Our Drugs War- The Life and Death of a Dealer

As you watch this episode, you learn the struggles and conflict one goes through in dealing with illegal drugs. This can begin from nothing, to jail time, to anything as drastic as getting murdered or ones own actions affecting family and friends of theirs. It can even be vise versa. Their actions can learn to legal downfalls and irrational decision making followed by their actions. Drugs easily manipulate and influence others in a negative way. This then leads to, what we are trying to convey, is the war on drugs.

Prohibition

We live in a modern day society where you can connect with people halfway around the world in seconds, go shopping without leaving the comfort of your own home, and some of us even have cars that park themselves. So if we are supposedly living in Marty McFly’s era (Back to the Future for the uninitiated), why are we still holding onto the times of Al Capone?

Prohibition of substances, whether it be alcohol or drugs, has never effectively worked and continues to fail to this very day. In the 1920’s the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement and the Anti-Saloon League were concerned about many American’s drinking behaviors which prompted them to pressure Congress to take action…and so the 18^th Amendment was born. As we are all aware, people continued to consume alcoholic beverages despite the Volstead Act. Due to the overall noncompliance of the American citizen, the nation saw the 18^th Amendment repealed not 20 years after its passing. It should be noted that this is the only U.S. Amendment of all 27 that was ever rescinded.

This brings us to present day prohibition in America. This new form of prohibition picked up steam sometime around the 1970 Nixon era; though not titled “Prohibition” any longer, it held the same meaning. This time Congress entitled it “The War on Drugs.” DrugPolicy.org states, “The number of people behind bars for nonviolent drug law offenses increased from 50,000 in 1980 to over 400,000 by 1997.” In 17 years the amount of American citizens incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses rose 700%. That’s 700% more of your tax dollar going toward the incarceration of nonviolent criminals.

Let’s consider the word war. War by definition is a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation. This suggests that a conflict is being carried on by force of arms between our government and nonviolent “criminals.” Does anyone not see the problem here? Let’s just assume that this war they are referring to just involves the violent criminals that deal in drugs. Well if that’s the case, then you have to factor in that the government has fashioned a workplace for them in which to operate in the form of a black market. This means good ol’ Uncle Sam is the one starting the war.

The incarceration of violent offenders coupled with nonviolent drug offenders equals a lot of damn tax money. We have to start asking ourselves why. Why are we allowing the government to spend our tax money on a war that they have created? Why are we allowing the birth of more violent criminals, when if we removed the market all together they might become productive citizens? Why are regular everyday citizens under constant threat of being arrested for what they put into their own body? Does the government own our bodies? If that’s their plan maybe we should at least take a vote on it first. The bottom line is that prohibition has never worked, in fact the only thing its ever worked is our tax dollar. It’s high time (see what I did there) we write our congressman, end this war, and smoke um’ peace pipe.

Drugs and Terrorism

The War on Drugs began in 1971 after Richard Nixon declared that drugs were harming our society.  He said, “America’s public enemy number one in the United States is drug abuse. In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive.” Over forty years later, the War on Drugs is still a widely contested issue in the United States with many people for and against it.

Malcolm Beith argues that there are really not any attractive alternatives to what is currently happening regarding the War on Drugs. In the September 2013 issue of Foreign Affairs, Beith’s article, titled “A Single Act of Justice How the Age of Terror Transformed the War on Drugs,” says that we are winning the War on Drugs. Beith states the total amount of people who are arrested annually on drug charges and why people think the justice system is racist due to the amount of minorities that are locked up on drug offenses. After 9/11, the War on Drugs changed. No longer was the United States trying to stop illicit drugs from entering our country, but it also became a way to combat terrorism. Many of the well-known drug traffickers that have recently been arrested have been involved in terrorist-related activities. Drugs carry with them a plethora of problems that the government is trying to get rid of.

While alcohol and tobacco are legal in the United States, they are still dangerous substances that kill thousands of people every year. The black market for illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine causes an increase in demand and creates an artificially high price for them. Drugs fund terrorist organizations like the Taliban and gangs in general and keep them powerful and afloat. By ending the War on Drugs, the violence associated with the drug trade would decrease, similarly to what happened before and after the Prohibition Era. An article written by the University at Albany, titled “Organized Crime and Prohibition,” found that “Not only did the number of serious crimes increase, but crime became organized. Criminal groups organize around the steady source of income provided by laws against victimless crimes such as consuming alcohol or drugs, gambling and prostitution.”[3] The same thing is happening with the War on Drugs, where organizations are profiting off illegal drugs, and crime is continuing to increase. Also, too much money is being spent on the War on Drugs that should be going to other causes like ending poverty and improving our health care system. Therefore, the United States should end the War on Drugs.

Retired Police Captain Demolishes the War on Drugs

In October 2012, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) co-founder, Peter Christ, appeared on WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, NY and takes on all aspects of our disastrous War on Drugs. Captain Christ is vice-chair of LEAP and a former police officer.

Captain Christ makes excellent points as to why we should finally end this war and legalize drugs including how law enforcement’s function should not be to enforce morality. He states that it would be more beneficial to our society to have the drug marketplace run by professional, licensed adults as opposed to gangster, thugs, terrorists (which even includes children). We need to accept the fact that drugs are always going to be in our society and anyone who wants to take a specific illegal drug can find a way to get it; whether or not it’s legalized will, therefore, not be promoting as those opposed to drug legalization claim.

Perhaps Captain Christ’s most convincing point was comparing the current legalization of tobacco to the effects of drug legalization. In the last 10 years, 50% of adult cigarette smokers quit and we did not ban a single cigarette. All we need to do similar regulations for other drugs and people would not feel condoned, but instead inhibited.

Meet the Contributors: Leo

Hello, my name is Leo Dassa and I am a Public Relations major at University of Maryland. Marijuana should be legalized, because of the crime it causes. Especially to a local and hometown like mine, Baltimore, I think it could really use this to get people off the streets. A lot of prison could be freed up for actual serious crimes, such as murder and homicide. Marijuana has never caused a death where legal substances, such as alcohol and tobacco, have. Coming from a city that revolves around drug problems, I would love to learn more about what causes it. Furthermore, I would like to learn about how to prevent it. I eagerly look forward to diving into the world of drug wars.

Meet the Contributors: Matthew

Hello, my name is Matthew Hamburger. As a senior majoring in Communication Studies at the University of Maryland, I hope to start a career in the marketing and sales industry after graduation. As a Baltimore native and third generation Maryland Terrapin student, I have always had an affinity for the University of Maryland. My main passion in life is traveling, as evidenced by having visited forty-seven states throughout my life. Immediately after college, I hope to visit Alaska, Hawaii, and Nevada to become one of the youngest persons to have visited all fifty states. I am interested in learning about the War on Drugs due to the significant impact it has had on our country. With many lives lost and millions of dollars spent, I want to further advance my knowledge on this subject.

Meet the Contributors: Kayleigh

My name is Kayleigh Poulsen and I’m a senior at the University of Maryland. I am studying Communications with a minor in Rhetoric. I am looking into a career involving Social Work. I am looking forward to working with the War on Drugs topic as it is becoming increasingly salient in todays news. The issue is multi-faceted and fosters the opportunity for discussion. I hope to contribute to an examination of both sides of the debate on marijuana legalization. 

Meet the Contributors: Lawrence

My name is Lawrence and I’m a graduating senior at University of Maryland College Park. I care about the war on drugs because it has claimed a senseless amount of lives since its inception. It has also managed to take average communities and turn them into cesspools of crime. Wars are supposed to come to an end, but this so called war has been raging on for almost 100 years. The massive loss of lives, wasted government funds, and destroyed communities are among the top reasons that we are calling for a cease and desist to the war on drugs. This issue has affected every American citizen in some way, shape, or form over the years. If we as a country do not alter our views on this issue there will certainly be no change in the outcome. If insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, then I would have to conclude that we should all care about this issue for the sake of America’s sanity.

Meet the Contributors: Biendhy

Hello, my name is Biendhy. I am a senior at the University of Maryland – College Park! I am majoring in Communications and in pursuit of a career in the PR field. I am passionate about this war on drugs because I have directly and indirectly seen the effects drugs has on people I know personally, and through what is constantly portrayed via the media. This topic of war on drugs is important because it is taking more lives as the years go by; both young and old. Not only has it become a financial burden for the people involved but combine that with the ill-fated health effects, this war on drugs needs to be addressed and solved.

The War on Drugs

The War on Drugs has taken on an increasing media relevancy in the past decade. The battle over marijuana legalization and decriminalization has been gaining traction in the news within the United States. This blog will explore the far reaching effects that the War on Drugs has had on countless victims. We will engage in discussions about both sides of the marijuana debate, as this is a prominent issue in today’s society. We will discuss different campaigns, media rhetoric, and initiatives taken in regards to the drug war.