2008 Woodie Awards
From the Blogs: Econ student on the legalization of drugs
Paulina Stachnik
Issue date: 2/12/08 Section: News
It doesn't take a Ph.D. in political science to understand the reality that if American legislators attempt something, and then fail, they are reluctant to recognize fault in their actions or policies. For many, the war in Iraq springs to mind with this generalization. Everyday, as a nation, we are spending a small fortune on machinery, resources, and manpower in an attempt to achieve a complex and unclear goal. However, the Middle East is not the only example of capital and lives being jeopardized in the name of unqualified and fault-ridden motives. When the United States formally declared War on Drugs in 1971, Richard Nixon characterized the campaign as a crusade against the permeating evil that is the drug market. Since that time, the United States has invested unspeakable amounts into this initiative-an initiative that remains a fruitless failure; we are just too afraid to admit it.
The good news is that activists are beginning to surface, one being Dr. Michael Babula, a 2008 running candidate for Maryland's fourth congressional district. Babula, who has acquired degrees in psychology, political science, finance, and history, maintains a multifaceted understanding of the consequences of this ineffective drive. "The United States spends approximately $600 per second on the war on drugs," Babula states on his website, "This year, the United States will arrest 1.6 million members of its population for drug law enforcement violations. The war on drugs has fueled the Columbia civil war, lead to the deaths of thousands of Columbians, and displaced more than 2 million people. Needless to say, the United States has lost the war on drugs." (1) This program, the candidate notes, has also created a profit-based incentive for illegal cartels to form, and in turn create systems of black market smuggling and trafficking of dangerous narcotics.
Michael Babula is not alone. The simple phrase, "Stop War on Drugs," in any search engine will lead even the least savvy user to countless articles chastising the outrageous anti-drug movement which is draining our economy today. Ross C. Anderson, Salt Lake City Mayor, writes, "The Republican and the Democratic parties will not honestly address the absolute insanity of our approach to preventing and fighting drug abuse and addiction, so we must insist on a better course. We must insist on a course that is honest, a course that is effective, and a course that is just." (2) He concludes by addressing frightening statistics, which highlight the colossal failure of a massively expensive initiative. "From 1985 to 1995, during which time the federal drug control budget increased almost five-fold, more 12th grade students reported marijuana as "fairly easy" or "very easy" to obtain." Anderson adds that nearly half of the high school seniors interviewed in 1999 claimed that cocaine was "very easy" to obtain and a third of the students reported the same availability for heroin.
The good news is that activists are beginning to surface, one being Dr. Michael Babula, a 2008 running candidate for Maryland's fourth congressional district. Babula, who has acquired degrees in psychology, political science, finance, and history, maintains a multifaceted understanding of the consequences of this ineffective drive. "The United States spends approximately $600 per second on the war on drugs," Babula states on his website, "This year, the United States will arrest 1.6 million members of its population for drug law enforcement violations. The war on drugs has fueled the Columbia civil war, lead to the deaths of thousands of Columbians, and displaced more than 2 million people. Needless to say, the United States has lost the war on drugs." (1) This program, the candidate notes, has also created a profit-based incentive for illegal cartels to form, and in turn create systems of black market smuggling and trafficking of dangerous narcotics.
Michael Babula is not alone. The simple phrase, "Stop War on Drugs," in any search engine will lead even the least savvy user to countless articles chastising the outrageous anti-drug movement which is draining our economy today. Ross C. Anderson, Salt Lake City Mayor, writes, "The Republican and the Democratic parties will not honestly address the absolute insanity of our approach to preventing and fighting drug abuse and addiction, so we must insist on a better course. We must insist on a course that is honest, a course that is effective, and a course that is just." (2) He concludes by addressing frightening statistics, which highlight the colossal failure of a massively expensive initiative. "From 1985 to 1995, during which time the federal drug control budget increased almost five-fold, more 12th grade students reported marijuana as "fairly easy" or "very easy" to obtain." Anderson adds that nearly half of the high school seniors interviewed in 1999 claimed that cocaine was "very easy" to obtain and a third of the students reported the same availability for heroin.
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