Today marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could celebrate the end of all war? I’d love it if my day job ceased to exist because war became a thing of the past. Of course, that’s not going to happen any time soon. There are too many groups with irreconcilable differences and different valuations of human life. And let’s face it, war is good for business. Even if we discount the obvious, such as the war against ISIS, or the threat of war against North Korea, China, or Russia, our politicians like a good war to keep the gravy flowing. If there isn’t one handy, they’ll make a problem into a pseudo-war in order to generate a little fervor: The War on Poverty. The War on Obesity.
When I’m feeling cynical, I find it too easy to believe that our politicians actually create problems in order to give the appearance of solving them. The solutions never seem to end the problem, only “combat” it. We are supposed to keep reelecting the politicians so they can keep perpetuating working on the problem. For example:
The “War on Drugs.” It’s arguably worse for the country than the drugs themselves. Let’s compare:
|
Legalized Drugs |
The War on Drugs |
| Some people become addicted to harmful substances | Some people become addicted to harmful substances |
| Addicts immiserate themselves and those close to them | Addicts immiserate themselves and those close to them |
| Drug prohibition causes prices to skyrocket, incentivizing organized crime | |
| Gangs take over urban ghettos, immiserating entire communities | |
| Turf battles yield higher gun violence & homicide rates. More misery | |
| Many addicts must turn to crime to obtain funds to afford their drug – yet more property and violent crime, often with guns, sometimes including homicide. More misery | |
| No taxes are collected on drug sales | |
| More police are required | |
| Police must become more militarized in order to do their jobs – and get killed in the line of duty more often, immiserating their friends and families | |
| Courts get clogged with possession cases | |
| Prisons get clogged with non-violent offenders. America tops list of incarceration rate among developed countries. Overcrowded prisons – here and abroad, harden convicts instead of rehabilitate them. More misery | |
| Cartels form in source countries and often outgun the local and national government – and/or they corrupt same. Homicide rates soar, immiserating the country | |
| Illicit trafficking networks multiply in transit zones – drugs, weapons, people, & money get moved “underground.” More misery | |
| Illegal immigration and other border crime issues multiply. More misery | |
| Politicians take a “tough” stance and promise to increase funds to “win” the war on drugs – with better equipped and/or more police, stronger sentencing laws, more prisons, asset forfeiture laws (which violate the 4th Amendment), gun laws (which violate the 2nd Amendment AND disarm the innocent), border walls, surveillance states, and so on – year after year, election after election. |
I don’t have any desire to use drugs for recreation, and I don’t want my kids or other loved one to use them, either. But making the drugs illegal has done nothing to reduce the chances of that happening. The chance that my kids will be exposed to drugs still exists, but now it’s in the shadows. I have fiends and family in law enforcement – I don’t want them harmed in no-knock raids, or shot by a panicking addict. I work for the Air Force. I’ve met and worked with fellow Airmen from Latin American air forces. I’d much rather partner with them to help disaster victims that to learn they’ve been killed by cartels. Perhaps the best way to end the War on Drugs is to stop fighting it.
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