By Jessica Ricks
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The United States should end the war on drugs because it is a failed policy that violates personal liberty and the Constitution, a top official at a Libertarian think tank said Tuesday in a speech at Towson University.
David Boaz, the executive vice president of the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C, said the drug war has done little else but increase crime, led to higher incarceration rates and contributed to racial discrimination.
He said that while the government had the authority to ban alcohol in the 1920s under the 18th Amendment – which was later repealed – it has no Constitutional authority to ban drugs.
“We say in this country that everyone has the right to life if they protect the rights of others,” Boaz said. “The decision should be made by the individual, not the government.”
“The first question we should ask is whether the power the government claims has ever been authorized,” he continued. “Where in the Constitution does the government have the power to ban drugs?”
According to Boaz, government policy that restricts drug use is a violation of the First Amendment.
“The liberty to use drugs is a universal value,” Boaz said.
Rather than achieving positive results, Boaz said, the drug war has produced unwanted consequences. According to Boaz, the illegality of drugs makes people want them more. He said under current government policy, the price of drugs has increased because of higher demand. He also said that drugs have become more potent and dangerous.
He compared the war on drugs to the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s. He said crime rates and violence increased when alcohol was illegal.
When alcohol became legal again after the 21st Amendment was ratified in 1933, violence decreased and alcohol was distributed by trusted brand name companies, Boaz said.
“If alcohol companies have a problem, they handle it legally now,” said Boaz, who is the author of the book “The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto of Freedom.” In the 1920’s, they handled it on the street corner [with] Molotov Cocktails and Tommy Guns.”
Boaz said the drug war has also lead to mass incarceration. According to Boaz, the U.S jails more than 2.3 million people, more than any country in the world. Half of those people, he said, are in on drug charges.
The war on drugs also creates racial disparities, he said, adding that one in 106 white people are in prison for drugs while one in 15 black people are serving time on narcotics charges.
The speech was given to an audience of about 45 Towson students and faculty members. During a question-and-answer session after the speech, Boaz said that if drugs were legal, people would be able to use them more safely. In addition, he said drug-use could still be regulated, such as prohibiting people from driving a motor vehicle while under the influence.
“Over 100 million Americans have used drugs,” he said. “That’s a pretty striking failure.”