Futile Drug Prohibition

[Jim Finnel]

To the Editor: As a former police officer who fought in America’s domestic “war on drugs” for more than 30 years, and who lost several colleagues gunned down in the line of fire, I have to ask: How many more cops have to die before our politicians realize that drug prohibition doesn’t work?

In making drugs illegal, we haven’t appreciably reduced use. Yet we have inadvertently created a huge black market controlled by cartels and gangs willing to kill anyone — including cops — to protect their profits.

When alcohol was illegal in the United States, liquor distributors literally battled it out to stay on top of the market, often killing one another and even law enforcers. Since we ended alcohol prohibition, however, beer and wine wholesalers no longer kill to protect market share.

Politicians should apply this lesson to today’s failed prohibition and stop asking the police to risk our lives fighting quixotic wars against drugs.

Neill Franklin
White Hall, Md., Jan. 12, 2011

The writer is executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.


NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: nytimes.com
Author: Neill Franklin
Copyright: 2011 The New York Times Company
Contact: The New York Times
Website: Opinion | Futile Drug Prohibition

 

[OldBones420]

I fully agree...far too many lives have been lost in senseless acts brought on by this so called "war on drugs". It's just bullshit and those assholes in Washington know this, but obviously don't give a damn.