Self Preservation is Not Cruelty
I don’t feel sorry for alcoholics or drug addicts. I feel sorry for their families. I am intensely biased. I had an uncle and a grandfather who were alcoholics in that horrible, life-destroying way. They couldn’t work, interact on any normal level, or remain sober for any length of time.
I seldom saw my father without a drink in his hand. I like to think this is because he liked beer. He got up every day, went to work, and never embarrassed me in public. An Al-Anon member told me it’s the never-without-a-beer that makes a person an alcoholic, not whether they get to work on time. I don’t know about that. I don’t pretend to know.
Yes, I’m going to talk about drugs again, and how I just read Broken. I have thought a lot about what William Moyers says about treatment, prevention and education. I have thought even more about public policy.
I like things that work. And I don’t know that I believe the War on Drugs is working, regardless of the statistics that say there’s been a 24% decrease, blah, blah, blah. Actually, I don’t know that restructuring the War on Drugs would work.
Perhaps we should legalize drugs and tax the shit out of them, control their manufacture, their import, export and destruction. Have you ever seen anybody kill anybody else over a pack of cigarettes or a keg of beer? You know why – because they are legal.
Prohibition was a bloodbath. So is this stupid war on drugs. I’m not saying drugs are great and we should all try them. I’m saying kill ‘em all and let God sort ‘em out. Go ahead, drink until you puke your insides out. Smoke crack until you’re dead. Just don’t shoot up the package store on my street. Pay taxes and don’t drive under the influence. Good riddance, you sorry sacks of shit.
Yes, this whole concept has me a bit peeved. I am not sorry for addicts. I am sorry for their families. It isn’t cruelty. It’s self-preservation. Since I can’t see into the drug addicted brain; I can’t see the diseased synapses, or whatever brain structure it is that goes wrong. I see the constant blame of other people and events for the drug users problems. To me that is what all addicts have in common: It is always somebody else’s fault.
Pushing Back : Setting the Record Straight: Losing the War on Drugs?
Actually, we have a balanced strategy that takes very seriously a public health understanding of the disease of addiction, and that integrates that public health comprehension with effective use of the law. In fact, we’ve repeatedly asked Congress to dramatically increase funding for prevention and treatment initiatives. Unfortunately, Congress has failed to meet the Administration’s request for critical demand reduction programs.
Actually, prohibition did greatly decrease alcohol sale and consumption. Unfortunately, rumrunner stories and Al Capone-esque characters were sensationalized in the history books, so everyone points to prohibition not working.
Legalizing drugs is a tricky issue, but I understand both sides of the argument. Which drugs should be legalized versus how do we regulate the consumption/taxes/dangers of each?
You’re right though. The current War on Drugs doesn’t seem as effective, either because of lack of funding or different time and place than the prohibition days.
I have no trouble believing that I’ve seen The Untouchables too many times and this has tainted my thoughts on prohibition.
On the other side of the argument, I have friends who say they have no problems going into the package store. But they sure as hell aren’t driving downtown to score some dope.
The thing is, I don’t think you have to drive downtown to score dope. I think people sell it in suburban bars and offices and high schools… just read the papers.