One of the greatest failures of government in the United States is the Drug war. It is sad to see the data and statistics on the increase of violent commerce related to drugs, the militarization of the dealers and police, the endless tragedy of incarceration and murder, wasted lives and oceans of wasted tax dollars and the constitution disregarded.
We didn't learn from the prohibition alcohol we doubled down on stupid with the drug war.
People will get what they want to consume and the U.S. government has never stopped that. The opposite has occurred. When a black market is created scarcity goes up, prices go up, taxation goes to zero, violence goes up as profits become greater and law enforcement is forced to intervene. It becomes a high risk high reward game.
When did it ever become appropriate for the government to tell you how to pursue happiness? When did it ever become appropriate for the government to say what you could and could not put into or take out of your body? What you can own and what you can possess?
I wandered through the silk road in its first iteration and found it interesting. I don't consume illicit substances nor do I sell them. When I saw what was happening I realized that it was an excellent example of harm reduction on many levels. Here is short but not comprehensive list.
- No street to street, home to home violent commerce, no gang wars. Drugs delivered to your door. The most violent thing is a UPS package hitting the front yard.
- Seller and buyer feedback system. Safer drugs. Less adjuncts, fewer poisonous additives.
- No need for law enforcement to patrol anyone's neighborhood. No police getting shot no officers shooting dealers or users.
- People using what they were going to use anyway in their own home.
- Liberty, privacy and security.
- Fewer overdoses, fewer deaths, less disease transmission. Why? People are using in safer, cleaner environments.
Ignoring an unfair trial, Ignoring officers who lied and are now in prison, ignoring even harm Ross Ulbricht may have created:
Ross Ulbricht most likely reduced the harm to users, dealers and law enforcement on a very large scale. After the silk road was shut down, did all that commerce just stop? Did people stop using drugs? No. Much of it simply moved back to its more primative and violent state.
This man should not be in jail for life x2 but be propped up as an example of how to reduce harm in our society.
Trial Update:
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/ross-ulbricht-defense-files-reply-in-court-appeal-disputes-fairness-of-trial-cm661365
Education/knowledge is key. With a product description and an accurate description of the substances, people can dose correctly and enjoy drugs with minimal risks. Ross is a hero for sure, massively improved the world. If only trials were held with more focus on intention and benefit/cost analysis instead of a blind obedience to an often terrible rule book.
You write well, thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)
One thing missing from this is the effect prohibition has on the drugs themselves. Since penalties are doled out based on the weight of the drug, the incentive is to create drugs which are far more potent than their predecessors (more buzz/gram). This raises profits for the dealers while keeping the risk of incarceration the same. Even in this market, economic laws still hold true. This potency effect translates to more dangerous forms of drugs on the street, leading to more death even when the state isn't involved. The madness must end. End the drug war now!
I agree completely.