2. Ian Matthew's four-step solution the the U.S. War on Drugs
My debate with PFDFA
(The Foundation for a Drug Free America)
by Ian Matthews freaker@ufl.edu
I recently wrote a letter to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America explaining my position of marijuana decriminalization and the Drug War. They wrote me back with 5 points attempting to counter my arguments. I refuted all 5 points and sent them back this letter. Hopefully this debate will lead to a rational discussion on the subject with someone in power. I'd like to continue debating this issue with those who support marijuana laws and the Drug War. I'd like to start an organization called Partnership For a Drug War-Free America for this purpose. Anyway, here's the letter. You'll have to read the 3 parts last to first because it's in E-mail "reply" format.
Nice counter. Now here's my response. As far as teens in drug rehabs are concerned, a survey taken in 1990 at a Tampa drug rehab called STEP showed that most teens started with alcohol and cigarettes rather than marijuana. Marijuana was probably cited as the drug of choice because many don't consider alcohol and cigarettes to be drugs. Due to the Drug War, the word drug is generally associated with illicit drugs. If marijuana had never been prohibited, it would probably be considered to be as much of a drug as tobacco. And just because a particular substance is cited as one of choice doesn't make it dangerous. I never said marijuana was harmless, I said it was safer than the vast majority of legal drugs. Nice try. Your second point was dealt with in my first letter. You could substitute the world alcohol or cigarettes for marijuana in the sentence: Second, statistics show that few people move on to the "harder" drugs without first using marijuana, whereas people who don't use marijuana by the time they are about 19 are statistically likely to never use it or any other "harder" drug. I guess that point was shot down pretty well too. For your third point, if you really support treatment over incarceration, your organization needs to be vocal in supporting an end to mandatory minimums. If your organization supports mandatory minimums then your stance on treatment is hypocritical. Jail rarely rehabilitates anybody. Mandatory minimums tear families apart and are an insult to judges and the American judicial system. Also, there is a difference, even with "harder" drugs, between a user and an abuser. Users should not be forced to receive treatment just because they have broken the law. Abusers need help whether they abuse marijuana, "harder" drugs, alcohol, or prescriptions. I think the laws should be changed to treat abusers the same regardless of whether the drugs of abuse are legal or illicit. For your forth argument you state that legal drugs are more abused by teens. Since about 200 million Americans have used alcohol and about 70 million Americans have used marijuana, almost 3 times as many people have used alcohol as marijuana. If you can show me that over 3 times as many teens use alcohol over marijuana then maybe your point of kids choosing the legal drugs will make sense. Also, here in Florida, where marijuana is readily available, it's easier for a 13-year-old to obtain marijuana than alcohol. After all, marijuana is not legal for anybody, and drug dealers don't ID. If it was regulated like alcohol, many teens would have more trouble obtaining it. Criminalization does not have a strong affect of keeping illegal drugs out of the hands of kids. And even if it did, I don't support the incarceration of hundreds of thousands of Americans so we can keep marijuana out of the hands of people who don't use it simply because it is illegal. We could get the American public to reduce a lot of activity which we may find objectionable by criminalizing it, but the United States Constitution is supposed to protect our rights. Your fifth argument is pretty lame. Don't compare growing hemp to slavery. Any intelligent person can tell you that slavery is morally wrong while there is nothing morally wrong with growing a plant. I appreciate your points, but I think I have soundly refuted them all. If you think you can counter any of my arguments, I'd love to hear it. Maybe in the future, someone with some real power will publicly debate this issue. When they do, I'm sure the so-called logic supporting marijuana prohibition will be defeated by the truly rational logic supporting decriminalization. I would love to debate on a rational basis with anyone who supports the criminalization of marijuana and the Drug War. I appreciate that all your arguments were rational and not based on hype or false information. One more note: Studies can support just about anything the researcher wants them to, so they are not the most concrete of evidence.
WEBMAIL wrote:
You make a largely rational and impassioned series of arguments, Ian, raising several points that many consider worthy of debate. However, a few things for you to consider: first, more than half of the teens in this country who check in to drug rehabilitation centers cite marijuana as their primary drug of choice, hardly supporting the idea that it is a harmless drug. Second, statistics show that few people move on to the "harder" drugs without first using marijuana, whereas people who don't use marijuana by the time they are about 19 are statistically likely to never use it or any other "harder" drug. Third, we here at the Partnership are greatly in favor of the treatment idea and applaud all those who have publicly called for greater access to and greater public support of treatment -- it makes good social and economic sense. However, it's critical to note that many people who need treatment will not get it unless they are forced to, which is where the criminal justice system comes in, and to that end, we also support the creation of greater numbers of drug courts that divert non-violent offenders from the penal system into the treatment system. Fourth, no question that alcohol and tobacco are dangerous drugs responsible for a host of social ills, but they are, for better or worse, legal. Still, it's worth noting that these legal products that are regulated and off-limits to kids are used by more kids than use marijuana or other illicit drugs, raising the likelihood -- supported by research -- that decriminalization and regulation of marijuana would lead to an increase in its use by kids as well, and that's something even the pro-legalization movement claims not to want. Fifth and last for the purposes of this "debate," a reminder for you -- if you wish to cite historical references to support your argument, take care. Remember, George Washington also owned slaves and that idea has been repudiated by history as well. Thanks for writing.
-----Original Message----- From: Ian [mailto:freaker@ufl.edu]
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 7:17 AM
To: webmail@drugfree.org
Subject: Write Us Message (Partnership For A Drug-Free America)
Ian freaker@ufl.edu
The problem with the Drug War is with the drugs that are defined as illicit as well as the numerous dangerous drugs that are not illicit. It's irrational and hypocritical. Alcohol is the most physically addictive drug there is due to the fact that it is the only drug where a user has been known to die from withdrawals. That's why heavy alcoholics are weaned off slowly in the hospital. Alcohol is toxic and an overdose can result in death. Alcohol has been linked to more violence than all of the illicit drugs combined, especially during the prohibition era (that worked well). Alcohol is responsible for more deaths than all of the illicit drugs combined. The reasons why alcohol is not illegal are because its use is and has been socially acceptable in American society, and prohibition was realized to create more problems than it solved. DXM is a drug that is commonly found in OTC cough medicines. It is in the same family of drugs as PCP. It has many of the same dangers as PCP and is toxic due to the fact that an overdose can cause death. DXM is not illegal because it has medical uses as a cough suppressant/decongestant. Prescription drugs are any drugs that the FDA allows prescription companies to manufacture and sell for a profit. This is legal drug dealing. Prescription drugs have medical properties relating to the treatment of the medical problem for which they were designed. Many prescription drugs have serious negative side effects, and many have been recalled from the market. Many prescription drugs are toxic and even standard doses can result in death. Prescription drugs are legal because only a doctor can give people permission to use them. Nicotine is a drug found in tobacco leaves. It is highly addictive. The smoking of tobacco leaves have been attributed to more deaths than all of the illicit drugs combined. Tobacco products are legal because far too many Americans are addicted to them and outlawing them would create numerous problems. Caffeine is a drug that is found in coffee and soft drinks as well as OTC pills. Caffeine overdose can result in death. Caffeine is legal because it occurs naturally in many coffees and teas, and because it is reputed to increase alertness. Marijuana is illegal and has been in the United States since the 1930's (that prohibition thing worked so well, why don't we expand it to include other drugs). Like alcohol and tobacco, the use of marijuana dates back for thousands of years. It is a naturally occurring substance. Alcohol occurs in nature as well, but most of it is manufactured rather than just forming on its own. Nicotine occurs naturally in the tobacco plant just as THC occurs naturally in the marijuana plant. Like prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs, marijuana has medicinal properties. The DEA classifies marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic despite studies and a mountain of anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Marijuana is non-toxic. A glass of milk is more likely to kill you! Marijuana is far safer than the aforementioned drugs. It is also safer than any other illicit drug. There is no rationale behind classifying marijuana with other illicit drugs. Over 25% of the population have broken this law. Millions break it every day. Prohibition isn't working! So why is marijuana illegal? In the 1930's marijuana may have been illegal in various states and municipalities. Someone thought it should be illegal at the federal level. Legislation was introduced, and a bunch of politicians who were uneducated about marijuana voted to outlaw it. Marijuana remains illegal because prohibition is not viewed as a problem. Marijuana prohibition is a problem! Hundreds of thousands of people are arrested every year for possession of marijuana. These people have done nothing morally wrong other than breaking the laws of their country. Legalization or decriminalization would solve this problem as well as freeing up prison space for people who have actually done something morally wrong. Marijuana prohibition isn't perceived to cause as big a problem as alcohol prohibition would because marijuana is not as socially acceptable in American society. Roughly 200 million Americans have used alcohol and roughly 70 million Americans have used marijuana, so I would say marijuana is 35% as socially acceptable as alcohol. 25% of the population is a minority, but isn't the United States constitution supposed to protect the rights of the minority from the opinions of the majority? A minority of the population uses tobacco, yet their rights to smoke are protected. Tobacco is also a plant that provides a livelihood for many Americans growing it. Marijuana -- though commonly referred to as hemp (hemp plants are the same as marijuana plants except that they have a very low level of THC) - is a plant that could provide a livelihood for farmers and did when it was legal for cultivation. Everyone knows that George Washington used to grow it. Marijuana alters one's state of mind and continued use can result in building a tolerance. Alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine do the same thing. So why does marijuana remain illegal when it's far safer than most legal drugs and the prohibitions on it are costing thousands to lose their freedom and personal property (by the way even non-users can lose their property due to the Drug War -- under the current legal system, property can be tried for a crime, and it is considered guilty until proven innocent - if you can't prove your property is innocent, the government owns it)? Marijuana prohibition also wastes billions in tax dollars, causes people to use other illicit drugs, and results in many people using dangerous legal drugs so they won't break the law. Marijuana is a "gateway" drug only because it is illegal. Most people who use illicit drugs began with alcohol and tobacco. While a greater percentage of marijuana users use other illicit drugs than the percentage of alcohol users who do so, it is due to the fact that there is a disrespect for drug laws in general rather than marijuana leading to other drugs. Users may think that since marijuana is illegal and safer than most legal drugs, other illicit drugs must not be as unsafe as they are made out to be. The marijuana laws' lack of credibility causes a lack of credibility with all drug laws. These problems would go away if marijuana were legalized or decriminalized. But let's get to the real reason why the Drug War continues. Even though it's economically unsound for the American taxpayer to support the Drug War, some Americans do benefit from it. Politicians use the Drug War to seem tough on crime, but if drugs weren't illegal, crime would be reduced. The original prohibition of alcohol virtually created organized crime. No one kills each other for alcohol anymore. People only kill each other over illegal drugs. If it weren't for the Drug War, where would the DEA be? They wouldn't exist. Even if only marijuana was decriminalized, the DEA's size would be reduced. They support the Drug War because they don't want to lose their jobs. Law enforcement seems to love seizing property and performing no-knock searches. If it weren't for the Drug War they'd be left with few excuses for that kind of behavior. Alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceutical, and even logging companies support the prohibition on marijuana because its legalization or decriminalization might cause people to buy less of their products. After all why mess with substances that can kill you when a safe alternative like marijuana is legal? And why buy expensive prescription and OTC drugs when marijuana works even better? Or why grow trees for paper when you can get four times as much paper from the same acreage of hemp. And I'm sure the drug dealers don't mind making billions of dollars from the sale of marijuana on the black market. The Drug War is profitable for these people. Many of them lobby politicians and contribute money to their campaigns. The Special Interests are dictating the drug policy, not the American public. Most drug laws are horrible. People are suffering far more from drug laws than from the actual use of drugs, yet they still continue to use drugs. Prohibition hasn't worked and those who think it will are fooling themselves. When you throw a drug user in jail, all you accomplish is getting them to stop using drugs while in jail (and sometimes you don't even accomplish that), you don't solve the problem, they come out even worse and continue to do drugs and commit crimes. The average American realizes the problems with the Drug War and the hypocrisy of marijuana laws. Unfortunately those who make the law are either ignorant, uneducated about marijuana, or financially benefiting from continued prohibition. The remainder of the American public needs to wake up, become educated about marijuana and the Drug War, and refuse to let politicians keep dodging the issue. The Supreme Court needs to get some guts and realize that the Drug War is not a valid excuse for law enforcement to violate constitutional rights. At the very least, there needs to be some rationality in drug laws. It's ridiculous that one of the safest drugs remains illegal when far more dangerous drugs are readily available and legal. The credibility of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America is hurt by supporting marijuana laws and the excessive penalties for drug users. It's admirable that your organization doesn't accept contributions from alcohol and tobacco companies, but maybe you should add those legal drug dealers, the pharmaceutical companies, to your list. If you want reduce the demand for dangerous drugs, you need to quit classifying safer drugs such as marijuana with highly unsafe drugs based on simple legality. While it is your policy to focus your efforts against illegal drugs, you should realize that demonizing marijuana only turns people off to your efforts to reduce the use of dangerous drugs. People who have used marijuana know that it is not dangerous and does not deserve the status the DEA has given it. If you were truly concerned about drug use from a health standpoint, you would support the decriminalization of marijuana to give more credibility to drug laws which actually protect people. And if you cared anything about personal freedom, you would support a revamping of drug laws in favor of treatment rather than excessive punishment.
Hi, this is Ian Matthews. Sorry to those I haven't been in contact with in a while, I've been very busy. My debate with the Partnership For a Drug-Free America was a waste of time; they have no power to change the law. I HAVE A REAL SOLUTION TO THE U.S. DRUG WAR! I need your help to get the word out. E-mail this to as many people as you can. In particular, please FLOOD the E-mails of as many politicians as possible. Don't forget to E-mail all the bureaucrats, lawyers, and judges too.
We arrested well over 700,000 people last year for marijuana possession alone. That's almost 3% of the population arrested for possessing the flower of a plant, IN ONE YEAR. We have more NON-VIOLENT criminals locked in prison than just about any country except China. Even if you've never done a drug in your life, the Drug War threatens you. In the past 30 years, the Fourth Amendment against illegal search and seizure has been ripped apart. The cops can search ANYBODY on probable cause, and even though you are considered innocent until proven guilty, your property is considered guilty until proven innocent, which means THE POLICE CAN SEIZE YOUR PROPERTY WITHOUT A WARRANT AND CAN KEEP IT WITHOUT CHARGING YOU WITH A CRIME. The police in some states, such as Louisiana, make quite a bit of money doing this. And let's not forget all the no-knock searches that have killed hundreds of innocent people in the last 30 years. Now even the First Amendment of Free Speech is being infringed upon with the new Methamphetimine bill that makes it illegal to disseminate information about drugs. This will not only prohibit information on the manufacture of drugs, but would prohibit harm reduction services, and possibly even casual conversations relating to illicit drugs. Politicians are trying to rob us of our freedom by standing behind the Drug War.
And the Drug War hasn't even worked. Prohibition sure didn't stop anybody from drinking, it won't stop them from using drugs either. We have a greater percentage of citizens using and addicted to drugs than countries where drugs are legal. We also created a huge black market for illicit drugs that makes Bill Gates personal worth look like chump-change. Not to mention we haven't done anything to help our addicts other than throw them in jail; at least alcoholics can get sentenced to AA meetings. It's time for a real solution to the Drug War.
Step 1 - Elimination of the Drug Czar If there is a general for the Drug War, it's the Drug Czar. If we want to end this war, we need to retire the general. The Drug Czar is a politician we do not need. He promotes anti-drug propaganda and does not seem to be held financially responsible for the decisions he makes. We've spent billions on this drug war, and it's worse than ever. Did anybody ever stop to think, "THIS ISN'T WORKING!"
Step 2 - Reclassification of the DEA and FDA The DEA is the drug enforcement agency and should remain thus, however the DEA should not have any power to make policy. The classification of marijuana as a Schedule One drug is ridiculous, not to mention all the other federal drug policies the DEA is responsible for. Drug policy should be made by the FDA. People who use illicit drugs should be charged similarly to people who use prescription drugs without a prescription, and people who sell illicit drugs should be charged the same way as people who sell prescription drugs without a license. THAT MEANS NO MANDITORY MINIMUMS!
Step 3 - Regulation of marijuana Marijuana should not be decriminalized. If marijuana is decriminalized little kids will be able to smoke it and we won't be able to do anything about it. Marijuana needs to be regulated similarly to alcohol and cigarettes. Millions of Americans break marijuana laws on a daily basis and it truly is a victimless crime. There are easily more victims of alcohol and tobacco than all of the illicit drugs combined. If alcohol and tobacco are legal, why is marijuana illegal? Countries such as Amsterdam and Canada have had great success with the elimination of marijuana persecution, what makes all the idiots think it will cause such havoc in America? THERE SHOULD NOT BE A BUDWEISER OF MARIJUANA! The government should grow it, as it already does now, and regulate the price and supply. Only those licensed to sell it can and they must check ID. Those who choose to grow marijuana (after all, it is a plant, not to mention anyone can brew their own beer if they so choose) should have to purchase a license to grow it and there should be a limit to how many plants they can grow. The money could be used for drug-interdiction programs and rehabs.
Step 4 - Halfway House Rehabs for non-violent drug addicts If we can forgive George W. for snorting coke, why can't we forgive the homeless guy on the corner for smoking crack. He's got it much worse than W., after all, his daddy wasn't the President of the United States. But instead of forgiving him (HEY, MORAL MINORITY, THIS IS WHAT JESUS DOES, WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A LESSION FROM HIM) we throw him in jail for a couple of years. And it doesn't even help him with his problem. I have a complete plan for a drug rehab that will work much better than some $900 a day Charter month-long rehab. Halfway houses are pretty strict as it is, and offenders who've been in one will generally tell you that it helped them out. Prisons should be for murders, rapists, assaulters, and serious thieves. Prisoners are stripped of their rights as an American citizen, sometimes even their human rights. They are assaulted by other prisoners and even the guards. A NON-VIOLENT PERSON DOES NOT DESERVE THIS PUNISHMENT! Those in a halfway house rehab should progress their way through a system where they slowly earn back rights that were taken away from them when they first entered the halfway house. When they complete the highest level, they should be put on probation and leave the halfway house. It is similar to the way long-term youth drug rehabs were run. A newcomer could not read, watch TV, listen to music, smoke cigarettes, drink caffeine, or even be alone. Those on higher levels could also help the newcomers and be a positive peer influence on them, eventually even becoming counselors. Rehabilitation in the halfway houses would include sessions, protected by confidentiality, where those in the halfway house could share negative influences drugs had on them and learn firsthand from other's experiences rather than being fed a bunch of drug horror stories and propaganda. These sessions would be facilitated by counselors or psychologists who were educated in substance addiction. The halfway house rehab is the toughest part of this solution and the intricacies of how it would be run are complex, BUT IT IS A MUCH BETTER SOLUTION THAN THROWING PEOPLE IN JAIL!
Most politicians will say my plan is too radical. They want the easy solutions and they don't want to upset those who favor the Drug War. If it's too radical for the politicians then maybe the Supreme Court will quit being cowards and do something about the Drug War, or at the very least make a stand for state rights over the federal government concerning medical marijuana. MILLIONS OF YEARS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE BEING WASTED IN PRISON! Their families are suffering and ours rights as American citizens are suffering, all due to the drug war. Reform is long overdue, it needs to happen NOW, that is not too radical of an idea for the average American, just for the average politician who cares more about their own personal finances than their constituents' personal freedoms. GET THE WORD OUT! --- Sponsored by the Partnership For a Drug War-Free America
P.S. - For those who support the Drug War, if you've got a better solution I'd like to hear it. My E-mail is freaker@ufl.edu
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