Drug War

A Letter to My Friend Who Supports the Drug War

by James Muhm February 1, 2005

My friend, we’ve been discussing this war on drugs for quite a while, and whether or not it is doing anything to reduce drug use. We both agree that most drugs, particularly “hard” drugs, have a harmful and debilitating effect on most persons who use them. And yet, is the metaphorical war on drugs doing what it is supposed ...

The Longest-Running War

by Doug Bandow December 20, 2004

Joel Miller, Bad Trip: How the War on Drugs Is Destroying America; (Nashville, Tenn.: WND Books, 2004). Jeffrey A. Miron, Drug War Crimes: The Consequences of Prohibition; (Oakland, Ca.: The Independent Institute, 2004). War has become a centerpiece of American politics. The ...

States Should End the Drug War

by Sheldon Richman December 13, 2004

“Medicine by regulation is better than medicine by referendum.” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said that during last week’s arguments over the much-watched medical-marijuana case. Breyer, in other words, prefers that any change in the government’s prohibition of marijuana use be accomplished by an appeal to the ...

Book Review: Drug War Heresies

by Paul Armentano April 1, 2004

Drug War Heresies by Robert J. MacCoun and Peter Reuter (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001); 479 pages; $28.00. In the ongoing debate over drug policy, professors Robert MacCoun and Peter Reuter are betwixt and between. On the one hand, government officials have assailed their empirical data documenting prohibition’s negligible impact on both drug use and perceived harm because it undermines ...

The Drug War and Terrorism

by Scott McPherson January 1, 2004

On the first anniversary of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, President Bush assured the public that in fighting a cause “even larger than our country” the American government would “continue to pursue the terrorists in cities, and camps, and caves across the earth” to rid the world of the threat of terror. Unfortunately, in continuing to hold ...

The Government’s War on Children

by Sheldon Richman November 19, 2003

Goose Creek, S.C., recently was the scene of a horrific event spotlighting two government institutions: schools and the war on drug users. On a quiet day early in November a squadron of policemen stormed into Stratford High School, automatic pistols and shotguns drawn. They ordered the students to the floor ...

The Inalienable Right to Self-Medication

by Sheldon Richman November 3, 2003

What’s lost in discussion of Rush Limbaugh’s alleged illegal use of painkillers is the inalienable right to medicate oneself, which is contained in the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. True, governments don’t recognize this right. Limbaugh himself has not recognized it. But as some conservatives say about the right to ...

The Drugs-and-Terror Ad Campaign

by Paul Armentano October 1, 2003

“Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it might come from you.” Or so claimed a year-long series of U.S. taxpayer-funded public service announcements (PSAs) alleging that recreational drug use sponsors international terrorism. Nevertheless, despite the Bush administration’s having spent tens of millions of dollars on the much-ballyhooed ad campaign, it’s painfully apparent that ...

Axing the Drug-Terrorism Ad Campaign

by Paul Armentano July 2, 2003

“Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it might come from you.” Or so claimed a year-long series of U.S. taxpayer-funded public service announcements (PSAs) alleging that recreational drug use sponsors international terrorism. Nevertheless, despite the Bush administration’s having spent tens of millions ...

The Drug War Helps Terrorists

by Scott McPherson July 1, 2003

The U.S. government has become quite accustomed over the years to orchestrating world events to fit its own agenda. In our name, the government keeps American troops in more than half the countries of the globe, openly supports brutal regimes, and uses its intelligence agencies to manipulate the policies of foreign governments. But no matter how hard it tries, ...

“There Was a Report of Guns and Drugs”

by Scott McPherson June 6, 2003

On May 16 New York City police officers dressed in riot gear broke down a woman’s door and exploded a concussion grenade in her Harlem home. The woman, 57-year-old Alberta Spruill, was unarmed. She died a few hours later of a heart attack. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and ...

Articles on Race and the Drug War

by Future of Freedom Foundation June 1, 2003

The following articles have been linked in FFF's Email Update: Racism and the Drug War by Jacob G. Hornberger The Future of Freedom Foundation Drug War Justice for the Rich and Powerful by ...