So, the stable of critics of libertarian ideology obsessively trot-out their observation that Libertarians seem to be singularly focused on legalizing cannabis.
Here is the long explanation why putting an end to the so-called War on Drugs (more than simply pushing cannabis legalization) becomes such a priority for so many Libertarians.
First, there is the billions of dollars spent in this country just on the prohibition effort: from street-level enforcement, to putting people through the courts, and then incarceration.
The well-intended point of cannabis prohibition is to keep it off the streets and away from America’s neighborhoods. To state the obvious, we’re spending billions on an ongoing policy that is not yielding the desired results.
Given that one of the pillars of modern conservatism is identifying and eliminating public policies that don’t deliver the intended results in light of their enormous expense, there is nothing conservative about cannabis prohibition (or, the wider War on Drugs for that matter – estimates have that costing roughly $100 billion per year).
Second, there is the impact on the protections enumerated in the Bill of Rights – particularly the Fourth and Fifth amendments.
The effort to enforce cannabis prohibition has generated all manner of legal gymnastics designed to empower law enforcement with circumventing and bypassing Constitutional requirements for:
1. court authorization to conduct searches and seizures (Fourth Amendment);
2. respecting due process as opposed to the pursuit of rampant civil asset forfeiture (Fifth Amendment).
Any such erosion of constitutional protections opens the door to the erosion of them all. If you need me to elaborate further…
Another issue that would see improvement/relief should cannabis be legalized is immigration.
What too many people debating various issues from a right-wing bent either fail to see or refuse to acknowledge: the issues of immigration and the illicit drug trade are heavily intertwined.
If we end the war on drugs and work with the other countries in the Western Hemisphere to follow suit, whether or not we have open borders with immigration would become moot…
…as we would for the most part end the policies that are turning the countries to our south into war zones – thus motivating their citizens to flee our direction.
Let’s be honest: the reason most citizens of Latin American countries immigrate to the U.S. isn’t in pursuit of welfare benefits or to take our jobs (I’ll acknowledge that these are undeniably incentives to stay after they have entered and gotten somewhat acclimated to life in America).
The vast majority of Latin American immigrants cross our border to flee the war zones their home counties have become. Those countries have become war zones as a result of the War on Drugs here in the United States and our government’s efforts to drag the rest of the western hemisphere into it with us.
Just as with alcohol prohibition when the 18th Amendment was ratified, this new round of prohibition has created ridiculously wealthy drug cartels in the exact same manner as the organized crime operations that profited off of bootlegging and rum-running.
Legalizing cannabis would dramatically slow the flow of cash to the drug lords south of our border and, thus, gradually give those countries relief in their respective efforts to get the absurd rates of violent crime under control.
Essentially, the overwhelming majority of so-called illegal immigrants really are refugees trying to flee the unintended consequences of the War on Drugs.
More people need to acknowledge this particular unintended consequence of America’s drug war.
Finally, there is the relief to be seen within our outlandishly congested court systems. Along with conducting expedient trials for actual criminals, our courts also should be used to arbitrate disputes over property, contracts, and the bulk of operations that are hyper-regulated by government.
However, prosecuting cases of simple possession have our courts so log-jammed that finding justice in matters of real crimes and settling civil disputes so as to render the regulatory state unnecessary are virtually impossible.
So, let’s summarize… legalizing cannabis would:
1. alleviate the budget-busting expense of a policy that is not bearing any real fruit other than to make do-gooders feel good about themselves and their good intentions.
2. set in motion restoration of constitutional protections enumerated in the Bill of Rights.
3. give significant relief to the stress on our country’s border enforcement efforts.
4. open-up the courts to tackle other matters better-suited for them.
Would it be a panacea for these issues or any others? Of course not.
However, given the absence of any actual benefits of modern prohibition vs. the relief on at least these four issues which legalization would provide, this one heavily advocated action is a perfectly logical priority.
But, please feel free to continue making this all about wanting to get high. Perhaps watching “Reefer Madness” for the 57th time is in order.