cannabisnews.com: To Fight Terrorism, First Scuttle the Drug War





To Fight Terrorism, First Scuttle the Drug War
Posted by FoM on November 03, 2001 at 07:41:59 PT
By Neal Peirce, Washington Post Writers Group
Source: Charlotte Observer
If we expect to win the war on terrorism, we have to call off the war on drugs. There are three reasons: We can't afford both.The drug war feeds terrorist networks and diverts law enforcement from focusing on immense new perils. The drug war was failing anyway. If we want to reduce drug dependency and the crime associated with it, then intensive treatment programs will be far more effective.
Sadly, official Washington isn't admitting any of these truths. House Speaker Dennis Hastert has gone so far as to declare that "by going after the illegal drug trade, we reduce the ability of terrorists to launch attacks against the United States."First flaw in the argument: If our primary goal is Osama bin Laden and his network, choking off drug demand here (even if we could) wouldn't help much. Virtually all the heroin flowing out of Afghanistan goes to Europe, not the United States.But there's a larger flaw: What makes America's drug market so lucrative to suppliers in Latin America and elsewhere is our effort to keep it illegal. Black markets always generate huge profits and networks of brutal, underground operators. Ties to terrorists are inevitable."We have spent a half-trillion dollars on the drug war since 1990 and we are less safe and less healthy than ever," says Kevin Zeese, president of Common Sense for Drug Policy and long-term opponent of the prevailing national policy. "We're making more arrests and incarcerating more people, but the supply of drugs is up and prices are down."Zeese, like most reformers, favors a legally controlled market that would focus on treatment and remove the hyperprofits of today's illegal trade.He charges the drug war actually "blinded our government to terrorism," citing reports in Boston news media that FBI agents in the '90s actually apprehended Raed Hijazi, an admitted al-Qaida member. Hijazi, according to the reports, provided the agents with information on the Boston-area terrorist cell later involved with the Sept. 11 hijackings. But the FBI was reportedly interested only in information Hijazi had on heroin trafficking.Such incidents suggest that even if our federal, state and local governments found enough cash to fight a simultaneous war on drugs and war on terrorism, split agendas could mean that we end up losing both struggles.In a contorted way, one can argue America could "afford" to lose the war on drugs. Through the 1990s, times were good, government budgets sufficiently elastic, and the criminal justice system was kept busy. City neighborhoods may have been devastated, but there was little political outcry because the millions who got incarcerated tended to be the poor and minorities.But terrorism is different. It's not some social choice (alcohol is OK, marijuana or crack get you prison, etc.). Rather, terrorism is a grim, undeniable force. Fed by global poverty and religious extremism, it could well be the most frightening, multifaceted threat to the lives, homes, cities and livelihoods of Americans since the Civil War.The harsh fact - especially for state and local governments - is that resources are finite. Every cop who isn't chasing a kid selling cocaine on a city street is a cop who could be guarding a subway station, a stadium or public plaza. Every detective not tied up in drug cases can be checking leads on potential assaults on city water reservoirs or local power stations."Every dollar spent intercepting cocaine, heroin or marijuana," suggests Zeese, "is a dollar that could be spent intercepting bombs."Or take the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Every DEA agent who isn't involved in a futile effort to stop an easily replaceable drug shipment from entering the United States can be investigating terrorist cells or working to prevent bioterrorism or nuclear terrorism. Yes, nuclear terrorism, which almost surely will be tried against us.It is time to get serious, and deal with dire threats first. Instinctively, some federal agencies are shifting already. The FBI has changed its focus to terrorism. The Coast Guard has reportedly switched close to three-fourths of its personnel and boats from drug interdiction to antiterrorist patrols. Sharp moves in priority are also reported at the Customs Service, Public Health Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.But until we flip our drug policy, putting prevention and treatment first, and stop pursuing the millions of drug users in our own population, we'll have neither the resources nor the focus to pursue the very real terrorist threat that we face.Neal Peirce is a nationally syndicated columnist who writes about state and local government and federal relations."Every dollar spent intercepting cocaine, heroin or marijuana is a dollar that could be spent intercepting bombs." Kevin Zeese " Note: The war on drugs helps terrorist networks and diverts law enforcement. Source: Charlotte Observer (NC)Author: Neal Peirce, Washington Post Writers Group Published: Saturday, November 3, 2001 Copyright: 2001 The Charlotte ObserverContact: opinion charlotteobserver.comWebsite: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/Related Articles & Web Site:Common Sense for Drug Policyhttp://www.csdp.org/Time To Repeal Drug Prohibition http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11237.shtml  Money on Drug War Could Be Put to Better Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11112.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by dddd on November 05, 2001 at 04:50:02 PT
Flawed Arguments
This guy writes;"First flaw in the argument: If our primary goal is Osama bin Laden and his network, choking off drug demand here (even if we could) wouldn't help much. Virtually all the heroin flowing out of Afghanistan goes to Europe, not the United States."I beg to differ.The article opens with;" If we expect to win the war on terrorism, we have to call off the war on drugs...."......long before the authors "First flaw",,,there is the mother of all flaws,and that is the assumption that the"War on terror",is somehow legitimate!..This is an excellent example of the effectiveness of the mass indoctrination of the Sheeple..They have been pre-brainwashed into believing that a "war on terror",is a legitimate,reasonable concept...In reality,it is absolutely absurd,and ridiculous!It makes even less sense than a war on drugs......It's not much different than launching a "war on badness",,or, the chilling concept of a "war on evil"........any "war"on a thing or a concept is sheer lunacy!
 ...but...the public has been duped,into believing that a "war on terror",is quite logical,and that it is a war that can be "won"!!!!This is absolutely preposterous,and bizzarre.
..So,,now we have a "war"on an undefined concept,that in itself is ridiculous enough,,but it becomes even more absurd,when people are actually brainwashed into thinking we can "win" a war on an undefined concept.Think about trying to explain it to someone who had not heard of it.???....and yet,it's spoken of as a war that can be "won",,,gimme a freekin break!,,does this mean we could "lose" a war on terror?,,and go home,and say;"yea,,we lost that war on terror,,looks like terror won...what a drag."...or,,like the war on drugs,,,is there anyone who thinks that there would come a time when they would be able to say;"yup,,we won the war on drugs,,,We kicked drugs ass,and they wont be bothering us again."
..I'm afraid we have now entered an age of insanity,and the biggest evil on the globe is not some bin Laden/Taleban/al-qaida spooky ghosts,,nope,,true terror is a government that is out of control,,manipulating its citizens,and censoring the news,and free speech.True terror comes from carpetbombong B-52s,and a savage corporate military government collusion,that has convinced its people that "justice",somehow involves the slaughter of innocent people as "collateral damage".....what's going on now,is no different than if we would have bombed Timothy McVeighs home town,or executed the uni-bombers entire family.These were 19 zealous fanatics that suicidally hijacked planes on 9/11.The were mostly from Saudi Arabia.How come we dont bomb the shit out of the Saudis?????
..I would never have imagined,the day would come,when I would be afraid of saying the wrong thing in America,and fear being locked up for speaking my mind,,,but that day is here,and as I write these words of dissent,I am kinda scared.I could be labeled a "terrorist" for the things I say,and I could dissappear...Say the wrong thing,and go to jail....Perhaps the most disturbing part of all this,is that no one knows who the one that has the power to officially label someone a "terrorist"....Anyone could be deemed a "terrorist",by an anonymous government terrorist hunter,,and you can be incarcerated,,no questions asked...And if your family or friends have the balls to try and find out what the hell's going on,,,the answer is,that they cannot divulge any information concerning suspected terrorists.....
..I cant believe it,,but I've almost scared myself out of posting this...even though I love my country,and I am a true patriot,I am afraid of the government......I havn't even had a traffic ticket in 20 years...I hate hurting bugs,,,I donate canned goods to local charities....... I would loan my butt to someone who didnt have an ass,,even if it was a cop,or someone I dont like that much,,as long as they promised to give it back when they were done with it......dddd
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Comment #1 posted by Patrick on November 03, 2001 at 08:53:29 PT
Pay attention DEA
Instinctively, some federal agencies are shifting already. The FBI has changed its focus to terrorism. The Coast Guard has reportedly switched close to three-fourths of its personnel and boats from drug interdiction to antiterrorist patrols. Sharp moves in priority are also reported at the Customs Service, Public Health Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.Mr. Hutchinson, we don't want you raiding our LEGAL cannabis clubs here in California. YANKEE GO HOME! You are more than welcome to guard airports, bridges, borders, etc. PLEASE LEAVE THE SICK ALONE. 
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