Let’s end the War on Drugs
Forty years ago, President Nixon used the unfortunate phrase “War on Drugs,” launching a misguided crusade that has encouraged street violence, eaten away at state budgets and packed our prisons with non-violent offenders. The nation’s punitive approach to drugs has turned us into a penal colony. We lock up more of our citizens per capita than brutal dictators like Robert Mugabe and Fidel Castro.
There’s an old saying about seeing the opportunity in a crisis. Perhaps the multiple crises caused by the Great Recession — which has bled state and local treasuries and swelled the federal deficit — will prompt lawmakers to end this futile era of prohibition, which has been costly far beyond the money spent.
Much of the social cost has been borne by black men, who use illegal drugs at rates about equal to whites but are nearly 12 times as likely to be imprisoned for drug convictions as adult white men, according to a Human Rights Watch report released last year. That’s because lazy tactics encourage local police officers to focus on penny-ante street dealers to plump up their arrest records.
That practice can have tragic consequences, as it did in 2006, when Atlanta police fraudulently targeted the home of an innocent elderly woman, Kathryn Johnston, and shot her dead. More often, those tactics yield less dramatic but equally tragic results: Prison has disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of non-violent black men, ripping them from their families and neighborhoods, rendering them unemployable and, therefore, un-marriageable. Currently, more than 10 percent of all black males ages 25 to 39 are in prison or jail.
(Any offender, black, white or brown, who murders, rapes or maims deserves to stay under lock-and-key. But the streets are not made safer when we put non-violent offenders in prison for selling or possessing small quantities of illegal drugs.)
If you prefer a cool-headed focus on finances, though, that, too, shows wasted resources. Counting local, state and federal spending, the nation fights this losing war at an annual cost of more than $40 billion. Attorney General Eric Holder implicitly acknowledged those costs when he announced recently that the feds, with “limited resources,” would no longer punish users of medical marijuana, as long as they follow state laws.
That was a perfectly sensible move, though a modest one. Holder followed up with highly publicized raids in several U.S. cities, including Greater Atlanta, on a Mexican drug cartel. The message? The Obama administration may not call it a war, but they will employ the same tactics to halt the savagery of drug thugs.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has no choice but to target violent cartels. However, the violence associated with the drug trade is fueled by the illegality of the product, just as it was during Prohibition. Al Capone wreaked havoc in Chicago, all the while making millions (way back then) from the sale of illegal alcohol. When the 18th Amendment was repealed, the violence dropped off precipitously. If customers can buy their intoxicant legally, gangsters have little reason to get in the business.
Most lawmakers are too cautious to advocate de-criminalizing all narcotics, and that’s probably just as well. Methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine are highly addictive substances that should be regarded with due caution. But there is every reason for local and federal law enforcement authorities to target only big-time dealers, measured not by ounces or bags but monetary value. Anybody caught with less than a thousand dollars worth of coke is not even a court jester, much less a drug kingpin.
California, meanwhile — so often the cutting edge — is considering legalizing marijuana outright and taxing its sale. If the state succeeds — if it can find a new revenue stream from legal marijuana sales without obvious collateral damage — other states will certainly want to do the same. This era of prohibition could end one state at a time.
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© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
81 comments Add your comment
F. Sinkwich
October 30th, 2009
6:37 pm
My libertarian side pretty much agrees with you, Cynthia (agreeing with you is a rarity).
Somebody smokin’ a doobie somewhere minding their own business is of no concern to me, nor should it be to anyone else.
The truly addictive stuff is a concern. People can down a beer or two or three (go Dawgs tomorrow – I’ll be guilty) without becoming a crime wave. As I understand it, EVERYONE who does that hard stuff becomes a junky.
But if we legalize that wacky tobacky, can we legalize casino gambling too?
Chester Felds
October 30th, 2009
6:43 pm
I couldn’t have said it better. Why are people downing a couple of beers when they are ignoring the “hard stuff?” Personally, I don’t do the hard stuff and not sure what all that is, but whatever Cyhi says, I agree with. She is divine.
Wow, she rhymes wacky tobacky but doesn’t use a hyphen to couple them into a single word. Is this avangarde or what? We should legal legalize Indian casino gambling in this state and allow citizens to join tribes. How!
jconservative
October 30th, 2009
6:44 pm
I agree that the “War on Drugs” has been an abysmal failure. We have had our butts kicked up on side of the country and down the other side.
I would be willing to give legalization a try and, if that is California, lets watch with an open mind & see what happens. But I am tired of spending $30,000. a year to keep a junkie in jail.
Chester Felds
October 30th, 2009
6:49 pm
Maybe if they weren’t selling small amounts, they wouldn’t have to worry about being busted. But, Cyth, you know best. We must crack down on these oppressive, overbearing (insert bad word here) bad people who run these prisons and free these people who don’t deserve to be behind bars for selling a little pot.
It’s hard to find little pots anymore. They’re all medium or larger size and made in China. Show me a little pot made of cast iron and I’ll take it. It’ll last forever and the trip will be worth it. Non of that teflon coated stuff for me.
Now that the recession is officially over, about 15 minutes ago, we should open factories devoted to pot. Small pots, medium pots and larger pots so that Americans can properly cook their dinner. We cannot allow this pot gap to continue! Cyth has brought this to the nation’s attention and now it’s our duty to do our part and buy these pots.
Cathy
October 30th, 2009
6:57 pm
In society today adults have to make millions of important decisions, a lot of which can have a drastic effect on their lives, even death. We are responsible for our choices, and we suffer and prosper from our choices, it’s what makes each individual who they ultimately become. This is called freedom of choice, ownership of ones self. We are legally allowed to make these choices everyday, including many that can be instantly fatal such as riding recreational dirt bikes for the thrill of it, even though it could cost us our lives, its our choice to make.
By trying to force people into not consuming a natural plant we are effectively causing more harm than if we were to let each adult make their own choices and except the consequences for those choices. The harm prohibition has brought to not just our own country, but the vast majority of the world is on a remarkably large scale, and threatens our national security. By choosing to prohibit this substance, we have chosen to ignore it and to let it be controlled by the black market. This in turn has enriched criminal enterprises to the point they have the financial power to compete with their own governments on a military bases as seen in Mexico. This is a national security threat. Marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, and the majority of citizens know this, this in turn creates disrespect for law enforcement thereby furthering the deterioration of our community as a whole. It is inhumane to lock a person in a cage and take away their belongings they worked for when they did nothing to harm any other individual or society. Current marijuana laws are a civil rights nightmare waiting to happen, and only makes marijuana readily available to anyone of any age. The laws are obviously bad, expensive and unyielding in accomplishments. We spend billions each year to try and stop marijuana consumption, and yet the DEA admits they would be surprised if they are even getting 1% of the drugs being transported. That’s a bad investment, and the majorities do not agree with it, and there is no justification for making marijuana illegal in the first place.
Prohibition is bad for our kids as they have complete access to it as long as its being controlled by the black market, what we need is control and regulation to minimize the exposure of drugs to young children. As long as it is illegal or decriminalized there will be a black market selling it at a marked up value because of risk, and all the harm will continue.
By legalizing marijuana we are effectively controlling its distribution, and can much better regulate its use by age limits.
Simply put, it’s a real no brainer and it will eventually happen, so if it’s not working now, and has the potential to be better why would we stay put?
Let’s not continue to turn regular tax paying citizens into tax burdens for the rest of us,
there comes a time when you have to realize a bad investment is a bad investment.
Please help us do the right thing, listen to the people of California who have bravely stood up for a positive change in our society, drugs may not bee good for us, but prohibition has proven far worse.
F. Sinkwich
October 30th, 2009
6:58 pm
I think our early settlers here in Georgia were extremely short-sighted back in the day. They ran all those Injuns out of the state when they could have established a few reservations instead.
Just think, we’d have some casinos in Ellijay or Helen or wherever they hung out at the time. Furthermore, think about the sports book & bar on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon during football season. What FUN!
F. Sinkwich
October 30th, 2009
7:03 pm
Wow, Cathy, nice job on the post but the bong made you a little wordy. I pretty much agree though.
iownme
October 30th, 2009
7:08 pm
the government says don’t ingest a certain plant or we will lock you away
the masses arose and claimed their own bodies and made it clear
my body is mine alone, no government created by the people for the people will ever take that away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chester Felds
October 30th, 2009
7:14 pm
Do a google search of obama, Japanese and verb. See what you get. You won’t get pot.
Chester Felds
October 30th, 2009
7:15 pm
Fewer people are replying to our cindi’s pieces. She has to live too and gets paid by the word and number of comments. Could it be that people are fed up and not reading her rants, raves and posts anymore? Naw, must be too many people who can’t speak poorly written English.
F. Sinkwich
October 30th, 2009
7:21 pm
Chester, dude, whatever criticisms can be directed at Cynthia, poor writing is not one of them. I wish I had her gift.
Just sayin: Watching her and Laura Ingraham on the ABC Sunday morning show last week was, well, enlightening….
Tom Middleton
October 30th, 2009
7:33 pm
Cynthia,
The best way to overcome the scourge of drugs, as we should all know by now, is through change. How much more fun it is to actually become what one can only dream about in a drug stupor.
But this requires real-life goal-setting, discipline, problem-solving, and tenacity – all the things President Obama has talked about throughout his political career, but many have yet to understand.
He’s actually done these things – is a master of these things – so one would wonder why more folks, especially our young, aren’t watching him more as a role model, accepting his challenge, and getting with it.
If “you” want to change your chemistry permanently, change your life, yes? If you want to feel better, become better, right? The doors are open for everyone these days (or soon will be), and nothing else really works!
F. Sinkwich
October 30th, 2009
7:44 pm
Tom, if I’ve seen worse drivel in my life, I sure don’t remember it.
We were talking about dope here, not LSD. Lay off those tabs, dude.
You’re welcome.
Woodrow
October 30th, 2009
7:47 pm
Wow. Rarely do I agree with Cynthia. Today, she nailed it. I disagree with a few of her facts/opinions contained in the column, but she really got the meat of it down. Keep the billions of dollars we spend on the drug war. We could get better results with spending half of that money on prevention. Hell, we could even (gasp) let the taxpayer keep some of their own money!
Tom Middleton
October 30th, 2009
7:56 pm
F. Sinkwich
Love your intoxicants, so you, F? Hang in there. I hope you live long enough to finally understand it one day.
Tom Middleton
October 30th, 2009
9:03 pm
Where did ya go, F? Did you OD and pass out? See what I mean?
godless heathen
October 30th, 2009
9:09 pm
Good post Ms. Tucker. Very popular these days. How do we get some action on this? We need courageous leaders in political office. Never mind.
Just a thought
October 30th, 2009
9:19 pm
Let’s legalize drugs. . . Let’s give illegals amnesty and citizenship. . . Let’s close the gap in our education system by lower the standards. . . Let’s give minorities, including gays, equality by degrading all whites and calling them all racists when they say, do or look any way that is perceived as OFFENSIVE. . . Let’s force everybody into a single payor health care program
F. Sinkwich
October 30th, 2009
9:32 pm
Methinks the crazies have invaded your blog, Cynthia….
I have a dream
October 30th, 2009
9:46 pm
This is a war that will not and cannot be won by the US definition of “War”. Your local policeman, lawyer, judge, senator, etc. have all been tarnished by drug money and organized crime.
One only need look at the border states of US and Mexico to see a microcosmic view of what would happen if a true “War” was declared on drug dealers. Violent death and crimes by the drug cartels would explode. No one has the marbles to go up against them.
Just remember, the so called “War” on drugs is no different than the so called “War” on terrorist. No one has the backbone to really declare a true war on them. It’s all rhetoric trash!
Tom Middleton
October 30th, 2009
9:49 pm
F. Sinkwich
There’s such a thing as being too high, F. Read it tomorrow after you’ve sobered up, and maybe it’ll all make since.
F. Sinkwich
October 30th, 2009
10:09 pm
“since” ???
Maybe you mean “sense.”
Put down the bottle while you type, Tom. Try to be cogent.
Just trying to help.
Thanks.
Tom Middleton
October 30th, 2009
10:22 pm
F. Sinkwich
Just checking your eyesight to see if you could still read. Good, dude, but your logic (or rather lack of it) says you shouldn’t be driving. What are you on tonight, shoe polish? Get yourself to rehab ASAP and start learning how to change. And thank you, F….lol.
mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, Barack the LIAR Obama
October 30th, 2009
11:04 pm
Cynthia are these new Libertarian leanings? Or change you can belive in?
Speaking of, who’s bringing change to Washington, The White House is NOT for sale (well, maybe for rent), Transparency, NO lobbyist on the White House staff, and all bills on line so the public can read them and on, and on, and on……let me say it again, mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm Barack the LIAR Obama
TnGelding
October 31st, 2009
1:29 am
F. Sinkwich
October 30th, 2009
6:37 pm
“But if we legalize that wacky tobacky, can we legalize casino gambling too?”
Yes, we can!
TnGelding
October 31st, 2009
1:35 am
mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, Barack the LIAR Obama
October 30th, 2009
11:04 pm
“Speaking of, who’s bringing change to Washington, The White House is NOT for sale (well, maybe for rent), Transparency, NO lobbyist on the White House staff, and all bills on line so the public can read them and on, and on, and on……let me say it again, mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm Barack the LIAR Obama.”
Liar, liar, pants on fire!!! Good grief! Grow up!
Lying and narcissism are prerequisites for running for the job for goodness sakes. The best liar usually wins. But be patient, some of those “lies” might materialize.
That said, I’m getting a little impatient myself. But probably for different reasons than you.
TnGelding
October 31st, 2009
1:37 am
Yes, let’s end the war on drugs, and all the other “wars”, as well. We simply can’t afford to continue throwing money down a rat hole with little or nothing to show for it.
Joel Edge
October 31st, 2009
6:25 am
Sure why not. Intelligent people will make correct choices when it come to decisions that affect our lives. Then we can maybe get rid of some these helmet laws, seatbelt laws, anti-smoking laws, and various nanny laws that you liberals love so well. Unemployment will drop like a rock (when you’re stoned out of your mind, who can remember to look for a job or pick up an unemployment check) and jobs in rehab related positions should skyrocket. The marriage rate for blacks should go up. Who doesn’t want to marry a doped up guy, and he could be violent also, bonus.
ck hall
October 31st, 2009
7:35 am
Ho Hum! Why Always a racial angle in almost every editorial that you write? It sure gets old!
jt
October 31st, 2009
8:00 am
Ending the war on drugs is similar to decreasing the size and corrupt influence of our federal government.
They are both pipe dreams.
Centralized authority will only yield to expediency.
TJ
October 31st, 2009
8:34 am
I guess decriminalizing drug use could work as far as lowering the number of black males in our prisons but I have a different approach that would end drug use and overcrowded prisons,
Announce that the government will pay all cost of drug rehab for a period of one year for anyone who asks.
After the one year, anyone convicted of growing, producing, transporting, selling, possessing or using any illegal drug regardless of the quantity will be imprisoned for 10 years without the possibility of parole.
If one is convicted a second time after serving their 10 years they shall be put to death.
I’m fairly sure that somewhere around year 11 the prisons would have plenty of free space and our streets would be free from drugs.
If you are going to have a war, fight to win, not surrender as you would have us do.
Scott
October 31st, 2009
9:12 am
Cynthia,
Why do you inject race into EVERYTHING? The person that always brings race into an issue is almost always the racist. You are worse than Sharpton. If the prisons were filled with white people, you would probably encourage a bigger war on drugs. Bill Cosby has it right. Take accountability for your actions and stop blaming the system.
mhs4
October 31st, 2009
9:20 am
If you legalize drugs then help needs to be excluded from whatever medical welfare plan the dimwits come up with. To do something you know is not good for you and then expect others to pay for it is totally dumb, but I am sure Cynthia, Nancy, Harry, and Barack will be for it. Yes, and that includes smoking tobacco!
Patrick
October 31st, 2009
9:41 am
The only people who comment on editorials are people that are incapable of forming their own opinions. This person’s entire job is to be “controversial” so you people will read her column and argue and fight. This so called “journalist” doesn’t care if you agree or disagree. She only cares that you read her column so she can keep her job. You people are really a very sad group.
And to clarify, I am commenting on the pathetic losers that comment on editorials, not the editorial itself. There is a difference.
Ayn Rand Was Right
October 31st, 2009
9:47 am
Can Cyndi Lu ever write something that actually makes sense without fouling it playing her favorite race card? I agree, the war on drugs is stupid…where I disagree, is on her take that the war on drugs is racist. The majority of people in jail are there because they are stupid, not because they possessed a “small amount” of pot. CL…fight the right fight and get rid of stupid laws. If you dropped your race card for a few weeks, you may find the world is not the horrible place you make it out to be.
clyde
October 31st, 2009
10:19 am
Rendering them unemployable,unmarriageable,also unmanageable and useless.Let’s get rid of them.They’re always going to be a drag on society.By the way,Ms. Tucker,this is a choice they made.Bad choices come with bad consequences,but the consequences are apparently not bad enough to be a deterrent,are they?Let’s change that factor.Let’s make the consequences so bad that 90% of young black men won’t think about using drugs along with an equal number of other ethnic groups.That will leave 10% of them where we’ll use execution as a final deterrent.These measures will cure the drug problem in the U.S,I’ll guarantee that.
For a time,Ms.Tucker,there will be a blood bath,some of your neighbors,and hopefully two of mine will disappear.Then we can take the money we are using,trying to rehabilitate some cretin that cannot be rehabilitated,and assist those that are trying.We need to start backing winners and eliminate the losers.
Joan
October 31st, 2009
10:52 am
Let’s bring our troops home and put them on the city streets with their automatic weapons. And put them on the borders to stop the hordes of people transporting. And put them in the airports. We can win this war. We can’t win in the Mideast.
Joan
October 31st, 2009
10:53 am
By the way Patrick–you are a snob within a snob. So don’t comment and stay away from these sites if they offend your delicate sensibilities.
Mutts R Stupid
October 31st, 2009
11:49 am
But, but, but if we end the war on drugs, the street price of drugs will drop drastically, leading to DEFLATION in illegal drugs. How will Black men make money then? Oh, yeah, there is always pimping. Merry Christmas, HO HO HO
Mutts R Stupid
October 31st, 2009
11:56 am
Black Druggies overcrowding prisons? The simple solution is to form Penal Brigades as the Germans did on the Eastern Front in 1942. They emptied their prisons of murders, rapists, and other violent types, and sent them to the VERY front of the lines in Russia, where they were forced to fight till they were dead, dead, dead. FYI, the fictional history of one such penal squad is depicted in the novel “Make War in Madness” by Walker E. Blake, aka W.E.B Griffin.
Mutts R Stupid
October 31st, 2009
12:33 pm
Have any of you noticed how poorly the ajc is now covering local and regional news? They have laid off many reporters and the quality of the paper has suffered. Meanwhile, they are paying to keep this over priced opinion writer on the staff, working in Washington DC of all places. How many real reporters were let go by the Urinal to keep opinion girl on the staff? IMHO, Cindy’s opinion and five dollars together are worth exactly one cup of Starbucks coffee, to go.
Sunshine and Thunder
October 31st, 2009
12:34 pm
Cynthia,
Well don’t stop there. Let’s legalize prostitution and gambling too. Are you with me on that?
Mutts R Stupid
October 31st, 2009
12:38 pm
“Al Capone wreaked havoc in Chicago, all the while making millions” – Yo Cindy Lou, how many millions did Joe Kennedy make, way back then from illegal whiskey?
Scott Eady
October 31st, 2009
4:17 pm
Blacks use equal to whites?
Not based on their percentage of population.
CT, why dont you go live in Southwest Atlanta to see how you like it
All the way
October 31st, 2009
4:29 pm
Obama is too busy with a war on his critics to care about a war on terror or a war on drugs.
Peaches
October 31st, 2009
4:31 pm
Did you notice the article about Atlanta METRO ranking 23rd in crime and the poor reporter didn’t seem to know the difference in the city of Atlanta and the metro. It’s a shame that reporting has sunk so low.
Bazooka Joe
October 31st, 2009
5:49 pm
Make recreational drugs legal for a start.
Of course that will never happen.
Make drugs legal and tax the purchase to generate revenue.
That will never happen either.
Take all the perps with drug convictions, revoke their citizenship and send them to some island paradise (The Bahamas) like we did with some of the Gitmo guys. There they can start their own culture.
Send them to Gitmo for a while and get them and their influence out of America.
Confiscate and destroy all their material and immaterial belongings before their eyes, then send them to Gitmo.
Even if they are in jail, they are still peddling, pushing, maintaining. They need to be removed form society completely. 100%.
I could wrap this up in short order.
Herodomus
October 31st, 2009
8:08 pm
Legalize Drugs? Don’t you mean legalize marijuana? It would be a big mistake to legalize heroin, cocaine, meth, PC. Let’s get real. Hard drugs kill.
Elrey Jones
October 31st, 2009
9:31 pm
Cynthia Tucker is a racist african woman. She is racist to the bone and part of the Old South racist african crowd. Her and her kind have been exposed for the shysters they are. Stop black on non-black crime and don’t waste your time reading from a racist ranting african lady who is hateful at best and just a plain old evil woman at worst.
Sam
October 31st, 2009
9:50 pm
Now if you agree with Ms. Tucker just think what other silly things you will do if drugs are legal.
david
October 31st, 2009
9:58 pm
We need to legalize prostitution also! We need brothels in the ATL.
Elrey Jones' life coach
October 31st, 2009
11:55 pm
I resigned two minutes after meeting him.
not suprised
November 1st, 2009
12:30 am
I’m not suprised by this article, it sounds like it is always the white mans fault for crimes that black men CHOOSE to commit. Also, about your illustration about black people getting killed by rough cops and drug stings, you might want to include the story about the white pastor who was murdered by black under cover officers in North Georgia. Hmmm, you couldn’t possibly bring that up because it would contridict your agenda.
Rational Citizen
November 1st, 2009
8:46 am
It’s always interesting how many people, conservative and liberal, agree that the war on drugs has been an abysmal failure, yet you rarely see politicians suggest changes. If you support the legalization, regulation and taxation of marijuana, please contact your local and state representatives and tell them that prohibition has failed. It’s time we stop ceding a $100 billion industry to Mexican cartels. Americans are going to continue to use marijuana. The war on drugs has done absolutely nothing to curb the demand. Let’s create jobs in America, where people will be paying sales and income tax on the marijuana trade.
mike
November 1st, 2009
9:16 am
Cynthia,the only problem is that black men are one-fifth in number as compared to whites. Therefore if they have the same number of incidents in both groups, that means black men are involved in crimes at a rate of 4 to 1 compared with white men. Nice try though…
Larry Orange
November 1st, 2009
9:37 am
not suprised- are you talking about the pastor who tried to run over the cops with his car? The same pastor who was seen with a woman who was arrested with meth and cocaine on her person? Is this the pastor you are talking about? When two men, no matter their color, yell “POLICE FREEZE”, twice and you try to hit them with your car, you can best believe you will be shot.
Mr. Atlanta
November 1st, 2009
9:51 am
Ms. Tucker for the 1st time in my adult li e……….I’m proud to be in total agreeance with you!
Pot Head
November 1st, 2009
10:15 am
Well, if’n you want to jail and execute drug offenders then do the same to worthless Christians. Afterall, who in their right mind would still believe that mythology. It’s almost 2010 for gawds sake, you freaking psychos.
Fang1944
November 1st, 2009
10:53 am
Marijuana and prostitution: legalize ‘em, regulate ‘em, and tax ‘em. That’d pay for health care, the space program and education.
John Ellison
November 1st, 2009
11:56 am
The following is an excerpt from “Tao Te Ching”:
If a country is governed with tolerance,
the people are comfortable and honest.
If a country is governed with repression,
the people are depressed and crafty.
When the will to power is in charge,
the higher the ideals, the lower the results.
Try to make people happy,
and you lay the groundwork for misery.
Try to make people moral,
and you lay the groundwork for vice.
Barry
November 1st, 2009
1:48 pm
Absolutely – let’s end the war on drugs and quit spending money on absurd enforcement. At the same time, let’s also end the other non-shooting war that preceeded it: The “War on Poverty,” which has cost us trillions and destroyed far more inner-ciity neighborhoods thatn the “War on Drugs” ever did.
HRPufnstuf
November 1st, 2009
2:57 pm
Yep Cynthia, let’s legalize dope, because it’s a RACIAL thing, as is EVERYTHING that you write about. Legalize booze too, because I’m sure that’s RACIAL too, right Cynthia? Also panhandling, rape, robbery, bad checks, it’s all RACIAL, right Cynthia? No matter what the crime, the Man is just picking on them because they’re black.
Did I mention the RACIAL disparity of it all, Cynthia? Pick a topic, any topic, throw in a couple of Race Cards, and Boom! You’ve got next week’s column.
Oh, and did I mention, their could be RACIAL reasons for whatever Cynthia blathers about?
Objectivists are Morons
November 1st, 2009
3:17 pm
The drug “war” was lost years ago just as Prohibition was lost as soon as it was passed. It’s a great idea for people not to drink or do drugs, however, it ignores the reality that people are going to drink and do drugs. Prohibition of alcohol didn’t work and prohibition of drugs is not working and will never work.
Let’s stop the mass imprisonment of non-violent offenders and stop wasting so much money.
Tom Middleton
November 1st, 2009
4:32 pm
John Ellison @11:56am
Right, Mr. Ellison. Anytime good stands up, evil stands up as well. The question from age to age is which one will win out or at least have the most influence in an evolutionary way.
To say that good brings evil is not an excuse for not doing (being) good, for then evil wins out for sure.
Government always has a role to play in the evolution of a country, for if it’s not reflecting the good of its people, it’s ultimately supporting those destructive elements that will bring their demise.
It’s always been and always will be a struggle of good vrs evil, but I think we can look back over human history and clearly see for ourselves that good the one we want!
Tom Middleton
November 1st, 2009
4:36 pm
Make that: good IS the one we want
Michael H. Smith
November 1st, 2009
6:00 pm
California is on the cutting edge of the financial abyss. Another “sin tax” will not save the state of California from its “prodigal liberal legislature” that has taken the state to precipice so often.
Government cannot spend us rich, borrow us out of debt, nor can government tax us into prosperity. A good lesson other states and our Congress should learn not to follow, Comrade Cynthia.
itstrue
November 1st, 2009
7:06 pm
To me it’s not about revenue, although every little bit helps. We ought to look at the things that people do in terms of individual and social risk, and be judicious and realistic about it. I’m of the belief that people should generally be able to do what they want, and that sins should be viewed as “innocent until proven guilty” of some horrible social problem.
One-by-one, we should go down the list of ’sins’ and try to figure out where the real problems are, and what we, as a state, nation or a people can reasonably agree as tolerable.
Prostitution and gambling get a lot of people in trouble. Underground prostitution involves pimps, minors, sketchy johns and all the other crap you see in the movies.
A certain percentage of people get a rush out of betting, and some of them end up broke.
So what should we do? Ban them altogether? Regulate and tax them somehow? There ought to be a real debate on this.
Marijuana, cocaine and all the rest ought to be put to the same test. Looking at the evidence, it’d be easy to decide on allowing one and banning the other. Cocaine kills people and turns them into drug-seeking sociopaths. It’d be good policy to keep it illegal and try to get rid of the stuff where possible.
Marijuana makes people watch TV and eat cheetos. I say fine. I say sell it, tax it, and if people end up in trouble with the stuff, put them in a program.
philxor
November 1st, 2009
7:26 pm
I completely agree. The race card piece is probably unnecessary in the article, but we are in Atlanta… Prohibition on Marijuana breeds violence and needless incarceration just like it did during alcohol prohibition. Alcohol causes much social strife, deaths from medical issues and drunk driving, yet anyone can go buy it on the corner in most towns in America. While Marijuana affects some in a way similar to being drunk, I’ve never seen an angry or violent stoner. MJ is virtually legal in CA with how lax their medical marijuana laws are, you don’t see huge issues there… It’s definitely a case study in how life would be with legal marijuana, not a whole lot different than it is with it. Except the cost savings…
Tom Middleton
November 1st, 2009
7:52 pm
But government can lead, Michael, take up the slack when your beloved free market fails us, help with drug addiction, and provide sustenance for those who’ve been messed-over by the greedy, who always seem to want way more than they could ever use.
Government can help those who are sick but who’ve been booted off the private sector’s health-care rolls for the love of profit, and government can provide a vibrant economic environment overall for consumers and businesses to thrive.
Government can also protect the environment from incomplete manufacturing processes, force worker safety regulations on those who simply don’t care a flip about the ones doing the actual work, and government can also insure that our great Constitution of the United States of America applies equally to everyone – the only way our nation can last until the last second of time.
People who believe in these things aren’t communist, Michael. We are VERY patriotic Americans indeed, working for the country’s well-being as a whole; and it takes public money to be patriotic these days, especially since most on the right are only in it for themselves. (And let’s not forget the fiscal irresponsibility of the eight years of the Bush administration. Good grief, Charlie Brown; how could you possibly forget that?)
It’s the political right that does most of the damage, Michael, and it’s the rest of us who must work diligently to correct the mistakes your side loves to make without one iota of care for what you’re doing to our beloved country. You damage, Michael, and we fix. If you don’t want the fix, then don’t cause the problems in the first place.
Like I said, we’re patriots, Michael, and you should be glad we are. If we weren’t here to solve the problems you and your side seem to enjoy causing, this country would be communist in no time, for your political philosophy of selfishness couldn’t possibly stand alone – not in a kazillion years of trying!
Michael H. Smith
November 1st, 2009
9:50 pm
Government lead? Are you trying to make me laugh. My beloved “free” market? Are you delusional at least certainly you are ignorant of my views of what is “free” and about capitalism.
Nothing, Tom, is “free”. You’ve been watching too much Michael Moore lately.
It is not the role of government to provide sustenance as the financial means whereby one lives their life. It is the role of government to deliver economic conditions in an atmosphere conducive within a fettered (”efficiently regulated” not overly regulated) capitalist market whereby one can gainfully become employed to provide for their own sustenance in their lives and pay taxes for a reasonable amount of efficient government (as though we will ever see an efficient government of reasonable size, let alone costs). Government can even go so far as to assist an individual periodically in preparing themselves for gainful employment. But government should not be and most times fails when government attempts to be, a provider of much anything without messing over someone else by confiscating their wealth for Re-distribution. As the constitution says in the pre-emblem clarifying a pervious article charging government to “promote the general welfare”. The general welfare is not promoted by creating more taxation which only stifles creativity and restrains prosperity.
Do spare me your indignant lecture on protecting the environment. Before your ilk Tom, Teddy Roosevelt who I adhere to in most issues concerning the conservation of this planet – as well as worker rights and anti-trust law – was light years ahead of your environmentalist extremest flock and Mr. Obama who while speaking of global warming was giving Brazil a U.S. taxpayer backed loan to explore for more oil off the coast of Brazil. Guess burning oil from Brazil is cleaner, greener and produces less carbon emissions than oil produce from exploring for oil in this country, right? Oh, silly me, George Soros made money off that Brazilian oil deal so it has to be environmentally friendly. Ooh I can feel that patriotic Obama government salvation already. Yep, that’s your good elitists government at its very best protecting me from “manufacture incompetence”
Only We the People can insure the constitution applies equally through means of our courts when rights are violated, as often individual rights have been violated in not applying equal protections and prosecutions.
U.S. Supreme Court Justices Antonia Scalia and Stephen Breyer discussed constitutional and statutory interpretation. Something of worthwhile watching for many judicial activist that believe in the “evolving constitution” which enhances government powers beyond the enacted constitutional boundaries intended.
It would take alot less of my patriotic money and the patriotic money others like me if you socialist patriots wouldn’t swoon over ever big government fig leaf of an entitlement program imaginable to hide your power grabbing, freedom robbing, liberty denying, nanny state dependency addicting non-sense as the answer to problems that government from your side Tom, has made and is making just so the socialist left would have something to fix and blame on the right. Such things really don’t send a Chrisy Matthews an MSDNC tingle up my leg. They are only a pain in my back-pocket and a sure-fire Warren Buffett banana republic fast-track to the national bankruptcy of this once economic superpower. Exactly how many American jobs have been lost since the Obama Splurge passed and is unemployment now 8 percent?
I’ll be glad when you good socialists patriots, Tom, are sent packing all the way back to Woodrow Wilson before this country becomes transformed into your Obama socialist selfless communist state collective utopia.
Drexel Gal
November 1st, 2009
10:32 pm
Ms. Tucker demonstrates the Liberals’ adherence to one of their oldest tenets: “The quickest way to end a war is to surrender.”
Doug McFarland
November 2nd, 2009
12:08 am
Ms. Tucker,
After many years of reading an absolutely disagreeing with your point of view, I have to give you a great amount of credit for having the intestinal fortitude to write such a magnificent article. I am so proud that a black American has finally taken the stand against this outrageous “war on drugs”. I’ve read the articles for years how the police have unconstitutionally taken money away from individuals who were going to make a large purchase of something very legitimate, such as a car, and spent years fighting to get their money back. Way to go Ms. Tucker! I hope you continue writing articles like this and get our government back on track.
Kind regards,
Doug McFarland
Tom Middleton
November 2nd, 2009
12:11 am
MHS: I’ll be glad when you good socialists patriots, Tom, are sent packing all the way back to Woodrow Wilson before this country becomes transformed into your Obama socialist selfless communist state collective utopia.
Lot of stuff there to respond to, Michael, but let me begin by saying I’m a political moderate, not a socialist. I usually find it easier to side with the Dems because their values are more about people, and the scope of their philosophy is inclusive of all in this country. That, of course, includes you, Mike.
But it’s no wonder you think I’m a socialist, because in your mentality, anyone that works for the country as a whole must have something wrong with them. But to me, of course, it’s those who teach working for yourselves that are wrong.
If you’ve ever worked for a professional corporation, as I have, you would know that selfish people don’t do well in that kind of environment. If you’re not working for the good of the whole company, Michael, and helping it succeed, you’re not going up. In fact, you might be going out really fast. But is this socialism, Michael? By your logic, it is.
So why then is your definition of socialism, one of working for the whole country and helping everyone in it grow to their potential. This can only be done through their own efforts, of course, so what’s the problem, especially if it makes the country and the Constitution on which it’s founded stronger in the process? Are you trying to tell me this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be? And are you still willing to call this kind of attitude “socialist”? That’s nuts, Mike.
I’ll bet there’s not a local group – family or otherwise – organization, community, or business, especially the military, that you’ve been involved with in your short life, where you’ve had this same kind of nonsense attitude.
I’m certain that you know something about success, but somehow, when it comes to our nation as a whole, you turn it all backwards, put yourself first and foremost, and start talking jibberish that makes no sense at all.
You can’t have a successful nation, Michael, by serving just yourself, and to heck with the government that tries to stand in your way by serving everyone else as well. Like I said, Mike, that’s just plain wrong, and you know it!
MHS: It is not the role of government to provide sustenance as the financial means whereby one lives their life.
Michael, here I was referring to unemployment and all the things people need to keep on living and providing for their families when their economy has failed them miserably. That’s the kind of “sustenance” I was talking about. Our current mess started under President Bush and his policies, and wound up on President Obama’s desk his first day in office, and he hasn’t done badly with it at all.
I shutter to think what another Republican president would have done in his place – more of the same I’m sure. So now that we know for certain that the three main principles of right-wing philosophy – tax cuts, deregulation, and feed the rich – don’t work well at all when enacted without concern for ALL Americans, I can only imagine how bad things would have become by now had your party won last November.
Like I said, Michael, it’s not socialism to care about everyone; it’s patriotic. In fact, let me go you one more: I think it’s Christian. Are you Christian, Michael, you know the kind of Christianity that Jesus taught? Or are you just as selfish about what you expect from your Lord as what you expect from your country?
You know God loves all of us, Michael, so are we supposed to be different? And if you believe in loving everyone on Sunday, can’t we expand that to every other day of the week without some unpatriotic, self-serving goof calling it socialism? I hope so, dude, for both of us.:)
e.woods
November 2nd, 2009
1:30 am
tax and control all of it.We cant stop the inevitable drug addicts and dealers.allow the tax dollars to enrich the the lives of our youth,elderly and want to be scholars and hard workers.
What They Are Saying: 11.02.09 | AnnotatedOpinions.com
November 2nd, 2009
9:35 am
[...] Let’s end the War on Drugs [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] [...]
Dean Chambers
November 2nd, 2009
6:06 pm
Great article, I agree, it would be interesting to see what would happen if there was some kind of legalization registration for people who get strung out on hard drugs; Britan and other countries have legalized heroin and it seems to work quite well, of course they advocate against use and have active programs for rehab.
I live in Calif and witness the success of legal pot; it is very much the way to go. A person going through chemotherapy, one who get migraines, or anyone who finds the plant to help them medicinally should not have to feel like a criminal going to parks and street corners buying pot. Of course there are people who abuse the fact pot is legal here but you are not going to stop the few who take advantage of legalization; you still come out way ahead of the game but using reasonable legalization methods.
Dean Chambers
November 2nd, 2009
6:21 pm
Yes Cynthia, You should have no shame in addressing the racial issues here, they are important and some of the idiots here who thrive on ignorance and white privilege will never get it; even with at week long cultural sensitivity class, too bad. As a black journalist I applaud you for your advocacy. Anyone who reads your articles knows that you also come down hard on issues and hold black people accountable to all degrees with a great deal of balance, you are not blind to the whole picture and that indeed makes for good journalism, sometimes the truth hurts and we need to hear things that may make us uncomfortable, but the truth here is that yes, there are far too many blacks in prison for soft drug related crimes.
The fact that black men are going to prison at such a high rate for the same thing white males get a pass on is connected to many issues but yes unfortunately race is a strong one. I used to work in the prisons and juvenile justice system; yes the institutional racism is very real here; I have witnessed it first hand in “Placement Advisory Board” meetings. This is the regular Friday meeting where the staff that worked at the Juvenile Center would meet to make the recommendations to the judge, it was jaw dropping experience to hear some of the things I heard. One of the more harmful things about institutional racism comes from the fact that much of it is subliminal and the people who harbot such sentiments often think of themselves as being pretty enlightened.
Having said that it is also true that we as black people have plenty of work to do in our communities; we need to have more engagement from our professionals to go into high risk areas and take on the challenges of working more closely with those of us who have lost our way; nobody is really going to solve the problem for us; we must do all we can to keep people from going into the criminal courts; as Malcom X taught us long time ago, “Whatever you do obey the law, you will not get justice in the white mans court” Or Clarence Thomas’s court.
If you are not OJ Simpson or Michael Jackson and you do not have millions to spend on court fees I believe there are far too many brothers who will be looking at justice from a distance!
JAMI
November 3rd, 2009
12:36 pm
As a child of the nineties, I participated in the DARE program in school and was taught by my mother never to use drugs. As a teenager I learned many close family members were drug users during the 80’s and one distant cousin was jailed for selling drugs as a part of a Southeast drug ring in 2001. As I see many of my peers, celebrities and private citizens, and life long drug users arrested on COPS, I realize using drugs is a CHOICE no matter one’s age, race, social class, or profession. People argue if drugs are legalized, more people will start using, I disagree, I believe more people will STOP using because many people just like being “outlaws” and criminals. It will not be as taboo if people can use drugs freely, the government takes control of the sale of illegal drugs and makes them not only legal but taxable. There would be no more debt and borrowing money from CHINA! Also, keep in mind that many Americans abuse prescription drugs and alcohol (drinking and driving) so people are going to do what they choose to even if it means death, risking the lives of others or spending a lifetime in jail! No matter how many times one attends rehab, gets interventions from loves ones, or is jailed, there will ALWAYS be people who will CHOOSE to continue to abuse drugs and alcohol which is VERY SAD! One must MAKE THE CHOICE to live A BETTER LIFE AND BE GOOD in this world!
Mike
November 3rd, 2009
2:03 pm
6 weeks ago I was arrested for possessing heroin. The amount I had was for myself, but I was charged with intent to distribute. I am facing felony charges. If I am convicted of a felony I will face a life of hardship when it comes to finding employment. It is amazing that the government expects people like me who have never hurt another human being to accept the coonviction and then rehabilitate ourselves into productive human beings. The sad thing about a drug crime like mine is that I am the perpatrator and the victim. We live in a nation that is only 55 years removed from segragation. Slavery is in the not so distant past. While I am proud to be an American I am certainly not blind to the fact that this country is far from being free. The track records of our lawmakers past and present are suspect. I wonder when this country will finally have the sense to decriminalize drugs. It’s my body and it’s my choice. To justify narcotic prohibition on the basis that drugs can harm people is about as logical as outlawing cars because people get into car accidents. And it is really hard for me to swallow the stigma I carry as a drug addict felon when everywhere I turn there’s a bar and a liquor store. Welcome to America and just hope and pray that your kids grow up to be alcoholics and not heroin addicts. It’s the difference between a lifetime of legal problems and rehab, or bars and social acceptance.
Joseph Villermo
November 4th, 2009
8:42 am
Not every person who tries weed will try other drugs, however F. Sinkwich is mistaken when he says that every hard drug makes you an addict. Some do, mostly cocaine, cocaine derivatives, meth, and opiates. However, some of these drugs have no addictive quality whatsoever. For example, MDMA in it’s pure and uncut form is perfectly safe, it was used in its infancy for couples therapy, and trust me, it works for that.
David E Clark
November 5th, 2009
12:12 pm
Thanks again, Ms. Tucker, for a very thoughtful post. Remember that we have been better able to keep kids away from tobacco and alcohol through legalization, regulation and education. This is what NORML advocates with respect to marijuana. Right now it is easier for kids to get weed than beer or cigarettes. Dealers don’t card their customers. Plus the state is making zero revenue off of a huge cash crop. The demand for marijuana cannot be stopped. If Georgia started regulating the supply and managing the market responsibly, instead of the all-or-nothing approach of prohibition, we would all benefit. Prohibition didn’t work in the 1920s and it is not working now. I have been an attorney for 20 years and executive director of Georgia NORML for less than a year. The stories I am hearing from Georgians who became innocent victims of the drug war are heartbreaking.