New Perspective on Drug War
Lets say you had a disagreement about the lifestyle of a friend, what would you do?
Would you offer them incentives to clean up their life?
Yeah, you might.
Would you threaten to end your relationship if they didn't change their life?
Of course.
Would you plead and scream and protest and do everything in your power to try to get them to reconsider their position?
If it was important enough, absolutely.
But would you steal their belongings, throw them in jail where they will be raped and bullied by murders, take away their rights, separate them from their family, and arrest them? And most importantly, would you stick a gun to their head to stop them?
NO, absolutely not. That would be barbarism and antithetical to everything that a civilized and humanitarian society would hope to accomplish.
We should stop pretending like the drug war is anything different.
The drug war is like any other government program; a divisive tactic to create a fear culture, close minds and act like benefactors while usurping the rights of the vulnerable minority by the "consent of the governed", aka mob rule. As long as there are enough people scared enough to sacrifice a few, they will continue introducing more "programs". Ironic word, don't you think?