MAKING GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE means accepting social realities and addressing perceived problems in a rational way with full consideration given to both the economic and social consequences of alternative policies.

POSITION SUMMARY:  

The possession and use of all “drugs” in their natural form should be legalized.

The sale of all “drugs” in their natural form should be regulated and taxed.

Funding for drug abuse programs should be significantly increased.

DISCUSSION:

The federal policy regarding “illegal” drugs is seriously flawed -- socially, fiscally and practically.  

Every year, we spend billions of dollars investigating and prosecuting "drug" crimes.  All this in addition to the money spent incarcerating the users of products that are no more harmful than tobacco and alcohol—both of which are legal.  In addition, we spend millions  on the apprehension, prosecution and incarceration of individuals for robbery and related crimes engaged in for the primary purpose of buying drugs.  

There are now in excess of 400,000 people in jails and prison for drug offenses. At an average annual cost per inmate of approximately $25,000, this means that we are spending in excess of $10 BILLION per year just to house drug offenders.  In addition, we spend hundreds of millions, if not billions, each year in drug interdiction and in probation services for drug offenders when they are released from prison.  All this for a victimless crime. 

For what it costs us to incarcerate one drug offender for one year, we could be sending a student to Harvard.  Call me crazy, but I think sending people to college is a better way to spend our money. 

The "cost" of our policy regarding drugs is also reflected in the fact that even minor drug offenses by youthful offenders follow them throughout their lives.  A criminal records prevents many young offenders from obtaining employment, or even gaining access to educational opportunities.  Instead of becoming productive members of society, they become burdens on society--and may even be forced to engage in criminal conduct merely because they are denied employment opportunities. 

I favor two actions relating to drugs.  

FIRST:  As a start, I favor the complete legalization of all “drugs” used in their natural form.  This would remove prohibitions against the smoking or chewing of, for example, marijuana, peyote, and mushrooms, and put them in the same category as alcohol and tobacco—both of which are naturally occurring, and both of which are available for legal (albeit controlled) consumption.  

SECOND:  I favor legalizing the controlled sale, and heavy taxation, of all drugs legalized under the above proposal.  

These actions would produce at least three major benefits.  

FIRST: These proposals would reduce the number of people incarcerated for drug possession and result in massive reductions in government spending.  

SECOND: These proposals would reduce the population of over-crowed prisons and enable us to require all prisoners convicted of real crimes—violent and others--to serve their entire sentences.  

THIRD: Taxes on the sale of drugs that are presently illegal would result in additional revenues--money that can, and should, be used for drug awareness education, and rehabilitation.

FOURTH: Tax evasion will become another tool for prosecuting drug dealers who continue to evade the law.  [That's how the government got Al Capone.].   

In the final analysis, I believe that our approach to drug policy should be based on economics.

 -- It costs us too much to investigate, prosecute and incarcerate drug offenders.

-- We lose too much money by not taxing drug sales.

 In the interests of full disclosure, I have to confess to having partaken of some substances of disputed legality during my misspent youth.  But back then, occasional drug use was more than accepted—it was expected.  A little grass was about as far as I went.  I tried some mushrooms--portabella and shitake.  They didn't do anything for me in the way of hallucinogenic effects, but I highly recommend them when broiled with a crabmeat and caper stuffing.

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