The Libertarian Party on "The War on Drugs" =========================================== [From the LIBERTARIAN PARTY PROGRAM, Adopted by the Libertarian National Committee, 23 August 1992] VIOLENCE, CRIME AND DRUGS As violent crime increases, each of us grows concerned. We should feel safe and secure, but our government has failed to protect us. Violent crime continues to increase in this country. We must devote more resources to finding and prosecuting people who commit violent crimes such as murder, rape, assault, and arson. Unfortunately, we cannot, because so many resources go to a battle we cannot win -- the "war on drugs." Drug dealers, not drug users, commit most violent crimes associated with drugs. The "war on drugs" drives up drug prices, which attracts more people to the drug trade. When potential profit increases, drug dealers resort to greater extremes, including violence. They fight each other and law enforcement officials to defend their very profitable turf. Occasionally they kill innocent bystanders in the crossfire. Those few crimes committed by drug users also are a result of artificially high drug prices. Desperate drug addicts commit more and more robberies to keep up with the increasing cost of their habits. We know from past experience how to solve this problem. During Prohibition, when alcohol was banned, violence increased from turf wars between bootleggers. When Prohibition ended, so did the violence related to bootlegging. The per capita murder rate decreased for nine consecutive years after the end of Prohibition. Do we hear about alcohol distributors having a shootout on the street today? Of course not. Why? Because there is no reason to commit violent crimes when operating a legal business. While those addicted to alcohol certainly suffer, at least they don't have to steal to support their habit. People addicted to alcohol don't rob houses because they can obtain enough money through other means, be it a job or panhandling. Earlier this century, drugs were legal in the United States. If the importation, sale, and use of drugs were legal again, open competition would eliminate the extreme profitability of drug dealing. The violence of drug dealing would cease because dealers would no longer have the economic incentive to commit violent crimes. We can expect the end of drug prohibition to lead to the same decrease in violent crime we experienced after the end of alcohol Prohibition. Illegal drugs are no different than the legal drugs called alcohol and tobacco. Some illegal drugs may be harmful to the mind or body, just like alcohol and tobacco. Some are addictive, just like alcohol and tobacco. If these drugs were made legal, as they once were, the government would not be encouraging their use, just as the government does not encourage alcohol or tobacco use, even though they are legal. Over 500,000 Americans die each year as a result of using alcohol, tobacco, and other legal and illegal drugs. Alcohol and tobacco combined account for almost 95% of the total. Another 4% come from overdoses of legal drugs. Even though millions of Americans use illegal drugs every year (over 26 million in 1990 according to the government), these drugs are responsible for only about 1% of these deaths. If banning drugs to protect people from themselves makes sense, it makes more sense to ban alcohol and tobacco. Yet there is no call for such a ban, because Prohibition has already failed, as would a ban on tobacco. When will the government learn that all attempts at prohibition will fail in a free society? The Libertarian Party recognizes that if people in a free society want a product -- be it whiskey, cigarettes, Valium(R), marijuana, or cocaine -- they will find a way to get it, whether or not it is legal. We do not endorse drug use. We do not encourage drug use. We do, however, support relegalization of all drugs. We realize that government action in a free country cannot stop drug use. Legalization will eliminate drug-related violent crime and will, therefore, help reduce our crime problem. The Libertarian Party also recognizes that resources devoted to the "war on drugs" could better be used to fight other crimes such as murder, rape, theft, and fraud. As long as billions of dollars are spent on a battle we cannot win, we will have inadequate resources to fight these other battles that we must win. ============================================================== [From the Libertarian Party 1994 Platform] THE WAR ON DRUGS The so-called "War on Drugs" is a grave threat to individual liberty, to domestic order and to peace in the world; furthermore, it has provided a rationale by which the power of the state has been expanded to restrict greatly our right to privacy and to be secure in our homes. We call for the repeal of all laws establishing criminal or civil penalties for the use of drugs and of "anti-crime" measures restricting individual rights to be secure in our persons, homes, and property, or limiting our rights to keep and bear arms. ================================================================== [From a Libertarian Party Press Release] LIBERTARIAN PARTY DEFENDS JOYCELYN ELDERS' CALL TO STUDY DRUG LEGALIZATION WASHINGTON DC -The Chairman of the Libertarian Party today applauded a "courageous" Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders for suggesting that drugs should be legalized, saying, "This could be the first step towards a major reduction of crime in America." Stephen Dasbach, the head of America's third-largest political party, said, "Instead of repudiating Elders' comments, the Clinton administration should thank her for suggesting a sensible way to end the violence caused by illegal drugs." Dasbach said a study on the effects of drug legalization--as advocated by Elders during her talk at the National Press Club--would be an excellent first step. "But we've already done a study on this--it was called Prohibition," he said. "When Prohibition was repealed, machine gun battles between rival bootlegging gangs vanished. Widespread corruption of policemen and judges ended. And millions of otherwise decent Americans were no longer forced to break the law." Dasbach said the nation's murder rate declined for nine consecutive years after the end of Prohibition. "The same thing would happen if drug prohibition was ended," he said. "Alcohol prohibition was a failure. Drug prohibition is a failure. The sooner Bill Clinton follows the courageous lead of Joycelyn Elders, the sooner we can move towards a more peaceful, secure America," he said. "Elders knows there is powerful evidence proving that crime declines and that drug use remains level after decriminalization," said Dasbach. "I'm astonished the Clinton Administration denies this, or refuses to do further studies. Drug-related crime is a national crisis. How can Clinton refuse to examine any option that might make the situation better? "Elders is joining a long list of intelligent, reputable Americans who advocate examining drug legalization," noted Dasbach. "Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke, conservative commentator William F. Buckley, former Secretary of State George Schultz, and Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman are a few of the others. This is no longer a radical idea. It's an idea whose time is coming." Dasbach said the Libertarian Party does not endorse drug use. "But the Libertarian Party does support the relegalization of drugs to reduce crime and to end the ongoing assault on the Bill of Rights that is being caused by the War on Drugs," he said. There are about 100 Libertarians currently in elected and appointed office around the country, and Libertarian Party candidates won more than 3.7 million votes for state and federal office in 1992. The party platform calls for free enterprise, free trade, individual liberty, and respect for the Bill of Rights. -- The Libertarian Party America's third largest political party 1528 Pennsylvania Avenue SE (202) 543-1988 Washington DC 20003 Internet: LPHQ@digex.net ***Send email or call 1-800-682-1776 for free information package by mail***