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| To Fight Terrorism, Quit Fighting Drugs |
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Posted by FoM on March 08, 2002 at 15:37:59 PT Guest Column By Steve Dasbach Source: News-Sentinel 
Here's a bold way to strike back at terrorists that the government hasn't tried yet: End the War on Drugs. Ending the War on Drugs would take the profit out of drug-trafficking and inflict a crippling financial blow to terrorist networks. The War on Drugs turns ordinary, cheap plants like marijuana and poppies into lucrative black-market products, funneling vast profits into drug cartels and their terrorist allies. Why? Because the more risk there is in selling any product - the risk of arrest, from rival gangs or of seizures by police - the more the price is inflated to compensate for that risk. Even the U.S. government acknowledges this. In a report, "The Price of Illicit Drugs: 1981 Through the Second Quarter of 2000" (October 2001), the federal government notes: "A kilogram of pure cocaine costs about $25,000 at the wholesale level. This is a high price for a product that is basically agricultural, requires inexpensive chemical processing and has minimal shipping costs . . . . Consequently, (law enforcement) programs almost certainly explain high wholesale prices . . . . Illicit drug prices are many magnitudes higher than would otherwise be the case were there no effective source zone, interdiction and domestic law enforcement programs." Which federal agency published this report, acknowledging that the War on Drugs boosts the price of illegal narcotics and creates windfall profits for terrorists? The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). That's the same agency now running newspaper ads accusing the 94 million Americans who have peacefully used drugs of "supporting" terrorists. One typical ONDCP ad shows a close-up of a young woman's face, and says: "Last week, I washed my car, hung out with a few friends, and helped murder a family in Colombia." The bottom of the ONDCP ads state: "Drug money helps support terror. Buy drugs and you could be supporting it, too." But claiming that drug users are to blame for financing terrorists is like a maniac who kills his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan. After all, the government-created War on Drugs causes the very problem these ads complain about by driving up prices and generating exorbitant profits for terrorists. How much does the War on Drugs inflate the price of illegal narcotics? In the Hoover Institution's Hoover Digest (Issue No. 1, 2000), Joseph D. McNamara, former police chief of Kansas City, Mo., and San Jose, Calif., wrote: "The vast profits resulting from prohibition - a markup as great as 17,000 percent - have led to worldwide corruption of public officials and widespread violence among drug traffickers and dealers that endangers whole communities, cities and nations." Consider that figure: 17,000 percent. That's the extra profit terrorists make because of the War on Drugs. Without the War on Drugs, $100 worth of cocaine would be worth 59 cents, a $25 bag of marijuana would be worth 15 cents - and terrorists who depend on illegal drug profits to finance their bloody attacks would be almost penniless. The U.S. government acknowledges that terrorists profit from illegal drugs. At its Web site - www.theantidrug.com - the Office of National Drug Control Policy writes: "Twelve of the 28 terror organizations identified by the U.S. Department of State in October 2001 traffic in drugs." The bottom line is that the War on Drugs dramatically increases the price of drugs. As a result, terrorists flock to the drug trade and earn hundreds of millions of dollars. Then they use that money to finance violence against innocent people, corrupt law enforcement, wage civil wars and destabilize governments. Without the War on Drugs supporting prices for the drug cartels, many terrorist groups would find their funding squeezed to almost zero. And Americans would be safer. The fact is that politicians don't need to keep trotting out new government programs to combat terrorism. Instead, they should eliminate one government program: the War on Drugs. Until they do that, they should stop blaming pot-smoking teen-agers for funding terrorism and blame themselves instead. Steve Dasbach, formerly of Fort Wayne, is executive director of the national Libertarian Party. Newshawk: irok247 Related Articles: The Libertarian Party Are We Helping Terrorists by Not Legalizing Drugs? White House Anti-Drug Ads Super Bowloney Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on March 09, 2002 at 10:51:48 PT:
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| http://sg.news.yahoo.com/reuters/asia-93412.html [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #2 posted by Jose Melendez on March 09, 2002 at 07:01:53 PT:
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Home affairs spokesman Simon Hughes said: "There is a growing realisation that drugs policy must be reassessed.from: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n416/a09.html?397 [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on March 08, 2002 at 18:11:19 PT |
| Today, I worked my full day. Loaded a bowl and smoked it. Breathed in a little air, exhaled some carbon dioxide. Contrary to unpopular propaganda being rammed down everybody's throats, I didn't kill anybody. Marihuana is fun, and I like it. I'm guilty as sin, I had some fun. [ Post Comment ] |
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