Ron Paul Institute – by Ron Paul
Last week Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered federal prosecutors in drug cases to seek the maximum penalty authorized by federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Sessions’ order represents a setback to the progress made toward restoring compassion and common sense to the sentencing process over the past few years. Sessions’ action also guarantees that many nonviolent drug law offenders will continue spending more time in prison than murderers.
Sessions’ support for mandatory minimums is no surprise, as he has a history of fanatical devotion to the drug war. Sessions’ pro-drug war stance is at odds with the reality of the drug war’s failure. Over forty years after President Nixon declared war on drugs, the government cannot even keep drugs out of prisons!
As was the case with alcohol prohibition, the drug war has empowered criminal gangs and even terrorists to take advantage of the opportunity presented by prohibition to profit by meeting the continued demand for drugs. Drug prohibition enables these criminal enterprises to make profits far above the potential profits if drugs where legalized. Ironically, the so-called “law-and-order” politicians who support the drug war are helping enrich the very criminals they claim to oppose!
The war on drugs also makes street drugs more lethal by incentivizing the creation of more potent and, thus, more dangerous drugs. Of course, even as Sessions himself admits, the war on drugs also leads to increased violence, as drug dealers cannot go to the courts to settle disputes among themselves or with their customers.
Before 9/11, the war on drugs was the go-to excuse used to justify new infringements on liberty. For example, laws limiting our ability to withdraw, or even carry, large sums of cash and laws authorizing civil asset forfeiture were justified by the need to crack down on drug dealers and users. The war on drugs is also the root cause of the criminal justice system’s disparate treatment of minorities and the militarization of local police.
The war on drugs is a war on the Constitution as well. The Constitution does not give the federal government authority to regulate, much less ban, drugs. People who doubt this should ask themselves why it was necessary to amend the Constitution to allow the federal government to criminalize drinking alcohol but not necessary to amend the Constitution to criminalize drug use.
Today, a majority of states have legalized medical marijuana, and a growing number are legalizing recreational marijuana use. Enforcement of federal laws outlawing marijuana in those states is the type of federal interference with state laws that conservatives usually oppose. Hopefully, in this area the Trump administration will exercise restraint and respect state marijuana laws.
Sessions’ announcement was not the only pro-drug war announcement made by the administration this week. President Trump himself, in a meeting with the president of Columbia, promised to continue US intervention in South and Central America to eliminate drug cartels. President Trump, like his attorney general, seems to not understand that the rise of foreign drug cartels, like the rise of domestic drug gangs, is a consequence of US drug policy.
The use of government force to stop adults from putting certain substances into their bodies — whether marijuana, saturated fats, or raw milk — violates the nonaggression principle that is the bedrock of a free society. Therefore, all those who care about protecting individual liberty and limiting government power should support ending the drug war. Those with moral objections to drug use should realize that education and persuasion, carried out through voluntary institutions like churches and schools, is a more moral and effective way to discourage drug use than relying on government force.
Copyright © 2017 by RonPaul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.
I don’t trust Ron Paul…
Nobody is asking you to. What a weird reply to a article about the criminal demon authoritarian totalitarian POS Jeff Sessions and his crusade on some drugs.
I’m weird I suppose…
Ron Paul raised a bunch of money both times he ran for president, both times he dropped out prematurely then shirked off into the shadows keeping his mouth shut and counting his shekels.
Personally I’m not interested in giving Ron or Rand any credibility whatsoever and why should I, all I’ve seen Ron do is waste time and resources and Rand is a globalist punk.
No quarter for treason and I smell treason with the Paul’s, I’m not interested in cult of personality and I don’t care if anyone agrees with me or not.
Yes, I agree, but this article is NOT about Ron or Rand Paul, their views, beliefs or opinions. It is about the POS Jeff Sessions and his re-igniting the war on some drugs. So, to make it all about your distrust of the Paul’s is out there, like Pluto.
Jeff Sessions is a tool (put him on the list), the drug war is nothing new, we need to take an action if we expect change (boycott mainly).
Ron Paul or some underling may waste our time and or dupe fellow patriots out of their savings again, thwarting that might get us closer to ending the drug by proxy.
The enemy uses misleaders and directs our actions down dead end roads, I think Ron Paul is one of those misleaders, turning to him for information and narrative gives him creditably, I’m not interested in Ron making a come back at any point.
It is my opinion that Frank Face is correct. Ron Paul is in the discussion by virtue of having written the article.
It is also my opinion that Ron Paul is nothing more than an extension of the right wing intelligence apparatus whereby it attempts to explain to us the source of our own confusion.”You don’t like this side? Well, maybe we should listen to this other side. This other side will explain it to you.”
Turns out, neither side is worth listening to.
As a final statement I have no issue with the article being posted per say, my position is to call Ron Paul out when he plays softball against major league treason, the enemy is playing to win, so should we.