Brad Pitt: Stop this "Charade Called the Drug War"!

As marijuana legalization ballot initiatives gain steam in Washington state and Colorado, actor Brad Pitt is the latest celeb to drop some bummer on the war on drugs. From Reason's 24/7 newsfeed (a must-read, must-bookmark, must-send-around source for all you need to know about what's going on in the world):

"My drug days have long since passed," Pitt told the Hollywood Reporter. "But I could probably land in any American city and within 24 hours find whatever you want. But we still support this charade called the drug war. We spent a trillion dollars over 40 years and a lot of people have lost their lives over it."

Pitt said he had become involved in the [documentary The House I Live In] because "the subject has bugged me for a long time". He added: "It's a backward strategy. It makes no sense and we keep going on the path like we're winning, when it perpetuates more drugs being used."

Related: "3 States Could Legalize Marijuana."

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

So Brad is voting Johnson, eh?

[Caleb Turberville]

Isn't Pitt's mom a very outspoken Tea Partier?

[BakedPenguin]

He ducked the question about the election.

[JW]

OK, I RTFA'd and my cynicism *might* be unwarranted.

Either he's doing the usual stupid Hollywood thing and voting for the bastard anyway, or he's hiding his vote to avoid being shunned by the glitterati.

[BakedPenguin]

...my cynicism *might* be unwarranted.

Given some of the massive cognitive dissonance we've seen documented here, I can't blame you for it.

[Paul.]

Beat me to it.

I have a gay family member who's voting for Obama. I can't wait until she asks me who I'm voting for. My prepared response: I'm voting for the candidate who supported gay marriage from the beginning... who you voting for?

[califernian]

I always go with: I'm voting for the candidate who is NOT going to raise taxes on the working class.

[JW]

"It's a backward strategy. It makes no sense and we keep going on the path like we're winning, when it perpetuates more drugs being used."

"I therefore endorse President Obama for another successful term."

[Suthenboy]

Unfortunately, which ever way the election goes, the drug war will continue to escalate. Johnson has no chance of winning.

I wonder what would happen should all 50 states legalize MJ.....

[sarcasmic]

I'm sure that the DEA would continue to enforce federal law, in many cases with the help of local law enforcement (in exchange for military hardware and/or a share of the loot).

[Caleb Turberville]

"My drug days have long since passed."

Wait, Brad Pitt has stopped using drugs?

[Jerry on the road]

Who needs drugs when you have Angelina Jolie?

[sarcasmic]

With all those brats I'd need some sort of sedative.

[FD]

On the contrary, everybody needs drugs if they have Angelina Jolie.
Well, I guess you could get by for that half hour or so.

[Warty]

MATT DAM...wait, shit.

[Rights-Minimalist Autocrat]

Dya lack dags?

[BakedPenguin]

Buy me ma a caravan.

[BlogimiDei]

I need to take a shite!

[Copernicus]

It's fer me mam.

[Ken Shultz]

Is there anything Hollywood celebrities don't know?

[Randian]

They know not to vote for Mitt Romney, which is more than I can say for some commenters here.

[DemosTheKnees]

Those commenters should be banned. The nerve. Why I aughta.

[GILMORE]

".... and get some..... (cough)... cleaning products..."

[Zeb]

Definitely his best role to date.

[Caleb Turberville]

WHAT'S IN THE BOX, GILLESPIE?! WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!

[Corning]

Didn't also play a stoner in Reality Bites?

[Mike Laursen]

"But I could probably land in any American city and within 24 hours find whatever you want."

He's playing that down a little bit. All he'd have to do is drop a hint about what he wants, and someone on the crew would have it ready in about three minutes.

[Zeb]

Yeah, it's a little different for people who don't have an entourage and millions of dollars and aren't willing to just go out on the streets and deal with sketchy people.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

The art dogs will have weed, grip/electric will have blow, the Teamsters will have a general "fuck you" attitude.

[Death Rock and Skull]

Brad Pitt:

"BRAD PITT!"

[Malcolm Kyle]

How can any responsible parent not desire a saner drug policy, and one that's based on facts rather than reefer madness? Prohibition guarantees that many illegal drugs are far easier for our children to procure than even alcohol or nicotine. That's because, even though these are both very dangerous and addictive drugs, they are at least sold in properly controlled and regulated environments.

Under our present regime, certain plants/concoctions/drugs are sold only by criminals and terrorists; the huge black-market profits are used to threaten innocent civilians, bribe law enforcement officials, and buy support from unconscionable politicians; the availability and usage rates tend to go up, not down, and our prisons have become filled to capacity with easily replaced vendors and smugglers ?this list of dangerous and negative consequences is actually endless. To continue prohibition is ludicrous, and those of us who can't see that by now, must be either severely and mentally challenged or using something far stronger than any of us have even heard of.

Why on earth should we be willing to whack ourselves with ever-bigger and more-repressive prohibition hammers, while drug use and availability keep going up, not down, and while we all plunge deeper into Loserville?

Prohibition is the most destructive, dysfunctional, dishonest and racist social policy since Slavery. Prohibition is a holocaust in slow motion. We MUST end it NOW!