Juvenall Wilson

I’ve gotten more than a few questions in private about my linking to the Drug Policy Alliance. In particular, why on earth would I support an end to the War on Drugs. The answer is simple; I’m a libertarian.

See, as a libertarian, I strongly believe that the government should have no role in telling any citizen how they should live their life. Your body belongs to you and what you choose to do with it is your business. So as long as what you choose to do does not infringe on the rights of others, feel free to go nuts. As such, you, as an American, should have the right to do any substance you wish to do. Now, I’ll be the first to admit this sounds like a dangerous idea at first, but understand that the government has been allowing people to drink alcohol and smoke tobacco with little restrictions for generations. Both of these substances are known to cause addiction and serious health issues and yet, they’re still legal for adults to consume. So this isn’t exactly radical thinking.

The other major point is the amount of money we waste on fighting a “war” we really can’t win. The Federal government is expected to spend around $20 billion dollars on this issue. That’s on top of the $30 billion dollars by state and local governments. That’s $50,000,000,000 in 2005 alone. That’s about $1550 per second of your money being wasted on something we’ve not even put a dent in over the last 30 years. This figure doesn’t even include the amount the government spends on keeping the tens of thousands of non-violent drug offenders incarcerated every year. Don’t you think your money could be better spend on more useful functions such as education or even better, back in the hands of Americans?

So yes, I am 100% for the repealing of all drug laws as they relate to personal use. Please note, I’m not saying that just anyone should be allowed to sell drugs, but that anyone should be allowed to use them if they so choose. Personal liberty is the foundation of this country and we would do well to remember that.