DRUGS AND THE CONSTITUTION PARTY

No, you don't have to be using one to support the other.

Read Ioannes' comments on the Constitution Party Drug Plank here.

I believe that the federal war on drugs has been the biggest waste of money and greatest infringement on human rights in America in the last 30 years. As a long time abuser of drugs I can say, along with Ioannes, that if you want them, you'll get them. Laws never stopped me.

What the law has done is create a system of corruption so pervasive, even Al Capone would feel a tinge of disgust. Gangs and governments, including to an extent our own, rely on drug money for their very existence. Remove the profit and you will remove the crime. It worked with the end of prohibition.

Let states, counties and cities decide how best to handle the problems in their areas. Let them have real power as they were intended to. As an example, here in Franklin County we have a big problem with meth cooking. What is our response? We are in the process of making it illegal for grandma to buy cold medicine. City by city these laws are going into effect. While the citizens have the right to do this, what would happen if they had real power? What if the people of Franklin County could pass a law stating that if one is convicted of manufacturing or distributing meth they will be hung by the neck until dead on a scaffold erected in front of the courthouse; for all to see and as a warning to other cookers. And further, what if we said that any public official caught doing business with the meth cookers would suffer the same consequence? Now that, my friends, is a war on drugs.

As with anything else, you can do what you want, as long as you don't infringe on the rights of others. So if you want to grow some pot, smoke it in the privacy of your home or with friends, knock yourself out. As long as you aren't driving or endangering someone else in some way, who cares? Most drugs should be treated as alcohol and tobacco are treated. Legal for those of a certain age and available and taxed in the marketplace. There are some drugs, however, like meth, that are in a different category. It is hard to make the case that their use is possible over any length of time without causing harm to people beside the user. I believe that they would have to be treated differently than smoking dope or eating a few mushrooms.

But that's a decision for the people of my town, county or state to decide. Get the federal government out of the drug business, whether in enforcement or through corruption. They've proven they can't get the job done.