Unitarians Call for End to
War on Drugs

To conceive and develop a more just and compassionate drug policy, it is necessary to transform how we view drugs and particularly drug addiction. Drug use, drug abuse, and drug addiction are distinct from one another. Using a drug does not necessarily mean abusing the drug, much less becoming addicted to it. Drug abuse issues are essentially matters for medical attention. We do not believe that drug use should be considered criminal behavior. Advocates for harsh drug policies with severe penalties for drug use often cite violent crime as a direct result of drug use. Drugs alone do not cause crime. Legal prohibition of drugs leads to inflated street value, which in turn incites violent turf wars among distributors. The whole pattern is reminiscent of the proliferation of organized crime at the time of alcohol prohibition in the early twentieth century. That policy also failed.

We believe that the vision of a drug-free America is unrealistic. Many programs for school children have misled participants and the public by teaching that all illicit drugs are equally harmful in spite of current scientific research to the contrary. "Just Say No" is not a viable policy. The consequences of the current drug war are cruel and counterproductive. At issue here are the health and well-being of our families and our communities, our society, and our global community. Alternatives exist.

ALTERNATIVE GOALS

Based on this perspective, we believe appropriate and achievable goals for reformed national drug policies include

• preventing consumption of drugs, including alcohol and nicotine, that are harmful to the health of children and adolescents;
• reducing the likelihood that drug users will become drug abusers;
• minimizing the harmful effects of drug use, such as disease contracted from the use of contaminated needles and overdoses resulting from the unwitting use of impure drugs;
• increasing the availability and affordability of quality drug treatment and eliminating the stigma associated with accessing it;
• significantly reducing violent and predatory drug-related crime;
• minimizing the harmful consequences of current drug policy, such as racial profiling, property confiscation without conviction, and unnecessary incarceration; and
• reducing the harm to our earth now caused by the practice of destroying crops intended for the production of drugs.

ALTERNATIVE POLICIES

Instead of the current war on drugs, we offer the following policies for study, debate, and implementation:

• Shift budget priorities from spending for pursuit, prosecution, and imprisonment of drug law offenders to spending for education, treatment, and research.
• Develop and implement age-appropriate drug education programs that are grounded in research and fact and that promote dialogue without fear of censure or reprisal.

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