Proper Punishment for Drug Crimes
by
Matt Giwer (c) 1994 <8/28>

      The government has its own ideas as to the way drug dealers and in fact users should be punished. Many individuals have their own rather more draconian ideas reminiscent of the Inquisition. Some even advocate legalization.
      Let me make one point that is irrefutable, there is nothing our present concept of law and justice can do to drug dealers that other drug dealers do not do to them already. There is nothing we can do to drug users that drugs do to them.
      And yet, in full knowledge of these facts there is no shortage of drug dealers or drug users. Not only all of our laws but all the realities on the street can not make the slightest reduction in the drug trade. And yet the policy of our government is to increase the penalties for drug crimes and even create new drug crimes that have not the slighest reduction in drugs.
      Why are we doing this? Drug dealing can lead to a summary execution by the competition and yet we attempt to frighten them out of the business with 10, 20 or 30 years of hard time? I can see them quaking now while they continue to deal. Drug usage is a slow death with a lot of pain and suffering along the way and still they use drugs and we attempt to frightening them out of using drugs with a few months to a couple years in jail. I am certain they are changing their underwear at this very moment.
      What are we doing really? We are clogging our court system, filling our prisons, costing ourselves billions of dollars for absolutely no benefit. If these efforts were to reduce drugs by ten percent then we would know we are on the right track and more of the same would work. Then we could price the extra effort to get drugs down to some manageable level and we would know if we really want to spend that much money.
      What we have now is every penny we spend being wasted as it does not effect drugs in the least. Lets face this squarely. By ever measure we have we can spend a thousand times as much to exactly the same zero benefit. Please do not give me speculation. Show me what was spent on what and the measurable reduction in drugs and if you can not do that you have no position but more zealotry, when it fails redouble the effort.
      Increased penalties do not work. That is clear. So what are we going to do? I have proposed shoot on sight by armed citizens but not many seemed to like that one. I have proposed legalizing drugs but again not many seemed to like that one either.
      So are we going to continue our silly policy of imprisoning dealers and users and watching them be replaced instantly from the endless supply of users dealers? Of course we are. It is the American thing to do. It has to work if we simply redouble the effort. How could it not fail to work. It is exactly in conformance with all religious and social ethic.
      And of course it gets votes and we all support such policies in a fever of righteousness and perhaps desperation. What desperation? We seem to feel if we are in favor of harsh drug laws that our children (always our children justify absurdity) will not be exposed to the lower class habits.
      In fact if kids want drugs they will get drugs. If kids want to deal drugs they will deal drugs. There is nothing including drug free school zones, anti-drug propaganda, and the "example" of parents that is going to make a bit of difference.
      And if all of that does not work why in the world do we have the idea that drastic but lesser than real life punishments are going to make a bit of difference.
      Does anyone have any suggestions?