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Drug Czar Fail
John Tierney digs up the Bush administration's 2002 National Drug Control Strategy, and notes that the administration has unsurprisingly come up far short in its goal to reduce illegal drug use by 25 percent within five years.
There has been an overall decline, but it's been marginal—less than four percent. Nevertheless, we continue to set new annual records in overall marijuana arrests, and drug czar John Walter's office is dubiously trumpeting the slight declines as vindication that the Bush-Walters overall strategy is working.
But there's a side to this discussion that's quite a more nefarious than your usual drug warrior manipulation of data.
The ONDCP has been celebrating these marginal declines (largely driven by declines in the use of marijuana) as a "success" for a couple of years now. From a piece I wrote in February:
In December 2006, the ONDCP put out a triumphant press release celebrating a five-year decline in the use of illicit drugs among teens.
"There has been a substance abuse sea change among American teens," Walters said in the release. "They are getting the message that dangerous drugs damage their lives and limit their futures. We know that if people don't start using drugs during their teen years, they are very unlikely to go on to develop drug problems later in life."
But here's what the ONDCP doesn't want to talk about:
But the following February, the Centers for Disease Control reported that deaths from drug overdoses rose nearly 70 percent over the previous five years.
Half the overdose deaths were attributable to cocaine, heroin, and prescription drugs (the number of overdose deaths caused by marijuana—the drug most targeted by the ONDCP—remained at zero). One of the biggest increases (113%) came among aged 15-22, those same teenagers Walters was celebrating just three months earlier.
We're told that drug war is a moral imperative because, in the words of Walters himself, "dangerous drugs damage [children's] lives and limit their futures." But like most temperance zealots, Walters measures success not by actual lives wrecked or ended prematurely, but merely by how many people are and aren't getting high.
Switching from the "drugs ruin lives" justification for the drug war itself to "how many people are getting high" when measuring the same drug war's effectiveness, then, hides a more important statistic: How many people have had their lives ruined and futures limited by the drug war? The vast majority of the 873,000 people arrested for marijuana offenses last year, for example, likely had more damage done to their lives by the prohibition of marijuana than could ever be done by the drug itself.
Such is why drug warriors like William Bennett, Karen Tandy, and Walters can assert with a straight face that alcohol prohibition was, also, a "success." Sure, the crime rate spiked, alcohol hospitalizations soared, and corruption and contempt for the rule of law was rampant. But fewer people swallowed down less demon rum. So, score one for social engineering.
Sure, deaths from drug overdose have jumped 70 percent, and more than doubled among young people. But fewer people are smoking pot. And that means we're winning.
|10.13.08 @ 3:56PM|#
Prohibition was repealed when the Great Depression put the
squeeze on the government. Legalizing booze was a double win.
Saving the money spent enforcing the unenforceable, and taxing one
of the most profitable businesses.
Here's hoping the coming Newer Deal comes with newer repeal of
prohibition.
|10.13.08 @ 3:57PM|#
I swear this one kid I know totally OD'ed on marijuana last summer. He tried to smoke two joints before he smoked to joints, but then he smoked two more. And, well, that was the end of him.
|10.13.08 @ 4:11PM|#
As a responsible user of cannabis for over 25 years, I'm really
getting a kick out of the war on some drugs czar's claims.
Just one question sir, if I may;
If the war on some drugs is working so well by decreasing users so
dramatically and eliminating opportunities for dope fiends to find
a job, why does the market support such high prices for
cannabis?
/There must be a lot of responsible cannabis users with jobs in
order to buy it.
//Legalize it already.
|10.13.08 @ 4:23PM|#
ZZman, good point.
SWIM went to go buy pot the other day when SWIM realized she was
gainfully employed and thankful that pot was cheap, safe, easy to
acquire, and provided wonderfully hangover free relaxation. SWIM,
who was quite intelligent, recognized that she could purchase more
potent pot and smoke less of it, thus protecting SWIM's lungs from
having to inhale excess tar. SWIM will likely never be personally
persecuted as a result of the War on Drugs, but SWIM likely resents
it.
Who knows?
The Drug Czar|10.13.08 @ 4:23PM|#
"I'm gonna go blow one."
Of course you are. That's what happens when you indulge in the
'Demon Weed', you end up giving blow jobs to anyone you can find to
support your habbit.
Peter Tosh|10.13.08 @ 4:26PM|#
Doctors smoke it, nurses smoke it,
Judges smoke it, even the lawyer too
you've got to legalize it, and don't criticize it
you've got to legalize it, yeah, and I will advertise it.
It's good for hte flu, and good for asthma
good for tuberculosis, even umara composis
Kolohe|10.13.08 @ 4:46PM|#
One of the biggest increases (113%) came among aged 15-22,
those same teenagers Walters was celebrating just three months
earlier.
Well, they *are* "very unlikely to go on to develop drug problems
later in life."
|10.13.08 @ 4:57PM|#
And here's an old diddy from my summer camp days:
♫♫(to the tune of Brother John)♫♫
Marijuana marijuana,
LSD LSD,
Scientist make it, Counselors take it
Why can't we, Why can't weeee
LarryA|10.13.08 @ 4:59PM|#
The vast majority of the 873,000 people arrested for
marijuana offenses last year, for example, likely had more damage
done to their lives by the prohibition of marijuana than could ever
be done by the drug itself.
That one always gets me. "We must save kids from the dangers of
marijuana by ruining the rest of their lives."
Sure, the crime rate spiked, alcohol hospitalizations soared,
and corruption and contempt for the rule of law was
rampant.
Then there are the people who were hurt by bad booze, lead
poisoning for example, because bootleggers don't do much quality
control. The same is true with today's illegal drugs. Oh, and the
innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.
Chrispy|10.13.08 @ 5:00PM|#
Are you telling me there's still a drug czar?
The drug czar isn't doing a good enough job. We obviously need a
czar czar.
Asharak|10.13.08 @ 5:07PM|#
Hey, TallDave, this is what most of the Republicans that you suck up to support, whether you agree with it or not.
|10.13.08 @ 5:12PM|#
Listen:
Quality control is an important factor in today's underground drug
industry. Dead customers are not repeat customers. Money and the
knowledge of where to put it will lead to a quality product. caveat
emptor, especially for their kicks.
|10.13.08 @ 5:18PM|#
To me there's only one stat by which to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug war: the consumption rate of California cheeseburgers.
Feel Good Hit of the Summer|10.13.08 @ 5:33PM|#
Nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol... c-c-c-c-c-cocaine
|10.13.08 @ 5:58PM|#
I wonder if Walters ever comes to the Internet and reads posts like Radley's and I wonder what he thinks when he does. Since his job and his worldview depend so completely upon his denial of facts, reasoned argument, and logic, I guess it's a resounding chorus of "MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW."
ev|10.13.08 @ 6:58PM|#
hey damn way to rock out the queens of the stone age
(songs for the deaf is superior in every way)
Not TallDave|10.13.08 @ 7:20PM|#
Hey, TallDave, this is what most of the Republicans that you
suck up to support, whether you agree with it or not.
Three words: Joe Frickin Biden.
And I didn't see Clinton dismantling the office when he was in
charge. He hired a general, which is about as close as we have
these days to an actual czar.
|10.13.08 @ 10:05PM|#
Voters with an enlightened view of marijuana remain a small (but growing) minority. I believe that the economic argument combining the savings from eliminating the WOD and revenue enhancements from taxing weed may be our only hope of ever legalizing it. At least it's worth a shot.
northern lights|10.13.08 @ 10:05PM|#
Haha this is hilarious, like prohibition will stop anything. 25 years later the pot is 2x better.
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