Guest Post by
Last week Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered federal prosecutors in drug cases to seek the maximum penalty authorized by federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Sessions’ order represents a setback to the progress made toward restoring compassion and common sense to the sentencing process over the past few years. Sessions’ action also guarantees that many nonviolent drug law offenders will continue spending more time in prison than murderers.
Sessions’ support for mandatory minimums is no surprise, as he has a history of fanatical devotion to the drug war. Sessions’ pro-drug war stance is at odds with the reality of the drug war’s failure. Over forty years after President Nixon declared war on drugs, the government cannot even keep drugs out of prisons!
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As was the case with alcohol prohibition, the drug war has empowered criminal gangs and even terrorists to take advantage of the opportunity presented by prohibition to profit by meeting the continued demand for drugs. Drug prohibition enables these criminal enterprises to make profits far above the potential profits if drugs where legalized. Ironically, the so-called “law-and-order” politicians who support the drug war are helping enrich the very criminals they claim to oppose!
The war on drugs also makes street drugs more lethal by incentivizing the creation of more potent and, thus, more dangerous drugs. Of course, even as Sessions himself admits, the war on drugs also leads to increased violence, as drug dealers cannot go to the courts to settle disputes among themselves or with their customers.
Before 9/11, the war on drugs was the go-to excuse used to justify new infringements on liberty. For example, laws limiting our ability to withdraw, or even carry, large sums of cash and laws authorizing civil asset forfeiture were justified by the need to crack down on drug dealers and users. The war on drugs is also the root cause of the criminal justice system’s disparate treatment of minorities and the militarization of local police.
The war on drugs is a war on the Constitution as well. The Constitution does not give the federal government authority to regulate, much less ban, drugs. People who doubt this should ask themselves why it was necessary to amend the Constitution to allow the federal government to criminalize drinking alcohol but not necessary to amend the Constitution to criminalize drug use.
Today, a majority of states have legalized medical marijuana, and a growing number are legalizing recreational marijuana use. Enforcement of federal laws outlawing marijuana in those states is the type of federal interference with state laws that conservatives usually oppose. Hopefully, in this area the Trump administration will exercise restraint and respect state marijuana laws.
Sessions’ announcement was not the only pro-drug war announcement made by the administration this week. President Trump himself, in a meeting with the president of Columbia, promised to continue US intervention in South and Central America to eliminate drug cartels. President Trump, like his attorney general, seems to not understand that the rise of foreign drug cartels, like the rise of domestic drug gangs, is a consequence of US drug policy.
The use of government force to stop adults from putting certain substances into their bodies — whether marijuana, saturated fats, or raw milk — violates the nonaggression principle that is the bedrock of a free society. Therefore, all those who care about protecting individual liberty and limiting government power should support ending the drug war. Those with moral objections to drug use should realize that education and persuasion, carried out through voluntary institutions like churches and schools, is a more moral and effective way to discourage drug use than relying on government force.
But…but…but…how is the CIA going to fund its black ops?
Ron Paul was from an era where people thought you could actually reason with the other side, and they would respect your argument. Now, there is no argument. They dont even understand the concept of making an argument, presenting facts, assertions, logic, etc. All of that is dead. Now all that remains is the question of how much of their bullshit do you want to take?
As I commented in the previous post, what about Trump’s promise to create and protect the jobs of American workers? The Cannabis industry would create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, but one of the key elements in making that possible is to take Cannabis off the DEA’s drug schedule, or at least off category 1. He’s not pushed for that and his AG is going the wrong direction. I despair.
Maybe you should write Congress, they’re the ones with the power to do this since they’re the ones that made it illegal in the first place.
I doubt Trump would refuse to sign a bill deregulating Federally it and leaving it up to the individual States to decide whether it’s legal or not within their own borders (which is how it should be).
They’re just getting warmed up. I think they will use the drug laws on us pretty soon. Any LEO can phone in an accusation that you are selling and off you go.
If everyone’s on board with legalizing weed and loosening up the laws on other drugs, then why are our elected representatives so afraid of loosening up the laws themselves rather than expecting the EXECUTIVE branch to ignore the laws that congress passed? Congress passed the laws. Congress can modify them. The executive is supposed to execute the laws.
Most congressmen are corrupt pussies.
Next question.
Too much money available to fund covert ops. War on drugs will not go away.
Hey Ron Paul, wake up and stop writing the same fill in the blank column every week. You’re making this stuff up.
“President Trump, like his attorney general, seems to not understand that the rise of foreign drug cartels, like the rise of domestic drug gangs, is a consequence of US drug policy.” Doesn’t actually square with Tillerson and Kelly, does it?
http://dailycaller.com/2017/04/29/marijuana-industry-relieved-after-sessions-signals-no-looming-pot-crackdown/ Does that sound like the feferal government is going to interfere with state marijuana laws?