Rae Vogeler on Drugs

Decriminalize marijuana; save money and stop wasting lives

I support the decriminalization of marijuana. Police arrested an estimated 786,545 persons for marijuana violations in 2005, the highest number ever recorded, and that 88% of these were charged with mere possession. Locking up Americans for such offenses is a waste of lives, and a waste of about $69 billion per year in taxpayer dollars. Furthermore, the prohibition against medical marijuana has denied relief for people who suffer various symptoms of AIDS and other serious diseases. Source: Email interview with OnTheIssues.org Oct 1, 2006

Drug addiction is a medical problem, not criminal

Drug addiction is a medical problem. Addicts should be treated as patients, not as criminals. Drug laws drive addicts underground when they needed medical help. They increased the spread of drug-related violence, which is a result of drug prohibition, not a result of the drugs themselves. They turned young people into hardened criminals, and placed a third of young African American men behind bars at some point in their lives. The real crime is the war on drugs Source: Email interview with OnTheIssues.org Oct 1, 2006

War on Drugs is an excuse for massive rights violations

The war on drugs, supported by both Democratic and Republican parties, has been used as an excuse for massive rights violations, especially denial of Fourth Amendment guarantees against warrantless search and seizure and Fifth Amendment guarantees of due process, and for military attacks against Colombia, Panama, and other Latin American countries. Source: Email interview with OnTheIssues.org Oct 1, 2006

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