The war is over… it is time to end the war.

We’re kidding ourselves.  This war cannot be won.  We are fighting a battle that we cannot possibly win.  People are dying because of this war!  People are being incarcerated because of this war!  Yet, our government continues to fight a battle against an enemy that has proven itself to be incapable of being squashed.  How long are we going to fight a war that we cannot win?  How long will we strive to make the world a safer, better place to live at the expense of our young men and women?  Should we just admit defeat and throw in the towel?  I say yes!

 What war am I talking about?  The War on Terrorism?  No! I emphatically believe that we have the right and the duty to continue this war, although how it is fought and how our troops are deployed are open to debate we must continue to protect ourselves and if possible other innocent people.

Am I talking about the War on Iraq?  Nope, again, I was with the President when he sent us into Iraq up until the time when Saddam was captured.  At that point, I think we should have begun our withdrawal and offered support from the diplomatic field rather than occupy a country for the rest of our natural lives.  Again, this is a war that must be fought but how to fight it is a different question.

No, I speak about the War on Drugs.  First, let me say, I am not a drug user and never have been.  I am one of the few 40ish men (okay, closer to 50 than 40, but who is counting?) that can truthfully say, I have never tried an illegal drug, although I have been drunk a few times.   So, this is not a, “everyone does it so get with the program”, kind of argument.

I understand that a large percentage of individuals incarcerated in America are incarcerated under various drug laws either directly or indirectly meaning that if they are not incarcerated for use or possession of drugs, they are incarcerated for committing a crime in order to attain drugs.  We’re told that the prisons are overflowing with inmates.  If drugs were legal and regulated as are guns, tobacco and alcohol, the prison population would begin to drop significantly.  This would reduce the cost of maintaining our prisons to the states and the federal government ultimately reducing taxes.

To go along with the reduced costs for prisons, taxes could be raised on the sale of drugs increasing the revenue to the government.  By legalizing and regulating drugs we could also eliminate the individuals who prey on those addicted using the black market and the exorbitant prices they charge to those whom they have addicted in the first place.

Another benefit to legalizing and regulating drugs, would be the health of those dependent on these drugs.   Drug users are currently limited in their access to medical treatment while under the influence (would you go to the hospital stoned knowing that they were going to bust you for use and/or possession?) not to mention the fact that we are told that many diseases can be spread through the sharing of needles etc.  Legalizing and regulating these drugs would thus improve the health of those addicted by opening up health services to those who clearly need them.

One final thought about the ending of this war is the use and safety of our police forces throughout the country.  Anyone ever consider how many of our police officers lose their lives or are injured fighting this war?  How much of their time is spent busting casual users or investigating crimes related to drugs?  Is the life of one police officer or one innocent human being worth the continued waging of this war?  I think not.

America would be a better place if it would stop waging this insane war on drugs and those who use them.  America woud be a better place if we reached out to those addicted to drugs with a hand of love rather than a slap in the face and a stint in prison.   The individuals afflicted with an addiction to “illegal” drugs would be better off if America and the world quit persecuting them and asked them to join society rather than making them outcasts forever.

It is time to end this war on drugs!  Or, maybe the better alternative to ending the war on drugs is to change our tactics.  Change them so that rather than pushing those addicted to drugs further away, we pull them closer to us and help them to defeat the addiction they are suffering with.

 God Bless,

 Immie