I received a solicitation in the mail today from George Soros requesting support for the Drug Policy Alliance. I responded with a donation online. It is time to get serious about reducing our "war on drugs."
I read and hear the Republican right-wingers continually complaining about the efforts to legalize marijuana and their stories and arguments never seem to add up. They never actually able to bring up scientific evidence that says that the use of the drug is worse than the results of our Government fighting the drug war. I contend that a lot of the support FOR the drug war comes from the organizations, businesses and individuals who currently profit from the drug war. Conservative estimates are that the U.S. Spends $51 Billion each year on the war. I think we spend a LOT more than that, if we include the cost of keeping people in prison, and the cost of helping the prisoners families while their breadwinner is incarcerated. The costs include the 1.5 million people each year who are arrested for non-violent drug charges, the 44,000 people in the US that died from an accidental drug overdose, as well as the 100,000 mexicans who have died in Mexico's drug war as a direct result of the US drug policy. Many of the individuals who consider themselves as "drug warriors" are very high paid and are influential, such as judges, lawyers, prosecutors and manufacturers of eavesdropping equipment. They don't want to lose the benefits they receive. They have consistently lied to the public about the effects of drugs in order to maintain public support for their war. One fine example is the "Reefer Madness" video in the 1930s.
I'm not sure if the California proposition for this fall's general election ballot is the best approach. However, at the moment, it appears to be the only solution. Our California legislature knows that the majority of Californians are in favor of marijuana legalization. But they refuse to put together a reasonable set of laws that would move in that direction. Why do they wait for a ballot initiative? If they would write a good law now, it would stop the initiative in its tracks. It would also allow the legislature in the future to make adjustments to the laws if problems or "loopholes" are found in the laws that need correction.
George Soros is clearly taking a leadership role, and we should admire him for doing it. It will be very interesting to see if anyone asks Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump what their positions are on marijuana legalization. Will they answer it? Or will they "duck the question?"
I read and hear the Republican right-wingers continually complaining about the efforts to legalize marijuana and their stories and arguments never seem to add up. They never actually able to bring up scientific evidence that says that the use of the drug is worse than the results of our Government fighting the drug war. I contend that a lot of the support FOR the drug war comes from the organizations, businesses and individuals who currently profit from the drug war. Conservative estimates are that the U.S. Spends $51 Billion each year on the war. I think we spend a LOT more than that, if we include the cost of keeping people in prison, and the cost of helping the prisoners families while their breadwinner is incarcerated. The costs include the 1.5 million people each year who are arrested for non-violent drug charges, the 44,000 people in the US that died from an accidental drug overdose, as well as the 100,000 mexicans who have died in Mexico's drug war as a direct result of the US drug policy. Many of the individuals who consider themselves as "drug warriors" are very high paid and are influential, such as judges, lawyers, prosecutors and manufacturers of eavesdropping equipment. They don't want to lose the benefits they receive. They have consistently lied to the public about the effects of drugs in order to maintain public support for their war. One fine example is the "Reefer Madness" video in the 1930s.
I'm not sure if the California proposition for this fall's general election ballot is the best approach. However, at the moment, it appears to be the only solution. Our California legislature knows that the majority of Californians are in favor of marijuana legalization. But they refuse to put together a reasonable set of laws that would move in that direction. Why do they wait for a ballot initiative? If they would write a good law now, it would stop the initiative in its tracks. It would also allow the legislature in the future to make adjustments to the laws if problems or "loopholes" are found in the laws that need correction.
George Soros is clearly taking a leadership role, and we should admire him for doing it. It will be very interesting to see if anyone asks Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump what their positions are on marijuana legalization. Will they answer it? Or will they "duck the question?"
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