War on Drugs Actually A War On Logic

According to a story in the LA Times, former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo has called out the United States’ ‘War on Drugs’ as more or less a complete and utter failure. While the War on Drugs has already been dismissed by many in the drug-loving U.S. public, including notables with influence ranging from Noam Chomsky to Woody Harrelson, Zedillo’s statements are unique in that they are coming from a world leader with direct ties to the campaign. Zedillo said of the War on Drugs, “The fight goes nowhere,” and deposed Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori has made similar statements. It is funny that sentiment such as that of Zedillo and Fujimori has been interpreted as headline-worthy news given the total joke that the War on Drugs has been since its inception in the 1970’s. The biggest and most notable of the hilariously wide-ranging spectrum of problems with the War on Drugs is the campaign’s complete disregard for the basic Economics-101 concept of supply and demand. In a report entitled The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition, Harvard economics professor Jeffrey A Miron explains how reducing the supply of drugs by making them illegal does nothing to curb demand, and hence, the U.S. War on Drugs is actually driving up prices for drugs and making dealers and traffickers wealthier. This fundamental flaw is insurmountable, so long as drugs are illegal, as the demand to get fucked up simply will not go away; people enjoy drugs so much that they are willing to pay just about any amount of money to do so. It’s hard to say anything else about the ineffectiveness of the United States’ misguided attempt at curbing drug use amongst its citizens that hasn’t already been said. The War on Drugs is a testament to America’s internal moral crusading that has flourished under the Bush Administration. Hopefully, the incoming Obama Presidency will be able to amend the nation’s drugs policies to something that is less of a total embarrassment.