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Drug Czar Needs to Look Beyond Worthless Laws

Enforcement doesn't work, but there is hope elsewhere

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 29, 2009 10:38 AM CDT
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(Newser) – In a chat with new czar Gil Kerlikowske, George Will notes that the war on drugs, as it has been waged, is an utter failure. Harsh drug laws have done nothing to reduce drug-taking, he writes, and incarcerating drug users is looking more and more wasteful to strapped states. “Not many people think the drug war is a success,” Kerlikowske tells Will, and they “want a different conversation.” If enforcement doesn't work, what does?

Fortunately, there are several historical trends to draw hope from, he writes: Consider the steep dropoff in smoking in recent decades; the gradual reduction in alcoholic consumption from an average of 7 gallons a year in 1820 to today’s 3; or the backlash against crack as its effects manifested themselves to inner-city kids in the late '80s. So “Kerlikowske can hope that social learning, although slow and intermittent, is on his side,” Will concludes. “But perhaps he knows the axiom that experience is a great teacher but submits steep bills.”

Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy.   (AP Photo)
A DEA agent watches as others raid a home for marijuana.
A DEA agent watches as others raid a home for marijuana.   (AP Photo)
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Kerlikowske, who was top cop in Buffalo and then Seattle, knows that officers sweeping drug users from cities' streets feel as though they are "regurgitating perps through the system." - George F. Will

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 21 comments
Enoughie
Nov 1, 2009 6:20 AM CST
It doesn't send any message about drugs, it sends a message to people that the government trusts them to make their own choices regarding what they want to consume... if you can buy a semi-automatic, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to by pot or heroin (guess what's more dangerous...). And there's more to the economics of narcotics than Classical Economics. Chances are that there wouldn't be much of a change in price - the war on drugs only prevents about 15% of drugs reaching the US, so there's not even a dent in price. You should also consider Behavioral Economics, and the only example we have so far is Portugal, where consumption of narcotics went down. Also, studies show that $1 invested in education and prevention saves about $7 in societal damage... so that would be much cheaper than our current policy which invests $0 in education but spends billions in ineffective trafficking control.
Observer
Oct 31, 2009 2:20 AM CDT
Right Blackgrl. The unseen prisons in poor, rural parts of states are a national shame. We lock up non-violent offenders for victimless crimes. In Texas - we have murderers that get less time than drug dealers. It is perverted. It is time for averge people to resist authority.
Observer
Oct 31, 2009 2:17 AM CDT
Correcto Jesus. Cigs kill a million people a year worldwide. Alcohol is a poison that unleashes the demons inside troubled minds and sometimes leads to violence and death. Cannibis is a harmless herb. At least 50 million Americans smoke pot. Get it. What kind of distribution system is able to support this demand? Duh - Fed Ex and UPS among others.

 
War on Drugs • alcohol • DEA • Drug Enforcement Administration • George Will • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Obama administration • Gil Kerlikowske

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