren't helping the addict; we are throwing the book at him. "'The war on drugs has been with us,' writes Lenson,' for as we have despised the part of ourselves that wants to get high'" (Progressive). cts engaged to pay for their habits. Second, violent disputes --gang wars and street violence-- will be greatly reduced. "Dealers will be able to use the courts to settle their disputes instead of taking the law into their own hands. Violations of rights within the drug business will be resolved through the judicial system, thereby decreasing gang violence and saving many innocent lives that often get caught in the crossfire"(Cussen). for things that would be unthinkable if they were white, middle class kids '"(Progressive). Shenk, Joshua Wolf. Good Drugs, bad drugs. New Statesman. June 7, (www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0FQP/4439_128/55166509/print.jhtml) C
Some common words found in the essay are:
Nat Hentoff, Partnership Greeks, Bush Administration, Robert Rubin, War Drugs, Theodore Roosevelt's, Justice Statistics, Narcotic Act, Cussen Sharing, Latino Minorities, war drugs, legalizing drugs, drugs legalized, alcohol prohibition, drugs decrease, drug prohibition, drug goes taxpayers, illegal drugs, constitutional rights, prohibition alcohol, fourth amendment, goes taxpayers told,
Approximate Word count = 1833
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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