Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Economist: End The Drug War

Now the conservative magazine The Economist is stating the very obvious.

Having spent the better part of last week in Bogota, Colombia, I can see the effects of the American Empire's absurd little "drug wars." These policies have only succeeded in crippling Latin American nations, leaving them trapped in endless cycles of corruption and violence. And, yes, it is very true that Bogota has improved greatly in the past decade. But it will never break free from its crippling poverty, or violence from terrorist thugs like FARC, as long as drug prohibition is in place. As long as we - and I mean the United States - continue the drug wars, there will be a massive underground economy, a global subsidy, for all intents and purposes. The vast sums of money from the illicit drug trade will forever destabilize Latin America.

Oh, and have I mentioned that I have friends and loved ones in Bogota? I've got a dog in this fight. I don't have a shred of respect for poisons like cocaine or heroin, and I damn well don't respect the sorry losers who are stupid enough to consume them. My beef is with the criminal syndicates and terrorists who profit immensely from the drug war's subsidies.

That's really what we're doing here, kids. We're propping up the prices of these poisons. And it all goes into the hands of killers and thugs. I don't know about you, but I'd sure as hell like to the the profit out of this little game. The United States already learned this lesson with alcohol Prohibition in the 1930's. So what's the hold-up? What are we waiting for?

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