Thanks to Drug Awareness. Are you understanding that phrase "War on Drugs" a bit better now that you've been vaccinated or do you think the vaccines have nothing to do with the War in Drugs? So between your ears all you hear is the Nancy Reagan prescription of "just say no"? Every government foray into medicating its citizens has been a complete and utter failure ti its citizens. To those running these public medication programs, why, it's been a great boon. But you'll forget. You'll forget. You'll repeat history. The propaganda will come along and claim some new disaster that you'll get in line for, effectively over your personal sovereignty and body integrity to some public health official. You've always gotten in line. You're good at getting in line and standing patiently in line, tucked in between others who, like you, love the anonymity of getting lost in line. It's been some of your best work.
When Richard Nixon announced his refrain of the ongoing war on drugs in 1971, he by no means started it. The drug war predates the 20th century, is, in fact, the gears of the Progressive movement, it's takeover and transformation of the United States at about the time of the Civil War.
Looking for an interesting history on the drug war? Check out this article by Mark Thornton.
When I went
to the Oxford Union debates this past summer I was told by
a veteran of the debates that I must have a joke in order to win over the
audience. My attempt to win over the British audience was a success, but
unfortunately my opening remarks are too close to the truth and in retrospect,
are really not that funny:
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for the opportunity to debate the War on Drugs in this forum. Mr. Chairman, as you probably know, the War on Drugs was not a response to calls from experts, it was not in response to recommendations from the medical community, or even the law enforcement community. Mr. Chairman, the War on Drugs was started by the agitation of racists, bigots, religious fanatics, believers in eugenics, extremist politicians, and power hungry diplomats. In other words, Mr. Chairman, the average ordinary American.
The War on Drugs
was initiated by legislation that was passed not to help drug addicts and
protect the innocent, but rather was designed to control and marginalize
minority groups and to push the United States into a leadership role in world
diplomatic affairs.
The War on Drugs is
100 years old today. It kills thousands of people, destroys untold number of
lives, and wastes hundreds of billions of dollars every year. Plus it prevents
us from using three of the most miraculous plants on the planet, even for their
“legitimate” uses.
The Harrison Narcotics Act
As written, the
Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 was legislation that established a tax and
registration requirement on narcotics and cocaine. Politicians and journalists
openly targeted Chinese immigrants, Southern blacks, and Mexicans with
outrageous propaganda. The real priority of the legislation, however, was to
comply with the first international drug control treaty, the International
Opium Convention of 1912.
As implemented, the
legislation quickly evolved into an outright prohibition. Enforcement
bureaucrats argued that doctors prescribing narcotics for drug addiction was an
illegitimate medical practice. The courts ruled in their favor and
addict-maintenance medical practices and addiction clinics were forced to
close.
Marijuana
prohibition went national with the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. It
too quickly changed from a measure to tax and regulate into an outright
prohibition. Even hemp, the non-intoxicating form of cannabis was banned! When
propaganda claiming that marijuana was deadly and caused insanity, violence,
and criminal behavior was debunked (aka Reefer Madness), the “gateway theory”
was born to fill the void. The gateway theory posits that while marijuana might
not be addictive or dangerous, it would lead the user to try the hard drugs,
such as heroin. This theory became the prevailing view in the second half of
the twentieth century.
