The prohibition against drugs, and the resulting War on Drugs have been abject failures, leading to the deaths of over 1.1 million Americans between 2003 and 2023, countless arrests, millions imprisoned, at enormous economic cost, while resulting in enormous cash flows to the criminal and terrorist organization that dominate the drug trade.
Something has to change.
- recognizing that prohibition against drugs has only resulted in the drug trade being controlled by violent organizations such as drug cartels and terrorist organizations, stop the flow of money to those organizations immediately by legalizing these substances, with limitations equivalent to or greater than those imposed on purchasers and users of alcohol and tobacco.
- distribution of any controlled substance by a non-licensed individual shall remain strictly illegal and the penalties will be even higher than they are currently. This, combined with legal avenues for users to procure substances from, should eliminate any profitability for drug cartels to push their wares into the United States.
- Opiates and analogs shall only be provided or used at supervised clinics. After a period, the States shall be able to write legislation that determines when these clinics may offer “take home” doses in order to provide users with more autonomy. This builds on policy that has been piloted in Portugal and areas of Canada
- Consult with American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association about reasonable limits on stimulants and psychedelic substances.
- Aside from improving outcomes for citizens who suffer from substance abuse syndrome, knee-capping the funding source for violent drug cartels, this measure will also result in costs savings to the American people, as we will no longer have a pressing need for jail and prison space, free up state and local law enforcement to investigate vioent crime, and free up funding and resources within the DEA, FBI, etc. resources within the DEA, FBI (among others)
Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2003–2023: Direct link to CDC.gov | Archive.org
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