 
ＵＳＡ ヘンプ・ミュージアム
館長から皆さまへ
ヘンプの歴史
ヘンプと農業
ヘンプの医療と健康
ヘンプ食品
ヘンプ織物
ヘンプ縄と糸
ヘンプパルプ紙
ヘンプ建材
ヘンプ燃料
ヘンプ原料
ヘンプ溶剤
ヘンプ・プラスチック
ヘンプと環境
ヘンプと娯楽と精神世界
ヘンプと法律
ヘンプと政治
ヘンプと政治
提言 ドラッグ戦争を終結せよ
社説 合法化しかない
政治関連図書
ヘンプ貢献者
ミュージアム図書館
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LEGALIZE DRUGS Laws have not Stopped and Cannot Stop Drug Use Now that federal troops have declared victory and withdrawn from Humboldt County, it is reasonable to look again at the war on drugs (in which this two-week operation was a mere skirmish).Any way you slice it, there is no denying that this politically declared war has been just about as effective as the war on poverty, the war on crime and the war on cancer put together, which is to say, a complete defeat for William Bennett and his warriors. Let's face it: No amount of laws, no amount of interdiction, no amount of courts, no amount of jails, no amount of anything has reduced the craving for or the use for drugs. Drug prohibition has accomplished exactly what alcohol prohibition accomplished in the 1920's. It has enabled crime to flourish, along with its attendant violence. It has created a worldwide organization of dealers and smugglers who are getting rich by selling illegal substances. Organized crime makes an estimated $50 billion a year through the sale of drugs. This policy is wrong. The craving for mind-altering substances is as basic to humans as the need for food, sleep and sex. It cannot be legislated away, and armies cannot smash it. The criminal justice system is grinding to a halt under the crush of drug cases. Prison cells cannot be built fast enough. One-third of all federal prisoners are in jail for drug-law violations. The federal drug war next year will cost $10 billion. It is a colossal waste of effort, money and human resources. At this time of pressing social needs, this expenditure is criminal. It used to be that only hippies (remember hippies?) Spoke of legalizing drugs, but in the last two years, a number of Establishment figures have reached the same conclusion. William F. Buckley, Jr., Milton Friedman, U.S. District Judge Robert W. Sweet of New York, George Shultz, Mayor Kurt Schmoke of Baltimore and others have said that decriminalization is the best policy. The time has come to legalize the sale and use of drugs. Treat them all like alcohol, which is legal through its sale is subject to controls. Immediately, the alarms go off. We've heard the arguments. "With legalization," drug czar Bennett says, "drug use will go up, way up." Not so, says Baltimore's Schmoke. "I believe that over the long run you would have decreased use." Who is deterred by the current laws? People who want drugs can easily get them now. They're sold on the street in broad daylight. Legalization can hardly make them more available than they already are. Another argument is that legalization is an effort by whites to inflict genocide on blacks, who are presumed to be the most numerous drug users. "That is ridiculous," says Kildare Clarke, a top New York City hospital official. "People who say that, prominent black leaders, don't understand that the real genocide is going on right now among teenagers, mostly black teenagers, who are killing each other off on the streets in a fight for turf and drug profits." "Even if there were a slight increase in addiction -and there is so much addiction now anyway, with drugs being illegal -this genocide, the killing on the streets, would end. Children would not be able to sell crack for money. They would be forced to stay in school, get an education and learn a trade." There is no point in continuing the war on drugs. It has not worked, and it cannot work. It can be waged only with the kind of repressive tactics that were used during Operation Green Sweep in Humboldt County. A class-action suit charging civil-liberties violations has already been filed against the government in U.S. District Court here. And what did the government get for its efforts? Some 1,400 pot plants. Not enough to put a dent in the supply of marijuana. All anti-drug laws should be repealed. The war on drugs should be called off. Just declare victory, play "76 Trombones" and march out. It always gets applause.
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