| No human being has the right -- under any circumstances -- to initiate force against another human being, nor to threaten or delegate its initiation. The Zero Aggression Principle |
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03/20/10
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January
15, 2007 I've walked in those shoes. Both as a nurse and as a chronic pain patient, I've seen this thing from both sides. I've worked with "addicts" who were dying of AIDS, and many others. I took high doses of prescribed narcotic analgesia for years, and gratefully got rid of it when I learned how to eliminate my pain. There was no "addiction," and the physical dependence was easily overcome with a logical program of tapering off. It was not always completely comfortable, but it was manageable because I understood what was going on and was in control of both my body and mind. Ignorance and fear make the process painful and frightening, not the drug. The whole notion of some uncontrollable "addiction" is mostly nonsense, but very few people - including doctors - have any real understanding of it at all. The incidence of true addiction is very low, and it takes real work for most people to become even physically dependent on a drug, let alone "addicted." Addiction is of the mind and spirit, not the body, and it is most certainly within the control of the person involved. Taking charge of our minds and bodies, and taking full responsibility for what we choose is not always easy, but it is always possible. That the mistaken idea of involuntary addiction is commonly used as an excuse for self destructive behavior does not change this fact. Is it not, then, incredibly hypocritical to throw some drug users into jail, yet maintain others in their habit, both at taxpayer expense? Neither approach solves anything and both are destructive to society and the individuals. Why do either one? Why not rather leave each other alone to abide by the consequences of our choices? Who is really better qualified than YOU to decide what you will do with your own life? If you choose destruction, how is it anybody else's business? Many people - even some who call themselves libertarians - voice the fear that uncontrolled drug availability would lead to increased crime, child abuse and general indolence by an increasing population of users. But these fears completely ignore the reality of economics and human nature. Generally speaking, those who choose to take drugs indiscriminately tend to become ineffective and unhealthy, unable to support themselves or their families. Instead of letting nature take its course, with the individual bearing full responsibility - therefore being faced with the choice of reform or starvation - they are either incarcerated or otherwise supported at the expense of others. There should be no barrier to helping those who are willing to receive it, either through private charity or the usual fee for services on a voluntary basis. There is no need to abandon people to fight this thing without recourse. In reality, the voluntary approach gives us the only honest chance to help them. Those who do not choose to seek help usually can't BE helped anyway. They simply must not be enabled to continue destructive behavior at someone else's expense. Supply is determined by demand. The "war on drugs" increases the price by decreasing the supply and increasing the risks associated with production and distribution. The high price simply encourages those who are willing to take the risks. Since they operate outside "the law," they have every incentive to settle disputes violently, and their customers have no recourse if they are sold impure or false products. Utopia is not an option. There will always be people who insist on making poor choices and imposing on their neighbors. Some will choose to damage their lives and families this way, no matter what anyone else says or does. It seems obvious that it isn't possible to prevent anyone from making such choices or to remove every dangerous object and substance from our world. The only world of perfect safety lies in the graveyard. Far too many people weigh in with opinions (and vote accordingly) without having the slightest understanding how drugs (any kind) affect the human body and mind, or the realities of economics. They have been told that all "illegal drugs" are evil, always bad, and the CAUSE of crime and poverty. So, the only logical thing to do, they believe, is to ever ramp up the efforts to eliminate the drugs and punish those who use or do business with them. We can see that this approach is really doing the job... No? Well, perhaps it is time to learn the truth and try something else. As has been stated many times; the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. The results of the current "war on drugs" are always the same: more crime, more corruption of government, more people - users and innocent bystanders - with their lives and property destroyed, and lost liberty for everyone. When are we going to face the fact that this "cure" is many magnitudes worse than even the most inaccurate estimation of the disease? There are many good and learned articles and books on this subject, and I'm not qualified to rewrite any of it. I've included a good list of references below, and urge everyone who has questions to read as much as they can - until they get the answers. The Other War By Thomas DiLorenzo The Egregiously Destructive War on Drugs By Gennady Stolyarov II Lies and Myths About Opiates by Randal Cousins The Report of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse
Links from
the previous articles: Self ownership essay: http://www.mises.org/rothbard/ethics/eight.asp The Ludwig von Mises Institute: http://www.mises.org/ What about the "poor?" - Reinventing America: http://www.mises.org/freemarket_detail.asp?control=289 Advocates for Self-government: http://www.self-gov.org/home.shtml Second Amendment Sisters -- Self defense is a basic human right. Jews For The Preservation Of Firearms Ownership -- Learn more about the real meaning of the Bill of Rights and the people who have fought to preserve it. Keep And Bear Arms -- a grassroots movement of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is a call to action, a call for self-education, and a 21 gun salute to the many good men and women who fought and died to bring America into being. Gun
Owners of America -- "Gun Owners of America was instrumental
in mobilizing the grassroots to fight the crime bill." These will lead you to many others. |
Letter
From The Editor The Poor Seniors - How Do We Care For Them? "The
Black Arrow" By Vin Suprynowicz Out of the Gray Zone Book Review Reclaiming Ownership Of Our Lives Open Carry - Mama's Got A (BIG) Gun! The Price of Liberty is Three Years Old Complete Archives for The Editor
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