Ross Perot on Drugs 1992 & 1996 Reform Party Nominee for President

Marijuana is the 1st step; tough penalties needed

"You know, you can talk all day, but the plain fact was this thing was ruining a lot of lives and you had to take some drastic action," he says.

Because he was a direct and impatient man, Perot wanted to deal with these infinitely complex problems in his own blunt fashion. Perot had decided that the current laws didn't do the job. They were entirely too lenient when it came to the 1st step--marijuana. If you were permissive about that, then users would inevitably slip onto the next step, and the next.

Assisted Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" program

Perot's antidrug positions have prompted controversy. Though he denies ever saying it, there are those who attest that Perot once told a Dallas meeting that there would be no way to solve the problem unless you cordoned off certain sections of town--areas notorious for drug use-- and went house to house rooting our violators. It would not be pretty and would not be popular, but then neither was the problem.

We're 5% of world's population but use 50% of cocaine

Can’t overstate the damage that drugs are doing

Never hires people who use drugs or alcohol

Avoid an applicant with the problems listed below, no matter how talented the individual may be.
• Some people simply cannot tell the truth. They live in a fantasy world.
• Don't have anybody on the payroll who uses drugs.
• People who drink alcohol every day can't think as well as people who don't.
• Surround yourself with people whose minds are clear.
• Avoid social climbers.
• Avoid corporate politicians like the plague.

Cordon off ghettoes to "vacuum up" guns & drugs

He also said that police should "just go in there [high-crime neighborhoods], cordon off the whole area, going block by block, looking for guns and drugs." When asked if that did not present a constitutional problem, Perot retorted, "Look, I'm sure that 95% of the people who live there would support this."

Longer sentences and more enforcement will solve drug war

When the Reagan White House later made overtures to Perot about possibly serving as the federal "drug czar," Perot said he would consider it only if "we can force every unidentified plane that crosses our border to land, and if they won't, then we will shoot them down." He did not get the offer.

In 1981, the legislature passed Perot's package. Perot was satisfied with the result of his drug work. "Texas is the worst state to get caught in," he boasted after pushing passage of the legislation.

Drug traffickers will take advantage of open Mexican border

If NAFTA is enacted, drug smugglers won’t have to go to so much trouble or expense. They can just transport their illegal goods across the border in trucks, and do so with little fear of being caught. US customs officials are already so overworked that they often have less than five minutes to inspect the cargo in trucks crossing the border from Mexico. This is an open invitation to smuggle. Colombian and Mexican drug traffickers are accepting the invitation. These dealers have bought factories and trucking companies that they can use as fronts for smuggling operations.

Deal with drug problem in military terms

He has called for declaring martial law to combat the drug trade. He says, “You can start dealing with the problem in straight military terms.”

Make drug treatment available to all addicts