Check for web archive captures
Peace Where?
By lindamuralidharan on 2009-03-03 18:24:12
I spend a lot of time thinking and writing and lobbying for rational policies in places like Pakistan and Iraq and Iran. Today
I want to get away somewhat from that focus and remind myself and others that peace is important everywhere on the globe.
I am thinking specifically of current reports about horrifying sub-national wars in Mexico and the US. My friends look at
the battles among the illegal drug cartels, the killing of police and other public officials in Mexico, the organizing of the
cartels across the entire United States for distribution purposes, the killing and torture of people in the US as the cartels
battle for control. They then turn to me and point out the report that 95% of the cartel caused deaths in Mexico are related to
arms going in there from the United States. My friends say we must stop the traffic in guns to reduce the killing. I then beg
to differ with my friends. In my opinion the profit motive in selling illegal drugs and the profit motive in selling arms are
much too great considering the amount of money involved. We can not win against either social ill given the status quo. On
the other hand, the killing would be greatly reduced, almost eliminated, and huge amounts of law enforcement expenditures
would be saved if we develop a rational policy regarding recreational drugs. We only went part way when we repealed
prohibition and again made the recreational drug alcohol legal. It was a good thing. We don't have liquor distributors or
liquor store owners shooting each other over territory anymore. We don't chase rum runners anymore. We don't put social
drinkers in jail for kicking back with a beer at a picnic or for meeting a friend to have a cocktail at a bar. The act of using
any mood altering substance recreationally or socially ought not to be illegal. It is not rational. We can certainly arrest
somebody so far gone with alcoholism that they steal to buy the next bottle. We can certainly arrest somebody when their
response to drinking alcohol is to go look for somebody to beat up. It is not the use itself, however, that is illegal. It is
mythology to say that all drugs other than alcohol are dangerous to consume. Used in moderation and in the correct dose
and circumstance neither heroin nor marijuana nor cocaine is that destructive to the individual without other health
problems. If you have certain health problems, the doctor will tell you to avoid alcohol. If you have certain conditions, such
as bipolar disease, it is unwise to indulge in psychoactive recreational substances, legal or otherwise. Addiction results from
unwise use in terms of quantity and frequency and time frame or from a predispostion that certain individuals have. It is a
fact that some military personnel in Vietnam used a lot of drugs that are illegal in the US in order to unwind or forget about
the stress of a war zone. Some came back addicted...that was often the result of a person having a predisposition to
addiction. Others came stateside, left illegal drug use behind, took responsible jobs, went to college, and suffered little
consequence for the past recreational drug use. We don't hear much about these. They aren't "news". We mostly hear about
those who came back addicted. There is no question we are not winning the "war" on drugs. If many of the substances were
legalized, they would be taxed like alcohol. They would be guaranteed by the government the way alcohol is for purity and
dose and strength. Our society would receive income from the sales, taxes and licenses to approved distributors and we
would save vast amounts of money now wasted on prison terms and law enforcement nationally and internationally. Today
alcohol takes a great toll on our society. Whether that is from the casual drinker who drinks too much on a specific occasion
and drives drunk or from people whose lives and families are damaged by actual addiction to alcohol, it costs our society a
lot. And yet we know that making alcohol illegal never solved the problem. Today a person who is alcoholic and wishing
to live a clean and sober life style needs to walk right past the liquor store and the beer aisle in the supermarket. He or she
knows that recovery depends on ordering a soda or bottled water at a social event where others are being served alcohol.
Thus, if we legalize marijuana a recovering addict would need to avoid the local marijuana distributor. Walk right on by that
storefront business selling bongs and weed. We may need to expand the availability of substance abuse treatment when legal
drugs become more accessible. Well, actually we need more and better treatment programs right now. We may need to
discuss PCP and the designer drugs at great length as well as the crack form of cocaine..even though many people have
tried crack and still not become addicted. PCP and crack are a little more tricky to deal with than the others. Designer drugs
like Ecstasy would need to be looked at very closely. There also will remain the issue of legal prescription drugs that are
currently used illegally. These challenges do not provide sufficient reasons not to move ahead. We would save many lives in
many ways if our drug policy were based on science, an understanding of the history of drug usage and not on prejudices
and misinformation. Certain forms of heroin were commonplace among white Americans, especially in patent medicines,
until opium use was associated with Chinese immigrant labor. Then it became the devil drug. If you read about what
happened next, you will find a similar story with cocaine and marijuana as they became associated with other discriminated
against minority groups. Alcohol...well, that was another matter. I hope you will all join with me in working toward a more
rational drug policy in the interest of saving lives and bringing peace to many corners of our world.
