A war against the drug problem–that is what our governments have promised us, and we are still waiting for the battle to begin. So far, the authorities have done little more than engage their pea-shooter: a novel advertising campaign and an education pack for the kids. As the lives of our young people are ruined (and prematurely ended) and our crime rate soars, the casualties seem to be all on the wrong side.
If we were serious about a war against the drug problem, we might take some serious measures, like imprisoning all drug users and executing the pushers and corrupt officials. This would certainly have an effect. It wouldn’t take many to be caught before the trade would begin to suffer. Though we dislike the drug trade, and bemoan its effect on our society, we are not willing to fight a war against it. We certainly wouldn’t want to wage war against those bastions of society, the alcohol and tobacco companies.
An alternative would be to remove prohibition from drugs such as heroin, cocaine and marijuana, and legalise their outlets. A heroin shot could be bought just as easily as a pack of cigarettes or a beer. This would render people responsible for their own use and abuse of any particular drug (as is presently the case with cigarettes and alcohol). We would certainly not want to encourage drug use, and so would curtail advertising or promoting harmful substances, but by removing the massive profit motive of the heroin pusher–for heroin is a very cheap substance to produce–we could solve much of the present problem. We could remove their incentive for pressuring others into experimenting with drugs.
With people’s addictions brought within their economic grasp, we could surely reduce the present wave of street crime, house-breaking and car theft. And with the profit motive gone, the impetus behind corruption in the police force and legislature would be removed. Finally, the legalisation of these substances might also make life more tolerable for the addicts, who would not have to reduce themselves to theft, prostitution or drug pushing to pay for their disease.
Our present pattern is hopelessly inadequate. We try to punish the pushers, without punishing them too hard, or chasing them too vigorously. By keeping the substances illegal, we ensure that their price remains high, making the whole enterprise attractive to the immoral and giving the community the maximum aggravation.
Prohibition was a great idea gone wrong when it was applied to alcohol in America earlier this century. There is no doubt that alcohol does enormous damage in our society, certainly more than all the illegal substances combined. But the American experience was that the damage engendered by prohibition was far greater.
Has our drug trade reached the same stage, where prohibition is causing more damage than legalisation? Christians may wish to be protected by the law of the land. But when the law makes crime attractive, it doesn’t protect us–it endangers us, our homes and our children.
